Galfond tweeted about the corporate blog

Your definition of "straight up stealing" is different to mine.
People have a right to be outraged. I've said elsewhere that I'd be ****ing livid if I was a Supernova. I also think Stars should have honoured their implied promises, and it depresses the hell out of me that a company that used to be in touch with its customers on 2+2 no longer appears to GAF. Unfortunately, I live in the real world, where big businesses screw their customers every minute of the day.
I've had two emails this week from Amazon and my retail bank. Both changed their T&Cs and it will mean I have less money next year. I had no warning whatsoever. I'm not going to go on strike or call it "straight up stealing". It's just businesses doing business.

For SNE if you acheive it the year before, you maintain the status for the following year. So you get higher RB for two years straight. Its Jan-DEC

Its what was so attractive about sne you only have to earn it everyother year. PS is suddenly only offering half of the promised promo, If PS mentioned at the beginning of 2015 players will no longer maintain SNE the following year, most sne wouldn't have bothered grinding sne and stars didnt want to lose out on that money. SO instead they continued to advertise SNE as if the promo would continue as normal knowing it was not going too.

Hilarious. If a legit company did this, they'd get getting sued. For example: A car salesman needs x amount of sales for a bonus and is already there but since it's not the end of the year yet, they say "sorry, we've changed our minds and there's not really a bonus.". GTFO.

edit: I guess a better example is saying that the next year you'll get an extra 10% commission on each car you sell if you sell x amount this year and then saying "PSYCHE!!! LIKE WE'D EVER DO THAT".

I can't believe that Blackstone and co could be taken in by Basov. He is 34 and has no experience leading a successful gambling company. His whole premise is that Pokerstars' customers are going to abandon one of the only profitable gambling games and take up buying lottery tickets instead. Amaya management and their communications department just assume that we are complete idiots.

I was so disgusted by your first sentence I didn't read the rest before replying. Really? Is that what happened to you? Were you working extremely hard to help give them money and help their business run while they changed these things? Did you put in hundreds or thousands of hours into those companies? Doubtful. To compare those things to what's happened at Stars is just ignorance. But based on that first sentence, you sound like an ignorant fool so I'm not surprised.

This whole thing reminds me of a bad breakup. Stars is the bf who said in 2014 that he'd decided to 'shop around' next year and then he ends up cheating on his gf (SNE). GF still has a right to be angry but tbf, the bf did give out warning signals.

I agree that it was shady on Stars' part not to have said explicitly that the upcoming changes to SNE would consist of large cuts if they knew that in advance. However, when they said that there'd be changes to SNE I think it would have been foolish to interpret that to mean that the changes were going to result in more rewards.

Hows that for all you recs and reg haters?

Great stuff these freerolls now I can say that I played a $1,000,000 Mtt's, but ffs I hope I don't win it as I'd h8 to play for 36hrs for $100 1st prize.

It looks like a straight money grab. By doing this they are saying that every SNE and more importantly, every player who is grinding their site with the idea of someday getting there, including all SN+, has a negative marginal net value. In other words, with all the "lol strike np" talk they are explicitly saying that if revenues from their current reg heavy player base drop say 50% by June 2016, that new depositors will take up that slack.

Since a typical $20 depositor probably generates somewhere around 1 X 10^-54 as much annual rake as a single SNE they are banking that either A) almost no actual grinders will quit or even reduce their volume or B) there will be tidal wave of new players crashing the gates to get at the 20 cents in freeroll equity, they'll stay longer than they ever have, and they'll keep redepositing at rates they never have or they'll get locked into a nasty slots/sports/roulette addiction, click their mouse and lose their house. The best scenario would be if they could really cultivate a strong Borovetz type customer base that are willing to do literally anything for the chance to win. Problem is virtually all of their money is made at poker.

Unfortunately as it stands 92% of that poker revenue is currently being generated by what could loosely be described as "regs". In other words fasten your seat belt because they're about to drive the bus off a cliff.

Another benefit to the recreational players. Love it
Thanks to all the rake the pros generated we can now enjoy the same benefits
#thisgameiseasy

Arty is from the same small island I am originally from. Last time I was back there I was in the pub and the "television" was full of adverts like "install a slot machine on your smart phone", I counted 5 in a row of companies not offering any added value in any way, just trying to market to "fish" or however the conventional business world refers to them - there is just a general atmosphere of everyone trying to rip each other off and nothing better is expected from anyone. The general population has this kind of negative but resigned attitude to business people and TBH if I still lived there I would probably feel the same. Forgive him.

They also changed the $30k silverstar weekly freeroll to once a month.

no wonder stars hates and other sites hate the regs so much.

Where are you guys getting this info?

Im not sure it's necessarily a money grab more so than an attempt to stay a float. The reasons amaya gave us as to why thier stock has crashed has been challenged by some.

They are saying the fluctuation of the dollar is to blame when there was a harder fluctuation back in May and it didnt affect their stock. Plus for accounts held in euros if they are converted to USD amaya gets to pay out less money due to depreciation, so I dont understand how this can cause the stock price to crash.

It is safe to assume that if amaya were in any serious trouble or looking to bail out and sell the company the players would be last to know.

It stated it in the 'My Bonus Status' part of the client that I could deposit and get some freeroll tickets but that these would cease on 31/12/15.

Naturally I would rather gouge my own eyes out than play them but it is still money taken out of the economy.

All these tears are funny.

Pokerstars is a business, and they're doing what's in their best interest. Should they do whatever the regs want and continue to watch their business decline? LOL, get real. All these self entitled professionals, that are horrible for the overall game: use unfair programs, seating scripts, berate the fish, and try to drain every last bb they can by whatever means necessary(what else am I missing?) and they think pokerstars is messed up trying to save their business? Pot meet kettle.

As a US resident I have zero desire to play online poker if it ever comes back because of all this 'reg' bull****. It's not even poker anymore, just a bunch of douchebags who think they should get free money using all these programs, while a fish (recreational) has 0% chance at winning. What incentive is there to play to a newcomer with 'regs' like this? Pokerstars is trying to grow their business, not continually decline, but in the best interest of their 'regs'. They recognize the problem (a little late imo), and they're doing something to correct it. They're already attempting to eliminate some of the unfair programs. Maybe they see getting rid of the generous SNE program as a solution for further future growth? Johnny Bravo playing 24 tables, taking 30 seconds every turn, and breaking even at best just trying to get SNE is not good for the game. Sure, you're a huge contributor to the rake, but if your play is causing more people to not play online poker it's -EV to pokerstars overall. It's just business, maybe in a term you'll understand. Personally, I found 4 tables to be great plenty myself, but I'm sure there are those out there who can do more. Though, when someone is sitting at 14 tables, and relying on their programs to tell them how to play, it's not good for the game Maybe pokerstars is betting not good EV for them either.

You're more than welcome to make a 'reg' site with generous SNE like rakeback. I can just see the millions of fish waiting to play that site. Who doesn't like having several shady 'regs' auto-sitting at the table, using their programs to tell them how to play and keeping track of how the fish plays, sitting at 30 tables slowing the game down, and yet expect the recreationals to continue playing at the site? Sounds like a great game...

I'd rather have a site that has a fair playing field. That's the only way I'd play if poker ever comes back to the US. I doubt this will ever happen though, there will always be the people that will cheat with new technology. Yeah, online poker is probably dead because of this, but these idiots are blaming stars for trying to actually fix the problem? They just don't realize they are the problem.

and giving 1 month notice is no different than 90% of every other business decision ever.

Alright so what would be a good way to fix the problem? Youre obviously an expert on the field and I would LOVE to hear more of your opinion!

They already did fix the problem. SNEs GTFO. Small and midstakes cash is awful on Stars. Why any non snes play there is beyond me. Way better options out there. Maybe the games will get better because they cant get worse. I'm all for a more casino like and rec friendly environment. These changes are good for everyone except the "elites".

4 Million dollar freerolls is epic too, well done Stars, great promo.

Uhhh, you, the SNE grinder are the problem. Thought I made that pretty clear. Guess your so angry with stars your reading comprehension went to 0.

I admit, Stars could lighten up on the rake, but if it's so high there are other sites to play on. They're offering a competitive product.

Haha I actully play the penniest of penny stakes PLO and I am MOST DEFINATELY not a SNE grinder, I just thought it was hilarious that someone that admits to not play online poker at all was 100% sure that his opinion is correct and everyone that has first hand experience and a lot of knowledge on the topic is a complete ****tard.

And appearantly youre the one that has a reading comprehension because I asked for a solution. I didnt ask you what the problem was, I think that was the only thing you made VERY clear in your post. Anyway I dont really care what you think

Rec players chiming in are letting bitterness towards regs cloud their judgement. These changes will make it more difficult for all players to make money regardless of skill level.

Pokerstars is offering a solution. I explained my take on it. I never claimed to have a solution. I suggested the regs make their own site that no one would play on. All that was in my original post.

Jimbo, it is certainly possible these changes make it more difficult for anyone to win money, but the current system is just garbage. Stars is at least trying something.