This seem to be worse than expected. I havn't stayed very updated, but from what I've heard I got the impression that they wouldn't change to a Stars-similar VIP-system.
Now, returns will probably be similar to PokerStars - meaning low-stake players probably won't get close to as high returns they had before FT closed in the first place.
Sad, really.
I think its logical that the new blackcard scheme will be similar to supernova elite. I wouldn't get too shaken up about the announcements until we see what that has to offer. It is in their best interests to keep the high stakes games going, as their red pros are hardly going to be earning their keep if they have nobody to play against ♦
Right...i'm sure I'll get flamed but i'll say it anyways :
I can't believe people are actually whining. If pokerstars didn't buy the software all the money would be gone.
If you are not happy with the new reward system, sign in account and withdraw your money --> rub on titties.
That's my way to look at things, but then again, I won't be playing poker when FT come back and will just withdraw and run away.
I made a shop purchase before black friday. Obviously never recieved said item. Can anyone shed any light on this?
Originally posted by TwiceT
Originally posted by TwiceT
"[...]unlike affiliate-paid rakeback[...]"- no more monthly rake race?
- no more PS points for playing tracked on FTP?I wanna keep it simple. I'd be glad if somebody could answer these 2 questions. tyty
OK, I can answer the question myself now:
The Rational Group, which operates PokerStars and is responsble for the new Full Tilt Poker entity has announced that they "are not liable and will not pay for any affiliate earnings which may have been due to you under your agreement with any former Full Tilt Poker company". An affiliate program will remain unavailable for anyone wishing to promote the brand until next year.
Hi all,
Thanks for the feedback so far on the new rewards program. I realize we haven't given enough information yet about the program for most of you to accurately assess how much better or worse this program is for your specific situation compared to the old system, but we just aren't ready to share all of the details yet. They will all be available at least a few days before re-launch, so there will be plenty of time to get a much more accurate picture of where things stand.
In case you missed it, we announced this week the addition of Tom Dwan and Viktor Blom to our team. That's it in terms of new Professionals that will be joining us before re-launch. Thanks for the very positive feedback on the team so far, we're all excited to start seeing them in action again.
To the questions:
1. Will you have a reload or new deposit bonus when FTP comes back?
- The first time deposit bonus will still be there. As far as other bonuses go, our re-launch promotion hasn't been announced yet, but news is coming in the next couple of weeks.
2. You will have to add new programs on top of this to stay competitive and you're already alluding to Black Card returning.
- The current plan has a promotion called "Black Card" returning, but it will be entirely different. Nobody should be counting on that promotion as something that will increase their total giveback.
3. Is there anything above Black Card in the works and/or will there be tiers?
- No, there is nothing currently in the works at or above Black Card level of play. That doesn't mean that such a thing will never exist, it just means nothing is currently in the works. And yes, there will be tiers in the new program.
4. What kind of compensation can we expect for 40+ Continuing Months and our Medals?
- Iron Man Medals will be converted to FTPs at a rate of 50 FTPs per Medal. As far as Continuing Months goes, that's part of the "leg up" I mentioned in the last post. All of those details will be announced in the next couple of weeks.
5. Will FTP offer a SNG Leaderboard again?
- Yes, the SNG Leaderboard will continue.
6. Are all of our points worth $2.50/100 FTP?
- No, your old points are worth the same as they were last year, with the caveat that if you had rakeback you will no longer be charged anything for using those points. Newly earned (base) FTPs will increase your weekly cash reward by up to $2.50 per 100 FTPs (and actually it's earned per point, so it's really up to 2.5c per FTP).
7. Is the first tier going to be Bronze?
- It is, but not because of PokerStars. Iron Man also started at Bronze (and so do about a million other rewards programs out there). Olympic medals are just an instantly recognized tiered system.
8. Will Full Tilt Poker have a service such as "Home Games" in PokerStars?
- There are currently no plans for a full on integrated "Home Games" feature like PokerStars has, although we do plan on having most (if not all) of the functionality of Home Games available to our players at some stage.
9. Will there be any Cash-out tournaments as this was unique to Full Tilt Poker?
- Unless there is significant demand, this is one of the few game types we don't plan on having when we come back that we had when we went down. Players in general didn't seem to care much for the format.
10. What percentage of people actually had 27% rakeback on the old Full Tilt Poker?
- Under a third. The fact that this new rewards program will be available to 100% of our players is a large reason we ultimately went in this direction.
11. Is it 7 points per $1 or 10? I thought it was 7.
- It's 10 FTPs per $1 in rake. This was changed in September of 2010.
12. So about the Mid Year Bonus payout, is this something we will have to release by increments and have to put in the volume to release it? Or just a straight deposit in our account off the bat?
- It works just like all the other Iron Man Mid-Year and End-Of-Year bonuses. It's tracked on a web site, and is released in full when you clear the whole thing. If you don't clear the whole thing by the end of the clearance period, you will get whatever you did clear.
13. If I'm an Estonian who has relocated, can I somehow send the proof of my address before the site opens, so the real money games would be available?
- Yes. Contact support and they will be able to help get you set up.
14. Will our accounts on PS and FTP be linked in the VIP Progam? So if we earn FTPs on Full Tilt Poker, will they give me VPPs simultaneously?
- No, the two programs are separate.
15. I think it's going to be bad for low volume grinders. All sites including stars pay like 10% rakeback while FTP used to give everyone 27%.
- By "everyone" you mean "everyone who had affiliate-paid rakeback," which is a significant difference. If we take the lowest tier in the new program that gives weekly cash rewards and pretend that group existed in June of last year, just 30% of the players in that group had rakeback.
16. What are the criteria for determining which ROW players will have to verify via paperwork? Or do all of us have to?
- We want to ensure that only the true owner of each account is able to access, withdraw and make real money transfers. The higher your balance, the more likely it is you'll end up having to send in documents. For players with lower balances, logging in with the same computer or IP address you used to log in with will lower the chances you'd have to send anything in.
17. Will the play money balances also be the same?
- Yep.
18. Will we be able to make cross-site transfers? Both play chip and real money?
- You will be able to make inter-site transfers, yes. However, it will be for real money only.
There has been some confusion over the email that went out to affiliates earlier this week. To clear up a couple of questions from players: If you had affiliate-paid rakeback, you will still be paid the rakeback you were due at the end of June, 2011. In addition, previous rakeback payments, refer-a-friend, cash bonuses, or any other promotional payments are not impacted in any way.
As far as affiliate specific questions, I'm not in a position to answer those. You'll have to write to the email address provided in the email that went out for any clarification.
Thanks, itSmIn3z, for that further information. I'm inclined to agree with stevegold87 and others: Pokerstars bought a business as a going concern. They're entitled to make whatever changes they like to the business model. As customers, we're entitled to withdraw if we don't like them or stay if we do.
Given how badly the old business was run, I don't think it makes much sense to be overly critical of our mutual "saviour," before we've really understood the impact of the changes.
Even if you only log on once to withdraw, you're still heaps better off than if Stars had never effected a rescue buyout in the first place.
DUBLIN - October 24, 2012 - FullTiltPoker.com today announced details of the Deal Me In
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Beginning on November 6th, the day of FullTiltPoker.com’s official re-launch, Deal Me In will include all of the following:
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Deal Me In Bonus package – each real-money player has been offered Full Tilt
Poker’s biggest ever bonus package, which includes a cash bonus of at least $200 and a free Rush Poker Ring Game Ticket. New players will be extended their bonus offer, in addition to the First Deposit Welcome Package, once they make a deposit and begin playing real-money games.
Ticket Sale – players can turn their Full Tilt Points into real-money prizes by
purchasing discounted Ring Game Tickets and Tournament Tickets from the Full Tilt Store. Discounted tickets are available for ring games, Steps Tournaments, FTOPS events and some of Full Tilt Poker’s most popular daily and weekly tournaments.
Happy Hour Week – double Full Tilt Points are available around the clock, with
different games featured each day. Players can subsequently use their points to
purchase discounted tickets during the Ticket Sale, getting even more value from the Deal Me In promotion.
An additional Deal Me In component will be launched in the coming weeks:
FTOPS XXI Satellite Frenzy – hundreds of bonus entries to FTOPS XXI events, worth more than $300,000 in total, will be added to special satellite tournaments, allowing players to qualify for Full Tilt Poker’s premier tournament series for a fraction of the cost of buying in directly.
