Usefulness of Poker VIP Programs

Poker VIP programs are designed to reward loyal players for playing poker. The more poker a player plays at one site, the greater rewards that player receives from the VIP program. The usefulness of poker VIP programs ranges from extremely useful to almost worthless, depending on the poker site in question. Generally, the larger a poker site is, the better its VIP program.

At the lower levels, all online poker site keep things basic: a free newsletter, entry to small freeroll tournaments and things like that. As the player moves up in levels, those rewards become better and better. At the highest levels of a poker VIP program, the player can receive several thousand dollars worth of benefits every month.

Overall, poker VIP programs can be considered very useful. This is mainly because VIP programs cost nothing to enter. If you earn enough frequent player points, you will automatically be rewarded with extra cash and prizes in addition to your normal winnings. Poker VIP programs are inherently useful because they have no cost or downside associated with them.

When evaluating the usefulness of a poker VIP program, there are several categories in which we can rank that VIP program:

New Player Benefits

Poker VIP programs for new and casual players usually aren’t super rewarding. You’ll get a few basic features such as personal customer support, access to $2500 freerolls and access to the VIP store. Even though most players fall under the new/casual category, you shouldn’t give much weight to this category when determining the usefulness of the poker VIP program.

VIP Store

Most online poker sites have some sort of VIP store at which frequent player points (FPPs) can be redeemed for merchandise. The biggest poker sites have awesome VIP stores stocked with things like new computers, flat screen TVs, free tournament tickets and much more.

Remember also to look at the lower end items. It might be cool to see that 52” flat screen TV in the store, but the lower end items will be the first things within your FPP budget. Check out what kind of items the VIP store has for poker players with just a few thousand FPPs.

Cash and Bonus Rewards

Many poker sites also offer cash rewards and extra bonuses to their most loyal players. Absolute Poker, for example, offers players anywhere from $50 a month extra to $1,000 a month to its players. That extra cash comes in handy to either build the bankroll or earn a little spending money without placing a drain on your existing bankroll.

Cash and bonus rewards should be considered an important part of your criteria when evaluating poker VIP programs. As nice as free tournament tickets and free merchandise is, there’s nothing that can beat cold, hard cash. Online poker rooms that offer cash rewards explain all the details on their websites.

High Volume Player Rewards

Poker VIP programs are especially useful for serious and professional poker players. If you play a lot of poker every month, you’ll want to make sure your poker site has a decent VIP program. But take note – no matter how great a VIP program is, the most important thing is that you play at a safe, well-known site that has enough players to keep the games running 24/7.

I’m going to use Absolute Poker as an example again because I really like their VIP program. If you make it all the way to the highest level at Absolute Poker, you’ll be able to earn $1,000 a month in cash, receive 5% interest on your entire account balance and receive VIP treatment at any major live poker tournaments you play in.

Summary

Poker VIP programs are extremely useful because they offer free benefits with no drawbacks. Casual poker players shouldn’t spend too much time researching poker VIP programs because the rewards for casual players are about the same everywhere. Serious poker players should pay more attention to poker VIP programs because the benefits at some sites can be quite lucrative.