Over a thousand poker players are currently engaging in a 72-hour strike against PokerStars in opposition to the popular poker site’s proposed changes to their VIP loyalty scheme. The striking players have planned to boycott the card tables on the site from the 1st to 3rd of December, as a response to the new VIP program which is coming into place on the 1st of January, 2016.

PokerStars’ recent announcement that they intend to roll out a new and improved loyalty scheme for customers has not gone down well with everyone. The changes will now see the VIP Club rewards being capped at 30%, which will primarily affect those at the higher elite tiers of the VIP scheme, as well as some other status levels. There will also be changes to player points awarded for pot-limit and no-limit games (those with blinds of $5/$10 or higher won’t be eligible for points, neither will 8-game with limits of $10/$20 or higher.

The changes are widely viewed as move to draw in more casual, low stakes players to the site. Low-volume PokerStars players will now receive more rewards in the simplified VIP scheme, which has caused high stakes players to scorn the move as a blatant attempt to make the site more “fish friendly”.

Eric Hollreiser, Vice President of Corporate Communications for Amaya, described the development as “a comprehensive plan to enhance the playing experience and to re-emphasize the fun and social aspects of online poker while attracting and retaining more players to the game”. He has defended PokerStars action as fair and inclusive.

PokerStars is the world’s leading online poker network and averages around 14,500 players. With only 1,000 players opting to boycott the site, some commentators have questioned the overall effectiveness of the strike.

One problem with the situation is the lack of negotiation between the two sides – typical strike action usually involves prolonged dialogue between each party, but there has been none so far in the PokerStars vs Players saga. The disgruntled players have not unionised, a move which may have been more effective in provoking a response from the PokerStars corporation. A cohesive, organised opposition may have encouraged PokerStars to enter discussions or consider altering the new changes.

Although it has angered some of its loyal players, PokerStars had planned to escalate its global marketing campaign to attract new customers. Having recently signed two of the world’s most recognised professional footballers, Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar, as ambassadors, the site is expecting that this duo of high-profile sponsors will be advantageous in expanding the PokerStars brand

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 1st, 2015 at 11:25 am and is filed under UK Poker News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.

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