Poker Stars Review

“Where they lead, others will follow.”

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and PokerStars pied-piper-like status in the poker industry is testament to their massive success. From the outset Stars set to be the premier site for online players by aligning themselves with one of the most iconic figures in recent poker history, Chris Moneymaker.

The 2003 WSOP champion’s fairytale story started and ended with PokerStars and since then the site has increased its synergy with success by associating themselves with five of the last six WSOP Main Event winners. Clever marketing may attract the players but its superior software, excellent customer service and best selection of games that keeps the waiting lists full.

The look and feel of the lobby is excellent and a player’s overview can be as broad or specific as they desire. The cash game lobby allows players to cast an eye over the entire selection of games running or be more specific by selecting the high, medium, low or micro tabs.

In addition to this players can further refine their search and filter the tables to match their particular forte, such as: 1-on-1, 6max, 9max, Turbo, non-turbo, full/ empty tables. This enhanced search function is a natural by-product of the huge amount of games that are running on a daily basis. This is why Stars had to go beyond the norm and construct a lobby that can accommodate their massive client base and enable players to jump feet first into the games of their choice.

While the lobby is fantastic for fish hunting the large volume of tables creates a jumping effect which will certainly increase your tilt levels when you’re having a bad day. Because new tables are constantly reforming the lists move around a lot.

Often at times you click on a tasty table only for the list to refresh at the last minute and you end up at a completely different table. Although this problem is minor and not a consistent problem it is something that can prove more than a little annoying, especially when your on the tail end of a five buy-in losing streak.

Once you open up the tables themselves you are greeted with a clear, well laid out table with excellent graphics. The birds-eye-view angle and well thought out table dimensions create a table that is easy to read and non-offensive on the eye, perfect for those long multi-tabling sessions.

The cards, background and chips are all customisable and Stars provide their own selection of themes ranging from super simple (using large cards and a few distinct colours) to Renaissance style extravagance.

My one grievance (ok, minor annoyance) is the fact you can only change your avatar picture twice without having to seek some sort of permission. Very annoying: especially if you now continually get abuse for pretending to be Phil Ivey.

Offering the largest number satellites to major live events and eye-watering tournament guarantees mean it’s inevitable that some less than scrupulous chancers find their way onto the site. Collusion in any poker game is always can always be an issue but thankfully PokerStars has some of the best customer service in the industry.

Many major sites are heavily criticised for their response times to player’s problems but Stars certainly take customer satisfaction very seriously. Email responses are generally answered within 1-2 days and bigger issues usually take no longer than a week or so.

Another impressive feature is the “call a moderator button” available through the table options which allows a player to signal any abuse or foul play to a moderator instantly. Whilst society at large may object to big brother style surveillance, the poker community are certainly grateful for it; especially when there is big money on the line.

Indeed, my own personal experiences with Stars’ customer service has been excellent and after alerting them to some suspicious activities I was graciously compensated after my suspicions were proved correct.  Self policing is also possible and in addition to imposing weekly/ monthly deposit limits on yourself you can set a cap on the cash games limits you can sit at.

If you struggle with tilt and regularly vent your anger by moving up to the highest buy-in level you can, then fear no longer for your bankroll need not suffer (well at least not as fast). If you are a 50nl reg. then you can set your account to allow you to sit at tables no higher than 50nl, something the volatile spewtards amongst you will certainly appreciate.

Overall PokerStars wins on all fronts: software, game play, support and variety. Much of the online poker industry has been shaped by the developments and innovations at PokerStars and with such a well respected reputation across the globe it is fair to say that PokerStars is the home of online poker.