PokerStars

The PokerStars brand is synonymous with the world of online poker, be it online or in land based venues. Having launched in late 2001, PokerStars has risen to the top of the online gaming industry, creating a brand that is trusted by millions of people around the world. PokerStars specializes in quality cash games, tournaments, special events and more, as well as being a mega giant in the live tournament scene.

At PokerStars, players will find more tournament and gaming options than any other online poker site, with access to secure deposit options and quick cashouts, along with top quality support offered 24/7. From a host of poker variants, the largest online tournament series in the world and unique promotions, an online poker player can easily enjoy being a member of the PokerStars community. 

PokerStars Deposit Bonus

When you become a new member of PokerStars, you will find the site is not lacking when it comes to poker bonus opportunities. To begin, new players can take advantage of $30 extra free play when depositing $20 or more. By using the bonus code THIRTY, players will be able to earn free play tickets for Spin & Go’s at PokerStars with a total value of $30.

The FREE $30 breaks down like this:

Day #               Daily Reward                             Reward Benefit

Day 1        5 x $1 Spin & Go Tickets           5 chances to win up to $10,000
Day 2        5 x $1 Spin & Go Tickets          5 chances to win up to $10,000
Day 3        5 x $1 Spin & Go Tickets          5 chances to win up to $10,000
Day 4        $5 Cash Bonus                             Try any games of your choice
Day 5        5 x $1 Spin & Go                    Tickets 5 chances to win up to $10,000
Day 6        $5 Cash Bonus                               Try any games of your choice

The next section will cover the “standard” PokerStars deposit bonus, which is remarkably simple to clear and is one of the best in the poker industry today. Read on for more info on bonuses, game selection, table stakes, security and a whole lot more about the #1 online poker site in the world.

Standard $600 Bonus for New Players

You also have the option of earning as much as $600 in cash back by taking advantage of their 100% First Deposit Bonus.

Deposit up to $600 and earn 100% back with the bonus code STARS600.

To be able to claim the full value, you have the option to make up to three qualifying deposits in the 60 day time frame. Once you have made the deposit, you will need to earn VIP Player Points. Play real money games to earn VPPs and for every 200 VPPs you earn, your Stars Account will be credited $10 in bonus cash.

These are just a small sampling of the bonus opportunities you will find at PokerStars, as they offer all types of bonuses and reloads for customers all the time. You simply have to check the site or the cashier when you log in or be on the lookout for email offers as well from their marketing department.

PokerStars VIP Program

When it comes to VIP programs, PokerStars offers one of the best in the industry. Once you register for a player account, complete Steps by competing in the poker games you love to earn StarsCoin. The StarsCoin can be spent in the VIP Store. As you complete Steps and earn StarsCoin, you will also be earning your VIP status level. The program includes the following levels:

• Bronzestar
• Chromestar
• Silverstar
• Goldstar
• Platinum Star
• Supernova

With every reward level, you will have access to VIP Rebates and Rewards and VIP Tournaments. Get busy playing to start completing Steps and earning StarsCoin so you can move up the VIP ladder, earning more as you go.

Cash Game Selection

When it comes to cash games, PokerStars offers a long list of poker variants. The standard Texas Hold’em and Omaha are on offer along with Razz, HORSE and other favorites. Stakes range from low and mid to high, offering players of every bankroll a chance to compete.

Novice players to pros will find a huge selection in almost ANY range, from micro-stakes at $.01/$.02 all the way to $2,000/$4,000 and above, depending on the game type and the day of the week. The bigger games tend to run on the weekend when a lot of the pros and sponsored players from Stars hop online.

Poker Games available include:

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

Use the free poker school for a refresher on games you have played in the past or to learn how to play new poker variants.

Tournaments

Tournaments start every second at PokerStars so you will find no lackluster options in this area of the poker room. Choose from your favorite poker variant, format or specific buy-in by using the search features in the tournament section of the gaming software. There are literally tournaments running 24/7/365 here, from as little as a couple cents all the way up to $215, $500 and $1k+ easily. Sit and Go’s also run in stakes these high at ALL times of the day and night.

The popular Spin & Go is a good choice for players in the tournament section as it offers affordable buy-ins and a winner take all approach. The Spin & Go are an SNG 3-Max Hyper-Turbo tournament where each player is given a 500 chip stack. Buy-ins range from $0.25 to $100 and players have the ability to earn 10,000 times the buy-in during game play.

Take part in the Beat The Clock events, Sunday Million, Sunday Storm, The Daily Bigs and more, just by logging on to PokerStars. There are tournament options for everyone with many factors to narrow down your choices.

Security

Security plays a major role in the online poker world. Players want to be sure that their personal information as well as banking details remain private. At PokerStars, players do not have to worry about their safety of personal details. The communications between client software and servers are encrypted. A great deal of time was spent on designing the PokerStars security system and policies so that players could feel at ease.

Built-in features are included within the software to ensure game play is fair and secure. PokerStars has their own Certificate Authority to authenticate the servers as well as follows the TLS protocol. No private data is transferred to other players or can be access in any situation.

Over the past year, additional measures have been taken to ensure the site is beneficial to the recreational player rather than cater to the more career-oriented poker gamer. Players who are in search of a quality online poker site that offers the best in cash gaming, tournament options, promotions, security and more should look no further than the PokerStars brand.

Quick History About PokerStars

PokerStars was first introduced to the online poker world in September 2001 when their play money site launched in beta form. By December, the site was offering real money game play. Operated by The Rational Group at the time, the brand quickly rose to the top by offering players exactly what they wanted access to. The brand would operate in Costa Rica for some time until moving to the Isle of Man in 2005. The online poker site would be granted an online gaming license by the Isle of Man Department of Home Affairs based on the Gambling Regulation Act from 2001.

It would be during this time that online poker would become quite popular, particularly due to Chris Moneymaker earning his way to the World Series of Poker Main Event via an online satellite via PokerStars. With Moneymaker outlasting the large field of competitors and earning a $2.5 million win, everyone thought they could be like him and the big poker boom was born.

Players would become so interested in the game of poker that PokerStars actually saw a huge increase in traffic. Players would hit the tables in record numbers, especially during the WSOP qualifying rounds, in the hopes of being the next Moneymaker.

However, problems would emerge in 2006 when the UIGEA was introduced in the United States, making financial institutions unable to process transactions for residents of the US in regards to online gambling. Because of this new regulation, many sites would leave the US, but PokerStars stayed.

By 2011, PokerStars was shut down in the US by the government along with other online poker sites. The site remained opened to other regions but players in the US were left without game play options. An agreement was reached with the Department of Justice on the matter and players were able to regain access to their accounts for funds withdrawals.

By 2012, PokerStars purchased their former competitor Full Tilt Poker in a $731 million deal to settle a civil lawsuit with the DOJ. PokerStars was given the FTP assets and by 2014, the Rational Group would be purchased by Amaya Gaming, for a sum of $4.9 billion.

The deal with Amaya Gaming changed everything. PokerStars had been trying to get back into the United States as online gaming was in the mix once again after the DOJ decided to reinterpret the Wire Act of 1961. After being acquired by Amaya Gaming, PokerStars was finally given approval for licensing and now operates in New Jersey.

All the while, PokerStars has continue to offer quality gaming for players located outside the United States and remains a trusted name in poker to this day.

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