The New Year has kicked off with some big news for online poker players. PokerStars has come out with their new PokerStars Rewards system, representing one of the biggest changes to how PokerStars rewards player loyalty in years, harking back to a time of Supernova Elite.
Its main rival GGPoker has responded. Between January 15 and February 14 this year, GGPoker is offering all players a unique opportunity to claim the brand new Killer Whale rank in their Fish Buffet player rewards scheme, earning a flat rate of 50% rakeback. Players will maintain that new level for a period of 100 days without any further requirements.
The new Fish Buffet rank will come as a major boost to a vast number of players, who have been earning between 15% and 35% in rakeback through the program. Many did not have access to flat rate rakeback in the first place.
- Or get up to $100 worth of rewards
- Available in many regulated markets
- Great MTT schedule including WSOP events
Now, everyone who wants it will have 50% rakeback, paid weekly, at GGPoker for a period of 100 days, after which they will be demoted to 35% flat rakeback rank of Platinum Octopus if they don’t manage to climb up to the Killer Whale status.
We will explain what happens after the 100 days a bit later, but for the time being you can claim your Killer Whale status over at GGPoker and start earning top rakeback at the world’s biggest online poker site immediately.
Head on over to GGPoker and sign up for a free player account in order to upgrade to a Killer Whale and start playing online poker with the best rakeback offer around.
Killer Whale Promotion Highlights:
- Runs until February 14
- Opt-in and earn Killer Whale rank
- Earn 50% flat rakeback for 100 days
- Receive your rakeback every Monday
- Keep 35% or 50% flat rakeback for a full year
GGPoker Fish Buffet Scheme Explained
GGPoker has been offering player rewards via its complex Fish Buffet scheme for years, with several big overhauls to the systems made over this time.
Fish Buffet includes a number of ranks and sub-ranks which determine how much you can earn in player rewards, and these are based on the number of FPs you are able to collect monthly or yearly by playing real money poker.
Players at all lower ranks of the scheme are awarded via wheel of fortune spins, which award a prize within a given range, with the average prize awarding a certain rakeback percentage.
However, a lot of luck is involved in this system and players can never know what they will get before they spin the wheel.
At higher levels, Platinum ranks are available which award flat rate rakeback. These start at Platinum Octopus which awards 35% in rakeback, and includes Platinum Whale with 50% rakeback, Platinum Shark with 55%, and GGPlatinum with a 60% flat rakeback rate.
However, reaching these ranks requires at least hundreds of thousands, if not millions of FPs earned over a year, which means thousands in rake, disqualifying many players from ever reaching so far.
Now, all players at GGPoker will be able to access the new Killer Whale rank, which offers as much rakeback as Platinum Whale for 100 days and gives everyone a chance to get a taste of the good life at GGPoker tables.
Activate the Killer Whale Rank
Whether you have an existing GGPoker account or you sign up for one between now and February 14, you will get a chance to upgrade your Fish Buffet status to Killer Whale.
All you need to do is log into your account, access the Fish Buffet page, and click a button to activate the Killer Whale rank for yourself.
Once you have clicked the button, you will become a Killer Whale and will receive 50% in rakeback from that point forward, while all existing FPs in your account will be converted to cash at the average value of your previous Fish Buffet status.
Once activated, the Killer Whale status will remain active for 100 days, and you will be given a chance to upgrade your rank to Platinum Whale if you manage to collect 400,000 FPs during the 100 days, or will be demoted to Platinum Octopus if you don’t.
What this means in translation is that if you pay about $4,000 in rake during the 100 days, you will be upgraded to Platinum Whale for 365 days, earning 50% rakeback for a full year. If you pay less in rake, you will be downgraded to Platinum Octopus, earning 35% rakeback for the next year.
In either case, the promotion will end in a boost for most players, as most GGPoker customers currently earn less than 35% in rakeback and don’t have access to the flat RB tiers like Platinum Octopus.
GGPoker’s Killer Whale vs. New PokerStars Rewards
A few days ago, PokerStars rolled out a plan for its new PokerStars Rewards scheme, which will come into play on January 22.
The new scheme discontinues the Weekly Challenges and offers a flat rakeback system, offering a significant return to the biggest players, but also giving back more to many of its casual players on the site.
Two new ranks, dubbed Select and Select Plus, are being introduced, but will require players to pay $50k and $100k yearly to earn the respective ranks, which will award 50% and 60% in rakeback.
For everyone else, the Black Level will remain the highest attainable, and it will require a monthly rake payment of $2,500 for a return of 40%, which ranks very well in today’s online poker industry.
Compared to GGPoker’s new Killer Whale rank and the 50% rakeback it brings with it, even the Black Level at PokerStars falls short. But one important caveat at GGPoker is its PVI system. The amount a player “pays” in rake does not necessarily correspond with the amount of rake calculated by the room. The system is opaque, and is based on your player profile. Read our GGPoker Review for more details, but basically it is impossible to compare rakeback numbers between sites, because your GG rake “contribution” could be a low lower — or higher! — than the equivalent play on other sites.
PokerStars also offers significantly lower rake at some game types and levels, which also needs to be factored in.
What is clear is that 2024 will be a year of a major rakeback war between the two sites, with each looking to capture or retain that number one spot as the world’s biggest and best online poker operator. And that means great value for players of all types.
