PokerStars Review
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Overview
PokerStars is the preeminent online poker room. They set the standard in a number of ways with by far the largest player base and best software. Their tournament offerings are second to none. The only knock on PokerStars is that, at times, their competition can generally be a bit tougher than average.
Their software is available in more than 20 languages. Their games are most popular in U.S. dollars but are also offered in Euros and Pounds. While their customer support is only available via email, they offer some of the fastest and most effective player aid in the online poker industry. PokerStars regularly runs special promotions, reload bonuses, and interesting tournament series.
Bonus
A bonus of 100% up to $600 is available to players who make their first deposit at PokerStars. Three such qualifying deposits can be made within the first 90 days in order to take advantage of the full bonus offering. The bonus is released $10 at a time for every 170 VPPs earned. Players earn 5.5 VPPs for every $1 paid in tournament fees which means the bonus amounts to a roughly one-third reduction in tournament fees. VPPs in cash games are earned based on a percentage of money contributed to the pot so how quickly you clear the bonus depends on how loose you're playing.
PokerStars has an extensive VIP program through which they award players frequent player points FPPs which can be redeemed for a variety of merchandise, tournament entries, and cash bonuses. For high-volume players, this VIP system can be considerable lucrative.
Promotions
PokerStars regularly holds a promotion to celebrate one of their major "milestone" hands (example: 75 billionth hand dealt on the network). These promotions usually award tens of thousands in cash to players dealt into one of several "milestone" hands.
They also run a considerable number of special tournament series. The most prestigious of these, the World Championships of Online Poker (WCOOP), takes place each fall. The championship event, a $5,000 buy-in that awards well over one million to the winner, is considered the marquee annual online poker tournament.
PokerStars also regularly holds satellite tournaments to send players to live tournaments in all corners of the world.
Tournaments
PokerStars is the best online poker room for tournaments and there is no competition that is even close. Their daily tournament schedule features several events that lure several thousand participants. As such, they are able to regularly make huge guaranteed prize pools. The "Daily Big" tournaments are a series of 13 tournaments held throughout the day with buy-ins ranging from $2.20 up to $162 and guaranteed prize pools from $5,000 up to $125,000. On Sundays, they host a tremendous event for lesser-bankrolled players: the 'Sunday Storm', an $11 buy-in with a guaranteed prize pool of $300,000 (that's 30,000 entrants!) Their 'Sunday Million' is the premier weekly online poker tournament, a $215 buy-in with a guaranteed prize pool of $1,000,000.
They recently debuted a new series of daily guaranteed tournaments known as 'The Hot Turbos'. There are 13 such events total, all of them with a turbo blind structure, and buy-ins ranging from $0.55 up to $109. Guaranteed prize pools range from $2,500 to $30,000.
PokerStars is not surprisingly the best online poker room for sit-'n'-gos as well. Their massive player base means there is often little or no wait time for the tournament to fill with entrants.
Software
PokerStars' software is superior in nearly every way to that of their competitors. It's sleek, highly customizable, reliable, and easy to use. Their customizable 'hotkeys' feature can, in theory, enable one to play without making use of the mouse. Tournament and cash game lobbies are completely customizable to enable you to only see a listing of the games you are interested in. Essentially, one is hard pressed to find one single negative thing to say about the PokerStars software since anything you don't like about it can probably be amended through user settings.
Rake
PokerStars has a rather generous rake structure through which players save a little money. Their rake structure varies a lot depending on stakes, betting style, and number of players at table, but generally speaking they take just 4.5% of the pot up to the industry-standard cap rather than 5%. This might seem like splitting hairs but the difference can add up over time. Additionally, their rake cap on games in Euros and Pounds is lower to reflect the higher value of those currencies (many online poker rooms that cap their rake at $3 will cap the rake in their Euro and Pound games at 3 units as well which is a rather awful deal for the player
Table Statistics
For anyone who relies on them, PokerStars displays the typical table statistics: average sized pot, players to the flop, and hands being played per hour.
Competition Level
PokerStars is home to a lot of dedicated online poker grinders. As such, their games aren't always a walk in the park. Game selection becomes pretty important at this site because it's not uncommon to find cash game tables full of regulars just racking up VPPs for their VIP level objectives. Their multi-table tournaments are generally pretty soft, especially the ones with very large fields, but in general PokerStars is without a doubt one of the "tougher" online poker rooms. Something about their brand, software, and reputation tends to create more of a "serious" poker playing climate.
Customer Service
While the mediums through which PokerStars offers customer service is limited (email only), they have some of the best professionals in the business. It's incredible rare to hear a story of inadequate customer service from PokerStars as they usually go above and beyond the call of duty.
Ring Games Offered
Hold'em, Omaha, Omaha Hi-Lo, Stud, Stud Hi-Lo, Razz, 5 Card Draw, 2-7 Triple Draw, 2-7 Single Draw, Badugi, HORSE, HOSE, Mixed Hold'em, Mixed Omaha Hi-Lo, 8-Game, Hold'em/Omaha, Triple Stud
Fixed Limits: $0.02-$0.04 to $1,000-$2,00
NL & PL Blinds: $0.01-$0.02 to $200-$400
Tournaments Offered
Hold'em, Omaha, Omaha Hi-Lo, Stud, Stud Hi-Lo, Razz, 5 Card Draw, 2-7 Triple Draw, 2-7 Single Draw, Badugi, HORSE, HOSE, Mixed Hold'em, Mixed Omaha Hi-Lo, 8-Game, Hold'em/Omaha, Triple Stud
Heads-Up: $1.50 to $5,000
Single-Table: $0.02 to €2,100
Multi-Table: $0.10 to $10,300
Minimum Deposit
10
