Tonight I had the privilege of being taken to Ruth's Chris Steakhouse for a Pokerstars sponsored dinner outing with four other Supernovas, one SNE I play against on a regular basis, and Rich, the VIP coordinator for western Canada.
It was a thoroughly enjoyable experience, and of course exquisite cuisine. The Ahi Tuna appetizer was particularly exceptional. One of these years I'll actually order the Ahi Stack entree at Ruth's - I planned to both of my last two visits, but ended up calling last minute audibles to the ribeye steak on both occasions.
Two of the older players in attendance recounted stories of a pre-casino poker scene (somewhat Rounders-eque) in Calgary that I had no idea ever existed. We had good discussion about things Stars could potentially improve, how awful FTP was/is, and reminisced about SNE sponsored live events. Of the six players, two of us were NLH grinders, two specialized in PLO, and one was I believe a limit holdem player.
When Stars started planning and hosting these types of events a few months ago, it got me thinking about just how far beyond other poker sites (or just about any other businesses in general) Pokerstars takes their customer service. In years past, I blogged about my horrid experiences with FTP support, contrasted by my positive interactions with Stars staff, both via email and in person at live events. Guess which site wasn't egregiously mismanaged and hasn't run off with player funds? On other sites, you're just grateful that you might actually receive your cashout even if it takes three or more weeks. At Pokerstars, I withdraw several times a month and Fedex is always at my door the morning of the second business day following with my cheque (now if only Stars could train Fedex drivers to consistently remember that the sticker on my door means to LEAVE THE DAMN PACKAGE regardless of signature requirements). It really is just appalling at how wide the gap in service is between Stars and other sites which range from average to laughable. Perhaps what is even more shocking is how Stars doesn't seem one bit complacent and is still trying to improve, even taking players out to dinner in the process. Maybe I shouldn't be telling them this, but they could get away with a hell of a lot less because they'd still be far better than any alternative.
Since Black Friday I've been asked by a bunch of people how worried I am about my future grinding and the bankroll I have on Pokerstars. I tell them I'm not worried, because it's true. I probably should be more worried than I am, because no organization is bullet proof when the DOJ is involved, but it is simply hard to imagine a company that does so little wrong and so much right experience a tragic fall. My only significant complaint in over three years which I discussed a bunch from mid 2010 to early this year on this was how long it took for adoption of a 40-100bb buyin structure on regular cash tables.
Call me a shill if you must, but I do like my poker site.
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I agree completely with what you say about Stars being so far beyond the rest. I have been saying it for years as well.
I would go so far to say that I have never been dealt with better by any corporate entity in any industry and I play such low stakes that they hardly make much off of me. Why would anybody play anywhere else is beyond me (if you aren't American of course).
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