PokerStars

PokerStars is arguably the leading online poker room on the net. Playable in a variety of languages and famed for being many poker pros’ favourite place to play online, the poker room has been on top of their game since they debuted in 2001. PokerStars is licensed out of Malta and holds regional licenses (such as one from the Belgian Gambling Commission) which enable them to offer their services to players in more restrictive countries. US players are not accepted at this poker site, which is owned and operated by The Stars Group and located on the Isle of Man.

The poker room is Gambling Labs certified and requires new players to download their software package to have the optimal online poker gaming experience. Downloadable software is available for PC and mobile users. They also have a comprehensive PokerStars School program in play which helps newbies get to grips with the range of games and tournaments the site can offer.

Bonuses and Promotions

After joining the online poker room, new PokerStars players can claim $30 extra free play bonuses when they deposit $20 or more. The promotional bonus code of THIRTY must be entered to claim this offer, which offers 20x $1 Spin & Go Tickets and a $10 VIP Instant Reward Sit & Go Ticket. Prizes worth up to $10,000 could potentially be won with this welcome offer.

A first deposit bonus worth up to $600 can also be claimed at the site. This welcome bonus comes as a 100% match on the very first deposit you make. To claim the full value of the bonus, players must make three qualifying deposits in 90 days. This promo is available instead of the previous offer. For every $10 a player deposits, they need to earn 210 Redemption Points to earn Instant Reward Sit & Go Tickets.

It isn’t all about welcome bonuses at PokerStars, though. The famous poker room also offers a Star Rewards program. This can see players earn points when they wager on games. Chests can be unlocked based on a progress bar, and those chests include Star Coins which can be used to play for free, as well as other goodies.

PokerStars Games

PokerStars tends to be busiest in the evenings and given the sheer number of players who are members of the poker room, PokerStars is one of the most packed poker sites around. At any one time, there could be as many as 200,000 players having a crack at poker games. On the upside, there are plenty of games for you to play.

The poker room excels at offering No-Limit Hold’em games, with blinds ranging from 0.01 up to 0.02. They can rise as high as $1,000 or $2,000, depending on the game you’re playing. Other major games which may be worth a look at PokerStars include Fixed Limit Hold’em, Pot-Limit Hold’em, Pot-Limit Omaha, Stud Poker, Draw Poker, Badugi, Triple-Draw Poker, Omaha Hi-Lo, Razz and more.

Zoom Poker is also offered at PokerStars, covering both No-Limit Hold’em and Pot-Limit Omaha games. The purpose behind this game is that players who fold are instantly chucked into a new game with other players who have folded.

One negative aspect of the site’s games is that it allows experienced, poker veterans to sit and mix it with rank amateur rookies all too easy. This makes newcomers easy targets for “grinders”. PokerStars has taken steps to eliminate this problem, but it is still all too common.

Poker Tournaments

Players shouldn’t have any trouble finding a tournament to play at PokerStars. Tournaments kick-off every few minutes, and with buy-in levels to suit all sorts of budgets, there is something for everyone at the poker site.

The Sunday Million is the most prosperous and notable of all PokerStars tournaments. With well over $1,000,000 up for grabs, it is not surprising that qualifiers take place throughout the week to get a spot in this main event. Other tournaments worth a look include the Sunday $500, World Championship, Sunday Storm and Warm-Up tournaments. A good deal of PokerStars’ tournaments do take place on Sundays, but other weekday competitions are hosted, too. The site has an ample supply of Sit & Go tournaments, suitable for all players.

PokerStars is home to satellite competitions to world-famous poker events, such as the European Poker Tour and World Series of Poker. Sub-qualifiers, satellites and more are frequently held if you fancy a shot at the big time.

Banking Options

PokerStars accepts Skrill, Neteller, Bank Transfer, Paysafecard, PayPal, Neosurf, Sofort, Maestro, VISA, MasterCard and PokerStars Prepaid deposit methods. Players are at liberty to set their own deposit limits when playing at the poker room, and Skrill, Neteller options are all highly valued, as they offer fast deposit times.

Withdrawal options at this online poker site include Skrill, Neteller, PayPal, Direct Bank Transfer, Wire Transfer, and HiPay options (VISA and MasterCard). Withdrawals are only permitted once players have completed the KYC (Know Your Customer) protocol, which involves proving their identity. Withdrawals via Skrill, Neteller and PayPal, generally take up to 72 hours. Withdrawals made using a direct bank or wire transfer can take between 3-5 days to be processed and appear in your account.

Customer Support

PokerStars has a more than acceptable FAQ (frequently asked questions) guide at their domain. This should easily be able to assist players in finding their own answers to some of the more mundane and routine questions and queries they may have. If you have more pressing issues, you can reach out their support team.
PokerStars support team are on hand to assist you around the clock, 7 days a week. However, somewhat disappointingly, they only seem to aid players via e-form. Given that most other major gambling domains have a live chat method of support worked into their design, this isn’t particularly pleasing.
Final Thoughts

It is not by accident that PokerStars is the leading poker room on the net. They have absorbed the competition (such as Full Tilt Poker), offer every game you might wish to play, have tournaments aplenty, and provide access to major poker events. If you’re after playing with the best, PokerStars would be your first port of call.