This PokerStars review is from my own experience of playing it in the platform and not from other opinions out there. Now, I know for a fact that many of the users prefer to play poker online rather than a Casino. The reason being, playing online is convenient and you can play poker at your door steps. You don’t have to worry about traveling, or worrying about the right table, and so on. You don’t even have to maintain a poker face when playing online.
The biggest advantage being, you can play multiple tables at the same time. So, there are a lot of advantages to playing poker online than going to a Casino. If you’re interested to know more about playing online poker vs playing poker in a casino, you can go through the article I have written on this specific topic.
So, keeping in mind all the advantages of playing online poker many users will be looking for a website to play poker online. So, the question is how good is the PokerStars platform to play poker in 2020. How is it like to play poker in PokerStars? What are the different bonus available and what are the different game modes the PokerStars offers? I’ll talk about all these points in-depth and also much more about the PokerStars regarding the poker tournaments and their cash prize. So, make sure to read the entire article to get to know how good PokerStars is.
This review is specific to PokerStars. I won’t be comparing PokerStars with other poker-related websites. I will only focus on the pros and the cons of the PokerStars. I will tell whether PokerStars is a good option to play poker. But in the end, it’s up to you to decide whether you’re going to play on PokerStars or not. The choice is yours.
Table of Contents
About PokerStars
In general, PokerStars is an online platform where one can play poker. The gaming platform is owned by The Stars Group. PokerStars was first started in the year 2011. Since then PokerStars is recognized worldwide. They conduct a lot of poker tournaments with big cash prizes. They have even sponsored WSOP multiple times. There isn’t a poker player out there who doesn’t recognize PokerStars or who hasn’t heard of it.
PokerStars even have hosted a lot of TV shows in the past like the Million Dollar Challange and PokerStars Big Game. And a lot of professional poker players are sponsored by PokerStars themselves. This gives us the general idea that PokerStars is a really well-established platform and one of the most trusted ones out there where one can play poker.
PokerStars offers gaming platforms for both mobile and Desktop including MacOs and Windows. They even have an app made for both mobile and PC. Apart from providing a gaming platform, PokerStars provides an opportunity for users to learn poker from the pro poker players. They have something called as “PokerStars School” where its an online poker class with tips and strategies inorder to win poker tournaments.
Joining PokerStars/ Signing Up
To get started with PokerStars you need to sign up first. Signing up is pretty simple. There are two steps involved in while singing up. In the first step we have to provide the country we live in. Provide a valid email id. Provide an username which must be available inorder to use it. And then provide a Password to get started.
After providing with these details, you have check certain boxes. You have to confirm whether you’re over 18 years of age. In some cases they even ask you for your identity inorder to prove yourselves that your above 18. After checking all the boxes, you’ll be redirected to Real Money Account where you’ll have to enter your mobile number and have to verify it with OTP to proceed further. After this you’ll have to provide with your name and your birth date. With this you have completed the signing up process. It is pretty straight forward.
Deposit and Bonus in PokerStars
Once you sign up/Join PokerStars you’ll have to add money into your account. Without money you won’t be able to take part in any game or tournaments. There is no option to play poker on PokerStars for free or for fake money. If you’re looking to play poker for time pass without real money then this is not the site for you. There are plenty of other apps and sites where you can play poker for free. If you’re interested in having a look at those apps, then I have listed the top 10 apps to play poker for free in Android or IOS.
There are different options where one can make a deposit to your account. You can deposit the amount through Debit Card, Credit Card or through cash free. Recently they have added an option to make deposit through Paytm. You can find more details about the deposit by going through this page.
As I said there is no option to play poker for free, however you can get joining bonus for the first time you deposit a amount. You will get 100% of your deposit bonus by making your first ever real money deposit using the bonus code “STARS30000“. By using this code you’ll receive 100% bonus upto Rs. 30,000 or $400 depending on the amount you deposit.
However, there are certain conditions to get the entire amount though. You can know more about how it works from the website. Apart from this you can get a bonus of Rs 1500 or $20 using the code “FREE1500“. These are the only two bonuses you can get when you deposit the amount for the first time.
Total Players playing in PokerStars
On an average about 15,000 players play poker online each day on PokerStars. PokerStars put out a special notice on 2016 when the number of players joining PokerStars crossed 100 Million mark. So, there are a lot of players playing poker in PokerStars. You’ll definitely find players to play poker for real cash here 24/7.
You’ll definitely find challenging players to play against in PokerStars. So, I can guarantee you that you won’t feel bored by playing in PokerStars. However, due to its large player base, you might find some players who always try to ruin the gaming experience. But, this is common when playing poker online. Almost all the poker sites has these kind of players. So, if you find these kind of players you can always join another table.
Different poker varients to play in PokerStars
PokerStars offers a lot of different poker varients to choose and play. Each poker varients have their own table and stake. Some poker varients are popular than others like Texas Hold’em. Also, each of the different varients have their own reward system. I will list out some of the most popular poker varients that players prefer to play in PokerStars.
1. Texas Hold’em poker
Texas Hold’em is the most popular gamemode played in PokerStars. Almost 70% of the daily players come online to play this game-mode. So, you can find more numbers of players in this varient. There are four types of betting options available in this game-mode.
- Limit Texas Hold’em – In this betting mode you have a fixed predetermined amounts to bet. That is all the bets made for pre-flop and the post-flop and the raises are the same as the big blind amount. On the turn and the river the betting amout doubes the big blind. In Limit Hold’em, up to four bets are allowed per player during each betting round. This includes a (1) bet, (2) raise, (3) re-raise, and (4) cap (final raise).
- No-Limit Texas Hold’em – The minimum bet in No Limit Hold’em is the same as the size of the big blind, but players can always bet as much more as they want, up to all of their chips.
- Pot-Limit Texas Hold’em – The minimum bet in Pot Limit Hold’em is the same as the size of the big blind, but players can always bet up to the size of the pot.
- Mixed Texas Hold’em – In Mixed Hold’em, the game switches between rounds of Limit Hold’em and No Limit Hold’em.
2. Omaha Poker
Omaha Hold’em is another popular varient of poker. Even in this game-mode you have 3 types of betting options similar to Texas Hold’em. That is, you can play Pot-Limit, No-Limit or Fixed-Limit. The rules are also similar to the Texas Hold’em.
You’ll find enough players online to play this poker varient. However there might be waiting times for certain tables since most of the players prefer the Texas Hold’em varient. To learn more about Omaha, you are free to look at this article.
3. Seven Card Stud
Seven card stud is the third most popular poker vairent in PokerStars. Even though this is a popular varient you can’t expect a lot of people to be online when you’re playing. But still this is a fun varient to play and spend time.
If you are not familiar with the rules of the game, then you can go through this guide I put up. I have mentioned several tips which will help you win a Lot of hands in the long run.
These are some of the more popular poker varients in PokerStars. The other varients include Omaha Hi-Low, Stud Hih-Low, Razz and HORSE Poker. As you can see there are a lot of options for you to play from on PokerStars.
Tournaments available in PokerStars
There are different types of tournaments that PokerStars conduct on a daily or monthly basis. There are tournaments conducted daily known as the Daily Bigs. In this tournament you’re guaranteed to win certain amount depending on the entry amount you have paid. On Sunday’s there are big tournaments were the cash rewards are over $20,000. You can learn more about daily bigs from here.
Then there is Knockout Tournaments. These are special MTT and Sit & Go tournaments where the prize money is split, with a part going to the overall prize pool, and the other part distributed among players for each opponent they knock out. In these type of tournaments a cash bounty is placed on each players. If you are able defeat these players you will receive the players bounty. If you lose, then you loose the amount that is equal to your bounty. You can learn more about Knockout Tournaments from the PokerStars website.
These are the two popular types of tournament in PokerStars. Then there are many other types like Daily Turbo tournaments, Bounty Builders, Sunday Majors and MTT leader board. Apart from these there are really big tournaments that happen once a year and the cash bonus for those kinds of tournaments will be in Millions.
Overall, you will be satisfied with the tournaments and the cash bonus you receive for them. You won’t regret taking part in these tournaments and you’ll find some decent players to play and have fun with.
Gaming platform Software In PokerStars
The most important thing for a player playing online poker is the software or the gaming platform. An ideal software would be a gaming platform that is lag free, and is fair in terms of cards dealt to players. Most of the platform suffer from one or the other things. PokerStars is no different. It has its own flaws. But, when it comes to gaming software, it is one of the best one’s out there. Probably it ranks in the top 3 of all the online poker websites that is present.
You’ll find no difficulty in controlling the bids or performing other actions such as raise or fold. All the functionality of the gaming platform performs smoothly with out any issue. You don’t even need a fast internet for you to play the game. The game works flawlessly in a 4G speed environment or with speed >5Mbps.
The fairness of the game is super important in Poker since no one wants to end up getting cheated. In PokerStars the fairness of the game has a mixed opinion among the players. Some say that they don’t feel getting cheated and all the games held are fair. But, some say they end up getting cheated by the software.
Personally, for me majority of the times I felt the game is fair. Very few times that I felt I was cheated. But, that might be just badluck, which sucks if you end up losing a hand which you think you are guaranteed to win. So, overall I would say the game is pretty fair and is definitely worth trying for yourself. You can find all the latest software updates and features from their website.
Pros and Cons of PokerStars
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Cash Withdrawal in PokerStars
Withdrawing cash is pretty simple in PokerStars. You receive your funds via Direct Bank Transfer, i.e, your withdrawal is deposited directly into your bank account. You’ll need to submit your bank details and your identification verification has to take place before any withdrawal. You can find more information on their withdrawal policy page.
Summary
PokerStars, which has a good gaming software, an ok support team and a good overall player base is a no brainer for someone who is looking to play poker online for real cash. PokerStars with a variety of poker tournaments and good cash bonus is definitely worth trying. You even get joining bonus when you deposit money for the first time.
Overall, PokerStars is a clear winner when it comes to playing poker online and one of the best online poker site there is. There are plenty of negative reviews out there regarding PokerStars being not safe and is not fair when dealing hands. But, I didn’t face any of these issue when I played in PokerStars. So, if you are looking to play poker online, then you can go ahead and join PokerStars today and see for your self how the site performs. Trust me, you won’t be disappointed.
Hope my PokerStars review was useful in someway. As I mentioned earlier, this review was based on my personal experience and not from anyone else. Thank you for taking time in reading the article. Peace Out!
If you have any doubts regarding the topic, please leave a comment below. Also, make sure to check other poker related articles. Take Care.
FAQ Section
What is PokerStars?
PokerStars is an online website to play poker. It is very popular in India and is recognised through out the world.
Can you play poker with real money on PokerStars?
Yes, you can. This is only way you can play poker on PokerStars. There is no option to play poker for free. You have to deposit a certain amount to get started.
How good is the software of PokerStars gaming Platform?
PokerStars contains one of the best software out there to play poker. You can play poker with lag free and has a lot of features. You can say that when it comes down to software, PokerStars is in top 3 right now.
I am the owner of the site rohithebbar.com. I love playing poker and other card games.
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