PS Does Away with Supernova for Good

The Supernova players on Stars have received their very last Supernova newsletter. From this point on the poker room introduces their new Stars Rewards program - with Chests, Boosts and a lot less rakeback...

PokerStars have already implemented their new loyalty system in Italy and Denmark to test it before introducing it in larger markets. A big change is that from now on the players have to complete personalized daily tasks to earn "Reward Points" that can be used to open "Chests" - a kind of "mystery bag" of rewards which can contain, as the newsletter says, "big cash prizes, packages to live events, or exclusive physical items".

The abolition of the classic rakeback-based loyalty system is a really big blow to the winning regulars, especially on the highest, "Supernova" level in the old system: these players can see a cut in their rakeback payments that is up to 85%.

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Here's the letter Supernova players recieved from PokerStars, unedited so you can get all the information first-hand.

Hello,

Welcome to the final Supernova newsletter. Our new loyalty program, Stars Rewards, has been launched successfully in Denmark and Italy and will be rolled out worldwide in July replacing the current VIP Club and VIP statuses. The PokerStars VIP Club launched in 2006, and we’ve been rewarding players for their loyalty ever since. There are too many milestones to count here, but we’re proud to look back on Bertrand ‘Elky’ Grospellier becoming our first ever Supernova (and Supernova Elite) VIP, ‘Quadchrazs’ earning SNE in a staggering fifty-two days, and multiple players reaching the previously unthinkable milestone of earning 10 Million VPPs. Having said that, a lot has changed over the course of eleven years, and the online poker landscape is a different place now which needs a new program that better serves our diverse customer base.

There has already been some speculation about the mechanics of Stars Rewards, so I’d like to take this opportunity to clarify some aspects of the new program.

• The value of StarsCoin will be unaffected, and you’ll continue to receive them in Chests with other personalised rewards. The VIP Store will become the Rewards Store and will continue to offer the same types of items as currently. It can be accessed from the ‘My Stars’ tab on desktop and mobile.

• Reward Points lead to Chests. There’s no cap on the number of Chests you can earn in a session, and no obligation to open those Chests within a session as your progress carries through. You’ll have three months to open any given Chest.

• The number of reward points you will need to earn to unlock a Chest will be based on your personalised profile and determined by a number of factors. These factors include volume, game affinity, and deposit / withdrawal ratios and can change from time to time based on recent activity.

• You’ll earn reward points regardless of which of our products you play - Poker, Casino or Sports. High-stakes cash games will still be the exception to this.

• Boosts double the rate you earn reward points for a fixed amount of progress. When you complete a Boost, you’ll receive a new one eight hours later. You’ll also receive points every time you open a Chest to kick-start progress towards your next one.

• Chests (there are six types) will have a publicised value and probability table which will be displayed on our webpage. In addition to the publicised value, there will also be additional value with regularly added top prizes including big cash prizes, packages to live events, or exclusive physical items.

• The majority of our players only have time to play a few times a month. When they do, every session gives them the opportunity to receive instant, personalised rewards and the chance to win big. We believe this to be more engaging and motivating than monthly / annual targets that are unachievable for most.

The significance of these changes, as well as the end of the VIP Club era, isn’t lost on us. On behalf of the PokerStars VIP Club, I’d like to thank you for your loyalty. The staff that have been supporting the VIP Club will be transitioning to the Stars Rewards program, and we’re excited about the challenge of providing a great program. It is our sincere hope that you’ll continue to enjoy playing on PokerStars for years to come. Don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.

Regards,

Dylan, PokerStars VIP Club Manager