Feedback from a very disappointed poker player

From where does PokerStrategy gets its money?

I mean they have writers and coaches to pay. They also have to put the money for freerolls.

So from where is all that money coming from (what is their source of income)?

Promotions?

Hey guys,

How are we this evening?

That is a really good question and I'm sure you are not the only who has wondered the very same thing WinStrat. I also had this thought before I became a staff member

PokerStrategy.com operates today like it operated when it was founded. We rely on players signing up to our affiliated poker rooms using our download links and bonus codes.

Say for example: WinStrat signs up to Unibet using our download link. He gets 30% lifetime rakeback exclusive to PokerStrategy.com players.

PokerStrategy.com receives a small portion of the rake that WinStrat generates at Unibet (this is our income which we use to fund the website and poker school)

In return WinStrat receives StrategyPoints for his rake so he can gain a status and view the available content and material etc. He also receives the best possible first deposit bonus and rakeback deals (if applicable) It works in cycles and is beneficial to everyone.

Without it's loyal members PokerStrategy.com wouldn't be able to exist as the number one Poker School and affiliate.

Hope this helps you and please check out our business model for further details

Regards,
Gary

Wait, what?

I think it's kind of obvious...

It's the same principle they use for the TAF program:
You refer friends and you win money if they register, and you win more the more your friends play.

So PokerStrategy gets their users to register in a poker room through their referral. And they get money for users they bring to that poker room, and they win money the more those users play. It's probably some % of the rake each one of those players pay.

So if PokerStrategy wins more money, the more each player pays in rake, then they obviously create incentives: to play more times (ie. promotions), to play more volume (ie. rake races), to play better and higher stakes (ie. coaching and videos).

Now imagine a % of the rake each member pays going added up to the millions of PokerStrategy's users

The agreements between PokerStrategy and each poker room may vary but it's probably something around this business model.

Well, I was beat by the Headadmin

Thank you very much for your post cryoburn!

No shame to be beaten by the best!

Have a nice evening!

Thanks for your answer HollyMichelle.

So "we the players" are actually financing PokerStrategy's operations by a % of our rake.

Sometimes I point out that we are losing value when PokerStrategy is losing a partner or when freerolls disappear from the regular schedule.

Then like clockwork someone will come and say something like:

"What a shame that people are just giving away money..."

What would you answer to this player who thinks PokerStrategy is giving away money for free?

Hey WinStrat,

Apologies for the delay.

So "we the players" are actually financing PokerStrategy's operations by a % of our rake.

Yes that would be correct, you the player are financing our operations and in return we provide you with the community in which you are part of, the poker school that educates you and most probably gave you $50 as a starting capital to get your poker career under way.

Please note that the fact that "you pay", doesn't cost you anything, as strange as it may sound. While playing, you have to pay the rake anyway and the fact that you are tracked means that some of the rake that the poker room takes, is shared with us. For this you get our teaching materials, promotions, StrategyPoints and other things that come with having a tracked account and to which you'd have a limited access if your account was not tracked to us.

We are working all the time to improve our offer, the changes that we introduce are normally done in cooperation with our partner rooms. There are changes that you will like better as well as those that you will like less (e.g the freerolls) but remember that it's an ongoing thing and we're putting efforts to improve our offer, so keep your eyes open.

What would you answer to this player who thinks PokerStrategy is giving away money for free?

We kind of do "investments". We give money for free but we expect and hope that these players will be able to stand on their own feet after receiving the free money and will turn into poker players, who deposit, win and generates rake - so we can sponsor better educational offer!

Best regards,
Gary.

I thought this myself and what a great idea it is!

Actually I'm glad you share that us, since it makes me wanna focus on playing on the sites where I'm being tracked by you guys, and not so much on the poker rooms I'm "alone" at.

I already uninstalled the other 3 poker rooms i had installed and now only focus on Winner Poker.

Once again - thank you so much for giving me the possibility to use this great service

edit:

HollyMichelle aka. Gary? oO - oh snap! ♦

Feedback from a very disappointed poker player

First of all, "WE THE PLAYERS" are actually financing PokerStrategy's operations by a % of our rake.

When I joined PokerStrategy not so long ago, things were very different than they are now. There was a lot of FREErolls to chose from and they were FREE as the word says.

Here is a list of what we lost:

$100 daily Freerolls:
Betfair Poker ------- Gone! (-$500/week)
Everest Poker ------ Gone! (-$700/week)
Ladbrokes ---------- Gone! (-$700/week)
PartyPoker --------- Gone! (-$1400/week)
Poker770 ----------- Still here but shared with Titan and William Hill (-$1400/week)
Titan Poker --------- Still here but shared with Poker770 and William Hill (-see Poker770)
William Hill -------- Still here but shared with Titan and Poker770 (-see Poker770)
Total Lost: $14600/month

$1000 Depositor Freerolls (EXCLUSIVE to PokerStrategy members):
Betfair Poker ------- Gone! (-$1000/week)
Everest Poker ------ Gone! (-$1000/week)
Ladbrokes ---------- Gone! (-$1000/week)
PartyPoker --------- Gone! (-$2280/week)
Poker770 ----------- Still here but for how long...
Titan Poker --------- Gone! ($1000) (The one announced is open to every player in the world)
William Hill -------- Still here but have to rake 50 points to get in
Total Lost: $25120/month

$10000 Depositor Freerolls:
Betfair Poker ------- Gone! (-$10000/month)
Everest Poker ------ Gone! (-$10000/month)
Ladbrokes ---------- Gone! (-$10000/month)
Poker770 ----------- Still here but have to rake 25 points (5$) to get in
Titan Poker --------- Gone! (-$10000/month)
William Hill -------- Still here but have to rake 25 points (5$) to get in
I'll only count -$20000/month since we still get about 2 a month (but with rake needed)

LOST partners:
888 Poker
FullTilt Poker

So WE lost about $59720/month worth of Freerolls since I joined PokerStrategy. (That's close to 60K/month lost)

According to my estimate, we probably lost the equivalent of about $70/month in tournament buyins.

Some sheep will say regarding the freerolls we still got "Don't you like free money?"

This is NOT Free money! WE pay it as part of our rake and PokerStrategy got us to sign up through them as an affiliate by giving us part of OUR MONEY back.

I think it's time for PokerStrategy to man up and stop losing ground. But I must be the ONLY ONE feeling like this right?

You can pay 5 dollar on a sunday and get to play a 60 000$ dollar tourney. So i dont think u have lost that much :P, 5 dollars maybe. Correct me if im wrong.

Originally posted by Hashkan
You can pay 5 dollar on a sunday and get to play a 60 000$ dollar tourney. So i dont think u have lost that much :P, 5 dollars maybe. Correct me if im wrong.

The field for your $5 tourney will be HUGE (at least 12000 players) compared to the EXCLUSIVE PokerStrategy freerolls. The real value of your tourney is not even on the map compared to the 60K combined limited field at Pokerstrategy.

Just to give you an idea, the Betfair tourney had about 100 players for $2000 so it was a $20 buyin tourney. And that was just ONE of the freerolls.

Do you have any concept of the value of a tourney?

Ok i missunderstood then. Ur right then.

dude listen, you don;t have to play on accounts affiliated w pokerstrategy if you don't want to.

stop complaining.

Originally posted by wazawanga
dude listen, you don;t have to play on accounts affiliated w pokerstrategy if you don't want to.

stop complaining.

Dude I signed up with PokerStrategy as an affiliate because they had good freeroll promotions. Now they don't anymore.

It is called "bait and switch". I'm sure it is in the fine prints that they can do what they want. But I still have the right to complain. I'm not going to bend over like you are!

I would gladly change affiliate on some of the sites I joined by PokerStrategy but I simply CAN'T.

Either you are affiliated or not with PokerStrategy the amount of rake you have to pay the poker site DOESN'T change. Enjoy PS strategy content.

Haters gonna hate.

Originally posted by Rihard4a
Either you are affiliated or not with PokerStrategy the amount of rake you have to pay the poker site DOESN'T change. Enjoy PS strategy content.

Haters gonna hate.

Also I don't think you can find any better deals in the market.
In my opinion you have to benefit from the learning material that PS offers you than just the freerolls.

Originally posted by qaz87
Also I don't think you can find any better deals in the market.
In my opinion you have to benefit from the learning material that PS offers you than just the freerolls.

I joined PokerStrategy mainly for the freerolls and not for the learning material. Freerolls are a way to give rakeback.

BTW there is nobody to support me yet, all negative comments against my post so far.

I guess PokerStrategists like losing money since they don't protest. They even gang up against those who do.

I may be the ONLY ONE feeling the loss?

For example I don't care for the freerolls. I don't play them. Communicating with people here is > than freerolls.