PokerStars opened its doors in September of 2001 offering a wide variety of poker games and bonuses to the online community. PokerStars has the highest player volume online of more than 200,000 players in the lobby during peak hours making it the world’s largest online poker room.
In addition to the most players, PokerStars offers a lucrative first deposit bonus, generous VIP rewards and the best software and customer support staff online today.
PokerStars Bonuses and Rewards
New players at PokerStars will receive a first deposit bonus of 100% up to $600; existing players will receive several reload bonus opportunities throughout the year.
The Poker Stars first deposit bonus is released in increments of $10 at a rate of 17 VPP per $1 of bonus and expires in 6 months. Players earn 5.5 VPPs per $1 in rake which gives the first deposit bonus a clearance rate of 32.4%
PokerStars offers a loyalty reward program where players earn points for each ranked hand played. Players at PokerStars earn VIP Player Points (VPPs) per raked hand and earn Frequent Player Points (FPPs) based on their loyalty level. More VPPs per month will increase your loyalty level and players can cash in larger amounts of FPPs for cash at better reward percentages.
| VIP Level | Rake Needed | Point Redemption | Deposit Bonus | Max VIP Rewards |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bronze | $0/month | 17% | 32.4% | 49.4% |
| Silver | $136/month | 21% | 32.4% | 53.4% |
| Gold | $546/month | 26% | 32.4% | 58.4% |
| Platinum | $1364/month | 31% | 32.4% | 63.4% |
| Supernova | $18,182/year | 52% | N/A | 52.0% |
| Supernova Elite | $181,820/year | 63% | N/A | 63.0% |
Frequent Player Points at PokerStars can be used to purchase a variety of items from the points store including: tournament tickets, bonus dollars, poker gear and the latest electronics. VIP Player Points, on the other hand, cannot be redeemed for cash but are used solely to increase the VIP Loyalty Level.
PokerStars Software
PokerStars offers software that is available for both Windows and Mac users with tons of great functionality and features. The PokerStars software supports multi-tabling and resizable tables as well as other features such as hand history data, player notes, custom game profiles and several others. Players at PokerStars can choose from a variety of lobby and table themes at which players are able to change the background, deck of cards, and player avatars.
PokerStars Traffic
PokerStars currently has the most traffic in the world by far with a peak high player volume of more than 200,000 in the lobby. The majority of players are at tournaments and more than 20,000 players at ring game tables. Below is a table of how PokerStars compares to other poker networks during peak hours.
| Rank | Poker Network | Peak Players in Lobby | Cash Game Players |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Poker Stars | 210,000+ | 45,000+ |
| 3 | Party Poker | 15,000+ | 7000+ |
| 4 | iPoker | 8000+ | 6000+ |
| 5 | 888 Poker | 8,000+ | 4,000+ |
| 11 | Revolution | 5,000+ | 2000+ |
| 18 | Merge | 3,000+ | 1500+ |
| 24 | International | 2500+ | 1000+ |
| 25 | Winning Poker | 2000+ | 700+ |
PokerStars has the most traffic on a wide variety of poker variants outside of just No Limit Texas Holdem. PokerStars has significant traffic at Limit Hold’em, all Omaha games, all Seven Card Stud Games, HORSE, Draw and Badugi.
| Game | Type | Number of Tables | Total Players |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas Hold’em | No Limit | 3500 | 25,000+ |
| Texas Hold’em | Limit | 400 | 3000+ |
| Omaha | Pot Limit | 500 | 3000+ |
| 7 Card Stud | Limit | 40 | 300+ |
| 5 Card Draw | Limit | 25 | 150+ |
| Other Games | Limit | 70 | 300+ |
PokerStars offers a wide range of tournament and promotions including the 100K First Depositor Freerolls, SuperStar Showdown, Skrill Grand Freeroll, PokerStars Women Live, Battle of the Planets, PokerStars Women’s Poker League, Nordic EPT Copenhagen Qualifiers, MPC: Red Dragon Qualifiers and many more.
PokerStars Customer Support
While only via email, PokerStars offers tremendous online customer support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. PokerStars also has a thorough FAQ available on-site and its customer support ensures to deliver information that is clear and accurate. PokerStars has customer support in several languages including English, Italian, Spanish, French, Russian, Dutch, and Portuguese.
Banking Options at Poker Stars include: VISA, MasterCard, Neteller, Skrill, Solo, Maestro, Switch, ClickandBuy, money order, cashier’s check, bank transfer, ELV, WebMoney, ukash, Paysafe card and dozens more.
When making deposits, PokerStars offers the Deposit Assistance Department (DAD) feature; if you have a problem with your deposit PokerStars has live chat to assist you.
Overall PokerStars Review
PokerStars is the envy of poker rooms worldwide. With a massive loyal player basis and tons of exposure it is hard to argue that PokerStars isn’t the best poker room online today.