In a surprising turn of events, PokerStarsannounced on Tuesday that it has rolled back most of the rake increases it implemented in November and is cancelling most of the increases planned for this month. This is quite a pleasant development coming from a company that had been trending steadily downward in customer satisfaction after a series of player-unfriendly moves.

The rake increases were announced in October, the first of which were put in place on November 3. Cash games were hit particularly hard, as the maximum rake for No Limit and Pot Limit games with exactly two players was doubled and even quadrupled in some instances.

The rake cap in $25/$50 games with five or more players was also substantially increased, from $3 to $5. Rake was increased for all Heads-Up Hyper-Turbo Sit and Gos, the lifeblood of many high-volume grinders. Knockout tournament fees went up and Spin and Go rake was increased at the $3 stakes and above.

Starting January 1, fees for Hyper-Turbo satellites at stakes under $2,000 were going to be increased and in certain countries with additional gaming taxes, rebuys and add-ons in would be subject to the same fees as the original buy-in.

Players on the whole were furious about the announced changes. As many of the changes specifically affected Hyper-Turbo games, they were seen as targeting the most loyal rake contributors. Similarly, heads-up cash games and high-stakes cash games are usually the domains of pro grinders and those were hit hard by the rake cap increases.

In a post on the PokerStars Blog last year, PokerStars Head of Corporate Communications Eric Hollreiser (pictured above) wrote in part, “The choices we make today aren’t for short-term gain; they’re made because we believe they’re the right thing for tomorrow. We’ll continue to make tough calls to secure the game in the present and make bold moves to best invest in the future growth of the game. Our goal continues to be to provide the best, most exciting poker experience and keep the poker universe growing.”

But today is a different today. On the same blog, Hollreiser announced a reversal of most of the rake increases, writing, “After additional analysis and consideration, we have now returned the rake to pre-November 3 levels in most instances and have cancelled the planned additional increases. Spin and Go tournament fees and payout changes implemented on November 3 will remain in place.”

The Hyper-Turbo rake increases are gone, as are rake cap increases in cash games. The one big exception is that rake increases and VIP reward decreases in countries with additional gaming taxes will still remain.

As Hollreiser explained, “As you’re likely aware, more countries are introducing taxation, increasing the impact on our business and the poker economy at large. We will continue to use a combination of rake increases and VIP Club reward reductions to address the increased taxation, but these changes will be made consistent with our past practice of sharing up to 50% of taxation with players.”

He added, “Within a few months, we will reduce the VPP multipliers for some countries that are subject to gaming duty or VAT but that do not have their own software clients. We will deploy the change as soon as we are technically able, likely within the next two months. We are also developing the ability to charge different rake/fees for different players within shared liquidity.”

Whether the decision to cancel most of the changes was because of the backlash or because the financial numbers were not what was expected is unknown. Read the PokerStars Blog announcing the reversal.

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