This is my independent, and detailed, online poker room review of PokerStars.com.
PokerStars Hits:
- US player friendly
- Great looking and easy-to-use software
- Huge poker tournaments
- Quality customer support
- Massive amount of traffic leads to tons of available poker games
PokerStars Misses:
- Small sign up bonus compared to competitors
- Tough opponents at mid-high stakes
Overall 7.9 of 10 – Very Good
PokerStars is currently the largest poker room on the planet. Even though they offer a small sign up bonus compared to their competitors, they make it up in poker promotions. They also have some great cash games and tournaments.
PokerStars has just about any game you can imagine. Texas Hold’em (Limit and No Limit), Omaha, 7-Card Stud, 5-Card Draw, Razz, 2-7 Triple Drarw, and HORSE poker are among the most popular games they have.
The software has recently been upgraded and looks amazing. It’s very sleek, plus easy to use and customize. PokerStars still accepts US poker players, which is a huge plus for them.
The customer support at PokerStars is among the best in the industry. Some well known poker pros that promote and play regularly their are Chris Moneymaker, Daniel Negreanu, Joe Hachem, and Greg Raymer.
The popularity of PokerStars has attracted a lot of online pros looking for easy money so over the past year or so the competition has increased. Players looking for a profitable sign up bonus and soft games may want to look for a smaller poker room. If you’re looking for a solid, reputable poker site where there’s always an available game, I highly recommend PokerStars.com.
Software: 9 of 10 – Excellent
As long as I’ve played at PokerStars, I have been impressed with the software. Being comfortable with a site’s poker software is important when money is involved. Luckily PokerStars software is very sleek, plus easy to use and customize. It has recently been upgraded and looks amazing.
PokerStars software allows you to change the look of the table, play multiple tables, and find opponents (the ones that make you money *evil grin*). You can even upload a customized picture (avatar) to represent yourself at the poker table. And if these distract you (believe me, some will) you can easily choose to turn off a single persons (or all) avatars.
Popularity: 10 of 10 – Excellent
As I’m writing this, PokerStars has over 100,000 players logged on and playing poker. Even during off peak hours there are literally thousands of players from all over the world playing poker. PokerStars hosts many of the largest online poker tournaments around. Just recently they held the WCOOP (World Championship of Online Poker) where thousands of players battled for their share of the guaranteed prize pool of $30,000,000 in just over 30 events. In addition to large events like these, PokerStars hosts a huge Million Dollar Guaranteed No Limit Hold’em tournament every weekend.
Game Variety: 9 of 10 – Excellent
PokerStars has just about any game you can imagine. Texas Hold’em (Limit and No Limit), Omaha, 7-Card Stud, 5-Card Draw, Razz, 2-7 Triple Draw, and HORSE poker are among the most popular games they have.
Competition: 7 of 10 – Very Good
Until recently, PokerStars had really soft games all around. Now, they are flooded with online pros looking for easy money. At lower stakes the competition is as weak as every. If you plan on playing small stakes No Limit Hold’em, Limit Hold’em or Omaha, you should join PokerStars. Once you move up to mid and high stakes poker, you’d be better off at a newer medium-sized poker room.
Sign Up Bonus: 5 of 10 – Average
Even though PokerStars has some great ongoing promotions, their sign up bonus stinks. If you’re going to play their anyway, it doesn’t hurt to get the deposit bonus too. It’s actually a decent bonus for someone just starting a bankroll. That’s why I made PokerStars my first recommendation for players trying to build a poker bankroll. Also, they have a couple of different codes to enter so make sure you read my PokerStars Marketing Code page before signing up.
Loyalty Rewards and Promotions: 7 of 10 – Very Good
PokerStars has a lot of promotions like freerolls, huge guaranteed poker tournaments and a cool Frequent Player Points program. A few highly motivated players have walked away with Porsche’s and one even bought a new house with his FPPs. I used my FPPs to purchase the latest poker books, but a lot of players buy Ipods, DVD players, and new TVs.
Customer Support: 8 of 10 – Very Good
While PokerStars does not have live chat or telephone support, their 24/7 email support is fantastic. Players are always commenting on how quickly support answers their questions. PokerStars also has an in-depth Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section on their website which answers a lot of good questions.