A Premium Membership Experience
Built to foster long-term engagement, loyalty, and belonging.
About
Overview
The ALL IN CLUB membership is an exclusive program designed to elevate the experience of poker players by offering premium benefits, increased rewards, and a distinguished presence within the gaming community.
Objective
High-value players drive 70% of PokerBaazi’s revenue despite being only 20% of the base, but they frequently churn once promotions end.
The objective was to design a membership program (ALL-IN CLUB) that:
Retains high-value players longer.
Create a differentiated experience that builds long-term engagement.
Deliver a premium identity while generating sustainable recurring revenue.
Research
Data Analysis
Analyzed behavioral patterns across 350K+ active users, with a focused lens on high-value players to identify engagement drop-offs, early churn signals, and retention risks linked to platform switching behavior.
Observations
• High-value players showed a ~40% drop in engagement, with average sessions declining from 5 per week in the first month to 3 per week by the second month.
• High-value players, representing ~15% of the user base, contributed nearly ~70% of overall platform revenue.
• High-value players engaged more with tournaments than cash games, indicating tournaments as a strong natural lever for retention and long-term engagement.
Competitive Benchmarking
Analyzed membership programs to study how visual identity, feature hierarchy, and pricing communicate value, build trust, and create a strong sense of premium perception across digital experiences.
Observations
• Most programs focused heavily on monetary rewards (cashback, rakeback, discounts)
• Visual identity of status (badges, exclusive avatars) was either missing or limited to high-tier VIPs.
• There was an opportunity to differentiate AIC by blending luxury branding with tangible rewards, making it feel like an exclusive lifestyle membership rather than just a cashback mechanic.
User Interviews & Feedback
Conducted qualitative discussions with high-value players and surveyed regular users to understand behavioral patterns, feedback, expectations, pain points, and motivations.
Observations
• Providing access to exclusive customization options such as emojis, throwables, and avatars strengthens emotional connection to the membership.
• The top motivators for joining were discounted tournament entries and hassle-free withdrawals, which aligned with their core gameplay needs.
• Players wanted their status to be visible on the game table , something that sets them apart instantly.
Strategy
Using Octalysis Framework
Our research showed that high-value players needed more than transactional bonuses - they wanted status recognition and progression.
To structure our design, we mapped AIC features to the octalysis framework to ensure both extrinsic and intrinsic motivations were addressed.
Mapping the User Journey
To understand the full experience, I mapped the entire user journey - from pre-purchase to purchase and beyond.
By mapping this end-to-end journey, I identified key moments of friction, hesitation, and delight across different touchpoints. This helped uncover opportunities to improve clarity, increase motivation, and ensure a seamless, integrated membership experience..
Explorations & Iterations
Exploring and deciding
Explored and evaluated multiple concepts for communicating benefits, pricing visibility, and visual language - comparing dark and light themes before finalizing the AIC experience.
Price Visibility
Exploration
Show the price upfront vs reveal it later in the flow.
Decision
Chose not to show price upfront. By first framing benefits, exclusivity and rewards players were more receptive and had higher conversion intent.
Benefit Communication
Exploration
One condensed summary vs big, bold, multi-section benefits callouts.
Decision
We choose the bold, benefits-first approach to create a premium feel. This helped justify the higher price and made the offering clearer and more motivating.
Visual Language
Exploration
We explored lot of themes for AIC - Black and Gold , Black and Blue , White and Gold.
Decision
Finalized on White and Gold to balance PokerBaazi’s visual system with a distinct premium identity.
Trade-offs & Constraints
Evaluated multiple concepts but deprioritized some due to business and technical constraints, including gifting, invite-only access vs open membership, exclusive Poker TV content, and alternative eligibility criteria.
Invite-only vs Open Access
Initial Idea
Launch AIC as invite-only to build hype and exclusivity.
Constraint
Business prioritized scale and revenue at launch.
Trade-off
We opened AIC to everyone. This unlocked and renewal flows transparent to establish trust.
Eligibility Criteria
Exploration
Direct purchase vs earning through coins/hands.
Decision
Launch with purchase-only for clear revenue , though gameplay based unlock remain a future iteration.
Gifting Membership
Exploration
Allow players to gift AIC memberships to friends or peers.
Trade-off
We deprioritized gifting at MVP to focus on direct purchase adoption, but noted it as a future growth lever for social stickiness.
Visuals
We experimented with multiple visual directions before arriving at a gold and white theme. Gold brought in the sense of prestige and exclusivity, while white introduced openness, clarity, and a modern premium feel.
Making ALL IN CLUB instantly stand out from regular gameplay.
AIC Benefits
The membership page highlights all AIC benefits in one place — from cashback and discounts to exclusive game-table privileges.
AIC Dashboard
The dashboard acts as the command center for members. Users can track savings, access perks, and see their membership status.
Gametable Power-Up
When players activate an AIC power-up, a subtle animation provides instant feedback, making the action feel rewarding without disrupting gameplay.
Buying Journey
On joining AIC, users are welcomed with a gratification screen featuring their personalized gold card. This celebratory moment marks the start of their premium journey and cements the feeling of exclusivity.
Impact
The launch of the ALL-IN CLUB membership created measurable improvements in retention, engagement, and revenue for high-value players on PokerBaazi.
Retention Uplift
At 30 days , AIC members retained at 50% , compared to 30% for non-members ( 67% higher retention rate)
At 60 days , AIC members retained at 35% , compared to 18% for non-members ( 94% higher retention rate)
Engagement Increase
AIC members showed 35% increase in average sessions per week
Revenue Growth
PokerBaazi generated 100M+ in direct recurring revenue solely through membership fees.
Future Opportunities
Potential areas to extend and evolve the membership experience.
• Tiered membership (Silver, Gold and Platinum)
̐• Exclusive VIP-only tournaments and other benefits.
• Coin and Hand Criteria to get a membership.