Last month Merge Gaming began accepting players from all of North America for the first time since June of 2011. Around the time of the June player ban, the network also halted new rakeback sign-ups, choosing instead to offer a standard VIP program, a tiered scheme that progressively rewards players the more they rake. Because a whole new group of players are now able to play on the network, I thought it would be a good time to go over what players can expect from these “new” rewards programs that have replaced flat rakeback deals and how affiliates should market these offers.

On PAS sites, you’ll see most of the Merge Gaming offers on PAS referred to as “47% VIP,” “47% VIP Rakeback” or something similar. Although the language is sure to confuse some players, we believe that many who are aware of rakeback are also familiar with the “VIP” designation, which essentially references the fact the offer is not based on a traditional rakeback deal, but instead refers to the site’s standard VIP program. Affiliates may also refer to the Merge Gaming VIP program as “cashback” but should avoid the straight “xx% rakeback” language if only to avoid confusion with players who may think they are getting traditional rakeback deal.

Old Rakeback Vs. New VIP Programs

So what can new players expect who didn’t register for an account while rakeback was still being offered? In general, players that failed to register for a rakeback account prior to June 1st will see lower rates than players who are grandfathered into a flat deal. There are exceptions however, notably for players that put in a decent amount of volume. At Carbon Poker, for example, a player that rakes $2,500 or more in a month will actually receive the full 47% VIP Rakeback rate- 35% from Cash Rebates and 12% from VIP Point Exchanges, a rate that actually exceeds what flat rakeback players earn. A caveat is that players must rake that amount each month to receive that rate. Another exception is the Top-Up Promotion at Black Chip, which has been running for the last few months. Players who take part in that program basically receive 35% right away and up to 47% when raking $1,000 or more. This promotion is assumed not to be ongoing.

Other VIP Perks

Like many VIP Programs, players are often treated to a variety of miscellaneous perks for being frequent players. On Carbon Poker, top players received reduced check fees (no check fees at the highest level), a VIP player host and event invitations, among others. Other sites such as Black Chip Poker –which offer the default Ace-High Rewards Program -- add monthly freerolls up to $8,000 for players.

With No Rakeback, Do Players Need Affiliates?

Since the network no longer allows flat rakeback the need to use an affiliate has unarguably diminished. Despite this fact, players still have plenty of motivation to sign-up through an affiliate due to exclusive promotions. Merge Gaming sites are going to be the most appealing site available to many North American players due to the amount of traffic the site receives. Even though the site does not offer rakeback, exclusive promotions including Rake Races, bonuses and Free Coaching are still quite appealing to these players.

An example of these exclusive promotions include $10,000 Rake Races at Carbon Poker and Black Chip Poker. PAS also offers a $5k freeroll at Carbon Poker and even added a $25 Free Bonus a couple months ago for publishers. In addition, Free Coaching is available at Drag the Bar at Carbon and Black Chip Poker and DeucesCracked at all Merge Gaming rooms.

The Ace-High VIP Program

The default VIP Program at Merge Gaming is the so called “Ace-High VIP Program,” which is offered by a few different Merge Gaming sites. In my opinion, these programs are inferior to the custom VIP programs offered by poker rooms such as Carbon and PokerView. In addition to the complex nature of these VIP programs, many players won’t be able exchange all of their points at the max value for their status level. Not only do players have to generate $30k before they receive the maximum rate (45%), but they can’t exchange all of their points at the maximum rate. One positive of the Ace-High VIP program is that players will get to keep their VIP level even if they are maintaining a certain level of play -- assuming they earn at least 1 VIP Point every 60 days. So IF a player generates $30k in rake AND then generates less than $6k per month after that – a point where they wouldn’t be forced to exchange VIP Points at a non-max rate – only then will the Ace-High VIP Program become competitive.

VIP Programs; A Snapshot

The rates below represent the rates players can expect from VIP programs of PAS partnered sites when generating certain levels of rake.



*program based on cumulative rake. Not directly comparable to custom VIP Programs.

Which Program Is Best?

This question will depend a lot on the player. At this point, the Black Chip Poker Top-Up promotion provides players the best value at all levels but that does not appear to be a permanent promotion. The PokerView VIP program is very competitive at all status levels, despite the site not offering exclusive promotions. With that said, I like PokerView for low rakers and Carbon Poker for mid to high rakers. One additional thing to keep in mind is the various additional promotions that each of these sites offer. Carbon Poker, for example, is diligent about offering players monthly reload bonuses, which add an additional 13% to players’ when they are clearing a bonus. A player taking advantage of these bonuses each month will almost certainly be better off with Carbon Poker versus competitors. Because of all the various factors, I can not apply a “one size fits all” explanation, meaning each player needs to consider their own situation.