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  • Online Poker Site VIP Programs

    Online poker sites have been moving away from the outdated model of rakeback for some time now.  In 2011 there have been a number of online poker sites that have stopped offering rakeback and opted to develop rewarding VIP programs or simply improve what they already offered. These two marketing tools have been in competition for many years but VIP/loyalty programs have finally won the contest. Online poker players have found that many VIP programs offer much more value than generic rakeback offers. Rakeback is simply the poker site giving you part of your rake back. That certainly doesn’t seem very rewarding. Why wouldn’t they just take out less to begin with? It has always been a silly concept and the average poker player will receive more incentives without it.

    Poker room VIP programs currently range from mildly rewarding to insanely rewarding. This post will look at the different types of loyalty programs  in 2011.  Some of these programs are so large that I have to create entire sections for them because I cannot fit all of the information in my poker site reviews.  Here is a list of the three major VIP program formats:

    • Multi-tier
    • Poker points only
    • In/Out programs

    Multi-tier VIP Programs

    The VIP programs with multiple tiers typically provide the best value because they rank and award players more accurately. If you play at the $5/$10 tables for a few hours a day you will not receive the same benefits as someone that plays at the $1/$2 tables. Here is a list of the poker sites with the best  multi-tier loyalty programs:

    • Pokerstars – There are six tiers in this VIP program. The first four are based on monthly performance and the last two are based on yearly performance.
    • Party Poker – Party Poker uses a 5 tier system. The first three levels are monthly based and the final two are quarterly based.

    Both of these VIP programs provide a wide range of rewards and incentives.

    Basic Poker Points VIP Programs

    Some poker sites still offer fairly basic loyalty programs. These programs simply offer you points for your play. There are no levels to reach or awards when you reach certain milestones. You can either convert your points into cash, use them buy into tournaments or spend them at VIP stores. Bodog Poker is one of the few rooms that still offer this form of loyalty program.

    In/Out VIP Programs

    None of our featured poker sites use this type of loyalty program. These programs have a single tier so you are either in or out. This may be better than the generic points-only schemes common several years ago but it falls far short of the complex multi-tier programs mentioned above. Many of the poker sites on the Entraction Poker Network use this type of system. You do not receive much in terms of rewards until you have earned 150,000 loyalty points. After becoming a VIP you have nowhere to go. It doesn’t matter if you earn 1,000,000 points or 200,000 points, the benefits are the same.

    This type of system does not reward small stakes or recreational players. Online poker rooms should know that these types of players are the most important. By making the requirements impossible to meet for 95% of their players they end up alienating them.

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