Learn more about Diamond Club Elite
We chat to partypoker's VIP Manager Lee Puddephatt to learn more about Diamond Club Elite (and how it differs from SuperNova Elite).
What made partypoker want to create Diamond Club Elite?
Lee Puddephatt: It represented the next level to offer our ever-increasing roster of VIP clients – we are now in a very strong position with regards to the VIP category compared to our competitors and we decided to compliment that growth.
Elephant in the room - this is very similar to SuperNova Elite, how deliberate was this?
Lee Puddephatt: Our packages are for sure superior, but we wanted to take the concept even further, with a more “complete” offer.
It’s clever tactic to target former SuperNova Elites in this way because its an area where PokerStars famously fell out of favour with a lot of players. Do you worry, however, this makes the partypoker product look 'reactive' to what PokerStars does rather than standing out on its own?
Lee Puddephatt: PokerStars don’t have a clear VIP strategy, yet here we have a full team who are focused on building complimentary tiers for all VIP levels. The Diamond Club is a different proposition to Supernova Elite.
Is the 60% rakeback for the following year, making this a two year endeavour, like SuperNova Elite? Or once the $200k has been raked the player will have earned the equivalent of 60% already in the first year?
Lee Puddephatt: In one year and yes, 60% will have been earned, plus the two additional packages to MILLIONS World in The Bahamas and MILLIONS Online.
"We've already had double the expected number of players opt-in"
Is this a long-term promotion?
Lee Puddephatt: We are committed long-term to this project, and have already surpassed our initial target. Diamond Club Elite is here to stay.
Can this start at any time rather than in a calendar year? Could a player do April 2019 to April 2020, for example?
Lee Puddephatt: Yes – our launch date was last week as we needed a starting point for initial sign-ups, but we envisage many players coming to join from other platforms as the offer is simply too good to miss out on.
Are there many players at partypoker right now who are raking the $17k a month needed to get Diamond Club Elite?
Lee Puddephatt: Yes, many, which is why we decided to reward those players plus prospective sign-ups.
Have you had many opt-ins so far?
Lee Puddephatt: Double what we anticipated.
Does party have the liquidity to realistically make many Diamond Club Elites?
Lee Puddephatt: SuperNova Elite was at its peak at a time characterised by plentiful traffic and on-client deposits. Most operators would say that it’s not a sustainable model in the current climate, but we know we can and will make it work. We already have the players to make this possible and our marketing strategy for 2019 will focus on bringing in many more new players to partypoker.
Will you be trying to get Diamond Club Elite? Let us know in the comments:
