PokerStars - 100% Up To $600 Sign-Up Bonus
Welcome to our full review of PokerStars.com, the leading poker site in the industry offering a ton of tournaments up to $10 Million guaranteed plus a comprehensive VIP loyalty program. New players will now receive the upgraded PokerStars bonus of 100% up to $600 on their first real money deposit at the site.
PokerStars Review
PokerStars is the number one room in online poker with over 100,000 players seen playing in this room simultaneously. They provide the ability to play poker in over a dozen different languages along with currencies. Pokerstars was first introduced in (2001) and since then has developed a poker room that excels in every department. The tournament and ring games supported are quite extensive and the poker room sends plenty of players to live events across the globe to play alongside Team Pokerstars. Recently they announced they have a guaranteed a minimum of 1000 seats to the 2008 WSOP Main Event making them the number one spot to qualify for the year's most anticipated poker event. Pokerstars still accepts players from the US.
The bonus available at Pokerstars is not as large as most rooms but it is easy to clear. As of to date the largest Pokerstars bonus offered is a 100% match up to $600 with this bonus cleared in $10 increments. They do offer reload bonuses from time to time which are typically available during special events. You will also be automatically enrolled in the new player rewards program that Pokerstars offers. The program was revamped earlier this year allowing all players to benefit from VIP rewards.
Important: Use PokerStars Marketing Code "PSP1659" during sign-up to claim your bonus.
Pokerstars has been able to attract so many players that you can't say that the room is filled with fish, nor can you say that it is the most difficult place to play. They offer micro games for beginners and although these are filled with beginners the game itself is slightly different than most. You will find that no matter what limit you choose to play the % of players who see a flop is significantly less than any other room online. Before choosing a game and immediately sitting in to play, it is recommended that you pay attention to stats and quite possible watch the table.
The ring games supported go above the normal variations that you find elsewhere. Players will be able to choose between Texas Holdem, Omaha, Omaha Hi Lo, 7 Card Stud, 7 Card Stud Hi Lo, 5 Card Draw, 2-7 Triple Lowball, HORSE, and Razz with stakes starting as low as $0.01/$0.02 right up to $200/$400 NL. Pokerstars is home to some of the world's top professional players such as Daniel Negreanu, Isabelle Mercier and Berry Greenstein among others. These players can be found playing online at any time of the day. As mentioned earlier there are over 100,000 people playing online simultaneously, which means you will always be able to find a game active in most of the variations and stakes offered. Pokerstars takes a 5% rake from each pot up to $3.
Tournaments are also well populated and with a tournament line up that is not only stacked but available in each of the formats listed above. This means that Razz players will find ample tournaments for them along with 2-7 Triple lowball. Taking it one step further, Pokerstars also features each format in the Sit and Go tournaments. The tournament buyins start as low as $1, with quite a few freerolls available daily for new players along with those that are country based. You will also be able to qualify for live events to win seats to the EPT, WPT and recently announced, Pokerstars is sending 1000 players to the 2008 WSOP. This is means the amount of seats available to be won is 10x more than any other poker room online.
The software was created to cater all players beginner and advanced alike. The lobby is simple to navigate and features and easy to use interface. All of the statistics and components you will need are available for you to use including the ability to request your last 100 hands played along with tournament history, which will then be emailed to you for review. In addition you will also be able to use your Poker Tracker software. Pokerstars offers plenty of custom features such as uploading your own personal avatars and backgrounds. Other options supported include; four coloured decks, table position, multiple languages supported along with currencies. Players will also be able to multi-table up to eight games at once.
To do this you can select to play the games in full screen mode or to accommodate you, Pokerstars offers a custom resize tool allowing you to designate the size you would like the tables to appear. This works great and lets you place your games side by side allowing for better game control.
Support is available 24/7 and although they do not offer live chat or phone support, email works great. This room is on the ball with making sure your questions are answered quickly and you can usually expect a response within a few hours.
Payment methods include; VISA (Delta, Electron, Gift and Prepaid), MasterCard (Gift and Prepaid), NETeller, FirePay, eChecks, CentralCoin, Diners Club International, ePassporte, Solo/Maestro/Switch, cashier's check/money order/bank draft (minimum deposit of $100).