PokerStars Network Review PokerStars and Full Tilt were once great innovators for online poker, introducing revolutionary concepts like Rush Poker (now called Zoom Poker). Almost immediately after purchasing the PokerStars Network, Amaya Gaming (now The Stars Group) starting introducing many unpopular changes. PokerStars Review. 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.
Our PokerStars Casino review features the latest bonus information – updated from December 2020 – plus the casino games, VIP program, payouts and more.
PokerStars is one of the world's leading poker sites that was founded back in 2001 by The Stars Group. Despite their poker focus, they decided to branch out with a dedicated PokerStars Casino.
We were sceptical about whether they could really become one of the better casino sites around. Initially, the Casino Professor team didn't think it was possible but after A LOT of hard work he's started to change his mind…
PokerStars Casino review talking points:
- NEW: Improved bonus for UK players from December 2020
- Different wagering structure
- Ever-improving list of games
- PayPal payments
- Multi-currency feature – no longer just $
- One of our current top 20 UK casinos
PokerStars Casino Bonus
The PokerStars Casino bonus for UK players is as follows:
- Deposit & Spend £10 and Get 50 Free Spins
- No wagering – all wins paid in cash!
To get this deal, you must sign up as a new player and verify your account. This is usually automatic but may require you to send ID documents (don't worry, this is a standard request of a licenced UK casino).
Then, you need to opt-in via the challenges window and deposit £10 or more. Once you've bet £10 on any slots, the 50 free spins will be credited in two batches of 25 (one immediately and another within 24 hours). Anything you win from these is paid in cash.
Bonus Terms & Wagering
New PokerStars Casino registered players only. Min. £10 deposit, debit card only. Opt-in 14 days from registration. 7-day Free Spins expiry. Free Spins valid on Tomb of Ra Classic Slot only. Any winnings credited as cash. Full T&Cs apply.T&C's apply
As with all casino bonuses, you should pay close attention to the terms and conditions. At the time of this PokerStars Casino review, above are the most significant terms.
To activate the offer, you need to opt-in via the Challenges Window. You can only deposit via debit card (£10 or more) – making this a card registration casino bonus – with the free spins then being given once you have bet £10 cumulatively on any slots. All this needs to happen within 14 days of your account being created.
However, the main takeaway is that any winnings are paid in cash! Asian card game casino. This is great because you don't need to worry about wagering requirements at all at this stage. Instead, you can just play on with the knowledge that anything you win is yours to keep.
PokerStars Casino Free Spins
At the time of this PokerStars Casino review, the free spins available are on the Tomb of Ra Classic slot.
PokerStars Casino Bonus Code 2021
N/A – Although a big user of bonus codes previously, from December 2020, there is no specific PokerStars Casino bonus code to use to unlock the above offer.
You just need to follow the instructions above.
Is PokerStars Rigged?
The big question before we actually analyse the casino site and its features: is PokerStars safe to play at?
We have seen plenty of negative PokerStars Casino reviews online. However, he was pleasantly surprised to find very few issues for casino with much of the criticism directed at the poker site.
Being part of the publically listed The Stars Group (TSGI:CN), PokerStars Casino have to stringently adhere to ground rules.
They have gaming licenses from many jurisdictions, including the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) and Malta Gaming Authority (MGA). Golden lion online casino. There are no recorded sanctions on their UKGC license.
If you have an issue with PokerStars Casino that can't be resolved with their customer support team then you can raise a dispute with IBAS for a final result.
Promotions for Existing Players
PokerStars Casino also have a separate Promotions webpage where they offer extra treats to their existing players.
There are plenty of options available which are constantly changing. But here are a few classics that are set in stone.
Stars Rewards VIP Program
One of the really great perks of playing at a casino with sports betting and poker is that you can combine your entertainment. That also happens with their VIP program too.
Fill up your progress bar by making real money bets and collect chests once you level up. These contain prizes which are tailored to what you like to play. J cole sideline story album sharebeast.
You can also receive boosts to fill your progress bar more rapidly and spend so-called StarsCoins in the Rewards store to add to your benefits.
Tournaments, Leaderboards & Challenges
Alternatively, you can go head-to-head against fellow players by competing in the many PokerStars tournaments.
Take Live Casino leaderboards as an example. No opt-in is needed, and you'll gain points as you win. The top competitors will walk away at the end of it with a cash prize.
Want a more private gaming session? PokerStars Casino run daily slot challenges for you to take part in. Missions such as 'play 25 spins on today's slot of choice' are dreamt up, usually culminating in raffles for bonuses.
Deposit Bonus for Existing Players
If you're after a good old deposit bonus as an existing player then there are plenty of options to cater for this:
- Random Casino Bonuses: Occasionally, you may just open your account to find a deposit bonus ready to activate.
- Social Media: PokerStars Casino are known to offer a deposit bonus for existing players across Facebook.
Bonus Code for Existing Players
You may also find that these promotions sometimes have a dedicated bonus code for current players. Of course, we can't give specific examples as PokerStars like to chop and change their offers from time-to-time.
However, if a bonus code for existing players does exist, it'll be made very clear in the offer's details so you don't miss out. Lucky fish slots.
Payments
Many payment methods are offered by this worldwide site.
The cashier is located in the navigation bar once you've logged into your account, and this will bring up the available options. Here are a few examples for PokerStars Casino UK:
- Cards (Visa/MasterCard/Maestro)
- Skrill/Neteller
- PayPal
- MuchBetter
- Paysafecard
- Boku
- PokerStars Top Up (via Paypoint or Payzone services)
The icing on the cake for us is that this is one of the few PayPal casinos due to the added convenience this offers.
PokerStars Withdrawal Time
The time it takes PokerStars Casino withdrawals to enter your account is usually between 3-5 business days.
When going to make a withdrawal, you can use either Visa card, MuchBetter, PayPal, Neteller, Skrill, or bank transfer. NOTE: withdrawals are automatically credited back to your deposit method (unless it's not available).
Multi-Currency
Although you will initially see all bonuses in dollars, you can add a secondary currency from within Cashier in your account if you'd prefer.
Select between GBP, EUR or CAD and state which one is your preferred choice.
PokerStars Casino will then attempt to use this money first, before converting to USD if needs be. If you don't add a secondary currency, your deposits will automatically be converted into USD. Don't worry, you'll be told exactly how much you'll get!
It sounds a little complicated but you'll soon get your head around it.
PokerStars Casino Games
When the casino of PokerStars first began, it was limited to just a few slots and providers. These days, there's a real army of developers on board – with hundreds of PokerStars Casino games to play!
You can see the complete list of PokerStars Casino game providers at the top of this review. Names such as NetEnt, Microgaming, Playtech, and Quickspin can be found.
If you like live-streaming action, there are a number of live casino tables for you to connect to. These feature roulette, blackjack, baccarat and variations of poker.
Poker (& Sport)
Although poker and sports aren't that important to us, we know many players are keen on them – so we felt our PokerStars Casino review should touch on them.
The poker site is one of the most popular of its kind across the globe with huge poker players as ambassadors. There are many different variants of poker and what seems like endless tables to join.
Sports betting falls under the BetStars site and includes both your classic and unorthodox sports. You can choose to bet before a game is played, or 'In-Play' whilst it's happening live.
Mobile Casino
PokerStars Casino is available on mobile devices.
You'll find all of the above features on smartphones and tablets – such as a vast number of games, Stars Rewards, promotions and payment methods.
Any up to date smartphone or tablet with a good web browser can be used to log in and play casino or bet on sports.
PokerStars App
You may also be able to download the PokerStars Casino app on both Apple and Android. The app is heavily promoted with prompts from your mobile browser.
We've found no real advantage of using the app over the web – for casino at least.
Poker players do require a separate app to be downloaded. But for slots, table games and the like then Chrome, Safari or another reputable browser will do the trick.
PokerStars Support
The help team at PokerStars Casino are on hand 24 hours a day to settle any issues.
If you think your problem will be common, the first point of call would be the FAQs section – which is particularly detailed!
If that doesn't rectify anything then use one of these options:
- Live Chat
- Online form
That last entry isn't just the usual Twitter account either. The @StarsSupport has been set up specifically to help players.
Unfortunately, there is no contact number at PokerStars at the moment.
Restricted Countries
PokerStars Casino is available for UK players. It's one of the top European online casinos that players can join.
However, unfortunately, there are a few other regions that cannot play here. Try signing up if you're interested and you should find out pretty quickly.
FAQ
PokerStars Casino Review by Casino Professor
Phew! There was a lot to get through but we really liked the casino version of PokerStars despite being unsure to begin with.
The games library is big and there are a lot of promotions plus a good VIP scheme to keep us busy.
However, we really liked the fact that the bonus has no wagering requirements! Rather than overcoming tricky terms like before, we could just play and win real cash straight away.
If you enjoy casino with other gambling then this could well be a great platform for you.
Remember to write your own PokerStars Casino review below!
Casino Professor Team
PokerStars is the largest online poker room in the world, is home to exciting features such loyalty rewards, mega tournaments, and great bonuses.
Don't forget to use your PokerStars Bonus Code to recieve your welcome bonusThe hottest features of PokerStars are Team PokerStars comprising some of the best professional poker players in the world, Poker Blog with interesting poker articles, PokerStars TV, and Poker School for beginners. It offers non-stop poker tournament action and a huge collection of cash games for fun/real money.PokerStars is the home of the Sunday Million, the largest weekly online poker tournament in the industry, and the European Poker Tour (EPT), a lucrative annual event. It is also a great place for poker players to qualify for prestigious live poker events such as the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure and the World Championship of Online Poker and PokerStars is licensed and regulated in the Isle of Man.
Sign Up Welcome Bonus
PokerStars welcomes new players with a 100 percent cash match bonus of up to $600 on their initial deposits, giving players a chance to fatten their poker bankrolls.
Besides, PokerStars offers reload bonuses throughout the year and players need to login regularly to their PokerStars account to grab these reload bonuses.
PokerStars used to offer a very small bonus of only $50 back in the past. But fortunately things have changed now and the moment you sign up for the first time you can take advantage of a bonus that can go up to $600 at 100% match up rate. This bonus is given for the first 3 deposits that you make during the first 90 days as a player. After that you will have 6 months available to earn the VPPs and have the bonus released into your PokerStars account. The bonus is released in $10 increments every time you earn 170 VPPs.
From time to time, PokerStars is also giving out some reload bonuses for the players that are already members of this poker room. Make sure that you keep an eye on the promotional e-mails that you get from PokerStars, since usually that's where they promote their bonuses.
Software, Games, and Tournaments
To get started, players only have to download the poker gaming software, which is both Mac poker and Windows compatible. The online poker room offers a rich portfolio of online poker variants such as Razz, Texas Hold'em, HORSE, 8-Game, Badugi, Omaha, Stud and others.
One of the biggest reasons why PokerStars is a great online poker venue for beginners is that it offers games for free. In fact, PokerStars has more free money tables than any other online poker room in the industry. All players need to do is register, download the poker gaming software, and search for the Play Money tables. If players are ready to play for real money, the blinds start from as low as $0.01/$0.01 and go as high as $1000/$2000, making PokerStars a great online poker room for beginners, recreational players, learners, seasoned players, as well as professional players.
Moreover, PokerStars runs on highly sophisticated software, which allows players to customize their gaming experience by choosing different themes, card designs, avatars, table size, table position, sound effects, and animations. Besides, players can avail of facilities to maintain notes on their opponents' gaming style, chat with poker buddies, request stats and history, and so on. The software also allows players to play in multiple time zones, currencies, and languages.
PokerStars is make continuous attempts to make its software better than ever, owing to which players are free to send their feedback to ideas@pokerstars.com.
PokerStars is home to some of the largest online poker tournaments in the industry and has qualifiers to world renowned tourneys. You can find qualifiers to the World Series of Poker (WSOP), the APPT or Asia Pacific Poker Tour, the European Poker Tour (EPT) and the Latin American Poker Tour (LPT). You can also try playing the regular poker events like the Sunday Million or the World Championship of Online Poker. There is also the Spring Championship of Online Poker to take into consideration.
Pokerstars Review
PokerStars Women : One of the most exciting things about PokerStars is the way it pampers its women players, giving them the opportunity to participate in the PokerStars Women Live, an event held at the world's best locations. Women players can travel, meet poker buddies, and play poker against talented professional poker players.
PokerStars also contains a separate section called PokerStars Women, where they can get the latest news and updates regarding PokerStars events and promotions meant for women only.
Online Tournaments
It's not a surprising fact that PokerStars currently holds one of the highest amounts of poker tournaments. Every day you get to find No Limit Texas Hold'em tournaments with buy ins that start from as little as $1 and go up to a couple of hundreds of dollars. There the guaranteed prizes at these tournaments range between $2k and go up to $80k.
However the largest tournament takes place on Sunday. It's called the Sunday Million and has a grand prize of $1,000,000 guaranteed every week. You can either choose to use satellites to win your ticket to this tournament or pay the direct buy-in for $215.
Sit and Go Tournaments
PokerStars has an excellent selection of Sit and Go poker tournaments. Once you are a member of this poker room you get to find SNG tournaments that will range from heads up to SNG tourneys that have up to 990 players. At the same time the buy ins at these tournaments start from as little as 1 or 2 cents and go up to a couple of thousands of dollars. There will be both single table and multi table Sit and Go tournaments.
The SNG selection that you can find at PokerStars is probably one of the largest in the world. The traffic you can find at any hour of the day is simply insane. In addition to all the regular games that you can normally find at a poker room, there are tons of special SNG tournaments like: Double or Nothing, or Steps.
Poker Stars Software
The online poker software and the graphics are just two more areas in which this poker room manages to excel. Even if the number of players during the peak hours reaches hundreds of thousands, everything still runs smoothly and bugs free.
The software has always been great and managed to offer a great poker experience. There are tons of customization options available so that you can create the poker tables the way you want to. The windows are resizable and they can be easily fitted on your screen to play at more than one table at the same time. In addition to that there are also tons of unique features available that can't be found anywhere else.
Games
The game variation available at PokerStars is definitely another strong point of this poker room. The moment you find yourself in the lobby of PokerStars you get the chance to notice that there are all the classic poker variations along with the draw and mixed games plus some exotic poker games that are less known to the public. The great thing about the PokerStars games is that you get to find plenty of players at all the games. This is happening thanks to the fact that the number of players is very high.
Players Traffic information
The number of players that you can find at PokerStars is still incredibly high. They are right now the largest online poker room on the planet and they keep on growing every day thanks to a worldwide marketing advertising campaign.
The online statistics are showing that during the peak hours you can find up to 20,000 players at the ring games and the tournaments hold up to 150,000 players. This means that you are about to find enough tables and tournaments at any hour of the day and night.
Competition
The competition is definitely one of the aspects of PokerStars that you should take into consideration before signing up. The moment you get to the higher limits the competition is going to get tough. In case you compare PokerStars with the industry average, here you are about to find some tighter games.
At the same time there are also many new players signing up every day and this makes sure that at least at the low buy ins tournaments and the micro and low stakes ring games there is still hope for a soft competition full of fish. There are always a very large number of poker tables and tournaments available and this means that you get the chance to always find a large variety of players.
Rakeback Information
While there is currently no rakeback deal available for PokerStars, you can still get a part of the rake paid back to your account with the help of the VIP loyalty program. This loyalty program can offer you a rakeback from 5% and up to 32%, based on what level you manage to reach.
VIP Club and Rewards for Loyalty
New poker players automatically become members of the PokerStars VIP Club right from the moment of registration. This is a point-based system, which rewards players with Frequent Player Points (FPP) for real money play. These points can later be exchanged for exciting items from the PokerStars VIP Store.
The VIP Club comprises tiers and players will be assigned a tier on the basis of the number of points they collect. Each tier is associated with attractive bonuses, rewards, and incentives, including free tickets to PokerStars events and bonus FPPs.
The highest loyalty level a player can achieve at PokerStars is the Supernova, which gives players full access to the PokerStars VIP store, larger FPP multipliers, free entries to quarterly VIP tournaments, milestone cash bonuses, and much more.
There is an excellent loyalty program available for you at PokerStars. All the players are entitled to be part of the PokerStars VIP Rewards. All real money players will be part automatically of the loyalty program and they get to win exclusive rewards including cash back, merchandise from the VIP Store (Consumer electronics, apparel, books, travel) and tickets to the VIP Tournaments.
In order to get rewarded you have to earn VIP Player Points and FPPs.
There are six different VIP levels available and based on the total amount of VPP that you manage to earn in the previous months. The name of the VIP Levels are: BronzeStar, SilverStar, GoldStar, PlatinumStar, Supernova and Supernova Elite. The online poker community is treating with respect all the players that have managed to reach Supernova Elite or at least Supernova VIP level.
Payment methods
Since PokerStars is the largest poker room in the world there will be plenty of payment methods available to make both deposits and withdrawals. You can always withdraw your winnings from PokerStars by using the following payment methods: Visa, Neteller, Skrill (also known as Moneybookers), ClickandBuy, WebMoney, check, couriered check, direct bank transfer.
The withdrawals are processed fast. This means that people that are using ewallets and echeck will have to wait around 48 hours to have their transactions processed, while checks and bank wires take up to 7 days to process.
Customer Support
PokerStars has an excellent 24/7 customer support system, which includes a comprehensive Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section.
If players cannot find answers to their queries in the FAQ, they can use the online contact form or email their queries to support@pokerstars.com for a quick response.
Is Pokerstars Safe To Download
While there is no live chat or phone support available, you can still get an answer to any question or problem that you might have pretty quick.
PokerStars' customer support service is available 24/7 and since they have more than 12 years of experience, they have managed to come close to perfection. This means that the staff will always be fast, friendly and very knowledgeable at the same time.
Positive:
- The most popular poker room in the world
- Tons of tournaments and cash games available 24/7
- Mac friendly software version
- Zoom Poker (poker variation similar to Rush Poker from FTP)
- Excellent software
- Great number of poker variations
- Good number of satellites for the major live poker events
- Rewarding welcome bonus and loyalty program
Negative:
- Customer support service available only via e-mail
- No US players
- Tough competition
- No Rakeback deals available
Conclusions
Pokerstars Complaints
There is absolutely no question about the fact that PokerStars is the largest room in the world thanks to the fact that they manage to get close to perfection. One of the main reasons why PokerStars manages to stand out of the crowd is because they are currently the best place to play poker tournaments. You can find plenty of them with soft competition and some good prize structure.
Even after taking the big hit in 2011 when they stopped accepting US players, PokerStars still manages to shine and be the number one poker room in the world.
