Everything you spend points on has an MGR hit, but as you can see from the chart, not all MGR hits are created equal. There are ways to get more value from your FTPs, and spending them carelessly results in less value.

Also, people are curious about the specific conversion rates and RB hits because, for example, converting medals to points was the best option for cash game players,, prior to the introduction of ring game tickets.

Maybe I'm being dense but I don't see that in the chart. I understand that bigger items have more value per FTP spent, but as far as I know the MGR hit per FTP spent is always the same. Thus, the fact that someone has rakeback or not shouldn't affect their decision as to what item they buy (and if I'm wrong about that, is this chart made for people with rakeback or without? is there a chart for the opposite situation?).

Yes, it is nice to now have a decent option to spend medals for people who absolutely won't play tournaments.

But should we really think about it this way? Unless your bankroll was really low you would have won those moneys (the x3 value) anyway from playing with your regular bankroll wouldn't you? Sure it seems like we have earned x3 value from out ftps but have we really if we would have played anyway?

Lets say you have a $2000 bankroll.

You buy a $100 ticket. You earn $300 and still have the ticket. Your bankroll is now $2300 + ticket.

How is this different from you playing with your original bankroll winning $300? You would then have a bankroll of $2300 + still have medals/ftps (from not buying a ticket)

Isn't it actually only better for you to have used a ticket when you lose? or rather a ticket it useful when you lose (as you otherwise would have lost from your bankroll) or if you manage to have it cleared (as you then turn points into cash). Any winnings in between is kinda irrelevant as you would have won that money anyway?

It's pretty amazing how FTP with their track record of really confusing promotions/bonuses manages to come up with yet another one that is even more so.

The chart is for people with RB. The MGR hit is the same per FTP, it's just that different options have different values, and having three different potential store options (Iron Man, BC, and regular), with one of them (iron man) giving RB hits on some items but not others, it makes it kind of a pain to figure out how to maximize your value from the various programs. The chart fixes that by letting you know the most efficient way to spend emedals and FTPs.

This means that just spending your FTPs on whatever is fine if you don't care about maximizing their value, but if you really want to get the most money possible out of your points, it pays to run the numbers on various items.


Personally, it drives me nuts. I would love to spend FTPs on a new monitor, or Carte Blanche service, or ring game tickets. These are things I would happily use. As it turns out, though, it's more valuable just to clear a 5K bonus and then pay for those things with cash.

For the average player it probably doesn't change much either way, but as a full-time player, it makes a big difference. Most players would be thrilled to raise their win rate even a little bit, but it's also possible to gain that same value just by going from spending your FTPs inefficiently to a more effective way.

This is correct. What it comes down to is

have a ticket, and win with it - the same as if you didn't have a ticket
have a ticket, and lose with it - immediately up the value of the ticket (since you had a $2,000 bankroll, lost $100, but still have $2,000, for example.

Basically, very few people are ever going to actually clear a ticket, so in reality, people are getting the value out of the ticket much sooner.

The only way there's a delay in getting value from the ticket is if you are always winning and never getting stacked. As far as problems go, I can accept "damn it, I win every time!" as a fair risk to buying the ticket.

All that goes right out the window of course, if you're being reckless and losing more "because it's a ticket." In that case, yeah, you're probably losing value, you degen.

Well I didn't have to risk any actual bankroll by using the ring ticket. So if I had lost, my bankroll would be the same sans the ticket/medals. Sure I could have won the same amount in regular play. At the rate I am going, I should clear the ticket at max value so thats extra money on top of what I have won. The winnings in between clearing the ticket are important because they add value to the medals you have spent to get the ticket itself. So if I buy $100 ticket and make $550 off it and clear it for $100 more, or $650 total, I have gotten more value for my 610 medals than if I got a $100 ticket, won $100 off it and busted it for a net $100 profit.

Essentially we have to use our medals for something (I have no interest in buying ring tickets with FTPs due to poor value). There is really no point in hoarding them. Aside from the security token or iron day/month, there isn't anything that worthwhile spending them on until now. I rarely play tourneys so the tourney ticket never appealed to me.

I do agree that most of FTPs promotions/bonuses are far from straight forward!

Sorry Typicus. This back and forth was caused by me misreading your post. Basically, everything you said was 100% correct.

Just one thing, though. If one were to decide they want BC bonuses and not RG tix or tourney tix, then they do want to convert medals if they choose to buy a $1k or higher bonus.

But also, people are making comments like "I don't wanna buy it because of the rakeback hit" or "X bonus sucks because you lose part of it to MGR hits" as if one thing has an MGR hit but not another. Like sw82 said, I just keep reposting the chart in threads for all to see where everything stands.

What happens when your ticket value falls below the minimum threshold and you exit the table? Does the balance appear in your cash balance or does it disappear?

It goes to your cash balance.

It's all good. I'm just glad I finally have some confidence in what I should do with all those points/medals and I'm sure it's at least a little clearer for others too. Full Tilt sure don't put a lot of value on simplicity...

You're right that my don't-convert-medals-to-points rule does not apply to people who have access to the BC store. I was just projecting my own non-BC situation on everyone else .

Cool. Well since you wondered if there was a chart for anyone without RB, well now there is, and there's a couple interesting revelations in it:

***If you DO NOT have rakeback***

FTPs:

$10 RG ticket = $3.15/1000
$25 RG ticket = $3.18/1000
$50 RG ticket = $3.25/1000
$50 BC bonus = $3.33/1000
$100 IM bonus = $3.33/1000
$100 RG ticket = $3.33/1000
$100 BC bonus = $3.51/1000
$200 RG ticket = $3.57/1000
$300 IM bonus = $3.75/1000
$250 BC bonus = $3.85/1000
$500 BC bonus = $4.00/1000
$600 IM bonus = $4.00/1000
Carte Blanche = $4.00/1000
$1000 BC bonus = $4.17/1000
$2000 BC bonus = $4.35/1000
$26 tourney ticket = $4.48/1000
$5000 BC bonus = $4.55/1000
$75 tourney ticket = $4.55/1000

Iron Man medals:

$10 RG ticket = $133/1000 in store, $157/1000 if you convert
$25 RG ticket = $147/1000 in store, $159/1000 if you convert
$50 RG ticket = $156/1000 in store, $162/1000 if you convert
$50 BC bonus = $167/1000
$100 IM bonus = $167/1000
$100 RG ticket = $164/1000 in store, $167/1000 if you convert
$100 BC bonus = $175/1000
$200 RG ticket = $182/1000 in store, $179/1000 if you convert
$300 IM bonus = $188/1000
$250 BC bonus = $192/1000
$500 BC bonus = $200/1000
$600 IM bonus = $200/1000
Carte Blanche = $200/1000
$1000 BC bonus = $208/1000
$2000 BC bonus = $217/1000
$26 tourney ticket = $186/1000 in store, $224/1000 if you convert
$5000 BC bonus = $227/1000
$75 tourney ticket = $192/1000 in store, $227/1000 if you convert

How weird is that? Should one buy them, convert for all tickets, ring game and tourney, except for the $200 ring game one.

i dont get it, so it is better to buy them with iron man medals, or pts...

If you want ring game tickets and you have rakeback, don't convert your medals; buy directly from the IM store. If you don't have rakeback, convert your medals (in chunks of 2000) and buy your ring game tickets with points, except for the 200$ ticket which should still be bought from the IM store.

Summary guide on how to spend FTPs and medals:

1. Find the correct chart: if you have rakeback, go to post 145; if you do not have rakeback, go to post 236.

2. If you're spending FTPs, look at the top half of the chart; if spending medals, look at the bottom half. Note that some items are listed for comparison purposes even though they might be inaccessible in your situation (if you don't have BC, you can't buy items from the BC store and if you're spending FTPs you can't buy items from the IM store).

3. Pick an item to buy taking into account these factors:

3.1. The value of the item ($x/1000).

3.2. Your willingness to play tournaments or cash games.

3.3. The commitment needed to clear the item. If you play micros, it might not be possible for you to clear the bigger bonuses in time. Also if playing micros, the bigger ring game tickets will force you to play at least once per week until you have a severe enough downswing to lose the whole ticket (though you always have the option of moving up with the ticket to "clear" it really fast if you know you won't be able to play for a while).

4. If spending medals and the item you picked is from the BC store or FTP store, convert your medals to FTPs. I believe the charts are only valid if you convert in chunks of 2000 medals.

5. Good luck at the tables!

Bonus mini-guide if you're just Black-Friday-panicking and want decent value really fast:

1. Spend all medals and points on 200$ ring game tickets and sit at NL200 tables with them.

2. Rat-hole every time you win a pot that takes you above full stack.

3. Repeat steps 1-2 until you are out of tickets.

4. Withdraw.

5. Good luck at the moving-money-on-the-internet mini-game .

ok I got 3 x $20 Rush ring game tickets from the recent bonus

whats the easiest way to get rid of these things or get value from them?

I can only use them to buy in for $20?? so I have to buy in at 25nl rush at $20 or what? seems like a big waste of time if I have to do that just to clear these tickets rather than play my normal stakes

How can I use the 20 ticket at 200 or 400nl? not possible?

Yes, when you buy in with a ticket you cannot add your own money and you still have to respect table limits. Quickest clear would be short-stacking NL50 Rush and rat-holing every time you double up until you bust. I can't imagine that taking more than 20 minutes (and if it does it just means you're winning too much, which you shouldn't complain about even if it's low stakes).

thanxs alot for this typicus u have opened my eyes...muchas gracias

one quick question a $25 ring game ticket, $147 for 1000 medals, so i can buy 6 $25 ring tickets then?

Just got my 3x$20 tickets myself. Would be much better if it was possible to buy in for all three tickets as one entry, so I could just flip at PLO100..

I got 2 tickets last night. Another thing I think they can be good for is if you have spew issues. No, I'm not talking about puking after massive amounts of alcohol.

I've been using the tickets last night and today, and didn't auto top off, not even sure if you can. But watching that buyin starting to decrease made me tighten up some, and find better spots, and not float as much. Obviously you can just do this without topping off by just buying in normally, but this just sort of forced me to do it for awhile. Think it could be a useful exercise for us spewers.

Disclaimer: I'm by no means an expert, just a Donkey. Heeahaww.

Dunno if this was addressed earlier (fist time I am looking at this topic) but that is wrongly put: you didnt "just cleared $20 bonus", you did cleared $20 bonus and you did not lose $30 from you real money cashier that you would lose other wise.

If you went on clearing on of those other bonus (like deposito bonus or so) with the same game playing, you would end $30 low on cash and then got extra $50 on top of that.

So... that's just the same thing!

Hi All
Have I been ripped off or am i reading it wrong. I got a $500 bonus and cleared $200 of it. I made sure to clear $200 so I would clear 40%. Based on the below i was expecting 2*$50 tickets. However they gave me 2*$20. Have emailed support but they haven't got back to me. Just wanted to see if anyone else had this issue?
"Earn Rush Poker* Ring Game Tickets
In addition to your Added Bonus money, you will also get Rush Poker* Ring Game Tickets based on the bonus increments you earn. Along with the first bonus increment, you will receive one Ring Game Ticket with a value equal to the increment. Clear 40% of your Added Bonus and receive a further Ring Game Ticket. Clear the entire Added Bonus to receive a third Rush Poker* Ring Game Ticket.

For example: if you receive a $20 bonus offer, earn your first $2 increment and you will also receive one $2 Rush Poker* Ring Game Ticket. Earn $8 of your bonus and receive a total of two $2 Ring Game Tickets. Earn the entire $20 bonus and you will receive a total of three $2 Rush Poker* Ring Game Tickets in addition to your $20."

Nothing wrong. Your bonus was released in $20 chunks, so that's the size of your ticket.

I donked mine off today.

Thanks Bookish - I guess it is ok then - although someone with a $20 bonus will receive proportionately more - $4 for clearing 40% - so why not 25*$4 for clearing 40% of a $500 bonus.
Will probably donk mine off shortly.

complaining because you got higher bonus than someone else?

if you play 25nl - buy the $100 ticket. It will be a long time before you end up unable to auto-top to $25, if that somehow happens just go flip at 10nl for a while until it builds back up or disappears
if you play 50nl then buy the $200 ticket, same deal.

no i aint complaining - i just like them to get things right. The example that FT give is misleading. What the **** is your problem anyway?