PokerStars review

PokerStars details

• First impression

  The lobby welcome page on Poker Stars is eye catching and appealing, loaded with all the information players are looking for. Players are greeted by an assortment of pictures of world poker champions who are members of the PokerStars Team like Chris Moneymaker, Greg Raymer, Barry Greenstein, Daniel Negreanu and Joe Hachem. These members of the PokerStars Team remind you this is a site where the Stars really do play. The homepage is laid out well, not overcrowded, easy to navigate and features PokerStars latest poker news, events and promotions.
  
  PokerStars software and download process is simple and easy and navigating the Poker Lobby, including the Cashier, will put you in a seat of your choice in no time. PokerStars welcomes US players to their tables but also offers country specific tournaments and is available in 19 other languages.
  
  You don’t have to be a pro to play at PokerStars. You have multiple choices on the betting limits and structures, including fun money, with a variety of game choices including everyone’s favorite Texas Hold’em, Omaha, Omaha Hi/Lo, 7 Card Stud, 7 Card Stud Hi/Lo, Razz, 5 Card Draw, 2-7 Triple Draw, 2-7 Single Draw, a variety of Mixed Games, and even Badugi is available in play money format now with real money coming soon.
  
  In 2008 PokerStars sent 1,063 players to the WSOP boasting 130 cash finishes for PokerStars players. PokerStars has run more than 100 million poker tournaments and dealt more than 20 billion hands. To experience PokerStars is to experience online poker.

• PokerStars Marketing Code

  PokerStars requires bonus code ( Stars600 ) and Marketing Code to be entered upon the registration. PokerWorks.com marketing code is POKERWORKS
  
  So, when registering do not forget to put it in, as you will not be eligible for some massive bonuses. It is the easiest way to get more money on first deposit. First deposit with PokerStars Marketing Code POKERWORKS will give you an extra $50. You will get them as soon as you collect first 500 frequent player points. These points are earned quickly when customers play at any real money table at PokerStars.

• Rake

  The "no flop no drop" policy is in effect at PokerStars - there is no rake if there isn't a flop. The rake varies, depending on the number of players, the limit, and the game; in all cases PokerStars defines the rake to fit each situation and it is equal to, or below, industry standards.

• Promotions

  PokerStars is a powerhouse when it comes to promotions. Every week they offer exciting new promotions which are advertised in a pop-up window whenever players log on to the site. Players will also receive special event emails for freerolls they have qualified for by accumulating FPPs (Frequent Player Points). PokerStars sends more players to major events around the world than any other poker site. These events include: The WSOP (World Series of Poker), EPT (European poker Tour), WCOOP (World Championship of Online Poker), LAPT (Latin Poker Tour) and the AAPT (Asian Pacific Poker Tour). Many of the qualifier tournaments for these events are free or cheap, starting at just $1.00 or free using FPPs.
  
  PokerStars has a table full of great events going on, including the Million Dollar Men tournaments. Everyone knows the WSOP Main Event stopped at the final nine to play down to crowning a winner in November. PokerStars has added an element of excitement and opportunity to this final table delay. Six of the final nine players; Dennis Phillips, Ivan Demidov, Peter Eastgate, Ylon Schwartz, Darus Suharto, and David “Chino” Rheem are part of a number of ways you have to cash in on the Million Dollar Men events and you won’t want to miss them.
  
  Battle Boris in the Bahamas will send you in search of suntan lotion and beachwear if you can win your way through a series of daily satellites (freerolls available), weekly finals, and the Grand Final that will be ran in two heats out of which three players from each heat will win a trip to the Bahamas for a chance to play against Boris Becker. Beat him and you’ve got a seat in PokerStars Caribbean Adventure.
  
  Put your Frequent Player Points (FPP) to work and take a ride in the Turbo Takedown that promises 1 in 3 get paid. The Turbo Takedown takes place on the last Sunday of every month and guarantees a payout of $1Million and first place pays $100,000. Tip: FFP satellite in.
  
  The events and promotions and guarantees are waiting for you, including a sign-up bonus when you download PokerStars. The word Promotion was invented at PokerStars.

• Software/ Features

  The PokerStars site is multilingual and available in more than 10 different languages. Graphics are simple and attractive with convenient and easy to use functions. The software runs smoothly and is updated on a regular basis.
  
  All the features players have come to expect when playing online can be found here, plus many features not found on other poker sites including:
  
  • Avatars - Choose your favorite picture to display at the tables.
  • Hand History - Check back on hands played to sharpen your game.
  • Stats - In an easy to read percentage format that are detailed and quickly available.
  • Tournament History - Find out how you or other players fared in the many tournaments played.
  • Preferred Seating – Pick your favorite seat to play in the same seat whenever you play.
  • Four color deck option- Spades are black, Hearts are Red, Clubs are Green, and Diamonds are Blue.
  • Ability to “change the deck” by changing the color of the cards.
  • Table themes - Choose from14 different environments from the Marine ocean theme to the Stars outer space theme.
  • Lobby Themes - Choose the classic gold or bold black color scheme.
  • Block Chat - Feature enables you to block player chat, observer chat or both.
  • Auto Rebuy - Set the amount you would like to automatically rebuy when playing in cash games.
  • Transfer Funds - Allows the transfer of money between players.
  • Table re-sizing - Handy for playing multi tables at once.
  • Table focus choices
  • Displayed internet connection status

• Player traffic

  PokerStars is the world's largest poker site with no less than 113,000 players, on over 17,000 active poker tables, all day every day. Since Poker Stars still welcomes players from the USA, they are easily the most visited poker site online. Known for their huge schedule of tournaments and wide variety of game offerings in all limits, players are guaranteed to always find their preferred game running 24/7. Poker Stars consistently sends more players to major live venues, like the WSOP, than any other poker site. It is not unusual to see the bigger tournaments and satellite events attracting over 20,000 entries.

• Games/Limits

  PokerStars offers just about any game a player could be looking for including free play tables to practice on. Aside from the usual Hold’em and Omaha to Stud variations such as Razz and 7 Card Stud High and High-Low split, the harder to find poker games can also be found including: H.O.R.S.E., H.O.S.E, 5 Card Draw, and 2-7 Triple Draw.
  
  PokerStars has a large selection of limit levels to suit every bankroll, from the beginner, to the skilled high stakes player. Limits begin with micro limits of $0.02/$0.04 up to $100/$200. No Limit Texas Hold’em stakes begin at $0.01/$0.02with a $1 buy- in up to $400 buy-in for the $10/$20 blind games.

• Support

  PokerStars has award winning 24/7 support via email. Questions are handled fast and efficiently from a very knowledgeable support team.

• Security/Integrity

  The PokerStars policy is: "Your privacy on the Internet is very important to PokerStars and its owner and operator, Rational Entertainment Enterprises Limited." PokerStars is committed to maintaining the confidentiality of the personal information collected by them. They do collect some information, but it will never be sold, traded or given to anyone. All recipients of your personal information shall be bound by applicable data protection laws to keep your personal information private at no less a level than that by which they are bound.
  
  PokerStars players' poker money and account balances are held in segregated accounts and not used for any of PokerStars' operational expenses. These segregated accounts are managed by a leading European bank. The arrangements ensure that PokerStars can at all times fulfill its monetary obligations toward its online poker players, and will provide further reassurance that players' funds are always secure with PokerStars.

• Banking

  Currently, real money deposits are accepted in several ways shown below. Minimum deposit across all options is $10 (unless otherwise stated).
  • eChecks - available in US and Canada.
  • ClickandBuy - available to players from any country other than US (and associated territories), China, Israel and Turkey.
  • Moneybookers - available everywhere, except in US, Afghanistan, China, Cuba, Iran, Israel, Malaysia, Mayanmar, Nigeria, North Korea, Puerto Rico, Sudan, Turkey and US Virgin Islands.
  • NETeller - (no longer available for players in the US, Canada and Turkey) Deposit in USD, EUR, GBP, SEK, DKK or NOK
  • VISA / VISA Delta / VISA Electron / Gift and Prepaid VISA - Deposit in USD, CAD, EUR, GBP, SEK, NOK, DKK, AUD
  • MasterCard / Gift and Prepaid MasterCard - Deposit in USD, CAD, EUR, GBP, SEK, NOK, DKK, AUD
  • Diners Club International
  • Solo / Maestro - available in UK and Northern Ireland only
  • Cashier's Check / Money Order / Bank Draft - Minimum deposit only $100
  • Local Bank Transfer
  • ELV - available in Germany only
  • Online Bank Transfer - available in Australia, Austria, Estonia, Germany, Netherlands and Poland.
  • paysafecard - available in Austria, Belgium, France, Ireland, Italy, Germany, Greece, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland and UK
  • WebMoney
  
  PokerStars believes that you should be allowed to manage your own budget for playing online poker. We allow you to restrict your own weekly real money deposit limits. Of course, those limits may be no higher than the ones we already have for your account. Just go to the lobby under cashier and click on "Restrict Deposit Limit".

• Summary

  With the largest poker site online, PokerStars attracts all levels of players from beginners to seasoned professionals. No matter what bankroll size a player has, they will always find a game to suit them at any time of the day or night.
  
  The site downloads fast and is easy even for a new player to navigate. While playing in a game, the bet, fold and raise buttons, and features like chat are easy to find and use. When it comes to player incentives and promotions, PokerStars is second to none in the industry. New players will feel right at home and at ease from the first time they play in a game or tournament. No matter what your preferred game or limit, PokerStars has a game designed for every player.