The new Full Tilt Poker, expected to launch in less than two weeks, will not compete with PokerStars for high volume grinders.
Full Tilt’s Poker Room Manager Shyam Markus said that the site’s restructured VIP system would offer a return that would max out at an equivalent to a 30 percent rakeback, or 35 percent during its “happy hour” promotions.
That rakeback will be among the lowest in the online poker community.
Markus has said that the rakeback system had been drawn up before PokerStars bought the company. While PokerStars offers upwards of 71 percent rakeback for Supernova Elite players in its VIP program, most other sites offer 35 percent or more.
“We don’t intend to compete for that particular group of players with our rewards program,” Markus wrote in a 2+2 thread Friday. “Which isn’t to say we don’t intend to compete for any of that group at all.”
This comes on the heels of Full Tilt announcing cuts in other promotions that drew players to the site before Black Friday.
The re-launch is slated for November 6, when players outside of the US will have access to $184m in their collective accounts. In an attempt to discourage players from immediately emptying their acccounts, Full Tilt announced a series of promotions during the first week.
Along with $250k in freerolls and added value for FTOPS satellites, players can earn double player points — known as the “Happy Hour” promotion — “around the clock” and they can buy tournament tickets and ring game tickets at a discount.
