PokerStars Review   93/10

Introduction

PokerStars is the number one room in online poker with over 100,000 players seen playing in this room simultaneously. They provide play in over a dozen different languages and currencies.

PokerStars offers massive volume in cash games and tournaments, with action at almost any game and limit 24 hours a day. It sets the standard in the industry as far as tournaments go, with an unmatched selection and sit-and-gos at all stakes starting up virtually every second.

The software is top-notch and offers fast play, high reliability, great multi-table options and a lot of customization.


Bonus & Promotions   |   9/10

PokerStars has one of the best loyalty programs in the world and players who achieve this status get free entry into $1 million tournaments, frequent player point multipliers and various cash bonuses.

The bonus available at PokerStars is not as large as most rooms but it is easy to clear. At the time of writing, the largest PokerStars bonus offered is a 100% match up to $600 with this bonus cleared in $10 increments.

They offer reload bonuses which are typically available during special events.


Software Graphics   |   19/20

The software on PokerStars was created to cater for all players, ranging from beginner to advanced.

You will be able to use your Poker Tracker software should you want to. The software is very user friendly and offers many useful features, such as table themes, player avatars, player notes, instant hand histories, table layout schemes, resizable tables, window focus options and a variety of different tournament and game structures.

PokerStars offers the following software features:

• PokerStars FPP – PokerStars Frequent Players Points and other great benefits
• Hand History – Check back on hands
• Stats – Detailed and quickly available
• Tournament History – Find out how you or other players fared in the many tournaments played
• Preferred Seating – Play at the same seat at each table
• Cigital RNG Security Certification – PokerStars’ random number generation has been certified by Citigal, the world’s largest consulting firm specializing in software security and quality

Tournaments & Freerolls   |   19/20

PokerStars has the best tournament offerings on the Internet. At any time of the day you can play a tournament or sit & go on PokerStars in any of the games they offer. The high traffic ensures anyone looking for a tournament will find one that suits both their wallet and their game preference.

The tournament buyins start as low as $1, with quite a few freerolls available daily for new players.

The highlight of the tournament schedule at PokerStars is the weekly $1,000,000 guaranteed tournament on Sunday afternoons. It’s $215 to buyin or you can win your entry through smaller buyin tournaments that run every day from as little as $2.

They also run satellites to the WSOP, EPT, WPT, Aussie Millions, World Cup of Poker, and World Championship of Online poker.

PokerStars also hosts the biggest guaranteed tournaments in the world, including the renowned PokerStars Sunday Million. “The Million” recently had its $1 million guaranteed prize pool upped to a guaranteed $1.5 million, giving even more of an incentive to play the biggest Sunday major on the web.

PokerStars is always expanding its tournament offerings based on player feedback. Some of its latest additions are the “Double or Nothing” SNGs, in which half the field doubles their money, and multi-day events for special tournaments like the WCOOP Main Event.


Deposits and Cashouts   |   9/10

Deposit options include: eCheck, VISA (Delta, Electron, Gift and Prepaid), MasterCard (Gift and Prepaid), Neteller, Diners Club International, ClickandBuy, Moneybookers, Solo/Maestro/Switch, cashier’s check/money order/bank draft (minimum deposit of $100), local bank transfer, ELV, online bank transfer, Paysafe card and WebMoney.

Withdrawal options include: Visa, Neteller, Moneybookers, ClickandBuy, WebMoney, check, couriered check and direct bank transfer.


Service & Support   |   19/20

Although PokerStars only offers support through email, it is very fast, accurate and friendly. You can expect a response within a few hours.


Traffic   |   9/10

The traffic at PokerStars is market leading and is only challenged by Full Tilt.

You will find several thousand entrants at the PokerStars tournaments. Some of them are really high buy-ins, but there are also cheaper tournaments, such as the weekly Sunday $100K with a buy-in at $11. They always run without technical problems.

Peak hours typically occur around 2 PM, PT. At peak hours, the number of real money players in ring games sometimes approaches the 50,000 mark.


Game Variety   |   9/10

PokerStars has a great range of games and plenty of players to play against. The following games are offered:

• Texas Holdem
• Omaha
• Omaha Hi-Lo
• 7 Card Stud
• 7 Card Stud Hi-Lo
• Razz
• 5 Card Draw
• 2-7 Triple Draw
• Badugi
• H.O.R.S.E.
• H.O.S.E.

Summary

PokerStars is a poker room that excels in every department and has arguably one of the best poker teams in the world. PokerStars is the best room for serious players, but is also a good place to learn if you’re a beginner. This poker room is advised for every poker player.