1 - You get a Gold Star
2 - You get the same benefits a subscriber does (for free)

Of course thats only true for as long as the VIP lasts

Um, don't you have to be a subscriber to play in the system tournaments? Doesn't that mean that the gold star is the ONLY benefit?

Some system tourny's are open to all players.

i dont know about Tanx but only 9ball trnys are open to everyone .. i think its every fourht week
regardles if you are subscribed or not, if you have a clean record nd win a trny, you still get VIP and a(n) [extra] month sub

~AJ