Poker Stars Review

Summary
Don't let the low score scary you off. Poker Stars is an excellent poker network, the
biggest of its kind, but it lacks sign up bonuses and a good system for rewarding loyal
players. Instead, this site offers top notch tournaments, software and a great variety of
games. If we had to describe Poker Stars with one word, it would definitely be
"tournament". The only but here is the softness of the competition, which is tighter than
at most other places. All in all, good games but little value to entry users who seek a large
sign up bonus.
Software (9)
The software of Poker Stars belongs to the absolute top of poker clients. To start with, the
lobby is superb and very easy to navigate. Some players complain about the graphical
theme, but there's definitely a good feeling to it and we're not complaining. Stability and
speed has always been a high priority and this is a definitely a success as well. The table
software is like a mixture of Indiana Jones, Pirates of the Caribbean and poker. In other
words, exotic. It's fast, smooth and very clear. Software features include player notes,
avatars, hand histories and good player statistics. We would like to see more settings in
this package, though.
Traffic (10)
You're looking at the world's most trafficked poker network in the world. On special
occasions there are up to 30,000 simultaneous connections, although the numbers usually
jump down to 26,000. Approximately 80% of the real money players play at tournaments
but ring games are picking up pace as well. This number brings brings Poker Stars to an
unarguable position as a tournament leader.
Tournaments (10)
Poker Stars host the richest tournaments in the world. First of all, sit 'N' goes are
extremely popular, ranging from $1 to $5000. This includes single tables, multi tables,
super popular heads-up tables and satellites. There's a large number of scheduled
tournaments in the package, too. This of course includes WPT-PCA qualifiers, European
Poker Tour qualifiers, Aussie Millions qualifiers and most notably, World Series of Poker.
Poker Stars sent 1,200 tournament winners to WSOP in 2005. The only downside is the
softness of the competition, which can be quite tough at times.
Game Variety (7)
If you're looking for variety, you've come to the right place. On one hand, Poker Stars
lacks Pineapple and other variations of poker. On the other hand, there's so much more

than just crazy mini games that no one plays in general. You can play Texas Hold'em in
Limit, No Limit and Pot Limit (including a Turbo mode). If you're into Omaha or Omaha
Hi/Lo, there's a good variety of tables with active players as well. Even the 7 Card Stud
and 7 Card Stud Hi/Lo tables attract some competition. The stakes range from
$0.01/$0.02 to $100/$200.
Soft Competition (6)
Poker Stars belongs to the top in terms of traffic, but this has had little effect on the
competition. Most of the opponents are indeed very competitive and will give you a run
for the money. Ring games are typically the toughest. Even the low stake games offer
some games classed as unusually high. Approximately 25-35% of the players see the flop
in most ring games. Fortunately, you can find a lot of fish in the tournament tables. This
is where the beginners to poker reside.
Sign Up Bonus (7)
Poker Stars offers a 100% up to $600 bonus. In order to get it you must enter PokerStars
marketing code every600 when you sign up. As an added perk, you get a monthly $1,000
freeroll. To qualify, simply use our bonus code when you sign up, generate more than 100
FPP for every month and enjoy the action, which takes place on the 7th of every month at
3pm EST.
Loyalty Rewards (6)
The recently introduced Frequent Player Points (FPP) has quickly become a popular way
to acquire Poker Stars merchandise. Players accumulate FPP:s by playing poker in real
money poker games, multi-table poker tournaments and Sit & Go tournaments that
include a tournament fee. To get one point, you need to generate a total of $0.50 for fixed
limit poker games with stakes $0.50/$1.00 and lower, or $0.75 for fixed limit poker
games with stakes $1/$2. You earn five FPP:s for every dollar included in the tournament
fees. In a $5 buy-in Sit & Go poker tournament with only a $0.50 fee, 3 FPP:s (instead of
2.5) will be awarded to each player who played poker in the tournament, however.
Promotions (4)
Poker Stars was never built to satisfy through promotions. Instead, there is a super
package of tournaments and poker celebrities who play regularly at the tables. There are
occational freeroll qualifiers to bigger main freerolls with guaranteed cash prizes. Poker
Stars usually offer a refill bonus as well, ranging at 25 %.
Support (7)
Poker Stars offer a very fast e-mail support with reply times often as fast as within half an
hour. There is no live chat and telephone support available.

Deposit & Cashout Methods (7)

Deposits: eChecks, ePassporte, UseMyBank, Moneybookers, Neteller, Visa, Visa Delta,
Visa Electron, MasterCard, Diners Club International, Solo, Maestro, cashier's check,
money order, bank draft, wire transfer, ELV, PaySafe Card and Citadel.
Cash-outs: Visa, Neteller, FirePay, CentralCoin and check.