The true hidden gem of PokerStars is its VIP Program, which awards its players with a ton of excellent prizes which include cash rewards and run all the way up to a brand new car. Even in the absence of actual rakeback, playing some online poker on PokerStars.com will let you collect some VIP Player points, and these in turn will get you an entrance in what is possibly the biggest and best frequent player program among all money poker sites! Do a side-by-side comparison with other programs and you will come to the conclusion entirely on your own that you will be getting a ton of additional benefits in this one if you do put up with a moderate volume of playing.

It goes like this. Every player on Poker Stars starts out as a BronzeStar player, which is the lowest VIP level. Get some playing done on PokerStars.com and VIP Player Points will be coming your way. Get some VPPs in and you will be inching towards the next VIP level. Some VIP levels are monthly, which means they will run out by the end of the next month if you don't meet the specified criteria to keep them. Others are yearly, meaning that it will be valid until at least the next February, and to extend them beyond that you need to accumulate a certain amount of VPP each month thereafter. The higher your VIP level, it will be easier and easier to get FPPs and the more things will be available to you in the VIP store, such as bigger bonuses etc.

Let's get into the details of what many consider is the best rewards system offered by us poker sites!

But first, let us lay down some of the prime details. Whenever you sit down on a table to wager real money on the PokerStars Download, whether cash games or tournaments, will net you VIP Player Points. How high you get in the VIP club is related to how many VPPs you accrue over either a calendar month or a calendar year. Earning VPPs will grant you Frequent Player points in accordance with your current multiplier, which in turn is determined by the level you were when the hand or tournament was played. FPPs are the basis of the PokerStars VIP Store; they can be used to purchase a ton of things which range from Teddy Bears to a variety of poker books to monetary bonuses and also a new car. It is also possible to purchase buy-ins for land based events such as the WSOP directly from the store and also WCOOP and SCOOP type events with the aid of FPPs.

The rate at which you earn VPP are like this: 5.5 VPPs per dollar and 8 VPPs spent for every Euro in tournament fees, while for cash games it depends how many people were dealt in for the hand. In games which have 8 or more seats, you would collect 6 VPPs per dollar raked, and 8.5 VPP per Euro raked, with the ceiling being $3 or 3EUR. When we are talking about games which have 7 or fewer seats, we will be getting as an amount of 5.5VPP for every dollar raked and 85VPP for every Euro raked. The VPP given will then be dived among everyone who got dealt cards during the hand.

To begin with we have BronzeStar, which is the initial VIP level for every player. Playing at this level will net you 1 Frequent Player point for each individual VIP Player Point you accumulate. At this level, most of the truly good stuff will be out of bounds from you in the VIP store, but you can still spend your FPP's on Poker Books, PokerStars branded clothing accessories including headwear and various poker accessories such as branded playing cards, card protectors etc.

Next up the PokerStars VIP Club Ladder is the SilverStar level. Getting to this level is done by earning 750 VPP's in a single month. This level is where we witness the introduction to the FPP multiplier effect, which entails that you will be earning FPPs at a faster rate than the VPPs. BronzeStar player collect FPPs at a 1:1 rate with VPPs: at SilverStar you will now earn FPPs 50% as fast, which means that you will be getting 1.5 FPPs for every 1 VPP you generate. Things you can get as a SilverStar include a special $50 VIP Reward Bonus (not cash) that you will have pay 5,000 FPPs to acquire and earn 350 VPPs to clear, a ton of branded clothing accessories and a large selection of electronics and gift certificates for a lot of stores with locations all over the world, and all of this is on top of the things you had access to as a BronzeStar.

The following step up is GoldStar. Reaching this VIP level is done by reaching the 3,000 VPP milestone in a month. As a GoldStar VIP you will get a 2x multiplier, which basically entails that your earning rate of FPPs will increase by 100%! You will also have access in the VIP store to everything the BronzeStar and the SilverStar levels can, but you will also get access to a few GoldStar-specific items, including among many a Deluxe 500 piece poker chip set and $320 and $530 buy-ins for online tourneys. Also available for GoldStars is a selection of PokerStars.com branded money clips, which allow you to look real suave while doing your daily purchases.

And then we arrive at the last of the monthly VIP Levels, which is PlatinumStar. All you need to do to attain this VIP level is earn 7,500 VPPs in a calendar month. Arguably the best benefit available to PlatinumStars is the 2.5x multiplier which makes it very easy to generate enough FPPs to buy everything in the store, and you will get access to a host of new things in the VIP store, as pretty much every non-cash item is unlocked. Every item that is available to the lesser VIP levels will be unlocked for PlatinumStars and aside from that you will also have exclusive goodies, which include: large cash bonuses up to $650 and also 50" Plasma or 40" LCD TV to get your entertainment fix. Generating FPPs to buy things in the store becomes incredibly easy at this level: meeting the requirements to maintain your level means that you will be earning at least 20,000 or so FPPs each month.

The next VIP level is Supernova. Since its one of the yearly levels, to become a Supernova you would have to earn a minimum of 100K VPP's during a 12 month period, starting January and ending in December (the real definition of one year:)). Every single PokerStars Marketing Code in the PokerStars VIP store will be available to Supernovas, all the way up to an extra juicy $4000 bonus. Hopefully you are starting to see how much money you will be able to make while a Supernova on Poker Stars.com.

At this level you will also be able to purchase the Porsche Cayman S from the VIP store, but to get it you will have to spend 3,000,000 FPPs, so it will be quite a stretch to do this at Supernova. If you ever want to reach this incredible status, make sure you brush up with PokerStars’ free poker training to get your game ready for the challenge.

Also available exclusively to Supernovas and above is the very popular PS concierge service. This means that you will be able to buy pretty much anything you want with a total cost above $500, and get the money back in your account in exchange for FPPs. The amount of FPPs required will obviously vary depending on what you bought, and if you have any questions you should get in contact with the universally revered PS CS and any doubts and curiosities you may have had would be cleared.

But that's definitely not all. If you are truly hardcore, you should definitely try to reach the SNE VIP Level. This is the ultimate VIP player level on PokerStars and requires 1,000,000 VPPs to reach, and will unlock every single thing you can get in the VIP Store. It is also a yearly VIP level meaning it is good until the next February. In a nutshell, you beat the game.

This level awards you 5 FPPs for every single VPP you earn, which means a 5x multiplier is in effect. On the arduous road to reach Supernova Elite, thankfully, PS has implemented a ton of cash money bonuses which can be purchased and will be deposited immediately in your account for every 100,000 VPP milestone you reach until Supernova Elite. These bonuses, plus the other bonuses you can take while on the road to Supernova elite, amount to close to $100,000. As you can see, it is a very lucrative affair to get to Elite.

every discrete VIP level also has access to Daily, Weekly and Monthly VIP tourneys that you can buy-in with FPPs; check the website or the PokerStars client for more details. Also, while climbing the VIP ladder, PS will be giving out a large amount of milestone bonuses that reward you for reaching various amounts of yearly VPPs. Check the site or the PokerStars client for more details.

The PokerStars VIP program is considered by many to have the best mac poker sites loyalty service. Playing on PokerStars is a very lucrative thing to do, and the more you play the more money you will be making. And the additional benefits from having set figures to reach should not be overlooked, as this will keep your mind steady in the most trying of times. But with all this knowledge under your belt, including the amounts of money you could potentially win, what are you waiting for? If you start playing today you will still be able to make PlatinumStar this month, and maybe even Supernova elite this year!

People have been playing poker since the 15th century. Before 2003, only an elite group of players could be considered professional poker players. The most famous poker variant, Texas Hold 'Em, was introduced to Las Vegas in the late 1960s. The game became a favorite of poker players and tourists alike. Seasoned veterans never shared their poker knowledge with outsiders. Then, Doyle Brunson stunned the community by releasing the poker bible, Super System. Following Brunson's big hit, more players saw an opportunity and penned their own books. The only means for players to attain basic poker strategy was through poker literature.
 
With the creation of the Internet came a new means for poker players to gamble with each other. Money Poker Sites started in 1998 but were not popular until Chris Moneymaker's 2003 World Series of Poker victory. Moneymaker made it to the main event via a $39 satellite tournament on the PokerStars Download. People who tuned into the 2003 WSOP began to hope and dream that one day they may also win millions of dollars by playing No Limit Texas Hold 'Em. The Moneymaker effect coupled with effective promotions from poker rooms led players to online poker. Players registered at online poker rooms such as Ladbrokes and began raking in the cash. The addition of poker flash clients brought online poker to an even wider audience.

With so many players entering the poker arena after the 2003 WSOP, the games were soft. There were only a small percentage of sharks while others lit money on fire due to their poor play. Some players purchased poker books and began to gain an advantage on download free poker sites. Others sought out fellow poker players to discuss strategy with. Poker forums, like Flop Turn River, were formed as a place to post poker hands, strategies, and hold poker conversation. As games got tougher, more beginners discussed holes in their games on poker forums.
 
As the prices on computers and broadband internet fell, people created new mediums to broadcast poker theory. Now, people learn poker through poker videos. Poker videos are a fresh teaching tool to train amateurs. The best poker videos are narrated by proven players within poker community. There are different types of free poker training videos. A lecture can be given through video as a PowerPoint presentation while the video's author narrates the slides. Players can record poker videos of them playing an actual session. With session sweats, the viewer can see hands an expert player has already played. While the video is being recorded and the action is flying by, the player narrates his thought process and why he or she chooses to make a certain decision. Another type of sweat session involves a talented player commenting on a video recorded by a beginner. This analysis permits players to view flaws in their game. Lastly, in hand review videos, a successful player may review hands they played or the hands of others and convey their opinions.
 
Watching poker videos is currently the most popular way to improve poker play. Most of the best euro poker sites have them. Watching videos is more stimulating than reading a book since it replicates a dynamic environment not found on the stale pages of a book.  Additionally, unlike books, poker videos are updated quite frequently. Enthusiasts learn what moves to make today simply by viewing recent videos. It is impossible for a book to remain as updated. Lastly, poker videos educate players on many levels that poker books can't catch up with. Relying solely on books is a good way to risk your poker deposit. With the games getting tougher and tougher, a multitude of poker videos are out there and being watched by the new players. Different poker video authors provide unique angles on why a particular move was made. This will inevitably result in a deeper understanding of poker theory and begin to outsmart their foes.
 
Choosing how to learn poker can be a difficult decision. Knowing where to begin is the hard part, but we know the best place to start one's poker journey is a poker community such as FlopTurnRiver. There are winning professionals that are ready and willing to help with winning at top texas holdem sites. For example, nutsinho is a notable contributor to FlopTurnRiver's 6-max forum and crushes the games over at PokerStars. More than the awesome contributors await you, there is a great selection of free poker videos waiting to be watched at FlopTurnRiver. They cover subjects from cash games to Sit and Gos and from full tables to 6-max. Viewing them is guaranteed to improve one's poker game quickly. Additionally, if there are any questions about hands played on the poker video, a friendly poker forum that will be happy to assist you is right there.