[chipper57AA]

I just received the following email from Poker Stars support regarding the rules surrounding creating private tournaments. This will result in a slight change to the way we post our future tournaments.

Dear Player,

In the past we have granted you the ability to create PokerStars private
tournaments. On occasion we find it necessary to revise our policies.

As you know, PokerStars has provided the ability to create private events as a courtesy for our frequent players. These events are not intended to be "open" events, nor to drive traffic from PokerStars to an outside web site. As such, a tournament title or tournament "lobby message" can no longer contain a URL or an Email address (such as a location where the password can openly be found).

We request that you refrain from creating tournaments with this
information. If such a tournament is created it is cause for cancellation of
the event and possible termination of your ability to create tournaments.

Thank you for choosing PokerStars as the home of your private events.

Sincerely,

The PokerStars Team

Essentially, the tournament info and title can't mention Chiptalk.net and directing people to this web site in order to get the password.

Starting with Tournament #12 - the private tournament on Poker Stars will refer simply to "ChipTalk Tournament #xx". We can no longer direct people to this web site from Poker Stars else they can cancel our tournament. Hopefully the existing tournament #11 won't be cancelled by Poker Stars. If it is, then I will create another tournament with wording that meets their new standards.

I can understand why Poker Stars is making this policy change. Many web sites have been getting free publicity via this method. I'd probably make the same decision they did.

[pager23]

I guess it makes sense, but have they heard of Google? How hard is it to figure out?

[JM]

Not to mention that they make money off of every entry, so what are they whining about? The more people can get the password to a private tourney, the more players they will have paying their entry fee and probably also playing some other games there generating more money for them. I wonder what really precipitated this new rule.

[SpeakEasy]

Originally Posted by JM

I wonder what really precipitated this new rule.

One of several reasons might be private tournaments that directly or indirectly drive traffic to competing on-line poker rooms. For example, the ads here contain a direct link to FullTilt.

[chipper57AA]

I've gone ahead and modified the current tournament to just say:

ChipTalk Tournament #11 NLHE $10+1

The words on the tournament description now simply say:

Weekly ChipTalk tournament - members only. Nothing else. This lives up to the policy that PokerStars sent me and yet we can still do our "Private" tournaments.

I've also gone ahead and set up the tournament for next week (#12) as I will be out of town (again) during next week. (Sigh- going to hate missing all these tournaments).

Not to mention that they make money off of every entry, so what are they whining about?

I agree - they seem to forget that they make money off every entry here - but as SpeakEasy stated the web sites could promote other sites. So all in all - they are just trying to place some guidelines here and keep things from getting out of hand.

I used to run a commercial web site with an open message forum. I was trying to get folks to talk up the topic at hand while they purchased items from my site but it turned out to be a Free-for-all advertising forum for competitors and was taking away business from me. So I understand how "freebies" can hurt.

[dimperdoo]

This is sheer stupidity on Pokerstars part.
haven't they ever heard of guerrilla marketing? exposure in general for any related business (particularly online) develops THEIR own market!

aside from that...

I see www.texasholdemforums.com all over the place, and pokerforums.se is in there too....

Are they excluding chiptalk or singling us out?

[pager23]

Originally Posted by chipper57AA

I've also gone ahead and set up the tournament for next week (#12) as I will be out of town (again) during next week. (Sigh- going to hate missing all these tournaments).

Make sure you PM the password to a couple people this week.

[chipper57AA]

Make sure you PM the password to a couple people this week.

I already told Ten and he swears not to lose it this time.

We'll see. Hope to beat you all tonight as I need points to stay in the running for the 1st QToC!!!