- Commissioner’s statement on Ventura, Marte
- Ronnie O’Sullivan: Masters champion ‘felt so vulnerable’ in final
- Arron Fletcher Wins 2017 WSOP International Circuit Marrakech Main Event ($140,224)
- Smith challenges Warner to go big in India
- Moncada No. 1 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 10 2B Prospects list
- Braves land 2 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 10 2B Prospects list
- Kingery makes MLB Pipeline’s Top 10 2B Prospects list
- New Zealand wrap up 2-0 after Bangladesh implosion
- Mathews, Pradeep, Gunathilaka to return to Sri Lanka
- Elliott hopes for rain for Poli
Top 10 Stories of 2016, #4: Big Changes at PokerStars
- Updated: December 29, 2016
This year’s Top Stories are brought to you by the VerStandig Law Firm, LLC. Combining a keen understanding of the gaming world and an equally keen understanding of the law, Mac VerStandig and his colleagues are devoted to fighting on behalf of the poker community and its members.
When PokerNews compiled its list of the top 10 stories of 2015, the online poker changes at PokerStars and Full Tilt sat atop the pile.
PokerStars overhauled its VIP program with the StarsCoin concept and massively reduced the value of the various VIP levels by removing SuperNova Elite, moves which were met with outcries, and ultimately strike action, by large numbers of PokerStars’ vast customer base.
Over the past 12 months, PokerStars has been in the headlines seemingly every week, from its liquidity merge with Full Tilt, the scrapping of the popular European Poker Tour, its entrance into the U.S. market and the spotlight being placed on former director of parent company David Baazov for all the wrong reasons.
PokerStars and Full Tilt Merge
A statement from PokerStars in May 2016 revealed Full Tilt and PokerStars were to merge their player bases, creating a larger player pool and a wider choice of tournaments and cash games for Full Tilt customers.
The migration was successfully completed on May 17 and Full Tilt players were immediately able to play in tournaments that were previously only available to PokerStars’ players. Many of Full Tilt’s features and games, such as its Jackpot Sit & Go and The Deal side game, are present.
Players who only held a Full Tilt account could log in with their old details, but customers with a PokerStars account that was paired with a Full Tilt account were prompted to migrate their accounts to reflect their PokerStars details.
European Poker Tour Scrapped
The long-running European Poker Tour was scrapped towards the end of 2016, with EPT Prague being the last stop ever on the tour. Other minor tours, including the UK & Ireland Poker Tour …
