Poker Stars
Launched in 2001, PokerStars is now the largest online poker room in the world, and you’ll be hard pressed to find a more authentic poker experience anywhere else. At any given time, you’ll find thousands of players of all levels, playing almost any game on the site. US players continue to be welcome at PokerStars, no doubt a major contributing factor to the sites popularity and growth.
PokerStars sets the industry bar for tournament play with huge action 24/7, unrivaled game selection, the world’s largest guarantees, and top of the line software and support. Each year the site produces thousands of online qualifiers for the WSOP/WPT tournaments – more than all other poker sites combined! PokerStars also runs the biggest online poker series in the world the World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP), and the Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP). There is no doubt that when it comes to tournament poker PokerStars is THE place to play.
Not surprisingly, PokerStars is host to and sponsors some of the biggest names in poker. The ‘Team PokerStars Pro’ roster features four WSOP champions - Chris Moneymaker, Joe Hachem, Greg Raymer and Tom McEvoy – along with almost three dozen well respected pros including Barry Greenstein, Daniel Negreanu and Isabelle Mercier. The pros regularly hit the tables and freely chat with other players.
No other online poker room even comes close to the game selection and limits offered at PokerStars. You’ll find almost every poker variant imaginable, including your standard Texas Hold'em, Omaha and Seven-Card Stud in all versions, Badugi, Razz, 2-7 Triple Draw, Five-Card Draw, and mixed games like H.O.R.S.E., H.O.S.E., 8-Game and more. Real-money poker limits start from $0.50/$1.00 to $100/$200 and the No-Limit games are some of the biggest you’ll find anywhere. Player competition can be pretty tough at the higher limits, with plenty of pros out to pinch your money, but there are plenty of soft spots and amateur players to be found at the micro levels.
The PokerStars software is, expectedly, one of the best in the industry. Featuring super fast game play, highly stable and reliable functionality, and some of the most extensive customization options to be found in any poker client. Players can customize everything from the lobby theme, game filtering, to specific player tracking. You can even upload any picture of your choice to serve as your avatar character. Even with thousands of players playing in a single tournament, the software runs seamlessly. PokerStars has finally released a Mac compatible version of their poker software, so Mac users can now feed their poker habit hassle free.
Customer support is available 24/7 via email only, but response times typically run just a few minutes for the majority of inquiries. The support staff is excellent and highly knowledgeable, and it shows in the high quality of their responses.
Given its reputation and extensive player base, PokerStars does not offer many promotional perks and bonuses. While they do offer a small first time deposit bonus up to $50, most of the players who choose to play at PokerStars do so because they are looking to play at the best tables with some of the best poker players on the net. These players are good enough to play and win serious money, and while bonuses are nice they don’t need ‘em.
PokerStars is simply the best. Whatever “best” you may be looking for, be it game/limit variety, tournament selection, software quality, or player competition, you’ll find it at PokerStars. It’s no wonder that many of the best of the best in poker call PokerStars home. And while this may make the competition seriously tough at the higher levels, it’s also an opportunity to improve your game like no other.
