• Pokerstars Poker
• Pokerstars Poker Free
• Pokerstars Poker Fees Rules

The fee for any PokerStars tournament will continue to be publicly displayed in our client, together with details of the tournament structure. Tournament fees can be found: - On desktop clients, open the tournament lobby, click on the 'Structure' tab, and look in the 'Tournament Information' section. An additional ‘entry fee’ may be taken at time of rebuy or add-on during a rebuy tournament. The ‘entry fee’ is clearly indicated in the individual tournament lobby and during the registration process. There may not be an ‘entry fee’ for every tournament; we may offer tournaments without commission. PokerStars Ring Game Poker Table Rake.

While doing research for this guide, I read hundreds of pages of 2+2’s PokerStars Improvement Thread and played tons of hours of online poker at PokerStars.com. I’ve also been in the online poker industry for well over a decade, from before PokerStars ever got started. With that said, let’s get started on the PokerStars review.

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PokerStars Pros & Cons

Pros

• Secure and Safe Online Poker Site.
• Massive Opportunity for Gaming.
• Quality Customer Support.
• Great promotional opportunities.

Cons

• Low US Player availability.
• No Live Chat Support.

About PokerStars.com

Since 2006, PokerStars has reigned as the most popular online poker room in the world – and not only has it been in the lead, it has dominated its competition.

For instance, according to PokerScout.com, PokerStars’ cash game traffic at its lowest hours is still twice as high as its nearest competition’s traffic at peak hours. At the time of writing, PokerStars has about 19,000 cash-game players online while the second busiest site (888 Poker) has about 3,000.

Not one competitor comes even close to PokerStars. But for how long?

Is PokerStars legit? Safety and security

When choosing an online poker room, players want a place that is safe and secure. At PokerStars, only the latest technology is used to ensure that gameplay is fair, player data is secure, and all financial transactions are safe. When it comes to fairness, PokerStars has game integrity experts who work to ensure that no player has an advantage over another. Software security is in place as well, to keep the quality of gameplay at the highest level.

PokerStars also holds their licensing within the Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission. This commission was created in 1962 and ensures the regulation of online gambling activities. With this backing and the standards PokerStars upholds, players can rest assured they are going to experience legit game play.

Opening your PokerStars account

With our PokerStars review, you can easily learn how to open a new account. Below you will find step-by-step instructions to get you started.

1. Download the online poker software from PokerStars
2. Open the software via the quick-start icon, should be labeled “PokerStars”
3. Once opened, choose ‘Create a new account now”
4. From here, you will be able to set up your Stars Account

PokerStar Bonus

Bonuses are readily available at PokerStars, especially for new members. To begin, new players to the site can access $30 in Free Play. Deposit $20 or more with the bonus code THIRTY to earn this extra bonus cash. The $30 in Free Play includes Spin & Go Tickets plus bonus cash.

Another option for new players is the 100% deposit bonus worth up to $600. This bonus can be accessed by using the code STAR600 and depositing via three qualifying deposits within a 60-day time frame. After depositing, players will need to play real money games. During gameplay, redemption points are earned. Players will earn 5 redemption points for every $1 paid in rake or tournament fees.

Player Traffic and Tournament Prizepools

Even though the recent changes have been unpleasant (to say the least), PokerStars is lightyears ahead of others when it comes to cash game player traffic and tournament prize pools. Volume makes a huge difference and PokerStars has ten times the volume of its closest competitor. For a poker player who cares about the art of game selection (as any winning player should), there’s no better place to play at than PokerStars.com.

While there is a high level of traffic at PokerStars, the game quality is among the poorest in all of online poker. Grinders play a dozen or more tables at a time. There are also problems with bum-hunting, meaning serious players will only go up against weaker ones. Some of the recent changes have tried to combat this, but it has not been effective.

PokerStars real money deposit and withdrawals

Now that you have your PokerStars account created, its time to learn about deposits and withdrawals. There are options for players to enjoy PokerStars via desktop and mobile, so game play can be enjoyed at home or on the go. PokerStars bitcoin, WebMoney, Visa, MasterCard and many more options are available for deposit and withdrawal depending on your location.

• Desktop Cashier
  • In the desktop version, you will need to open the software and click on Cashier then the Make a Deposit tab. Select the deposit option you wish to use and click Deposit. Enter the amount and use a bonus code if it applies. Click submit and once your transaction is processed, you are ready to play.
• Mobile Cashier
  • Log in to the PokerStars app via your mobile device using your Stars ID. Be sure you log in via the real money tab. Choose the Deposit button to open the cashier. With an iOS device you will find the Cashier button at the bottom of the screen. On Android, you will need to choose the navigation menu at the top left corner to find the cashier. Choose your payment option, preferred currency and amount of deposit. Follow the instructions to complete your transaction.

When choosing your payment method, you will need to choose an option available to your country. PokerStars offers varying financial methods based on location. Players in one location may have access to more deposit and withdrawal options based on their home country. Be sure to check what options are open to you and select the preferred method when depositing.

Software Quality

For several years now, I’ve ranked PokerStars’ software as the second best in the world, right behind Full Tilt. For me, Full Tilt had something special, but PokerStars has always had good software as well which obviously appeals to plenty of people. Full Tilt was folded into PokerStars in May 2016, leaving PokerStars as the top software in the online poker industry.

What’s so good about the software, then? Well, for one, it works (or at least worked before the latest major update). It’s easy on the eye, and even more importantly, it’s easy to use. Online poker has been around for over 15 years now and it’s mind-boggling how few online poker rooms still have a top quality software, and PokerStars happens to be one of the rare sites who do.

Playing on PokerStars on your mobile device

With our PokerStars review, we wanted to cover mobile device use as most players want to take their online poker gaming on the go. The very same features and support can be found on mobile, allowing players to move from desktop to mobile with ease, never missing out on poker opportunities. With the mobile cashier, players will be able to manage their bankroll, making deposits via the Mobile poker application.

To get started, players will need to download the application on their mobile device. PokerStars offers mobile gaming via iPad, iPhone, and Android devices. Once downloaded, players can log in and begin able to enjoy poker cash games or tournaments from anywhere!

The big benefit of mobile gaming is being able to play at any time from anywhere. You are no longer tethered to your desktop computer and can log on anywhere you like.

PokerStars Customer Support

You don’t get to be the top online poker site in the world by providing bad customer support. PokerStars is a professional online poker operation and they will treat you that way. They’re also active in online gambling communities by answering to members’ questions, solving their problems and asking for feedback.

The customer support personnel aren’t to blame for the decisions the directors of the company have made regarding the recent (mostly negative) changes. If anything, their job has become harder since people are surely complaining more nowadays.

I have no complaints regarding the customer support department (except for the lack of phone support which could come in handy). But the way PokerStars takes care of its customers as a company (again, referring to the recent changes) has changed for the worse and that bothers me (and judging by all the comments made online, bother a lot of other people too). With that said, it is still among the best in terms of how it handles player complaints and support issues.

Amaya Acquisition

…the ability to fight off the ABCs of business decay, which are arrogance, bureaucracy and complacency. When these corporate cancers metastasize, even the strongest of companies can falter.Warren Buffett

Only time will tell if Amaya is making smart business decisions. But I can tell you something right now: plenty of PokerStars customers are disappointed by 2 major changes, first, it has cut back on costs and second, Amaya increased fees. These changes have lead to a worse user experience.

How the Amaya acquisition has affected PokerStars

Not only is it more expensive to play at PokerStars due to the increase in rake fees in both cash games and tournaments, and the decrease in the VIP benefits, they now seem less and less willing to promote poker by cutting out affiliate marketers and terminating contracts with Team PokerStars Pros all the while launching online casino games and sportbooks.

They’ve also decreased the quality of the playing experience. When it comes to significant software updates in any business, you’ll have long-time users who aren’t fond of the changes but it eventually grows on them. In this case, lots of players started experiencing significant lags after the software update from what’s called PokerStars 6 to PokerStars 7. Players are now reporting continuous lags, sometimes to the point where the tables are frozen for several minutes while multi-table tournaments are running (the lags seem especially bad for multi-tablers).

But why is this happening?

If the rumors on poker forums are to be believed – not always a good idea – Amaya has also cut back on server costs which, in turn, has caused its customers to experience significant lags. A PokerStars representative took part in 2+2 forum’s discussion with the following quote:

Unfortunately, lags have continued long after the tournament was held. And it was a weak response either way since we’ve already seen PokerStars host the biggest tournaments online ever. If the problem is on server-side, then the server-side isn’t what it used to be.

And that, in turn, is in line with the rumors. Amaya Gaming has since changed names to Stars Group to reflect its largest holding.

Conclusion

PokerStars may still be the best option for online poker players around the world (US players are prohibited) but its quality has gone downhill recently. However, it’s hard to argue against the massive amounts of player traffic and tournament prizepools which tower over all of PokerStars’ competitors, in addition to other types of promotions that PokerStars is better-equipped to offer than its significantly smaller competition.

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PokerStars is expanding its enormous online poker platform into the Keystone State thanks to the recent changes for legal online poker in Pennsylvania.

The company became the first online poker site in the state when it began live testing on Nov. 4. The site was fully approved two days later. The client integrates the online poker site with the FOX Bet app and the PokerStars online casino.

Pokerstars Poker

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Pokerstars Poker Free

The company provides a similar online poker experience as that of its New Jersey operation when it comes to game selection, banking options, bonuses, promotions and more.

What’s on tap for bonus offers?

Players in Pennsylvania have an attractive welcome package along with plenty of monthly reload-match offers.

The reliable software package from PokerStars comes equipped with a plethora of customization options to give the company the advantage in a brand-new market.

The in-house team at PokerStars has also done a fantastic job implementing new varieties and styles to ensure the most significant assortment of game types in the US.

With that in mind, let’s take an in-depth look at the potential bonus offers that you can expect as a new player. Then we will share other promotions designed explicitly for its loyal customers.

Also, we will walk you through the game selection, tournament selection, and payment methods before we conclude our review with poker software and customer support.

PokerStars PA bonus offers

PokerStars PA entered the market with some attractive welcome offers, including limited-time freerolls.

There are two deposit bonuses, but players must make a choice between them.

$30 Free or 100% welcome bonus, up to $600

Players can choose between one of two deposit offers. The first offer promises to give players $30 free if they deposit $20 into their new accounts. Use the marketing code FREE30 for this offer.

The other offer is a 100% deposit match up to $600. The marketing code for this offer is STARS600. However, as is the case with most deposit matches, there is a significant playthrough requirement attached to this promotion.

So, players will have to decide how they want to proceed. Honestly, though, there really isn’t a wrong choice.

PokerStars marketing code

PokerStars game selection in Pennsylvania

Even though players are most excited about the classic poker variants, other variations are expected to make their way to Pennsylvania on the PokerStars platform.

In fact, PokerStars in New Jersey currently impresses with the biggest selection of online poker varieties with a total of 17 games.

You should be able to find the perfect online poker game by using built-in filters to find games by type, the maximum number of players, stakes and buy-in levels. Furthermore, you will have the option to hide full tables for added convenience.

Online poker enthusiasts in Pennsylvania will also have the same features and customization options as players in New Jersey when it comes to saving filters for future use.

The wide range of poker games that will likely make their way to Pennsylvania include:

• 2-7 Single Draw
• 2-7 Triple Draw
• 8 Game Mix
• Badugi
• Five Card Draw
• Five Card Omaha
• HORSE
• Omaha
• Omaha Hi/Lo
• Razz
• Stud
• Stud Hi/Lo
• Hold’em

We anticipate that No-Limit Hold’em will dominate the games lobby where limits should range from $0.05/$0.10 up to $25/$50. However, Limit Hold’em will also be quite popular among players with stakes going as high as $100/$200 on most days.

The table limits for these games will coincide with the limits for Texas Hold’em. However, it will greatly depend on player traffic and the variant you wish to play on the day.

Player traffic at PokerStars PA

Once PokerStars in Pennsylvania launches, you should see more than 400 players on various cash games at any given time.

Player traffic generally peaks between 7-8 p.m. That’s when you should see an increase to 700-800players, if not more.

Over the weekends, player traffic should even increase to around 1,000-1,200 players at any given time.

During the first week of play, PA’s numbers outpaced NJ and had more than 500 players on a weekday.

Tournament selection at PokerStars Pennsylvania

Poker tournaments are going to be one of the most attractive features for the online poker community in Pennsylvania. These should eventually become ever more populated.

To successfully build a robust tournament schedule, along with a selection of options, there needs to be a sizeable player pool to join in on these events. As we’ve all witnessed with new online poker rooms, it takes time before poker tournaments gather momentum.

However, with PokerStars aiming to become the biggest online poker operator in the Keystone State, we expect to find a wide variety of tournaments with some sizeable prize pools.

Poker tournaments are ideal for transforming a small buy-in into a massive payday. This is especially true for tournies that come equipped with guaranteed prize pools.

With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at the poker tournaments that should make their way to Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania’s Championship of Online Poker

The PokerStars platform in the Keystone State already provided a Championship of Online Poker tournament series to players in the newly legalized state. The first PACOOP blew the guarantees out of the water, leading PokerStars to bump them up twice from $1 million to $1,225,000.

Sunday tournaments

Sundays are the most important day when it comes to online poker in New Jersey; we expect that it will be the same in Pennsylvania.

You will notice that all the Main Events will occur on a Sunday at PokerStars Pennsylvania, usually between the hours of 6-8 p.m. every week. The required buy-ins will likely range between $5-$250, depending on the size of the prize pool that should be worth $10,000 or more.

You can also participate in multiple satellite tournaments throughout the week. These award entries into the larger tournaments on Sunday for a fraction of the original entry price.

Spin & Go tournaments

Spin & Gos are considered the most popular tournaments at PokerStars New Jersey. We believe that these will eventually prove just as popular in Pennsylvania.

The welcome bonus at PokerStars PA is the same at PokerStars NJ, a $10 bonus for Spin & Go play.

These tournaments are essentially the same as Sit & Gos, complete with a smaller number of players and much faster gameplay.

The initial buy-in should be relatively low, while a multiplier spin feature will determine the prize pool. The multiplier value can reach up to 1,000 times the current buy-in value.

Multi-table tournaments

Once player traffic reaches a sizable figure within the Keystone State, PokerStars will provide an arsenal of multi-table tournaments (MTT). MTTs will impress with smaller buy-ins and bigger payouts due to the size of the player base involved.

As you play and advance throughout the tournament, you will be seated with winners from other tables. You eventually will make it to the final table or you fall out due to running out of poker chips.

MTTs take a lot longer to complete when compared to Spin N’ Go tournaments.

Daily tournaments

There should be hundreds of smaller daily tournaments available, allowing you to enjoy poker variations like Omaha or Texas Hold ’em in the Keystone State.

These tournaments will come equipped with extremely low buy-in requirements and a decent prize pool. PokerStars is already renowned for providing the most extensive selection of tourneys in the Garden State, so we expect the same for players in Pennsylvania.

Your daily tournaments should also include a good mixture of change-up, turbos, and knockout tournaments.

Mobile compatibility

The PokerStars software should provide Pennsylvania customers the convenience and flexibility to play on their desktop computer, along with the ability to play via a mobile browser-based website and mobile app. Apple and Android apps are available.

The PokerStars mobile poker app will give you access to all the cash games and tournaments. Also, you can claim promotions, contact support, make deposits, request withdrawals and more. The mobile poker apps should run smoothly, much like the Pokers NJ app.

PokerStars payment methods

In a state with many available banking options, PokerStars made it a point to have a variety of choices from the outset.

The professionalism of PokerStars shines brightly when you look at how quickly it handles deposits and processes withdrawals through the poker software.

That efficiency should surely be the case for Pennsylvania players, regardless if you are using your desktop computer or mobile device.

Deposit methods at PokerStars PA

• ACH e-check
• Cash at the Mount Airy cage
• Neteller
• PayNearMe
• PokerStars’ instant online banking
• PokerStars Online Play+ card
• Skrill
• Visa or Mastercard

One missing PA option for now is PayPal, which is available in NJ.

Each deposit method will allow you to deposit funds instantly without having to worry about any hidden fees or charges from the operator’s end. Each payment method is safe and secure.

All of your financial and personal details will be safeguarded using SSL-encryption technology.

Withdrawal methods at PokerStars PA

• ACH e-check
• Cash at the Mount Airy partner’s cage
• Neteller
• PokerStars online Play+ card
• Skrill

When it comes to withdrawing your winnings, PokerStars PA will be able to process your payment within 24 hours. Examining the NJ site, you should receive your winnings within 3-10 working days, depending on your preferred payment method.

E-wallet options will reflect in your funds within 48 hours, while ACH can take up to five days to clear your funds.

Customer support at PokerStars Pennsylvania

The customer service center at PokerStars is renowned for providing professional support quickly and effectively. We expect the support desk at PokerStars PA to be no different.

You’ll be able to reach a PokerStars representative in several ways to ensure your query or request is dealt with as soon as possible.

The contact methods should include:

• Live chat facility
• Email support
• Telephone support

The customer service center in Pennsylvania should be available 24/7. Alternatively, you should also have access to a comprehensive FAQ section on the official site. It can assist you with a range of queries from registering a new account to making a successful withdrawal with step-by-step instructions.

• Poker Bonus
• Game Selection
• Support
• Banking

Summary

Pokerstars Poker Fees Rules

PokerStars in Pennsylvania follows in the footsteps of its New Jersey counterpart and offers one of the best online poker sites in the state. Likewise, bonuses are generous and simple to clear.