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.

 

 

Poker Stars News

PokerStars Poker Blog :: News
NAPT Venetian: Ashton Griffin Defeats Hoyt Corkins to Claim $25K Bounty Shootout Victory

NAPT logo.jpgSome invitations are simply meant to be accepted. When the parents invite you for holiday dinner, you should probably accept. If your significant other invites you on a trip to a luxurious vacation destination, thinking twice might cause you some trouble. And when PokerStars.net invites you to play in the prestigious $25,000 buy-in Invitational Bounty Shootout, you just say yes.

The invitation-only event not only boasted of a $460,0000 first place prize, but $5,000 bounties were placed on every player, the fields were challenging and perfect to feed any player's need for a great game, and the event was set to be filmed by 441 Productions for broadcast on ESPN2. So when asked to play, whaddya say?

Yes.

So said the 49 players who accepted their invitations to this unique high roller event, and while it was fun for everyone involved, there were seven players especially excited about the final table because they won their seats by taking down their first heats on Tuesday, February 23 and each claimed $75,000 for doing so. In addition, players collected bounties from that first table, and several were in contention for the $100,000 bonus established for the ultimate bounty hunter, the one who personally handled the most eliminations.

And no one could be happier that he accepted that invitation than to play in the $25K Bounty Shootout than Ashton Griffin. He won his first day's heat, then took a day off before the final table but spent the night before playing online poker, putting him at an all-important final table with no sleep. But sleeping during breaks and staying focused took the young pro all the way to the winner's circle and $460,000, in addition to collecting $30,000 for bounties throughout the two day event.

NAPT Venetian S1_$25K Bounty Shootout_Final Table_JoeGiron_IJ79154.jpg


Final table action got underway on Thursday, February 25, in a rather large ballroom at the Venetian with the following seven players, all starting with 150,000 in chips:

Seat 1: Joe Cassidy
Seat 2: Faraz Jaka
Seat 3: Peter Eastgate
Seat 4: Scott Seiver
Seat 5: Ashton Griffin
Seat 6: Hoyt Corkins
Seat 7: Brett Richey

NAPT Venetian S1_$25K Bounty Shootout_Final Table_JoeGiron_IJ78812.jpg


Just over an hour into the action, Team PokerStars Pro Peter Eastgate was already one of the shorter stacks at the table. He took some hits early, and when he finally decided to push with pocket eights, Seiver was able to call with pocket jacks, and the board couldn't help Eastgate. He was the first to exit the table in seventh place.

Peter Eastgate


Several hours later, Brett Richey had become the short stack and pushed with A-K, which held up to the A-8 of Cassidy. But on the very next hand, Richey tried it again, this time with A-Q. Griffin called with K-Q, and everything looked good for another double until he was three-outed by a king on the river, sending Richey out in sixth place.

Brett Richey


It wasn't until after the dinner break that players got aggressive and action sped up. The first thing to happen was an all-in move from Faraz Jaka with [Qs][Td] and a call from Seiver and his [Ac][Jc]. The board came [Ah][9c][2c][Ad][2h], and the full house knocked Jaka out in fifth place.

Faraz Jaka


Moments later, Corkins doubled through Seiver with pocket jacks over fives, and Scott Seiver was the shortest stack of the four. He was clearly looking to move and ultimately did so with [Qs][Th]. However, Corkins made the call with [Ah][Kc], and the board hit [6d][7d][Ad][Kh][7s] to eliminate Seiver in fourth place. However, Seiver took with him a $100,000 award for collecting the most bounties - eight in all - during the tournament. Not a bad consolation prize, indeed.

Scott Seiver

It took three hours to find an all-in and a call that changed the make-up of the table, and the hand happened with Joe Cassidy pushing from the small blind with [Ad][2d]and Ashton Griffin calling immediately from the big blind with [As][9d]. A nine came on the flop and solidified Cassidy's position as the third place finisher.



Joe Cassidy

Corkins came in as nearly a two-to-one underdog in chips, and it was only two hands into it that he risked it all. The two went to see a raised flop of [4s][5d][9s], and a raising war ensued during which Griffin pushed all-in and Corkins insta-called for his tournament life with [9h][3h]. But Griffin showed [9d][8d] for top pair with the better kicker. And the [7h] turn and [Jc] river ended the tournament. Hoyt Corkins had to accept second place.

NAPT Venetian S1_$25K Bounty Shootout_Final Table_JoeGiron_IJ79092.jpg


And Ashton Griffin became the first NAPT $25K Bounty Champion. He accepted the invitation to participate, and it paid off in spades...and hearts, clubs, and diamonds. Lack of sleep mattered none, and the experience of the competition did not dissuade him. He plowed through the table and made it worth every moment of his time.

Congratulations to Ashton Griffin and all of the prize winners in this exciting inaugural event!

NAPT Venetian S1_$25K Bounty Shootout_Winner Ashton Griffin_JoeGiron_IJ79199.jpg

For all of the double-ups, bustouts, struggles, triumphs, and even a nap story or two, check out the final table coverage.

Introduction
Levels 1-3
Levels 4-6
Levels 7-9



All photography © Joe Giron

02/26/2010 09:33 AM