UB poker is part of the Cereus Network and has on offer 30% contributed rakeback deals for their players. On top of that, players are also rewarded for their continuous play through their loyalty systems.
The main idea of the UB VIP system is the good old ’generate more Points and receive better benefits’ scheme, which, of course, does not come as a surprise. UB decided to name its VIP loyalty program ’Raise – The Ultimate Loyalty Club’. Let’s see the main characteristics of this systems:
- It is a level-based loyalty programs
- The higher level you reach, the higher the reward
- There are 5 levels to reach:
UB 5 levels are as follows: Member, Player, Contender, Legend, Icon
- The standard score unit in the system is the Status Point (the speed of accumulating Status Points is independent of the player’s current level)
- The player’s VIP level for the next month is determined by the amount of Status Points gathered in the previous month, but as soon as a player collects the Points required for the next level, he will immediately advance to that level
- Status Points get nullified at the end of the month (as the only function of Status Points is to determine your VIP level)
- Players earn Ultimate Points, which can be used for store purchases or redeemed for cash
- The higher a player’s level is, the more Absolute/Ultimate Points he will receive for his Status Points
From the table above it is made obvious that a player who is at Legend status is able to achieve reward points at four times the speed of Player level. In turn, this will provide a greater return for a player’s contribution in dedicated gameplay.
The table above also visualizes the amount of rake that is necessary to achieve the desired levels. The data within the table is only accurate in the case of MTT and SNG players, as for cash game players are rewarded Status Points in a unique way.
Accumulating Status Points
- Tournament and SNG players all receive 1 Status Point for every 30c rake paid
- Cash Game players receive their Status Points according to the table below
Cash Game Status Points
It’s much harder to calculate the rake required for cash game players to reach the different levels. But if we take into consideration experiences with other loyalty systems concerning cash games the structure is very similar to the way they reward tournament players.
If we use these basic fundamentals, we can provide reliable data for the distribution of status points for cash game players (but not to be taken as gospel).
Players all receive points by the contributed method.
The table above supplies us with an overview of allocations of extra incentives within the different levels. It is surprising to know that at the highest VIP level UB provides a nice incentive with a 5% interest on players’ poker balance, up to $500,000. Name another poker room that offers that? It’s almost as good as the highest return from a bank.
To keep players smiling, both loyalty systems also offer a 10% discount on all online store purchases. Players of the two highest levels are also offered invitations to exclusive tournaments with the top level offered concierge services. Also for the players who do reach the highest status level they are entitled to receive the benefits of that level for the next 6 months.
Spending your reward points
Ultimate Points are no surprise to be offering the same means to be spent as its bigger mainstream competitors.
- Points are all redeemable for cash once a player achieves the third level status.
Their value is as follows:
1 Ultimate Point = $0.007
The amounts exchangeable at the different levels are as follows:
Gold level: Min $25 – Max $50
Platinum level: Min $25 – Max $250
Diamond Elite level: Min $25 – Max $1000
- All Points can be used for store purchases
(1 Absolute/Ultimate Point equals around $0.005 - $0.006) - They can be used for purchasing tournament buy-ins
- Players can also spend their Points on other promotions
Cashback calculations:
When calculating cashback percentages it is important to take into consideration that players who register through Rakerace.com will also receive 30% rakeback.
The data we used in our calculations for cashback consisted of the rake required at the different levels and the Ultimate Points awarded. We then crunched the numbers to work out the true dollar value using the following calculations with a rate of :
1 Point = $0.007
As we have mentioned before, UB uses a complicated method when calculating Status Points for cash game players, so we weren’t able to achieve 100% precise calculations. The method we used in the calculations for the table below consist of the following:
$0.3 rake = 1 Status Point
This is the method used for tournament and SNG players, with cash game players bound to receive similar results.
Conclusion
The VIP loyalty system offered by the Cereus Network provides exactly what we could expect with a few percent extra over the 30% rakeback. It is good news that players are able to achieve an extra 7% with a minimal 500 Status Points/$150 rake and this should turn a few heads. With the rake requirements for the highest level being $3000, no serious player will find this impossible to fulfil.
When comparing Ub to its main rival PokerStars, we come to the conclusion that it firmly stand its ground against the competition. The 30% flat rakeback combined with the 7-12% additional VIP rewards, available for the average player from the beginning, seem to be much more inviting than what PokerStars has on offer (31% return, levels achievable only through months of dedicated play).On top of that Ub also has its doors open to welcome US players unlike PokerStars.
The PokerStars loyalty system (previously analyzed here) can be attractive for players dedicated stay with the poker room for months and even years, prepared to take the good with the bad and determined to achieve Supernova status.
For further information on all rooms discussed, please visit the links below:
PokerStars room review
PokerStars VIP Club Analysis
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