Key Tournaments
The world-famous Sunday Million is the most eagerly anticipated online poker tournament of the week. With a minimum guarantee of $1 million it awards the most prize money. Every week the best online poker players from around the globe battle for their share of the cash. This is the event the cream of the online poker world play, and it’s the best way to show you’ve got what it takes to win big.
Game Variety
PokerStars game choice is top notch, probably the best in the industry, with H.O.R.S.E and other mixed games acquiring more and more traffic.. Hold’em is available in Fixed Limit and No Limit, as are Omaha and 7 Card Stud. Omaha Hi Lo, HORSE, HOSE, 5 Card Draw, Razz and 2-7 Triple Draw are all on site, with the Bobby's Room influenced 'eight game' and badugi the latest additions.
Rake free micro limit games ($0.01/$0.02) are available in both Omaha Hi and Hold’em.
PokerStars offers a plethora of tournaments - in fact it's pretty difficult to know where to start. Heads up, 45 and 180 man Sit n Go's of all buy-ins run round the clock, making PokerStars a grinder's paradaise. Meawhile the Sunday Million, Nightly Hundred Grand and WCOOP keep highrollers on their toes.
The term 'poker satellite' was pretty much invented by PokerStars, with Chris Moneymaker famously turning '$40 into $2.5 million' with his WSOP 2003 Main Event win. Further World Champions Greg Raymer and Joe Hachem also qualified to the Main Event via satellite. Although they descend into a crapshoot, PokerStars offer numerous freerolls which can give beginners a bankroll boost.
Traffic
As is to be expected the cash game traffic is lower than the tourney traffic at PokerStars- however, it still is the highest ranking site in terms of ring game players. Expect as many as 16,000 ring game players at peak hours- more than many other site’s tourney traffic numbers.
Every major variant is heavily represented - to put it simply, PokerStars is the place to play for the action junkie.You'll find extended waiting lists at tables where pros are playing, so patience is a virtue.
Rake
The rake at PokerStars is about industry average at 5%, with a cap at $1 and $3 (as opposed to $3 and $5). Micro level games, as well as the higher staked games, fair slightly better. Rake will vary at Fixed Limit game based on number of players in a hand, while No Limit is a flat rate. The no flop, no drop policy means that hands resolved pre flop are rake-free.
Competition
High stake games tend to be tight and unforgiving at PokerStars. With all the traffic, there are obviously many 'regulars' making their living at PokerStars at mid and high stakes. Don't expect tournaments to be a walkover either - the $11 180 man turbos are notoriously difficult for instance.
However paying attention to the viewed-flop percentage of tables can lead savvy players to fishy waters. Due to the huge traffic numbers there will be plenty of loose games, especially in the lower stakes; players just have to search for them. Another indicator of a good player is the VIP level displayed on the avatar - if there are several bronze or silver stars, it means they play a high volume.
Support
PokerStars support email is support@pokerstars. While email responses are fairly quick and helpful, email is the only way to get support at PokerStars, which does not offer a phone or live chat function. For a site of its magnitude and reputation, this is pretty disappointing.
Deposit & Withdrawal Options
PokerStars accepts dollars only, but there are a lot of options for making deposits: Bank Wire Transfer, Check, Diners, e-Check, ELV Elektronisches Lastschriftverfahren., ePassporte, Maestro, MasterCard, Moneybookers, NETELLER, paysafecard, Solo, UseMyBank, Visa, Visa Debit and Visa Electron
Withdraw options: NETeller, FirePay, CentralCoin, ePassporte and eCheck.
