WSOP Poker Rewards: Is It Better Than The Old WSOP Loyalty Program?
When WSOP.com went live in three states back in May, it ushered in a wealth of added value.
From an enhanced MTT schedule to $15 million in extra guarantees throughout the summer, the new tristate software is bigger and better than ever. Among the changes, a revamped reward system also went live.
Changing from the Action Club to WSOP Poker Rewards, loyalty is now rewarded in a different way at WSOP NJ.
Of course, it’s easy for us to say the new scheme is better than before. However, we know that shrewd poker players like you need to weigh up the variables before you make the optimal play. With this in mind, we’ve decided to do a little comparison between Action Club and Poker Rewards.
Action Club had plenty of levels for low stakes players
First off, let’s run through the main features of the Action Club scheme. Following an update in 2015, players could make their way through 11 VIP levels: eight monthly tiers and three annual tiers. Moving up the levels was a matter of earning points at a rate of two Action Club Points (APPs) for every $1 raked.
Before a WSOP NJ player reached a point where they could earn some rakeback, they’d have to ascend through three levels:
- Copper: Earn 2 APPs in a month ($1 in rake)
- Copper+: Earn 20 APPs in a month ($10 in rake)
- Bronze+: Earn 100 APPs in a month ($50 in rake)
From here, it was possible to move up to the following and start getting some cash back at the end of the month:
- Silver: Earn 200 APPs in a month ($100 in rake)
- Gold: Earn 400 APPs in a month ($200 in rake)
- Platinum: Earn 1,200 APPs in a month ($600 in rake)
- Diamond: Earn 3,500 APPs in a month ($1,750 in rake)
Once a player made it to Silver status, they would receive a monthly multiplier of 4X. In practice, this meant the number of APPs they earned was multiplied by four. For example, if the player notched up 200 APPs, this would jack-up their point total to 800.
The benefit of the multiplier is that it allowed players to collect more points that could then be converted to cash (rakeback) at a rate of 1 cent per point. So, if we use our total from above, 800 APPs would be worth $8 in rakeback.
The higher the level, the better the rakeback
As a player moved up through the levels, the multiplier and rakeback rate improved:
- Gold: 5X multiplier which was worth approximately 10% rakeback
- Platinum: 6X multiplier which was worth approximately 12% rakeback
- Diamond: 7.5X multiplier which was worth approximately 15% rakeback
- Elite (yearly tier): 10X multiplier which was worth approximately 20% rakeback
- Super Elite (yearly tier): 12.5X multiplier which was worth approximately 25% rakeback
- Seven Stars (yearly tier): 15X multiplier which was worth approximately 30% rakeback
The final point to note is that the top three tiers are based on a player’s annual point total, rather than a monthly figure. The upshot of this is that you had to play a relatively high volume in order to hit a lofty annual target. Naturally, once you were there, it was worth it.
However, it took a lot of time and effort to make it to the Elite level and beyond.
Fewer levels, bigger payouts with WSOP Poker Rewards
As solid as the old system was, WSOP Poker Rewards has made things different in two ways.
Firstly, the new loyalty scheme is easier to understand as there are fewer levels. Secondly, it’s easier to earn rakeback at the higher levels. As before, you will earn two APPs per $1 raked. As you earn, you’ll move through the following levels:
- Player: 0 Apps, 0 multiplier
- Bronze: 200 APPs, 4X multiplier
- Silver: 750 APPs, 10X multiplier
- Elite: 1,500 APPs, 12.5X multiplier
- Champions Club (Annual tier): 20,000+ APPs, 16X multiplier
WSOP loyalty system: old vs. new
Even without running the numbers, you can already see that the middle tiers are more lucrative. In other words, if you’re a mid-level player, you’ll get more points thanks to the multipliers.
To confirm this, let’s compare the potential rakeback earnings of a Bronze player in the new system and a Silver player old. Under both systems, you had to earn 200 APPs, which equates to $100 in rake paid. As an Action Club player, you’d receive an effective return rate of 8 percent. So, if you raked $100 in a month, that would earn you $8.
Under the new system, you can convert 100 WSOP Points into $1. Although there is a minimum exchange limit of 1,000 WSOP Points, we’ll assume for now that 800 is OK. With a 4X multiplier in place, 200 APPs become 800 WSOP Points which, in turn, converts to $8.
From here, things start to diverge. At the Silver level under Poker Rewards, 750 APPs becomes 7,500 WSOP Points. Doing the math on this, you’d receive $75 in rakeback. Now, considering that it will cost you $375 in rake to become a Silver player, that’s a return rate of 20 percent.
For the closest comparable level under the old system (Platinum), you’d only receive 12 percent rakeback.
Flatter payouts make for more rewards
In essence, what you’re getting here is a flatter structure where more players in the middle of the pack can achieve a better rakeback rate.
Sure, if you’re a low stake player, things will either be no different or you have to work a bit harder to improve your monthly rebate percentage. However, the rewards are worth it once you get there. What’s more, it’s not that much extra effort.
Finally, as an added bonus, Poker Rewards is linked to Caesars Total Rewards loyalty scheme. For every 1 APP you earn, you’ll receive one tier credit, which can get you tangible rewards inside any Caesars casino.
In summary, the Poker Rewards system is clearly the superior program if you’re a mid-to-high-volume player. At the bottom end, you may not notice much difference in the amount of rakeback you can claim each month. However, if you put in just a little bit more time at the tables, you’ll soon notice a significant difference.
To put it another way, if you’re a poker player and you want to get more value and more action, WSOP NJ’s new tristate platform is an obvious choice.