PokerStars FPPs
FPPs on PokerStars are the player points that are earned when playing in real money games. Play money players do not earn FPPs. FPPs can be used for items in the VIP store at PokerStars.
FPPs are earned according to how much rake you pay and what VIP status level you are. Players who have a higher VIP status at PokerStars are entitled to more FPPs than newer or lower volume players. The more that you play on PokerStars, the more FPPs that you are going to earn.
FPPs can really add up before you even know it. Cash back rewards are just the beginning of what FPPs can translate into. Even if you don’t want cash for your FPPs, there are many other options available to you. PokerStars could send you a sweater, hat, or even an iPod for your efforts as a player.
PokerStars also has some unique player rewards that you won’t be able to find on other poker sites. For example, the concierge services available to some PokerStars players are a great help when shopping or traveling. PokerStars support staff goes out of their way to make sure that all players are happy with their rewards.
Earning PokerStars FPPs
The PokerStars reward program can be confusing. There are VPPs and FPPs that are used on PokerStars. VPPs are used as a tool for measuring status levels, while FPPs are the actual points that are paid out to players. It might seem intimidating or confusing at first, but the rewards program at PokerStars is actually quite simple.
Best Ways to Earn PokerStars FPPs
Players who participate in real money games will always be generating FPPs, whether they are in ring games, sit n gos, or tournaments. The rate at which FPPs are paid out varies from game to game.
If you play a tournament, look at the buy in fee to determine how many FPPs you are going to receive. It works the same way if you are playing sit n gos. Cash (ring) games are where you are going to be able to earn the most FPPs. In a tournament or sit n go, the buy in fee will pre determine how many FPPs you earn, but in a cash game you are going to keep piling up FPPs. Look below to see exactly how FPPs are calculated for each type of real money game on PokerStars.
Ring Games (8 or more players)
FPPs are paid out differently according to how many players are at your table. For example, a full ring game will pay out FPPs at a different rate than a short handed (6 max) game. Technically, the FPP payout structures are set in two different categories: tables with 8 or more players, and table with 7 or fewer players. You could actually be sitting at a full ring game and earn the FPP equivalent of a short handed game. In other words, even at a full ring game, your FPP earnings will vary from hand to hand.
Since the FPPs that you earn are going to be relative your VIP status level, PokerStars calculates VPPs per hand instead of FPPs. You are going to have to alter the calculation formula to fit your personal status level.
The rate of VPPs at full ring tables (assuming 8 or more players are dealt in) is 6 VPPs per $1.00 paid in rake. The VPPs are not going to be evenly divisible by the amount of players at the table, so PokerStars will break the VPP total evenly amongst all players involved. The VPPs will be broken up all the way to the hundredth. In other words, no one is going to be getting free VPPs, everyone is equal.
Ring Games (7 or fewer players)
Short handed games do not pay as many VPPs as full ring games. Players are going to earn 5.5 VPPs for every dollar paid in rake. This is a .5 VPP difference when compared to the full ring games. .5 VPPs seems minute, but it can really add up. The entire premise of VPPs is that players are rewarded for steady play, so you are definitely going to earn a bit less when at the ring games. What is lost in this, however, is that you are going to be receiving bigger chunks of each VPP pool. PokerStars is not giving an edge to the full ring players, instead they are balancing out the equation by offering 5.5 VPPs per $1 to short handed players, and 6 VPPs to full ring players.
Your Cut
Players are going to earn more VPPs if the game happens to be short handed, even if they are sitting at a full ring game. The reason for this is simple. Because the VPPs are split evenly amongst all players involved in a hand, each player will get a bigger cut of the entire VPP pool.
Pretend 5 players were vying for 10 VPPs in a hand. At that rate the players in the hand would each be entitled to 2 VPPs.
Now pretend that the number of players involved dropped down to 4. This would then mean that each player is due 2.5 VPPs.
At the surface it might seem like it would be a good idea to only play short handed games, but this wouldn’t be very profitable. While you are earning more VPPs when fewer players are in the pot, you are also going to be paying more in rake. VPPs and FPPs are not given away for no reason. PokerStars would not be giving out points to players if they were not being paid a lot of money in rake.
In short, don’t worry about how many players are at your table when earning VPPs. In the short term you might earn more or less than you would expect, but in the end it will all even out. VPPs and FPPs are not free money, instead they are a kickback for the rake that you are paying in.
Limits
The higher limit games will provide more of an opportunity for players to earn massive amounts of VPPs. This doesn’t make playing medium or high stakes games a good choice. The only reason that higher limit games pay out more VPPs is because players are paying in more rake. Plus, if you can’t beat the games, you will be costing yourself far too much in real money for a chance at earning some VPPs.
The rewards for medium or high stakes players will add up much more quickly than they do for micro or small stakes players, but it is only because they are paying in more rake. Look at it this way, if you got 10% off of a $300 purchase, you would be saving $30. If you got 10% off of a $500 purchase, however, you would then be saving $50. Your savings, or rewards in this case, will be greater when you spend more money, but you are also spending more money to get the rewards.
Your aim as a player shouldn’t be to earn VPPs, instead you should aim to be a winning player and let the VPPs exist as a side benefit. This is particularly true in ring games, where some players put all of their focus on VPPs and rewards instead of actual profits at the tables.
Sit n Go and Tournament FPPs at PokerStars
Tournaments and sit n gos follow the same VPP payout structure as short handed ring games, 5.5 VPPs per $1 in rake paid. The rake is represented by the buy in fee for any given event.
Most players find that it is tough to accumulate VPPs by playing tournaments. Buy in fees don’t really add up unless you are playing a ton of tournaments at a time. VPPs do add up, however, if you are multi tabling either sit n gos or tournaments.
Even someone who plays $10 sit n gos will be able to see big returns on their investments, if they are multi tabling.
In a $10 tournament, the buy in fee is typically around $1. For this dollar you earn 5.5 VPPs. If you play 10 tournaments in an hour, this is worth 55 VPPs.
Now, pretend that you play 20 hours of poker per week in this same structure, that is 1,100 VPPs. In a little over a month you can earn an iPod, even if you are a Bronze star player. Add the multiplier in and you will see that the rewards are much more significant than they might seem.
Multiplier
Players who are steady PokerStars players are rewarded even more than casual players. The VIP status levels on PokerStars determines how many FPPs that you earn for each VPP that you earn. This is where the entire VIP rewards system comes full circle. New or low volume players will definitely get rewards, but it is the high volume players who really see big cash back rewards.
New players on PokerStars are Bronze star players. Bronze star players earn FPPs at the same rate that they earn VPPs. In other words, one VPP is worth one FPP.
Players who become Silver star players see a slight pay increase, 1.5 FPPs paid for every VPP earned. This looks like a small multiplier, but it amounts to a huge increase in FPPs.
It doesn’t stop here, however, as players can advance to Gold or Platinum stars, and can eventually work their way to Supernova or Supernova Elite status. Gold star players earn a 100% (2x) multiplier on all VPPs earned. This means that they are now earning exactly double what they were when they first joined PokerStars. A multiplier this big will allow for a big boost to any bankroll.
Platinum star players earn 2.5x FPPs, Supernova players earn 3.5x FPPs, and Supernova Elite players earn 5x FPPs.
Loyalty is rewarded at PokerStars. Supernova Elite players earn over $100,000 worth of cash back bonuses and other rewards. These players have to put in a lot of work to earn these massive bonuses, but in the end they often find that it was worth the time and effort.
PokerStars VIP Store
The FPPs that you earn are instantly credited within your PokerStars cashier. They wouldn’t do any good if you just let them sit there though. This is where the PokerStars VIP store comes into play. After earning FPPs, you are able to use them in the VIP store. There are many different items that can be purchased with FPPs at the VIP store.
One of the most popular items in the VIP store are cash bonuses. These bonuses range from $10 up to tens of thousands of dollars. Your VIP status level will, in part, determine whether you are eligible to purchase a certain item.
If you don’t want a cash bonus for your FPPs, other options still remain. Players can purchase anything from books to clothing to electronics in the PokerStars VIP store. It is a good idea to compare the cash value of your FPPs when determining which item(s) you want to purchase.
An iPod might cost you more in FPPs than the cash equivalent. If this happens to be the case, you are better off purchasing a cash bonus for your FPPs and then buying the item on your own. There is a huge variety of items to choose from in the VIP store, it would be tough to find a player who couldn’t find an item that they liked.