Poker Stars outshines its competition through its impressive site traffic, outstanding game selection and impressive number of active players, as well as its second to none customer service and online security.
Site recognition & demand:
Poker Stars has reached its no.1 online presence through its aggressive advertising initiatives such as celebrity sponsorship, television commercials and internationally based poker tournaments. The site average of 20,000 real money players, grows dramatically over the peak weekend periods. Gaming choice every day and night is limitless with anything from No Limit Hold’em, Badugi, 8-Game mixed game to Sit N’ Go or Multi-Table tournaments.
Site security:
Poker Stars is proud to have a strong anti-fraud policy and is eager to investigate all customer issues regarding suspicious play, as well as continuously updating their security software whilst ensuring that it is frequently verified via two, large third party consulting firms (Cigital and BMM International). This, together with a detailed description regarding their random number generator which can be found on their website, ensures that Poker Stars is one of the safest gaming sites online today.
Player competition:
Soft games, though still plenty to choose from at the micro-stakes are becoming increasingly harder to find due to the ever growing number of professional players participating in them as the stakes increase. Low $1/$2 stakes are gradually proving to be firm favorites even with the big boys. With Poker Stars’ frequent tournament schedule and renowned reputation, the higher buy-in tournaments such as the $100 re-buy, are often made up of almost entirely professional players. It’s not all pro game though, Poker Stars marquee tournaments such as the ‘Sunday Million’ and ‘Sunday $200 Grand’ are still hugely popular and made up almost entirely of recreational players.
Site Software:
Always evolving with the latest features, Poker Stars is fully customisable to its players. Choose from downloadable themes, intricate filtering systems targeting a player’s specific buy-ins and game types and an all new search engine allowing for a simultaneous, multi-person search and track method, Photos can also be uploaded to serve as a player’s avatar and the all new ‘Replay’ button allows players to replay and watch their last played hand in one easy click.
The server still appears sluggish during heavy traffic days such as Sundays but overall, it’s powerful and dependable.
Customer Support:
Email support is the only means of contact however enquiries are quickly attended to. For problems in need of immediate attention, such as table disputes, numerous moderators are on hand 24/7 to tackle issues such as these. Customer feedback is very important to them, as a result Poker Stars offers registered players the ability to try out and test their latest software and games in return for play money.
Company Ethics:
Poker Stars is proud to be not only the biggest site online but the one with the finest reputation. Celebrity endorsements from pros such as Barry Greenstein, Daniel Negreanu and Greg Raymer confirm Poker Stars as an industry leader in its strong integrity and customer service.
Site Promotions:
Perhaps due to its large customer base, Poker Stars offers less in the way of perks and bonuses as other competing sites. Their rewards program, though strong, requires considerable monthly play time to qualify for the higher VIP levels. Their famous Supernova Elite status is available only to their full time, high stake players, whilst their easily accessible Frequent Player Points can be conveniently redeemed for either cash or gifts from the in-house store but these require several thousand points before being eligible for the more luxury products. Various satellites are available to the numerous Poker Stars tours. Large multi-table tournament satellites can be found online together with the celebrated Sit N’ Go steps where a player gain’s entrance to events via playing through a chain of single table tournaments.
Overall Review:
An industry leader, PokerStars’ software, game variety, customer care and security features are outstanding. It’s largest weakness is the challenging competition present at the mid and high stake levels, but aside from this, this site never fails to present fresh and cutting edge ways to entice their customers. Poker Stars looks set on becoming stronger and stronger in the online gaming world.
