Friday, 29th March 2024 01:39
Home / Poker / Roll up, roll up! Spin the wheel! Everyone’s a winner!

If you’ve walked through the lobby at a European Poker Tour (EPT) event over the past year, you can’t have missed the big wheel positioned by the Welcome Desk.

The invitation is clear: spin the wheel, win a prize. Everyone’s a winner.

Depending on which one of 20 segments are at the top when the wheel stops spinning, you could win anything from PokerStars-branded bags, caps and hoodies, to the much sought-after Sharky toy.

There are restaurant vouchers, charging cables and online tournament tickets, plus some spectacular “experience” prizes on offer. These have included tickets for a Paris St Germain match, catamaran cruises in Barcelona, and helicopter rides over Monte Carlo.

If you’ve walked past and never given the wheel a spin, you need to address that.

CRUCIAL FEEDBACK

What’s the catch? Well, nothing really. It doesn’t cost anything to spin the wheel, and you won’t be forced to sign up for anything nasty.

The quid pro quo, if we can call it that, is that wheel spinners will be asked to complete a feedback survey, offering valuable insight to the PokerStars live event team about what players like and dislike; what is perfect and what can be improved.

This in itself is win/win. Players completing the survey get their chance to spin the wheel, while also getting a chance to share their opinions. The live events team analyses responses several times during the event. They get a chance to fix any issues that come to light.

The survey is no more than three questions long and takes about 90 seconds to complete. It’s vital for PokerStars to know what it can do better. This is the perfect way for players to communicate what they think, in any language.

The coveted PokerStars Sharky toy

It can sometimes be difficult approaching a real person with what might be perceived as a complaint, even the friendly staff you’ll find on the EPT. But this allows you to write it down, anonymously if preferred. You can be safe in the knowledge that the feedback with be read and acted on.

PokerStars also sends a more detailed feedback survey via email to all players when an event is complete. But this quick and easy mechanism is more flexible and instant, and staff can be even more responsive.

WHAT CAN I WIN?

The Spin the Wheel wheel is actually electronic, on a video screen beside the welcome desk. It is, however, completely random and controlled by a specific program that ensures such integrity.

(An early iteration of the wheel was made of timber. However the number and vigour of the spins meant it broke a little too easily.)

There are 20 equally-sized sections on the regular wheel: 12 labelled “low”, seven “medium” and one “high”.

Although prizes vary slightly from event to event, particularly the high prizes, you can usually expect to win charging cables and card protectors for a “low” prize; a bag, cap or water bottle for a “medium”; and a Sharkie toy or a location-specific “experience” prize for hitting the “high”.

Remember, PokerStars qualifiers to the event also get T-shirts and hoodies in their qualifier packages. In the event that there are any left over, these sometimes also appear as a wheel prize.

In some instances, there might also be additional really special prizes on offer. For instance, in Paris there was a pair of football boots signed by Neymar Jr., and one lucky wheel-spinner got them.

Players are also invited to share their PokerStars ID when they spin the wheel, and they may also end up finding an online tournament ticket in a chest drop sometime after the event.

As we said, it’s win/win. Come on folks, spin the wheel!

THE PROCESS

  • Scan the QR code on the electronic Spin the Wheel screen
  • Complete a survey on your phone. You can enter your email address and PokerStars ID for additional prizes, but this is not mandatory
  • On completion of the survey, you’ll see a message that you then show to the staff member on the Welcome Desk
  • Spin the Wheel!
  • Claim your prize!

More about EPT Monte Carlo

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