Pokerstars Guide
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Poker Stars Guide - Review, Downoad, Bonus - PokerStars.com
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For detailed information about all aspects of Pokerstars.com, read each of the articles listed below. We have broken down all of the information you would find in a generic PokerStars review at another poker information site, and dedicated full pages in full detail about everything you would want to know about Poker Stars. If there is a question you have about Pokerstars that you cannot find here, contact us and we will add it to this section.
PokerStars Review - Overview of PokerStars.com
Pokerstars is the world's largest online poker room. Currently hosting more than 300,000 players at its more than 9,000 tables, Pokerstars is the leader in many areas of online poker. Accepting international players and U.S. players as well as being open to a wide variety of deposit and withdrawal methods so that all kinds of players can access their services makes Pokerstars a top-notch choice for online poker.
Pokerstars Software and Graphics
Pokerstars offers state of the art graphics and free software downloads for both PC users and Mac users. Offering one of the few Mac-native poker clients, Pokerstars is expanding its software capabilities for more players.Pokerstars is not compatible with Linux without using an emulator. Find out how to play Pokerstars on a Linux.
Overall, Pokerstars software keeps impressing the patrons and the reviewers with its many customizable features. Key software features on the downloadable version include:
- Up-to-the moment player statistics
- Players' notes
- Customizable avatars
- Table search and filters
- Continuous pot total updates mid-play
- Multitabling on up to 24 tables
- Table tiling, resizing and cascading
- Auto rebuy in ring games
- Uploadable player avatar pictures
- Keyboard shortcuts
- Customizable backgrounds
PokerStars Player Competition
With hundreds of thousands of players, players of every level will be able to find adequate competition. From low limit, low stakes games to higher limit, high roller games, players at every level make Pokerstars their choice poker room. In cash ring games, players will tend to find an average difficulty, as they often have middle-stakes, mid-level competition. Tournaments at Pokerstars tend to have a little softer competition, particularly since they pull so many players from so many places.
At the higher stakes levels, however, Pokerstars actually offers a tougher than average competition. Players at high stakes should expect aggressive and very skilled opponents when planning their game selection.
PokerStars Games Available
Pokerstars hosts a wide variety of cash ring games and tournaments, including both standard style multitable tournaments, single table sit and go tournaments, and freerolls. Games are offered 24 hours each day, 7 days per week. Along with the classic versions of Texas Hold'em, which are most popular in No Limit Hold'em tournaments, Pokerstars offers the widest variety of games available. These include mixed games and some other poker variations that are rarely found online, such as Lowball and Draw Poker.
PokerStars Real Money Ring Games
- Texas Hold'em - Limit, No Limit, Pot Limit with total 22,500 players
- Omaha Hold'em - Limit, No Limit, Pot Limit, 1350 players total
- Omaha Hi - approximately 600 players
- Omaha Hi-Lo - usually 750 players
- Seven Card Stud - typically 350 players
- Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo - 200 players
- Draw Poker - typically 150 players
- Lowball (Triple Draw) - approximately 125 players
- Razz - 300 players regularly
- H.O.R.S.E. - approximately 60 regular players
- H.O.S.E. - about 10 players on average
- Badugi - an Asian variation of Draw Poker, most similar to Lowball but with different hand rankings
Poker StarsTournament Games
Some of the biggest and best tournaments happen at Pokerstars when over 155,000 regular players engage in tournament variations of:
- No Limit Texas Hold'em
- Omaha Hold'em
- Seven Card Stud
- Heads-Up, with about 1400 players
In addition to these daily, regular tournaments, Pokerstars holds satellite tournaments for the online and live international events such at the World Series of Poker, Latin American Poker Tour, European Poker Tour and Spring Championship of Poker (SCOOP).
Poker Stars Freerolls
Freerolls, which are no-cost entry tournaments, are a great way to start playing from scratch or to boost a sagging bankroll at Pokerstars. Daily Pokerstars freerolls, some with prizes up to $25,000, are a way for players to jump into tournament play without making huge investments. Some cash-value prizes are offered as well, such as entries to World Series of Poker (WSOP) events or World Championship of Poker (WCOOP) events hosted by Pokerstars.
PokerStars Deposit and Withdrawal Methods
Pokerstars accepts a wide variety of payment methods from players, making all kinds of deposits and withdrawals easily accessible for the international variety of patrons. For deposits, Pokerstars accepts:
Credit Cards/Debit Cards
- Visa and MasterCard
- Visa Electron
- Visa Delta
- Maestro/Solo/Switch
- Diner's Club International
Prepaid Cards
- Paysafecard
- Ukash
- Visa and MasterCard gift cards/prepaid virtual cards
E-Wallet Services
- Neteller
- Click and Buy
- Moneybookers
- WebMoney
Direct Bank Account Transfers are allowed from participating, worldwide banks. Wire transfers may allow patrons to transfer larger amounts than direct bank transfers. Money from wire transfers processes as soon as the wire is received by Pokerstars. Checks are also accepted at Pokerstars, but deposits by paper checks may take up to ten business days to clear funds for use. Echecks are accepted for faster check clearing.
Withdrawals may be applied back to some of the same method of deposits including e-wallet accounts from Moneybookers, ClickandBuy, WebMoney and Neteller. Tranfers to Visa as well as direct bank account transfers, checks and couriered checks are also available for fast cashouts.
Bonuses & Promotions
First time players and depositors at Pokerstars have the chance to earn a big bonus when making an initial first time real money deposit. Pokerstars offers new depositors a 100% match on deposit amounts up to $600. Additional bonuses are available for regular players in the form of reload bonuses and the regular special promotions or specialty prize tournaments such as the NHL Playoff Tournament where top winners get tickets to an NHL game.
Rewards Programs
Players earn two kinds of reward points during real money play at Pokerstars - VIP player points (VPP) or Frequent player points (FPP). VIP points determine what level of rewards players can access, but themselves are not redeemable points. The more VIP points a player collects, the more quickly they can add frequent player points to their loyalty account. The VIP levels move from Silverstar status at 750 VPPs up to Supernova Elite.
FPPs are given for rake collected in real money games at a rate of one to three FPPs, depending on the amount of rake. Five frequent player points are awarded to players for every dollar paid in tournament fees. FPPs are redeemable for merchandise, cash, tournament entries and bonuses.
A new addition as of January 1, 2024 is the Stellar Rewards, which rewards players with cash bonuses of $10 at their early 750 VPP level and even greater rewards of up to $1000 when a player reaches Supernova Elite VIP status.
All the way around, Pokerstars lives up to its reputation as not only the largest online poker room, but by far one of the most popular for all that it offers its patrons. From giant prize tournaments like the Sunday Millions (which is the largest weekly tournament online) to regular player bonuses and freerolls, it seems like Pokerstars just gives away money. Regular players know that when you meet some of the most challenging opponents at Pokerstars tables that the earnings are more complex to grab but well worth the effort to gain.
Other Related Pokerstars Links:
- Pokerstars Contributes to the Impact of Online Poker - University of Florida
- Analysis of PokerStars and Internet Poker - Brown University
- Can Internet Gambling Be Effectively Regulated? Managing the Risks - United Congress Study by Harvard University
- PokerStars - Wikipedia
