PokerStars Rakeback
PokerStars Rakeback
Whenever you play online poker for real money, the tournament buy-in is made up of two separate parts, your contribution to the prizepool and the tournament fee. This fee is commonly known as the rake and usually there's no way to get any part of this fee back, which makes them a significant cost to poker players. Rakeback programs offer an awesome opportunity for players to receive a percentage of these tournament fees credited back into their poker account, thus saving huge amounts of money in the long-run. Although PokerStars doesn't have a direct rakeback program, their VIP Club functions much the same way.
As you play real money tournaments at PokerStars, you automatically earn VIP Club Player Points and Frequent Player Points, based on how often you play and how expensive the tournament fees are. The PokerStars VIP Store then offers you the chance to buy instant cash bonuses with these points, thus recouping some of the money spent on tournament fees. The exact value of these bonuses and thus your rakeback percentage varies based on your VIP Status Level, as is explained in detail on this page.
The VIP Club is open to all users of PokerStars, but players who specialize in Multi-Table Tournaments have the most to gain by taking advantage of this PokerStars rakeback system. Unlike cash game players, MTT players know exactly how much they are paying in fees, and so are able to work out exactly how much money they can expect from the PokerStars VIP club. MTT Players also experience extremely high amounts of variance - that is, it's possible to go a long time without cashing a tournament purely through a streak of bad luck. Given that, the value of knowing that you can regularly receive extra cash through VIP bonuses is huge and allows you to know you will consistently make money playing tournaments.
The VIP Club seems complicated at first, but once you get your head around it enjoying PokerStars rakeback is extremely easy. As well as being straight-forward to use, PokerStars offers the most generous rewards of any online poker site, offering MTT players the chance to earn up to 78% rakeback! This is a massive saving in tournament fees which will help your bottom line no-end. If you're looking for a more immediate cash injection, our exclusive bonus code STARS600 will entitle you to a 100% up to $600 Welcome Bonus, as well as $1,000 in exclusive freeroll and money-added tournaments each and every month, all in addition to the generous PokerStars rakeback system.
How the PokerStars VIP Club Works
As the very first online poker site to offer rewards to frequent players, PokerStars has created the biggest and most in-depth rewards program in the business: The PokerStars VIP Club. As a member of the program, you automatically earn points as you play. These points can be spent on excellent rewards such as entry fees for tournaments, cash bonuses, PokerStars gear and you can even use them to qualify for major live events! The more often you play, the more rewards you will rake in.
Getting Started
Getting started in the program is easy. As soon as you play for real money, you are automatically enrolled in the PokerStars VIP Club at the starting Bronze Star Level. You'll get to bigger and better levels over time, with greater rewards.
The Points System
The PokerStars VIP Club deals in two types of points:
Frequent Player Points (FPP) are the "currency". They have real value, and you can use them to buy items, pay for a tournament entry fee, and even exchange them for cash. They are easy to come by: play poker for real money, and you'll find valuable FPPs coming your way!
VIP Player Points (VPP) are the "status". They don't have cash value: they measure how often you play poker. Based off of how much you play, you are given a status level. Each status level multiplies at greater and greater levels the number of FPPs you earn, whenever you play online poker.
You earn both FPP and VPP points whenever you play for real money. Your FPP points give you "cash". VPP points determine your VIP status. This VIP status level will then determine the amount of FPPs and thus "cash" your receive back each hand you play at PokerStars for real money. So, let's first look at working your way up the VPP status ladder as this will let you know how many FPP points you will be earning per hand.
Earning VPPs and Status Levels
Earning your VPPs is very simple. Playing in any PokerStars game which has a rake or a fee (like a tournament) will earn you VPPs. The number of VPPs you can earn within a calendar month or calendar year determines your VIP Status level. The higher the VIP Status level, the more FPPs you will earn as you play and the better the rewards will be that are made available to you.
The system has a few rules, but the basics are quite easy. You will earn VPPs by playing in real money games. Your VPP earnings are determined by game type:
Tournaments: VPP earnings based on the entry fee. The higher the entry fee, the more VPPs you earn.
Cash games: VPP earnings based on the rake and number of players in a hand. The more rake paid, the more VPPs you earn.
In PokerStars tournaments, you earn 5.5 VPPs for every $1 USD of the entry fee or 8 VPPs for each 1.00 Euro of the entry fee.
A few examples:
You play in a multi-table tournament with a $10+$1 buy-in. (That means $10 goes into the prize pool, and there is a $1 entry fee.) Remember, you earn 5.5 VPPs for every $1 USD of the entry fee. This tournament has a $1 entry fee. Thus, you earn 5.5 VPPs for playing in this event.
You play in a Sit & Go tournament with a $5+$0.50 buy-in. (That means $5 goes into the prize pool, and there is a $0.50 entry fee.) Remember, you earn 5.5 VPPs for every $1 USD of the entry fee. This tournament has a $0.50 entry fee. Thus, you earn 2.75 VPPs for playing in this event.
You play in a multi-table tournament with a 5+0.50 Euro buy-in. (That means 5 Euro goes into the prize pool, and there is a 0.50 Euro entry fee.) Remember, you earn 8 VPPs for every 1.00 Euro of the entry fee. This tournament has a 0.50 Euro entry fee. Thus, you earn 4 VPPs for playing in this event.
Earning FPPs and Earning Tons of Rewards!
Whenever you earn a VPP, you also earn at least one FPP! You are always accumulating both points at the same time. The twist is that as your VPP status rises, the number of FPPs you earn per VPP will rise, up to as high as five FPPs per VPP.
So you've been earning VPPs, which are what determine your VIP Level. When you begin playing, you start off at the BronzeStar VIP Level. That means that for every one VPP you earn, you earn one FPP.
But things start getting exciting as you move up the VIP Level ladder! For instance when you reach GoldStar level, for every one VPP you earn, you will earn twice as many FPPs. That means when you earn 6 VPPs, you'll be earning 12 FPPs! These multipliers will really add up, and you'll find yourself loaded with FPPs in no time.
Here are all of the VIP Levels, and how they multiply the FPPs you earn.
Now the question is how do you manage to move on up to bigger and better VIP Statuses, and how well will you be rewarded for doing so? Read on to find out!
Achieving Higher VIP Status Levels and Being Rewarded
Beginning at BronzeStar, you can earn better and better rewards by achieving higher VIP levels. This is done by accumulating set numbers of VPPs in a month. Your monthly VPP counter is reset at the beginning of each month. To maintain a VIP level, you must earn the required number of VPPs each month (for example, you must earn 750 VPPs every month to maintain SilverStar status). Or, if you wish to advance, earn the number of VPPs for the next level (for example, earn 3,000 VPPs to achieve GoldStar status).
VIP Cash Reward Bonuses are cash bonuses available for purchase at the PokerStars VIP Store, based on your VIP level. All of them are easily purchased with FPPs, and instantly credited into your account. For a long time, players had to "clear" these cash bonuses by earning a number of VPPs within a time frame. Fortunately those days are gone and now all of the VIP Cash Reward Bonuses are credited without any delay! This makes it much easier to reap the rewards of your efforts and build your bankroll as you climb the VIP levels.
SilverStar - SilverStar is the second PokerStar VIP level, immediately after BronzeStar. You will achieve SilverStar status when you earn 750 VPPs in one month. At SilverStar level, you'll earn 1.5 FPPs for every VPP you earn, which is a nice bump up from BronzeStar. Along with this multiplier, you'll gain access to exclusive SilverStar merchandise from the PokerStars store, cash reward bonuses, and access to a whole slew of VIP tournaments. The VIP tournaments include daily tournaments ($500 and $1,000 prizes), a weekly VIP tournament ($30,000 guaranteed, 100 FPPs buy-in), and a huge monthly tournament ($100,000 guaranteed, 130 FPPs buy-in). The SilverStar VIP Cash Reward Bonus is $50 for 4,500 FPPs. If you purchase the $50, it values your FPPs at $0.011. (If you wait until PlatinumStar, your FPPs are valued at $0.013.) At SilverStar, you can earn a rakeback percentage of up to 21%. But keep working towards GoldStar, because it gets even better!
GoldStar - At GoldStar level, your FPP multiplier is 2x, meaning you'll earn 2 FPPs for every 1 VPP you earn. Once you have accumulated the required 3,000 VPPs to become a GoldStar VIP, you'll have access to greater rewards, including exclusive GoldStar merchandise, cash reward bonuses, all the tournaments available to the SilverStar VIPs, and (the very rewarding) ability to buy-in to the weekly $215 and $530 tournaments just with your FPPs. In addition to this, the monthly $100,000 tournament is a freeroll for GoldStar VIPs. Freerolls are a great way to practice your skill and give your bankroll a boost. The GoldStar VIP Cash Reward Bonus is $300 for 25,000 FPPs, valuing your FPPs at $0.012. If you wait one VIP level, your FPPs will be worth a little bit more. GoldStar players can earn up to a 26% rakeback percentage.
PlatinumStar - The highest of the monthly statuses is PlatinumStar, the VIP level you reach when you earn 7,500 VPPs in one month. PlatinumStar VIPs get a 2.5x FPP multiplier. In addition to the new exclusive PlatinumStar merchandise, and all the benefits the earlier levels receive, you gain access to a quarterly $1 million tournament! As a PlatinumStar VIP, you can now use your FPPs to buy-in to tournaments from major events like the World Championship of Online Poker, European Poker Tour, North American Poker Tour, and many more. The PlatinumStar VIP Cash Reward is $650 for 50,000 FPPs, valuing your FPPs at $0.013. PlatinumStar players can earn up to 31% rakeback percentage.
With these monthly VIP status levels you can expect your FPPs to be worth between $0.011 - $0.015. It's to your advantage to purchase items that value your FPPs as highly as possible, to increase your rakeback value. Many of the status rewards come in greater value placed on your FPPs (which you are also earning at increasing rates the higher your status!) and in perks such as freerolls, VIP Stellar Rewards, and new tournament access.
There's a way to get even more bang for your buck, however! In addition to these monthly VIP Status levels, PokerStars also offers even more generous rewards for truly dedicated players who achieve one of the two yearly VIP levels.
Supernova and Supernova Elite VIP Status
Just as you are required to earn a set number of VPPs within one calendar month to achieve the monthly Silver, Gold or Platinum Star VIP Statuses, the yearly VIP Status levels Supernova and Supernova Elite require you to earn a certain number of VPPs within a calendar year. Once you have hit this number, you are guaranteed your status for the remainder of the year and the first month of the following year. Once you've achieved these status levels, the requirements for maintaining the status are on a monthly basis, so you can comfortably stay Supernova or Supernova Elite indefinitely! Although it requires commitment to reach these status levels, this is where the rewards start becoming incredibly valuable, so it's well worth it.
Supernova - The second highest level possible, you will achieve the incredibly rewarding Supernova status when you earn 100,000 VPPs in one year (between January 1 and December 31). As a Supernova, you will earn FPPs 3.5x faster! It takes some grinding and a lot of games, but Supernova status is definitely achievable by most players who desire some of the best rewards possible. Each year you earn 100,000 VPPs, you will retain your status. As a Supernova, you can purchase two new reward bonuses: either the $1,500 for 100,000 FPPs or $4,000 for 250,000 FPPs. One of the best Supernova bonuses is access to the following exclusive tournaments: weekly $30,000 (100 FPP buy-in), monthly $100,000 freeroll, and quarterly $1 million freeroll, all guaranteed prize tournaments. On top of all these great perks, the most sought after reward exclusive only to those at the Supernova level, is the PokerStars Concierge service. With the Concierge, you can purchase with your FPPs almost any real life item worth $3,000 or more (such as a car!). This is definitely one of the most fun things to do with all of your accrued FPPs! Players who achieve Supernova status are rewarded with an incredible effective rakeback of up to 52%!
Supernova Elite - Throw yourself a party! If you've made it to Supernova Elite, not only are you among an extremely rare class of players, but you are privy to the most exclusive rewards program PokerStars offers! You can achieve Supernova Elite status by earning 1,000,000 VPPs in one year (between January 1 and December 31). The Supernova Elite players are among the most serious and hard core grinders out there, and also the most seriously rewarded. Earning 1 million VPPs isn't a feat to be sneezed at, and these players are more than compensated for their efforts! Keep in mind, more players are able to achieve Supernova Elite each year, so it is a very possible accomplishment. (A record was set in 2011 for a player earning the status by February 28, taking only 2 months!) In addition to every bonus that all the other statuses receive (yes, including the Concierge!), you get a 5x FPP multiplier, huge discounts to main event tournaments around the world, cash and tournament prizes estimated at a worth greater than $100,000, exclusive Supernova Elite merchandise, and perhaps the very best of all are the Milestone Cash Credits. As a Supernova Elite, and as your VPPs climb, you can purchase different levels of cash rewards (for 1 FPP each), as high as $20,000 for one reward! Each of the rewards can only be redeemed once per year, but hey, $20,000 for 1 FPP is a good deal any year! You won't find a more lucrative rakeback status anywhere on the internet, with Supernova Elite players earning rates up to 78%! All in all, the Supernova Elite status will earn you boatloads of cash for the whole year and a deep respect from your poker peers.
VIP Stellar Rewards
In addition to all of your VIP bonuses which come from your VIP status (GoldStar, Supernova, etc.), PokerStars rewards you at the same time with cash from their separate VIP Stellar Rewards program. The VIP Stellar Rewards program has twenty bonuses to purchase from the VIP Store, each costing only 1 FPP (each reward can only be purchased once per calendar year). As you accrue VPPs, you can purchase all the bonuses for a total of 20 FPPs, earning a whopping $1,200! Each Stellar Reward you purchase is instantly credited to your account.
These rewards are basically milestones to give you a bit of encouragement on your quest to a yearly VIP status. When you hit 750 VPPs the first reward will be unlocked in the VIP Store, and you'll be able to purchase the $10 bonus for 1FPP. Another $10 Stellar milestone bonus awaits you when you hit 1500 VPPs in the year, and as the milestones become more difficult to reach the value of the bonus goes up. As an example, at the sixth milestone of 5,000 VPPs you will unlock an instant $50 bonus, and these rewards keep getting better until the final 100,000 VPP bonus which is worth $200! These bonuses are as good as free with their one FPP pricetag but they make a big difference to increasing the ammount of effective PokerStars rakeback you'll be earning. These Stellar bonuses are only instantly credited to your account after you buy them from the VIP Store - they won't be automatically added, so don't forget about them!
Calculating PokerStars Rakeback Percentage
Rakeback is the percentage of the rake paid back to you, the player. To calculate your rakeback at PokerStars requires a few simple calculations. PokerStars deals in FPPs as cash value, and VPPs to determine how many FPPs you receive each hand. Think of your FPPs as the actual cash, and the VPPs as a multiplier for that cash. Here is the basic rakeback equation:
VPPs earned per $1 of tournament fees x VPP multiplier x cash value of FPP x 100 = Rakeback Percentage
Your FPPs have varying worth, based on what you cash them in for. You can cash them in for literal cash, prizes, gear and swag, or even tournament entry fees. The higher your VIP Level, the higher your FPPs are worth. You can read the above boxes to find out the cash value of your FPPs at different VIP Status levels.
In multi-table tournaments, you earn 5.5 VPPs for every $1 USD of the entry fee or 8 VPPs every 1 Euro of the entry fee.
So let's say you enter into a $10+$1 tournament. You are at the GoldStar Level, so your VPP multiplier is 2x and you are entitled to cash bonuses that value your FPPs at $0.012. In this case, your rakeback will work out like this:
5.5 VPPs per dollar in fees x 2.0 Gold Star VPP multiplier x 0.012 Gold Star FPP cash value x 100 = 13.2%
Thus, your PokerStars Rakeback Percentage in this case is 13.2%. Not bad! You can see that to work out the rakeback percentage, the actual tournament that you played was irrelevant. However knowing that the tournament in question had a fee of $1, we can now use the percentage to work out that playing this tournament will earn you rakeback of $0.132 ($1 fee * 13.2% rakeback). This may not sound like much, but it's essentially free money and it adds up fast!
This percentage will be higher the better your VIP Status level. Imagine you're a Supernova, which would give you a VPP multiplier of 3.5x and cash bonuses that value your FPPs at $0.016.
5.5 VPPs per dollar in fees x 3.5 Supernova VPP Multiplier x 0.016 Supernova FPP Cash Value x 100 = 30.8%
This means that you receive more than 30% of the tournament fees credited back to your poker account. This is a huge saving and basically means PokerStars is paying you to play at their site!
As if this wasn't good enough, this is just your base rakeback percentage that you can count on every time you play. PokerStars offers huge milestone bonuses which are basically free money to Supernova and Supernova Elite players, and when these are taken into account your rakeback percentage is much higher, for example at Supernova you can earn up to 52% rakeback! Check out the Supernova and Supernova Elite VIP Status section above to get a rough idea of what you can expect.
PokerStars Marketing Code
PokerStars Rakeback is a rewards system that will stick with you for life, no matter how long you play you'll keep being rewarded and keep earning cash. This is awesome, but means that you'll have to be patient and dedicated to earn a decent amount of cash through rakeback alone. If you're looking for a more immediate boost to your bankroll, then our PokerStars Marketing Code pokermtt entitled you to a massive $600 welcome bonus and $1,000 in exclusive freeroll and money-added tournaments each and every month! This bonus is a great way to get your bankroll started and the exclusve tournaments provide an awesome chance to score a decent cash every single month. All this is completley in addition to the PokerStars rakeback offered by the PokerStars VIP club.
