Step one for Full Tilt Poker in transitioning its site to a recreational player model was completely overhauling its cash game offerings. Step two was previewed last Thursday, as Full Tilt Managing Director Dominic Mansour revealed a revamped loyalty program. Some of parts of it, while changed, will look familiar, while some aspects are completely new.
First for the familiar. Full Tilt’s current Edge rewards program will remain in place, but the tiers have been modified, making it what looks to be a less attractive option for heavy volume professional grinders.
Currently, Edge has six tiers: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, and Black Card. For the most part, everyone who plays any sort of regular amount hits Bronze; there are no real rewards associated with that first level. After that, players can earn $1, $1.50, $2, and $2.50 for every 100 Full Tilt Points (FTP) at the next four levels, respectively. Black Card players also earn $2.50, along with addition rewards.
In order to reach the different tiers, players must average a certain number of Full Tilt Points per day for either a rolling 30-day or 100-day period, as follows:
- Silver: 30-day rolling average of 35 FTP or 100-day rolling average of 25 FTP
- Gold: 30-day rolling average of 75 FTP or 100-day rolling average of 50 FTP
- Platinum: 30-day rolling average of 150 FTP or 100-day rolling average of 100 FTP
- Diamond: 30-day rolling average of 350 FTP or 100-day rolling average of 250 FTP
The new Edge loyalty program will only have three tiers: Edge, Edge Plus, and Edge Prime, which correspond to Silver through Platinum in terms of cashback per 100 FTP. Those tiers, though, will take some extra work to reach:
- Edge: 30-day rolling average of 80 FTP or 100-day rolling average of 70 FTP
- Edge Plus: 30-day rolling average of 250 FTP or 100-day rolling average of 150 FTP
- Edge Prime: 30-day rolling average of 500 FTP or 100-day rolling average of 400 FTP
Full Tilt will give Edge members a chance for an extra cashback boost by offering bonus cashback at certain, lower trafficked tables. Those tables will be marked with a special edge logo and could feature cashback as high as 200 percent.
So, that is likely going to drive even more grinders away. What Full Tilt hopes will attract and keep recreational players is the new Players Club. Not many details were released about this one, but there will be some game called “The Deal” in which players can win your typical poker room prizes like cash, tournament tickets, and a jackpot. Additionally, those who apparently play a few times a week will win some kind of mystery prize.
“Players Club is a new take on online poker loyalty programs,” Mansour said. “Right now, the vast majority of players gain very little benefit from rewards schemes because they primarily reward the players that put in the most volume. We are breaking that mould to ensure that more players receive more rewards and more entertainment than ever before.”
He added, “The creation of Players Club follows from our conviction that good things come to those who play.”
It is unknown when the new loyalty program changes will be implemented. Since the cash game changes, Full Tilt has lost 20 percent of its cash game traffic, down to a seven-day average of 800 players (source: PokerScout.com) from 1,000 players before the changes.
