A virtual picket line is forming tonight as customers of PokerStars, primarily high stakes, high volume players, are set to go on strike tonight at midnight. The players are protesting the site’s announced changes to the VIP program that are to be put into place on January 1st, 2016.
The initial charge was led by a group of Russian poker players who began the conversation on the Russian poker forum Gipsyteam at the beginning of November. Within a day, the cause garnered over 100 supporters. One of those Russian players, “Redon,” posted about the boycott on Two Plus Two and now 2,000 players or thereabouts plan to sit out the games at PokerStars for 72-hours starting just after the clock strikes midnight Tuesday morning Eastern time.
Their concern is that PokerStars has removed or significantly reduced benefits for upper level VIP members, effectively taking away a large chunk of their poker income. Amongst the changes are no more VPP’s for high stakes cash games (essentially anything No-Limit and Pot-Limit above $5/$10 and Fixed-Limit above $10/$20), the elimination of Supernova Elite VIP status starting January 1st, 2017, a cap on rewards for Supernova Elite players last year that is lower than the typical rewards levels they usually receive, and the conversion of FPPs to StarsCoin at the start of 2016 along with the devaluation of StarsCoins.
PokerStars has said the changes were made to improve the poker ecosystem, to “move towards a more balanced long-term poker economy and to return the game back to one that rewards skill via winning at the tables rather than playing primarily for volume.”
PokerStars added, “It was never the intention of the VIP Club to alter the fundamental reason for playing poker. We’ve come to the realisation that the current situation has to change, even though we understand it will upset the high-status players that are affected.”
Pro poker player Dani “Ansky” Stern, one of the leaders of the boycott, doesn’t smell what Stars is cooking. In a post on Two Plus Two about the strike, he wrote:
PokerStars/Amaya has announced an aggressive overhaul of the 2016 VIP system. They have deceived SNE players about benefits they would receive, are discontinuing the SNE program, and they have completely removed all rewards for high stakes (5/10+) cash games. While PokerStars claims the changes are to provide relief to recreational players, there is no such change happening. They are telling their players outright lies, and we will not stand for it. Beyond that, it follows an ongoing trend that PokerStars/Amaya has been taking in recent years. A site that was once clearly for the players, has completely lost sight of that.
He knows the boycott isn’t going to ruin PokerStars, as it has the player volume to easily withstand four-figure player losses for a few days, but Stern feels a point must be made:
This is a demonstration of force, and an effort to show PokerStars that we are a body of players, and not just individuals. We have the ability to act as one, to make our voices heard, and to rally players behind a fair grievance. PokerStars has made it clear they do not respect us, so we need to demonstrate that we are able to fight back with volume and force.
