Has The PokerStars Boycott Run Out of Steam?

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Friday, February 5th, 2016 | Written by Shane Larson

In early November 2015, PokerStars unveiled its new VIP program, but soon after there was backlash from the site’s high stakes and high volume players as the new setup dramatically reduces the lucrative rewards previously enjoyed by these top tier of players. Hoping to force the site to reconsider its new policy, players subsequently banded together to boycott PokerStars, and have already launched two boycotts of the site, with another tentatively planned for early February. Despite their actions, however, the online poker room doesn’t seem to have any intention of changing its policy, leaving protesters with very few options going forward.

A Look at the Protest Movement

At the beginning of December, protesters attempted to organize a three day boycott. The event did not have the impact that was desired. Still, some organizers attempted to boycott a second time in early January. Participation in the protest was not as high as the first, leading some industry insiders to believe that many people have already abandoned the fight to try and get PokerStars to change their policy.

The protest movement has gained some support with notable players cancelling their memberships and resigning from PokerStars teams. Team Online Pros Alex Millar and Ike Haxton’s departure was seen as a win for the movement, but still the group has failed to get the momentum needed from enough PokerStars users to have a real impact.

A Third Boycott in February?

At the beginning of the year, protesters announced a third boycott of PokerStars to run from February 2nd to 11th, although the specific dates were to be later finalized. The group’s activities can even be monitored via a specially launched website to coordinate their activities called wearepokerplayers.com. One of the stated aims of the protest movement is to get the support of 5,000 players willing to commit to a boycott of PokerStars for a whole month. According to the group, that would cause the site’s rake to be cut by at least 15%, resulting in PokerStars adopting a more concillitory attitude towards disgruntled players. As it states on wearepokerplayers.com:

“We demand that every game-related change be approved by an online players council. Members of the council will be elected on our site and will represent different stakes and communities. Recent changes regarding the VIP system have to be cancelled as they weren’t approved by the players.”

Having mustered around 3,000 online protesters for its first boycott from December 1 to 3, however, the second boycott’s turn out fell to roughly half that amount, or about 1,500 players. As for the planned third boycott, we are already into the first week of the month and there has been no mention of it materializing. Furthermore, the wearepokerplayers.com website has just 792 players currently signed up for its protest, leaving serious doubts as to whether this group could ever achieve its ambitious aims.

The Big Decision

At this point, it seems unlikely that PokerStars is going to reconsider changes to its VIP program. That means that protesters must make a tough decision. They can:

1. Accept the changes and try to modify their play to continue profiting

2. Leave the site and try playing somewhere else, where they may not be successful.

Why the Uproar?

So what exactly are protesters upset about? While there were many policy changes, what people are most enraged about is the reduction of maximum benefits for Supernova Elite players from 60 percent to 45 percent. This status is granted for 2 years and takes a considerable amount of play to achieve.

What has angered people most is that those who worked in 2015 to achieve Supernova Elite status will not get the benefits that they anticipated receiving for 2016; their maximum benefits will be capped at 45 percent. Analysts estimate that the average player at the Supernova Elite Status will lose around $40,000 due to the changes.

While ultimately many players will likely cut their losses and remain at PokerStars, the site’s reputation with their most active players has been tarnished. Many people feel betrayed by PokerStars, and that lack of trust could lead to players abandoning the site as others gain popularity and grow.

The Rationale Behind the Move

PokerStars is clearly sending a message that the site is hoping to move away from catering to the needs of high volume players. The site is trying to appeal more to recreational players who do not take to the virtual tables in order to make a living but rather to play for fun. Still, if PokerStars hopes to make this shift in focus successful, they will need to update their software and work harder to recruit new players. Only time will tell whether or not the changes to the VIP system will help or hurt PokerStars.