Take The Quiz And Join The Club At BetVictor Poker

In a tough and competitive industry, BetVictor Poker continues to strive towards innovation and value for the everyday player. With this in mind, the online poker site recently announced the launch of the BetVictor Club, a poker community with plenty of benefits.

With more than €10,000 in cash prizes on the line every month, the club offers a Free Play League to those who can complete The Quiz. A score of at least 80 percent in this “entrance exam” is needed in order to be part of the league, and to help players along, the BetVictor club features five tutorials on subjects ranging from multi-table tournaments to cash games to bankroll management. It also offers members-only freerolls, money-added tournaments, and a place for all to come together and chat.

Card Player caught up with BetVictor’s head of poker, Andy Horne to find out more about the club, the motivation behind it, and what lies in store.

Bringing Back The Fun

There is a sense these days that poker has become less about the recreational player and more about those with cash to burn and results to brag about. It’s nose-bleed stakes this, major sponsorship that, and a never-ending race to fill one’s office with as many screens as possible. But boiling the game back to its roots, what about the way it once was and the way it then became during the online boom? Everyone wanted to give it a shot and there was an atmosphere of hope and excitement in the air. The virtual poker world became a place to meet people and challenge yourself, a place to unwind after a long day, a brain-exercising hobby that had the potential to make you a star, or at least somewhat more well off than you were. It was anyone’s for the taking. It was everyone’s for the partaking and BetVictor Poker wants to bring back the fun element and encourage the everyday player to take part once again.
Rebecca McAdam: How did the idea for the BetVictor Club come about?

Andy Horne: Essentially through a desire to make online poker enjoyable again for our customers, many of whom originate from the sports book side of the business and who look on poker as a pastime and a source of entertainment rather than a source of income. Unfortunately, as the recreational players have been disappearing from the game in recent years, so has the enjoyment factor for those recreational players that remain and so the BetVictor Club was conceived with a view to providing an environment in which recreational players can play against other like-minded players and begin once again to enjoy the game.

RM: Instead of just having freerolls and monthly guaranteed prizes for your players in general, is the idea of having this in a club an attempt to bring a sense of community to the online game?

AH: Absolutely, community is a key aspect and can only enhance the environment that we are trying to achieve. We hope that club members will make good use of the forum, and community interaction will feature heavily within the forthcoming Achievements Program.

Down To Brass Tax

All players search for value when it comes to online play, and in such a competitive market it is not always clear what the best choices are. Promotions come and go, and it’s not often players get to find out all the finer details before taking the plunge. BetVictor Poker wants to cater to all ranges of players and in doing so is offering an abundance of tournaments and freerolls in its new club. The club may be recreational-player friendly but it is open to every kind of player. This means there is plenty of room for the sharks to feed also.

RM: What has the club got to offer its members?

AH: Currently, the club comprises a monthly free play poker league that pays real money prizes through both daily league events and the league leader board, members-only tournaments in addition to the league events, player profiles that include a players’ league statistics both past and present, a dedicated members forum, dedicated club support to assist members on all things BetVictor related, and a tutorials section to give new players a basic understanding of the game as well as to help them pass the quiz.

Perhaps the most important thing that the club has to offer however is “no-risk poker fun and entertainment”.

RM: What kind of tournaments should players expect?

AH: It’s difficult to say. On the one hand there are lots of new and therefore inexperienced players taking part in the league events, which will no doubt be putting the cat amongst the pigeons for the players with a little more knowledge of the game, but on the other hand, most players, regardless of skill level, are likely to be playing seriously due to the prizes on offer through the leader board and the way that the league scoring system works. As an overview I would say that players can expect a lot of fast and furious action from the off.

RM: Is the €10,000 broken down across many tournaments and freerolls or are there some bulky guaranteed events?

AH: There’s approximately €3,000 spread across the league events each month but the majority of the prize money (€7,500) is up for grabs through the monthly leader board.

RM: How do you join?

AH: Simply to have an (open) account with BetVictor is to be eligible to become a member of the club. To become a fully fledged member and to be eligible therefore to participate in the league events and members only tournaments, BetVictor account holders must in the first instance log into the poker room and create a poker nickname and, secondly, pass a quiz with a mark of 80 percent or more.

A Strong Foundation

It is interesting to see a club such as this with a qualifying quiz. Not only that but one with such a high result expected in order to pass. This is encouraging for those who want to partake in some serious action at a not-so-serious price; to dabble in and enjoy some nice, good quality poker whatever the stakes. Teaching players poker lessons, etiquette, and general understanding is something not every online site has looked at when it comes to setting up leagues. It will surely make for some very interesting poker and attract all kinds of players, old and new with pockets of all depths.

RM: What is the purpose of the quiz?

AH: It’s is to ensure that all league participants have at least a basic understanding of the game so that the games are of a better standard, can thus be better enjoyed and, by default, provide for greater competition.

RM: If you fail it, can you try again?

AH: Yes, you can keep trying until you pass. When you fail you are presented with the questions that were answered incorrectly along with links to the tutorials where the answers can be found.

RM: How does the league work?

AH: Like most leagues, leader board points are awarded to players participating in the league events but rather than players beginning the league with zero points, players in the Club League start with 1,500 points and can either gain or lose points. We have devised a special scoring system that will either deduct or award leader board points based on certain criteria, prime of which is a player’s finishing position in conjunction with the difficulty level of the tournament.

RM: I see there is a section for member interviews — is this so people can get to know who the leaders are and who they are up against?

AH: This section is primarily to showcase the winners of the leagues but will also include players that have achieved success in other areas, in particular, the forthcoming Achievements Program.

RM: Will the members directory show every member’s details?

AH: The members directory will list every player that has passed the quiz and by clicking on a player within the directory you can view their profile which also shows that player’s league history.

RM: Will the Poker School continue to expand with new lessons for players to learn from?

AH: Yes, the Poker School is to become a major aspect of the club and we will soon be appointing a resident coach to head up the school.

The Club Expands

So we’ve covered recreational players and the more serious kind, but what about new players? Often poker hopefuls shop around to find a good deal for their first endeavour in the online poker world. Those out looking for a new online haunt will also be stricken by the many sites’ calls for attention. So how about new comers to the site? And what should all the new club members expect from here on out?

RM: Do new players to the site get any bonuses for joining the club? Are they catered to?

AH: Arguably, the biggest bonus is being a club member and all that that entails but all new players are eligible to play in a €500 New Player Freeroll and a €500 Added New Player Tournament once a week for their first six weeks on BetVictor Poker. In addition, players that make a deposit are automatically awarded a 200 percent up to €500 welcome bonus and are registered for a €2,500 Freeroll.

RM: Can you give us a hint at expected features and additions?

AH: The plan is to continue to add to and improve the club by continuously increasing prize pools, adding new leagues and introducing new features. In the pipeline as we speak is the aforementioned Achievements Program and, although it’s early days yet, a second Club League. ♠