{"id":33528,"date":"2016-01-06T14:42:40","date_gmt":"2016-01-06T22:42:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?p=33528"},"modified":"2016-01-06T14:42:40","modified_gmt":"2016-01-06T22:42:40","slug":"second-pokerstars-boycott-struggles-to-make-impact-after-first-effort-fizzled","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/second-pokerstars-boycott-struggles-to-make-impact-after-first-effort-fizzled\/","title":{"rendered":"Second PokerStars Boycott Struggles to Make Impact\u00a0After First Effort Fizzled"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Ike
Ike Haxton, who resigned on New Year\u2019s Day as a PokerStars Pro in protest at the changes to the VIP system. (Image: pokerstars.com)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A second PokerStars boycott by high-stakes and high-variance players is apparently failing to make a discernible dent, at least on the site\u2019s traffic figures.<\/p>\n

Around 1,600 players signed up for the protest, according to organizers.<\/p>\n

Per industry number-cruncher PokerScout.com, while traffic dipped on January 1st, the first day of the strike, it actually rose on January 2nd, in comparison with the same day the previous week, while Sunday, January 3rd remained on par with figures from the same day the previous week.<\/p>\n

Of course, it\u2019s impossible to know just how much the sudden dearth of high stakes players is affecting PokerStars\u2019 daily rake, and whether all the players who pledged to sit out have in reality proved true to their word.<\/p>\n

The boycott<\/a>, which is due to end Thursday, January 7th, has been organized by several groups including WeArePokerPlayers.com and Tiltbook.com, as well as a number of high-profile, high stakes players on the 2+2 forums, in protest towards a major overhaul to the VIP system, which took effect on January 1st.<\/p>\n

PokerStars announced in November that these changes would include scrapping Supernova Elite rewards for 2016, despite the achievement of this status being a two-year process.<\/p>\n

Boycott Backfired?<\/h2>\n

PokerStars<\/a> claims that the changes are designed to improve the poker ecology, but they leave high-stakes, high-volume players high and dry.<\/p>\n

While these players represent some of the site\u2019s most avid, long-term, and high-ranking players, they tend to be net-withdrawing players rather than the hordes of net-depositors that the online poker giant is anxious to attract. \u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The first boycott took place between December 1st and 3rd, with 2,600 players joining in the sit out. But that event clashed with the PokerStars Christmas Festival, so traffic figures remained similar, except that those high-stakes players were replaced with lower stakes players attracted by low buy-ins and jackpot prizes. \u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While PokerStars is likely to have raked less during that period, it declared itself vindicated by the December boycott.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cDuring the three-day boycott we recorded the healthiest consecutive three-day ecosystem results of the year with steady net gaming revenue, even though our net-depositing players lost at a much lower rate than they have all year,\u201d wrote Eric Hollreiser, VP of Communications for PokerStars and Amaya.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

More Boycotts Planned<\/h2>\n

The affected players remain undeterred, however, and are determined to show PokerStars that they can make the operator’s life difficult.<\/p>\n

And more boycotts are planned in the future. WeArePokerPlayers.com has launched a campaign seeking 5,000 signatures to agree to at least a month-long strike, while other protestors have suggested that a 10,000-player boycott could reduce PokerStars\u2019 rake by as much as 30 percent.<\/p>\n

On New Year\u2019s Day, Ike Haxton became the second high-profile PokerStars Pro to resign in disgust at the changes, following the example of Alex Millar, who severed ties with the site just before the holiday period.<\/p>\n

\n

\u00a0\u201cAs a four time Supernova Elite, I know what it takes to rake 1M VPP in a year,\u201d wrote Haxton on 2+2. \u201cIt’s a tough grind. For most of the players who do it, it is an all-consuming commitment more intense than most full time jobs.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cMany of them have relocated far from their homes and families to pursue it,\u201d he added. \u201cFinding out, just as you approach the finish line, that your efforts will not be rewarded as you expected them to be is brutal. I cannot in good conscience continue to endorse a poker site that treats its players this way.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A second PokerStars boycott by high-stakes and high-variance players is apparently failing to make a discernible dent, at least on the site\u2019s traffic figures. Around 1,600 players signed up for the protest, according to organizers. Per industry number-cruncher PokerScout.com, while traffic dipped on January 1st, the first day of the strike, it actually rose on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":42,"featured_media":33529,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,14],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nSecond PokerStars Boycott Struggles to Make Impact\u00a0After First Effort Fizzled<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Boycotts of PokerStars are not dramatically affecting traffic figures, but players remain resolute, despite a second one now fizzling.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Second PokerStars Boycott Struggles to Make Impact\u00a0After First Effort Fizzled\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Boycotts of PokerStars are not dramatically affecting traffic figures, but players remain resolute, despite a second one now fizzling.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/second-pokerstars-boycott-struggles-to-make-impact-after-first-effort-fizzled\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Casino.org\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Casino.OrgNews\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-01-06T22:42:40+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/HAXTON-JULY13.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"563\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"388\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Casino.org Staff Writer\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@Casino_Org\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Casino_Org\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Casino.org Staff Writer\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/second-pokerstars-boycott-struggles-to-make-impact-after-first-effort-fizzled\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/second-pokerstars-boycott-struggles-to-make-impact-after-first-effort-fizzled\/\",\"name\":\"Second PokerStars Boycott Struggles to Make Impact\u00a0After First Effort Fizzled\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/second-pokerstars-boycott-struggles-to-make-impact-after-first-effort-fizzled\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/second-pokerstars-boycott-struggles-to-make-impact-after-first-effort-fizzled\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/HAXTON-JULY13.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2016-01-06T22:42:40+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2016-01-06T22:42:40+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/8c48bf89dc86da77b4d856c7b3b78d77\"},\"description\":\"Boycotts of PokerStars are not dramatically affecting traffic figures, but players remain resolute, despite a second one now fizzling.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/second-pokerstars-boycott-struggles-to-make-impact-after-first-effort-fizzled\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/second-pokerstars-boycott-struggles-to-make-impact-after-first-effort-fizzled\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/second-pokerstars-boycott-struggles-to-make-impact-after-first-effort-fizzled\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/HAXTON-JULY13.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/HAXTON-JULY13.jpg\",\"width\":563,\"height\":388,\"caption\":\"Ike Haxton, who resigned on New Year\u2019s Day as a PokerStars Pro in protest at the changes to the VIP system. (Image: pokerstars.com)\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/second-pokerstars-boycott-struggles-to-make-impact-after-first-effort-fizzled\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"News\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Famous Players\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/players\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Second PokerStars Boycott Struggles to Make Impact\u00a0After First Effort Fizzled\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/\",\"name\":\"Casino.org\",\"description\":\"Latest Casino and Gaming News\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/8c48bf89dc86da77b4d856c7b3b78d77\",\"name\":\"Casino.org Staff Writer\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0853bd574da5b217483afb1fbbee33a5?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0853bd574da5b217483afb1fbbee33a5?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Casino.org Staff Writer\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/author\/corg-staff-writer\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Second PokerStars Boycott Struggles to Make Impact\u00a0After First Effort Fizzled","description":"Boycotts of PokerStars are not dramatically affecting traffic figures, but players remain resolute, despite a second one now fizzling.","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Second PokerStars Boycott Struggles to Make Impact\u00a0After First Effort Fizzled","og_description":"Boycotts of PokerStars are not dramatically affecting traffic figures, but players remain resolute, despite a second one now fizzling.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/second-pokerstars-boycott-struggles-to-make-impact-after-first-effort-fizzled\/","og_site_name":"Casino.org","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Casino.OrgNews","article_published_time":"2016-01-06T22:42:40+00:00","og_image":[{"width":563,"height":388,"url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/HAXTON-JULY13.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Casino.org Staff Writer","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@Casino_Org","twitter_site":"@Casino_Org","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Casino.org Staff Writer","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/second-pokerstars-boycott-struggles-to-make-impact-after-first-effort-fizzled\/","url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/second-pokerstars-boycott-struggles-to-make-impact-after-first-effort-fizzled\/","name":"Second PokerStars Boycott Struggles to Make Impact\u00a0After First Effort Fizzled","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/second-pokerstars-boycott-struggles-to-make-impact-after-first-effort-fizzled\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/second-pokerstars-boycott-struggles-to-make-impact-after-first-effort-fizzled\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/HAXTON-JULY13.jpg","datePublished":"2016-01-06T22:42:40+00:00","dateModified":"2016-01-06T22:42:40+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/8c48bf89dc86da77b4d856c7b3b78d77"},"description":"Boycotts of PokerStars are not dramatically affecting traffic figures, but players remain resolute, despite a second one now fizzling.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/second-pokerstars-boycott-struggles-to-make-impact-after-first-effort-fizzled\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/second-pokerstars-boycott-struggles-to-make-impact-after-first-effort-fizzled\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/second-pokerstars-boycott-struggles-to-make-impact-after-first-effort-fizzled\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/HAXTON-JULY13.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/HAXTON-JULY13.jpg","width":563,"height":388,"caption":"Ike Haxton, who resigned on New Year\u2019s Day as a PokerStars Pro in protest at the changes to the VIP system. (Image: pokerstars.com)"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/second-pokerstars-boycott-struggles-to-make-impact-after-first-effort-fizzled\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Famous Players","item":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/players\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Second PokerStars Boycott Struggles to Make Impact\u00a0After First Effort Fizzled"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/","name":"Casino.org","description":"Latest Casino and Gaming News","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/8c48bf89dc86da77b4d856c7b3b78d77","name":"Casino.org Staff Writer","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0853bd574da5b217483afb1fbbee33a5?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0853bd574da5b217483afb1fbbee33a5?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Casino.org Staff Writer"},"url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/author\/corg-staff-writer\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33528"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/42"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33528"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33528\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33529"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33528"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33528"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33528"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}