Confession of a points whore

[wdcbooks]

This is a more lighthearted observation, but I figured it might serve as a break from the speculation about when Full Tilt will start sending guys with cash in a briefcase when you are ready to withdraw.

I have come recognize something about myself. As illogical as this is, coming from a long time winning player, I value my dumb frequent player points to a degree that is far out of proportion of their true value. In this respect I can understand the mentality of a bad casual player and some of the motivations that keep him coming back.

I played on Party for two years, and for most of that time the only things points were good for were some god awful branded knick-knacks ranging from poker chips to tumbler sets to a thermos. I have them all. The accumulation of points is a way I use to manage tilt. As bad as I may be running, they never decline. There is always the next, slightly better knick-knack that I get for another two weeks of play. In my worst downswings I would actually check my points balance daily and not look at my money balance for weeks on end.

After Party closed down I came back to poker and signed up at Full Tilt on December 28th. I deposited $1,100 I had left in Neteller and started multitabling STTs and playing 5/10 limit. As of today my balance is about $3,800 and I have accumulated around $400 of rakeback. So things are going well and I found it easy to get back into the swing of things.

Of course I am not thinking about the money. I have almost exactly 15,000 points, plus my Iron Man status will add a little of 5,000 more each month. I can get my GPS unit for 69,000 points, the Ipaq is about 20,000 more than that. I know I could go buy both of those things tomorrow with my poker winnings, but I guess the point is that I never would. To tell you the truth I don't even need them. I might save and get the 50' TV. My wife will be thrilled because we already have a 50' TV and nowhere to put a new one.

I know I am demented, but I think it is the same mentality as those dumb rigged carnival games. You know the big teddy bear is not worth the amount you are putting in to win it, but you are sooooo close and if you just keep going you will get there. I am fortunate that my idiocy ends there and I am a winning player, because if I was a losing player I could easily see myself continuing to deposit so I could get the chip set, or the barstool, or the poker table . . .

This also has marketing implications as getting better stuff in your store, even if the vast majority of players have no hope of accumulating the points to buy it, is a major enticement. It holds out the promise of a pot of gold outside of the rewards of playing winning poker. Of all the methods of attracting players, offering something in your store has to be the cheapest thing a poker site can do and I would argue it is very effective.

So I am going home tonight and putting in 500 or so hands of 5/10 and about 20 STTs. I have no idea what my balance will be, but I know I will be closing in on 16,000 points.