Stars VIP Wild speculation

[1p0kerboy]

Here's another idea.

Take the $7500 750k milestone bonus and get rid of it.
Add a $6000 milestone bonus at the 600k level. The new milestones would be:

$2,000 at 200,000 VPP
$3,000 at 300,000 VPP
$4,000 at 400,000 VPP
$5,000 at 500,000 VPP
$6,000 at 600,000 VPP

Add a level as follows:

Supernova Plus VIP

To earn the rank of a Supernova Plus VIP you must accumulate 750,000 VIP Player Points (VPPs) during the calendar year (January 1st through December 31st).

Benefits of being a Supernova Plus VIP

* As a Supernova Plus VIP you will have access to all VIP Events, FPP store merchandise and other benefits given to Supernova VIPs. Visit our Supernova VIP page for details. Visit our FPP store for complete details.
* 300% FPP bonus - Frequent Player Points are the heart of the PokerStars VIP Club. Use them to buy merchandise, enter VIP only events, or to buy into live and online tournaments. As a Supernova Plus VIP you will receive a 300% FPP bonus. Every time you earn 1 FPP, we'll actually credit your account with 4 FPPs. If over a ten minute period, you earn eight VPPs, your account will go up by 32 FPPs!
* Free trip and entry into a select PokerStars signature event! As a Supernova Elite you will automatically be given free entry to 1 out of the 3 following events of your choice:
o PokerStars Caribbean Adventure - January 2008
o EPT Monte Carlo - March 2008
o *WSOP main event - June 2007 or 2008

[1p0kerboy]

[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]?

[NewGuy]

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Most SuperNovas who posted in this thread agree, but I'm not sure it would be accurate to categorically state that the vast majority of all SuperNovas would strongly prefer a bonus.

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Besides, most of those that play the freeroll would also rather get the bonus (based on responses here). Even if we just assumed it was half, that would still leave us at 4-1 in favor of the bonus.



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Just one fine point- I meant that there wouldn't be a vast majority with a STRONG preference, despite the tone of responses found on 2+2. There were over 1,000 who played last week, so maybe 40-50% of Novas did play.

Your point is valid, and I agree that 60-80% of Novas would prefer a bonus, since even a much smaller "free" amount is preferable to nothing.

However, I do think Stars needs to weigh the fact that there are a large number of Novas who play in / appreciate the EV of the freerolls, and that maybe 600-800 SuperNovas would be VERY disappointed in going from ~$3k-$5k in total annual freeroll value to a pittance of ~$1,000/year in 2008 getting a much, much smaller cash bonus.

In a nutshell, there would be 20-40% of Novas very disappointed with the change, since they just lost well over 1/2 of the EV they had been getting, and maybe 50-60% of Novas slightly happier since they are now getting a small token. There has to be a better solution to keep both camps happy that wouldn't cost Stars much.

The 1,000 SuperNovas who played in last week's freerolls generate a LOT of rake, and it would be short-sighted to slight them.

[1p0kerboy]

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There were over 1,000 who played last week, so maybe 40-50% of Novas did play.


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The 1,000 SuperNovas who played in last week's freerolls generate a LOT of rake, and it would be short-sighted to slight them.

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This is inaccurate.

About 400 platinum-star and gold-star (combined) are satelliting in each week. So only about 600 Supernovas played.

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I do think Stars needs to weigh the fact that there are a large number of Novas who play in / appreciate the EV of the freerolls

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There is a much larger number of Novas who don't get the chance to play and wish they could get their value from this promotion rather than losing it.

[bluey]

and of the 600 novas playing how many really wanted to play?

[HonestRyan]

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There is a much larger number of Novas who don't get the chance to play and wish they could get their value from this promotion rather than losing it.

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And there is a large number who Sleep in too late like me today, who do not get to play the freerolls because they stay up late reading SuperNova threads, and by the time they wake up shower and sit down at the computer, the freerolls started 15 mins ago. DOH!

[Henry17]

The freerolls should go unless Stars figures there is a marketing advantage to having them and I can't really see one. The same $2M they spend on those could be used on something better. Just the fact that they seem to cause so much animosity is reason enough to get rid of them.

[NewGuy]

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The freerolls should go unless Stars figures there is a marketing advantage to having them and I can't really see one. The same $2M they spend on those could be used on something better. Just the fact that they seem to cause so much animosity is reason enough to get rid of them.

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OK so it boils down to something like this:
A small but significant minority of SuperNovas (maybe 20-25%) WANT the freerolls and will be disappointed at going from ~$4,000 in EV to under $1,000 annually. (For example, flame away, but I might not bother getting SuperNova if they were eliminated. I've won a lot more than the lame $400 I might have gotten in bonuses over 5 months and think they're fun.)

Another chunk of SuperNovas play the freerolls, but are either are neutral about bonus vs. freeroll or would prefer the freeroll

Maybe ~60% of SuperNovas dislike the freerolls so much they would pass up ~$3k in EV to just get a bonus.

There is a marketing advantage. A minority of SuperNovas like me enjoy them. I play every Sat afternoon anyway and am happen to like playing in MTT freerolls. I think when you "take something away" you make the people who liked what they had significantly more upset than you make the others who get a small bonus happy. IMO anyway.

I'm not sure why there isn't room for a compromise on this- I see no reason why Stars couldn't take their SuperNova budget and provide a choice / split it between bonuses and freerolls.

[Henry17]

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Maybe ~60% of SuperNovas dislike the freerolls so much they would pass up ~$3k in EV to just get a bonus.

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That is the flaw. The EV is not $3k. The EV is ~900. The reason you have an EV of $3K is because 66% of SNs have an EV of 0. So they are not giving up a EV of $3k

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I'm not sure why there isn't room for a compromise on this- I see no reason why Stars couldn't take their SuperNova budget and provide a choice / split it between bonuses and freerolls.

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The people who want the freerolls can take their $73 and buy into a tournament. There is the compromise.

[1p0kerboy]

Is today inaccuracy day or something?

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and will be disappointed at going from ~$4,000 in EV to under $1,000 annually.

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The 50k is worth about $50 at this point. AFAIK, Stars wasn't planning on increasing the pp for next year. As they have stated, the prizepool was sufficient for about 1000 players (which it is currently drawing). So this is $2600 in value annually, NOT $4,000 as you stated. Also, I don't think they will be getting rid of the smaller freeroll(s).

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I've won a lot more than the lame $400 I might have gotten in bonuses over 5 months and think they're fun.

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You can always just play tournaments with a buy-in if you think they are fun and are making $$$ at them. The fact that YOU can make money from them has little to do with whether they are good as a whole for both the program and the majority of players.

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There is a marketing advantage. A minority of SuperNovas like me enjoy them.

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I think there's more of a marketing advantage to a monthly bonus.

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I'm not sure why there isn't room for a compromise on this- I see no reason why Stars couldn't take their SuperNova budget and provide a choice / split it between bonuses and freerolls.

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I'm not opposed to a compromise. But if this were to happen, the freeroll seats would still be worth less money than they are now and that is something that everybody would have to accept.