Pokerstar without creativity to encourage their old players and to attract new player

[cese1962]

Pokerstar without creativity to encourage their old players and attract new players:
Esteemed,
Everyone involved in Poker has no doubt in choosing Pokerstar as the best room to play, leaving the second place for 888Poker.

Now I want you to answer me sincerely:
What is missing for Pokerstar to offer Free Tournaments, daily gifts, ranking scores and leveling up by rating players for restricted tournaments like 888Poker does?

Doesn't the greed of just wanting to make money allow Pokerstar to think a little further?
Pokerstar administrators need to understand that in doing so, it will attract players from new players and also revive the old ones who developed Pokerstar and are playing in other Rooms.
They will certainly recover their investments.
What do you think?
Thanks for listening.

 

[dallam]

I cannot play at 888, but saw that they offer some great freerolls.

I think as they aren't a market leader, in long term it is worth to them to grab players to play on their site, and cost money to catch their attention to their site. As pokerstars is the biggest online poker page, they are profitable without freerolls, and they let communities like Cardschat and Casinoorg in to be presented in this field too, but as they are not supposed to catch more attention, they can do it their way too.
To protect Pokerstars, they actually have had amazing sattelites and low prize MTTs through the years, and unlikely the other poker softwares, its possible anytime to build a bankroll from micro levels too. Also the biggest CC freerolls are holding on their side.

 

[Austria7]

I think the complacency of Pokerstars is making players to move to other poker rooms. The customer service is also not exemplary at the largest poker room in the world - sometimes it is difficult or still impossible to contact. Pokerstars certainly knows how to advertise celebrities from sports and movies, but more and more smaller poker rooms offer more to the players and try to treat their players and customers well.

 

[moots]

Years ago, PokerStars was great. They had a great reward system and lots of freerolls, but I guess they wanted to maximize profits.

Now their "rewards" are a joke. Their challenges are terrible too. You need to play 5/10 cent cash games for hours to win a prize of 50 cents.

 

[19aleks57]

It seems to me that Pokerstars does not care about bonuses to players, earnings are in the foreground.

 

[Garfield52]

Well I am some glad that other people feel the same way that I do.

I don't play poker to try to make a fortune. I just love to play the game for a pass time. If I happen to place in a tourney every now and then, or just finish in the money then I am tickled to death.

That is why I like playing at 888 Poker so much more than poker stars now. Like they said above, Poker Stars used to offer freerolls and chances to earn rewards with thrir Stars rewards. Now the freerolls are as scarce as hen's teeth. In order to get a Stars reward you need A LOT more points than you did a few years ago.

It is like they have their base of paying customers who are hooked on the game and they are making enough profit from them that they couldn't care less if they ever encouraged more new players to come on board.

They might be #1 now but there is only one place to go from there .......... and that is DDDDOOOWWWWWNNNNNN !!!!!

 

[hugh blair]

Yes while rake is high 12% or 2% more than most of the other sites under $20 buy ins which is a lot and rewards are low I still will enjoy playing these league games and these generous freerolls in 2021 that to be honest is still nice of Pokerstars but I will not probably not play any other games there though.

My biggest issue was them changing my deposit limits without my permission as did not contact them or change any settings in November prior to this message from them.


Hello Hugh

During a routine review, we noticed that your activity recently is higher than most and wanted to get in touch to see if everything is OK.

With more people being affected by current movement restrictions measures countries are imposing to contain the spread of the virus, we appreciate that our customers' entertainment habits may change or be influenced by these unprecedented events. None the less, we want to ensure that all our customers continue to play safely on our sites and while using our products, and we do not wish these changes in circumstances to lead anyone losing track of time and/or money spent when gambling.

Out of an abundance of caution, a monthly deposit limit of $200 USD has been temporarily placed on your account. We'd first like to hear your feedback by replying to this email in regards to if you feel your time with us has been safe and if you feel it is having a negative impact on yourself in any way. If you'd like a lower deposit limit, or to take a break, just reply to this email and let us know.

Please be aware that a Self-Imposed Deposit Limit is an accumulative limit. Any deposits you have made during the past 30 days period will apply towards your new limit.

Responsible Gaming tools should be used from the outset as they provide a system to help everyone stay in control of their play with both money and time that they're comfortable to spend. Please take the time to familiarise yourself with the list of some of the Responsible Gaming tools we offer:

Deposit Limits

You can set your own deposit limits via the software. You know your limits. Let us know them too.

Game Limits

You can choose to set your own playing limits for casino and its variants, cash games, tournament buy-in or betting in general.

Cool Off Periods

Take a break whenever you need it. With this feature, you can choose to cool off for a shorter period (12 to 24 hours) to help remain calm and collected and help keep the experience fun.

Time Outs

If you need a longer break from playing, try our time-out feature that allows you to take a break from 7 days and up to 120 days.

Self-Exclusion

If you'd like to stop gambling altogether then you can self-exclude for a period that suits you starting from six months and up to 5 years.

For more information on all of our Responsible Gaming features please check:

ww.pokerstars.eu/about/responsible-gaming/


Please also review our important message in regards to the situation:

www.pokerstars.eu/help/articles/rg-coronavirus-alert-update/196268/?br=pokerstars

I changed it to $8 a month after their intervention but now cannot change back after a month had passed like I thought,

And they are now requesting very invasive information weeks and months waiting on responses from support that is hard and uncomfortable to fill in.
As working several jobs money in and out from 10 poker sites and half dozen payment processors do not know how to fill it in accurately to be honest to allow me to change settings again so I am losing interest in the site as there are better alternatives out there.
At least I am no longer paying 10k+ a rake year there now in the spins and other games I suppose maybe it is for the best that I no longer play anything except freerolls there.:dontknow:

 

[Alizona]

Wow 12% rake is awful, so sorry to hear that.

As an American, I am only allowed to play on the play chip side of Poker Stars, but I've always laughed at Stars for raking us at 12% for the highest stakes play chip tournaments... I had no idea it was also the same 12% tournament rake on the real money side too. That is absurd, it is such a rip off for the players who are mostly unaware of the impact rake has on their profitability.

As always, I must blame those grifters known as "Amaya" (I won't name their names, easy enough to look up) who as a consequence of their underhanded attempt to acquire Stars ended up sinking the company into unheard-of debt levels... and here we are today, this thing called Flutter bought the entire thing from the Amaya clowns, including all that debt load... any wonder why their rake is the highest in the business? But that isn't excusing it, there's no excuse for such a rip off. Online rake should be lower than live rake for very obvious reasons. What a joke.

What's next, a voluntary "tip your dealer" popup after you cash a tournament? LOL I wouldn't put it past any of the sites.

 

[DS3]

To make a simple point or two.

Like countless others, when Aurora graphics was installed by PokerStars the graphics deteriorated to the point I do not like playing on the site, period. However, as Hugh above I will play the free rolls.

In contrast GG Poker (not that I claim it to be the be all end all) offers a vibrant and attractive site to play on. Further, one thing which has really delighted me is their Daily Freebie/Promo.

You sign in and they offer you a free roll of various types which are quick - sometimes instantaneous - such as Spin & Gold. In other words everyday you check-in and feel welcomed. Not exactly rocket science is it?

The sense you get with GG Poker every day is that you are valued. I would think other sites would take note and adjust but they seem disinterested PokerStars being a prime example.

 

[fundiver199]

In my opinion this whole system of freerolls and rewards is just kind of silly, and in many cases its questionable, if it really attracts more paying customers. CC forum in particular is full of people, who basically only play freerolls, and this is obviously losing money for poker sites. And at the end of the day those money comes from players, who actually do play normal games and pay rake.

So for me personally I would be completely happy, if poker sites just offered good games with a reasonable rake. I agree, that the high MTT rake on PokerStars suck, and so does the high rake for STTs up to the 3,5$ level. But I certainly dont miss all that nonsense with freerolls or daily spins or whatever, that some ofter poker sites have.

And the reality is, Stars profits skyrocketed, after they cut back on rewards including the controvercial decision to scrap their "SuperNova elite" program late in the year. So while they might have lost a few customers, it has not hurt their bottom line, and they still have lots of people playing there.

 

[PHX]

Pokerstars focuses on their product and their high paying customers. Sad truth is they do not really care about us at bottom of the barrel that only play freerolls. That is their strategy and business model right now.

They tier everyone based on rake generated and net deposits and this affects everything from reward points needed to unlock a chest to how fast they respond to customer service requests to what kind of customer service options available.

There are other rooms that are more micro stake/freeroll player friendly like 888 and GG Poker. I invite everyone to join these 2 rooms and benefit from the promotions that can be found on there. You can make $10-$20 a month with no monetary investment on these 2 sites.

So you might be wondering why doesn't Pokerstars adopt similar things like these 2 rooms well they don't need to, Pokerstars already has the lion share of the market. These 2 rooms are trying to gain market share that's why they are offering these kind of promotions as Pokerstars once did a few years a back. The promotions are not sustainable in the long run eventually they will cut back and some cases stop altogether. So make the most of when they are available.

 

[fundiver199]

Sad truth is they do not really care about us at bottom of the barrel that only play freerolls.

But why would any poker site care about those people? They are obviously only a burden, since they suck money out of the system without even paying rake. The only reason, why any poker site offers freerolls, is because, they hope, than once there, people will eventually make a deposit and play some regular games. Or maybe go in the casino or sports betting section and spend money there.

There are other rooms that are more micro stake/freeroll player friendly like 888 and GG Poker.

I like 888 Poker and play there a lot, but I dont quite agree, the site is more "micro stake friendly". Cash game rake for 2-5NL is very high on 888 Poker, whereas on PokerStars its very low. 888 Poker also dont have the 45-180 man SnGs, which PokerStars have, so for getting experience and grinding up a starting bankroll from a small deposit like 100$, I think, PokerStars is actually better.

However once you have reached 300-500$, 888 Poker is worth considering, if you want to play MTTs specifically. Smaller fields and lower rake are big advantages, and perhaps the fields are even a bit softer as well. But if you want to stick with cash games or SnGs, PokerStars is still way better. Even getting into 20-30NL cash games on 888 Poker is quite a bit of an issue, since volume is simply to small.

You can make $10-$20 a month with no monetary investment on these 2 sites.

If you are going to spend a significant amount of time on poker, why not set some just slightly more ambitious goals? Like maybe $100-200 a month in the short term, so that the bankroll is actually growing. And then later 500$ a month if/when you reach low stakes games, and 1.000$ per month if/when you reach mid stakes games. I just really dont understand this whole "building a bankroll from freerolls" idea. To me its plainly a waste of time.

So you might be wondering why doesn't Pokerstars adopt similar things like these 2 rooms well they don't need to, Pokerstars already has the lion share of the market. These 2 rooms are trying to gain market share that's why they are offering these kind of promotions as Pokerstars once did a few years a back.

Exactly. PokerStars have made the calculation, that its better for them to have a higher profit margin rather than trying to grow their customer base. Which is probably true, since its not realistic to draw that many more people into online poker, and they already have a large market share.

The promotions are not sustainable in the long run eventually they will cut back and some cases stop altogether. So make the most of when they are available.

Time will tell about that. But obviously there have been instances in the past, where it was not sustainable. Infamously full tilt poker did not have the money, which players had entrusted them, when Black Friday happened. They had "borrowed" that money to spend it on advertising and promotions trying to grow their customer base. Hopefully sites like 888 Poker and GG Poker are run in a more responsible manner, so that the same wont happen to them

 

[shinmenkami]

Pokerstar without creativity to encourage their old players and attract new players:
Esteemed,
Everyone involved in Poker has no doubt in choosing Pokerstar as the best room to play, leaving the second place for 888Poker.

Now I want you to answer me sincerely:
What is missing for Pokerstar to offer Free Tournaments, daily gifts, ranking scores and leveling up by rating players for restricted tournaments like 888Poker does?

Doesn't the greed of just wanting to make money allow Pokerstar to think a little further?
Pokerstar administrators need to understand that in doing so, it will attract players from new players and also revive the old ones who developed Pokerstar and are playing in other Rooms.
They will certainly recover their investments.
What do you think?
Thanks for listening.

I dont think pokerstars is the best, but neither is 888.
The problem with pokerstars is the constant rake increase and to prioritize casuals, making new games (like the latest poker tetris) that are made to level a worst player to a better one.

888 on the other hand does that with freerolls, that are just as bad imo.
Instead of spending resources to juice up theyr paid tournaments they throw unobtainable prizes for "free", but freerolls can be compared to the tetris gamemode: the blinds are so fast and the pool so big, that if you play the game right you most likelly will be eaten by blinds by the time the shovers are all eliminated.

You also need to deposit to play those freerolls, so why not deposit on a site that have better paid content in the first place?

 

[infonazar]

Over the past few years, PokerStars has lost market leadership and I think 888 is now a more promising site for new players.

 

[deputat777]

Pokerstar without creativity to encourage their old players and attract new players:
Esteemed,
Everyone involved in Poker has no doubt in choosing Pokerstar as the best room to play, leaving the second place for 888Poker.

Now I want you to answer me sincerely:
What is missing for Pokerstar to offer Free Tournaments, daily gifts, ranking scores and leveling up by rating players for restricted tournaments like 888Poker does?

Doesn't the greed of just wanting to make money allow Pokerstar to think a little further?
Pokerstar administrators need to understand that in doing so, it will attract players from new players and also revive the old ones who developed Pokerstar and are playing in other Rooms.
They will certainly recover their investments.
What do you think?
Thanks for listening.

Poker Stars understand that they are no longer in the tops of their room.GG excel in everything, graphics and good tournaments.I think Poker Stars inferior to many rooms.

 

[fundiver199]

The problem with pokerstars is the constant rake increase

Its not really a "constant" rake increase. It was back in 2016-2017, that they cut back on rakeback, introduced the current chest based system, and raised the rake 20% for MTT with less than 20$ buyin. Since then there have not been any rake increases, and most games on PokerStars are still reasonably raked compared to other poker sites.

and to prioritize casuals, making new games (like the latest poker tetris) that are made to level a worst player to a better one.

But other poker sites are no better in this regard. If anything they are almost worse with 888 Poker having Spin n Gos, which change to all-in shootout mode after 2-6 minutes, and GG Poker introducing a new kind of MTTs, which begin with an all-in shootout mode.

PokerStars do actually still offer a lot of games for serious poker players like SnGs with 10-15 minute blind intervals, and they arrange a lot of MTT series or events, which attract players and create excitement. Today for instance a new "turbo" MTT series begin, and last week they ran a "MicroMillions" series.

"The Poker Dream" is not about winning a few dollars in a freeroll. Its about once being good enough or lucky enough to win big money in an MTT Cris Moneymaker style. And PokerStars is certainly a more realistic place to fullfill that dream than 888 Poker, since 888 Poker simply cant sustain MTTs with a really large price pool.

You also need to deposit to play those freerolls, so why not deposit on a site that have better paid content in the first place?

Well what site would that be then? I guess, it depends on, what you are looking for. But as I said many times, I think, the MTTs on 888 Poker are brilliant.

 

[DS3]

In my opinion this whole system of freerolls and rewards is just kind of silly, and in many cases its questionable, if it really attracts more paying customers. CC forum in particular is full of people, who basically only play freerolls, and this is obviously losing money for poker sites. And at the end of the day those money comes from players, who actually do play normal games and pay rake.

So for me personally I would be completely happy, if poker sites just offered good games with a reasonable rake. I agree, that the high MTT rake on PokerStars suck, and so does the high rake for STTs up to the 3,5$ level. But I certainly dont miss all that nonsense with freerolls or daily spins or whatever, that some ofter poker sites have.

And the reality is, Stars profits skyrocketed, after they cut back on rewards including the controvercial decision to scrap their "SuperNova elite" program late in the year. So while they might have lost a few customers, it has not hurt their bottom line, and they still have lots of people playing there.

But, there is a fundamental flaw in this argument.

Fully realized poker players do not instantly occur and then join sites. People have to learn the game and become comfortable playing, particularly when considering playing for real money.

I am not a gambler, period. I am only a fan of poker and would never play if it was not for the ability to learn with play money whilst participating in free rolls. The majority of poker sites understand this which is obviously why they offer such promotions.

 

[fundiver199]

Fully realized poker players do not instantly occur and then join sites. People have to learn the game and become comfortable playing, particularly when considering playing for real money.

Sure but this is, what play money tables or penny games are for. Last summer I introduced a friend to 888 Poker, who had never played online but played in home games with friends a few times. He rarely play, but when he does, its the 10c 10-man SnGs. He is not playing the freerolls, because he dont want to sit around and wait for them to start, and he dont care about spending 10c on a game.

The majority of poker sites understand this which is obviously why they offer such promotions.

But then again 888 Poker have way more freerolls than Stars, yet they are not gaining any market share. So obviously the majority of players dont actually care that much. There are plenty of "fish" in the games on Stars, even with the lack of freerolls.

 

[DS3]

Sure but this is, what play money tables or penny games are for. Last summer I introduced a friend to 888 Poker, who had never played online but played in home games with friends a few times. He rarely play, but when he does, its the 10c 10-man SnGs. He is not playing the freerolls, because he dont want to sit around and wait for them to start, and he dont care about spending 10c on a game.



But then again 888 Poker have way more freerolls than Stars, yet they are not gaining any market share. So obviously the majority of players dont actually care that much. There are plenty of "fish" in the games on Stars, even with the lack of freerolls.

Yes, you have a perspective and can detail what 'a friend' does but the fact remains thousands play free rolls everyday. If they did not enjoy them no one would play them. For the poker sites they are the equivalent of a loss leader (as worst case scenario) but a clever inducement to play more in reality. The vast majority of free roll funds (which are but a drop in the bucket compared to daily turnover) stay on the site and are then leveraged to enter buy-in play.

I made a simple point which is indisputable. When you check-in with GG poker they offer you a random shot of free rolls to play instantly -Spin &Gold, Flip & Go etc. In seconds you can win and I have done so several times, the highest amount so far $3. Just for checking in.

I am sure each and everyone who plays GG Poker enjoys and appreciates this. If it was available to you, I am sure you would take advantage, enjoy it and develop a warm sense towards the site.

 

[Adi8877]

Years ago, PokerStars was great. They had a great reward system and lots of freerolls, but I guess they wanted to maximize profits.

Now their "rewards" are a joke. Their challenges are terrible too. You need to play 5/10 cent cash games for hours to win a prize of 50 cents.

That was more likely a decade ago, than years.... There is no rewards at all, what they call, like that is not even enough for a joke... + they charge you more fees than any other small room - at least, I do not know any other room with higher fees. Meantime you would suppose 100% opposite from the biggest room ( best reward system and lowest fees)

Don't talk about the 'go totally childish' platform look like policy since years....

I play there only CC freerolls, and some micro MTTs from that small winning, as nothing else makes sense for me. Don't mention the weirdest runs, RNG insanities...

 

[SpanRmonka]

I've just recently started migrating over to other sites from Pokerstars. The bonuses on 888 and GG are way better. I can't even keep up with all the freerolls 888 keep giving me!! For any new player its def worth doing some research, joining a site to try out their bonuses and freerolls then move on to another.

GG can be a bit irritating with all the graphics etc, maybe these can be turned off, but I've not had a look into it, but their welcome pack is great with all the spin n go tickets etc.

Pokerstars by comparison was very poor, and I think it will lose players over time, but as they are the big name in the market, this will probably take some time to really impact them.

 

[abgvedr]

PS software also looks like havent been updated for decades. Windows 98 style. Sickens me.

 

[chippawa1234]

Pokerstars is so 2011 i had some good memories but happy to be playing on partypoker and ggpoker in 2021. Pokerstars cashback, animation, bonues, customer support etc are trash, complete dog sh** of a site. My opinion others might love it.

 

[chippawa1234]

Plus the rng is mentally ill on pokerstars.