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| PokerStars bills itself as a training ground for WSOP champions with good reason. The site offers the best multi-table tournaments (MTTs) on the net and runs regular satellites for many tour and televised events. The 2003 and 2004 WSOP champions (Moneymaker and Raymer) qualified on PokerStars; in 2005, 'Stars sent 1116 qualifiers to the WSOP (almost 20% of the field), over 100 of whom placed in the money. But it's more than abundance of ring games and tournaments which make this one of our favorite sites. PokerStars is committed to providing a first-rate playing experience, and it shows. The superb software is fast and reliable with all the features you need, and the customer support was the most friendly, responsive and knowledgeable of any site we reviewed. There's no sign-up bonus, but we still have to recommend 'Stars as a must-play site for serious and recreational players. |
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| Note: traffic estimates are observed data circa Jan 06 unless otherwise noted |
| Ring Games |
| |
# of players |
% of total |
| Limit |
2 500 |
35% |
| No limit (NL) |
3 700 |
52% |
| Other |
0 |
850 |
12% |
| |
full |
s/h |
| Table size |
10 (Lim), 9 (NL) |
6 |
| Approximate mix (%) |
60% |
40% |
| Activity - Limit |
tables |
players |
| 2c/4c |
33 |
237 |
| 5c/10c |
34 |
229 |
| 10c/20c |
20 |
159 |
| 25c/50c |
32 |
264 |
| 50c/$1 |
43 |
258 |
| $1/$2 |
45 |
291 |
| $2/$4 |
35 |
179 |
| $3/$6 |
27 |
158 |
| $5/$10 |
21 |
139 |
| $10/$20 |
10 |
45 |
| $15/$30 |
7 |
30 |
| $30/$60 |
8 |
45 |
| $100/$200 |
3 |
5 |
| Activity - No Limit |
tables |
players |
| 1c/2c |
101 |
589 |
| 5c/10c |
105 |
550 |
| 10c/25c |
107 |
643 |
| 25c/50c |
98 |
660 |
| 50c/$1 |
88 |
500 |
| $1/$2 |
70 |
438 |
| $2/$4 |
29 |
155 |
| $3/$6 |
10 |
50 |
| $5/$10 |
10 |
65 |
| $10/$20 |
7 |
30 |
| Lobby view |
Flop % |
yes |
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| Avg pot |
yes |
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| Hands/Hr |
yes |
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| Real-time HH? |
yes |
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| HH stored on computer? |
yes |
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| Mucked hands in HH? |
yes |
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| Player notes? |
yes |
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| Session stats at table? |
yes |
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| Tournaments |
| |
# of players |
| Multi-table tournaments (MTTs) |
15 000 |
| Big weekly MTT |
Add to Calendar |
| |
Buy-in |
$200 + $15 |
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| Entrants |
5700 |
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| Prize pool |
$1,000,000+ |
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| Overlay? |
no |
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| Day/time (EST) |
Sun 4:30 PM EST |
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| Big daily MTT |
Add to Calendar |
| |
Buy-in |
$150 + $12 |
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| Entrants |
480 |
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| Prize pool |
$72,000 |
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| Time (EST) |
9:10 PM EST |
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| |
# of players |
| Sit n Gos (SnGs) |
4 500 |
| |
full |
s/h |
| Table size (SnGs) |
9 |
6 |
| Approx mix (%) |
80% |
20% |
| Range of buy-ins |
$5 to $1000 |
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| Time to seat |
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| $3 + 40c |
<1 min |
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| $5 + 50c |
<1 min |
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| $6 + 50c |
<1 min |
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| $6 + 50c |
<1 min |
|
| $10 + $1 |
<1 min |
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| $10 + $1 |
<1 min |
|
| $12 + $1 |
<1 min |
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| $12 + $1 |
<1 min |
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| $15 + $1 |
<1 min |
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| $15 + $1 |
<1 min |
|
| $20 + $2 |
<1 min |
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| $20 + $2 |
<3 min |
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| $25 + $2 |
<1 min |
|
| $25 + $2 |
<1 min |
|
| $30 + $3 |
<4 min |
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| $30 + $3 |
<3 min |
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| $35 + $3 |
<4 min |
|
| $35 + $3 |
<5 min |
|
| $50 + $5 |
<4 min |
|
| $50 + $5 |
<5 min |
|
| $55 + $5 |
<4 min |
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| $55 + $5 |
<3 min |
|
| $100 + $ 9 |
<7 min |
|
| $100 + $9 |
<10 min |
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| $105 + $9 |
<7 min |
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| $105 + $9 |
10+ min |
|
| $110 + $9 |
<7 min |
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| $200 + $15 |
10+ min |
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| $200 + $15 |
10+ min |
|
| $210 + $15 |
<7 min |
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| $210 + $15 |
10+ min |
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| $300 + $20 |
20+ min |
|
| $300 + $20 |
10+ min |
|
| $500 + $30 |
10+ min |
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| $500 + $30 |
20+ min |
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| $525 + $30 |
10+ min |
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| $1000 + $50 |
20+ min |
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| Blinds increase every? |
| |
Regular |
10 minutes |
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| Turbo |
6 minutes |
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| Other |
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| Link to blind structure page |
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Link |
| Hourly NL tournaments? |
yes |
$1 to $150
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| WPT/WSOP satellites? |
yes |
| Tournament listing |
Link
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| Max tables at once (ring) |
unlimited |
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| Max tables at once (tournaments) |
unlimited |
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| Ring game play clears bonus? |
yes |
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| When PokerStars offers a reload bonus, it typically clears at a bonus rate of 5-7x the number of raked hands. |
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| Tournament play clears bonus? |
yes |
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| Your tournament play counts toward reload bonuses when they're offered. Typically, 100% of tournament rake is refunded while clearing bonuses. |
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| Miscellaneous |
Match |
Max |
| Deposit bonus |
100% |
50 |
| Reload bonus (NA) |
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| Minimum deposit (NETeller) |
$25 |
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| Minimum cashout |
$1 |
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| Customer support |
NETeller cashout |
immediate; best we've seen |
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Response to email |
<1 hr |
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| Accurancy of responses |
100% |
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| Endorsed by |
Affiliated Sites |
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- The abundance of high quality MTTs with comprehensive lobby info
- The superb software and customer support
- Relatively low deposit minimums ($25 via NETeller)
- Unlimited tabling; open as many as you'd like
- The best hand history feature out there--complete, easy to access and use |
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- No sign-up bonus even for 1st-timers
- Players can select their own "image"; pets, kids, heads, cartoons and logos are everywhere
- Lots of "pros" and "know it alls" on the site
- That ugly faux parchment background |
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Why you should play the site
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- Excellent software and support; nothing frustrating here except the beats
- Tournaments, tournaments and more tournaments all day, everyday
- Tons of no limit and limit games; if you can't find it, you shouldn't be playing it
- Ongoing satellites to major TV events; the road to the WSOP goes through PokerStars
- Superb VIP program with stuff you would actually use and wear |
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- Flop%s are visible from the lobby aiding game selection
- You can play as many tables as you'd like at once
- There's a ton of no limit and limit action
- The real-time HHs are first-rate
- PokerStars is PokerTracker compatible |
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For the tournament player
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- There's a great selection of multi-table tournaments at a wide range of buy-ins
- The blind structure in the regular SnGs favors skilled players
- 'Stars allows you to make deals, even in SnGs
- There's a wide selection of satellites to tour and televised events
- Competition in the satellites to MTTs tends to be weak |
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- Your frequent player points (FPPs) can be used in a number of freeroll and satellite MTTS
- PokerStars rake is lower than that of its peers
- The blind structure in 'Stars regular SnGs allows a lot of play time for your money
- 'Stars offers "Deep Stack" tournaments with 5000 chips and 30 minute level time |
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- The Deep Stack tournaments last 12+ hours; make sure your calendar's clear
- Invest in PokerTracker if you're going to play the site regularly; PT automatically reads PokerStars HHs and gives you excellent data on your and your opponents' play [link]
- Cashout via NETeller; it's almost instantaneous |
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| Activity - Limit |
Avg # of tables |
Avg # of players |
Comments |
| 2c/4c |
33 |
237 |
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| 5c/10c |
34 |
229 |
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| 10c/20c |
20 |
159 |
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| 25c/50c |
32 |
264 |
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| 50c/$1 |
43 |
258 |
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| $1/$2 |
45 |
291 |
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| $2/$4 |
35 |
179 |
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| $3/$6 |
27 |
158 |
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| $5/$10 |
21 |
139 |
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| $10/$20 |
10 |
45 |
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| $15/$30 |
7 |
30 |
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| $30/$60 |
8 |
45 |
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| $100/$200 |
3 |
5 |
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| Activity - NL |
Avg # of tables |
Avg # of players |
Comments |
| 1c/2c |
101 |
589 |
70% s/h |
| 5c/10c |
105 |
550 |
70% s/h |
| 10c/25c |
107 |
643 |
70% s/h |
| 25c/50c |
98 |
660 |
60% s/h |
| 50c/$1 |
88 |
500 |
60% s/h |
| $1/$2 |
70 |
438 |
60% s/h |
| $2/$4 |
29 |
155 |
40% s/h |
| $3/$6 |
10 |
50 |
20% s/h |
| $5/$10 |
10 |
65 |
20% s/h |
| $10/$20 |
7 |
30 |
20% s/h |
| Link to our complete compilation of action by size of game |
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| Big daily MTT |
Add to Calendar |
| |
Buy-in |
$150 + $12 |
| Entrants |
480 |
| Prize pool |
$72,000 |
| Time (EST) |
21:10 |
| Big weekly MTT |
Add to Calendar |
| |
Buy-in |
$200 + $15 |
| Entrants |
5700 |
| Prize pool |
$1,000,000+ |
| Day/Time (EST) |
Sun/16:30 |
| Hourly NL tournaments? |
yes |
$1 to $150
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Sit n Gos (active tables)
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| Game |
Avg # of tables |
Time to seat |
Comments |
| $3 + 40c |
187 |
<1 min |
turbo |
| $5 + 50c |
188 |
<1 min |
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| $6 + 50c |
96 |
<1 min |
turbo |
| $6 + 50c |
96 |
<1 min |
Turbo |
| $10 + $1 |
92 |
<1 min |
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| $10 + $1 |
92 |
<1 min |
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| $12 + $1 |
66 |
<1 min |
s/h |
| $12 + $1 |
66 |
<1 min |
S/H |
| $15 + $1 |
53 |
<1 min |
turbo |
| $15 + $1 |
53 |
<1 min |
Turbo |
| $20 + $2 |
46 |
<1 min |
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| $20 + $2 |
46 |
<3 min |
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| $25 + $2 |
34 |
<1 min |
Turbo |
| $25 + $2 |
34 |
<1 min |
turbo |
| $30 + $3 |
25 |
<4 min |
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| $30 + $3 |
25 |
<3 min |
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| $35 + $3 |
30 |
<4 min |
S/H |
| $35 + $3 |
30 |
<5 min |
s/h |
| $50 + $5 |
17 |
<4 min |
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| $50 + $5 |
17 |
<5 min |
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| $55 + $5 |
18 |
<4 min |
Turbo |
| $55 + $5 |
18 |
<3 min |
turbo |
| $100 + $ 9 |
4 |
<7 min |
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| $100 + $9 |
4 |
<10 min |
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| $105 + $9 |
9 |
<7 min |
Turbo |
| $105 + $9 |
9 |
10+ min |
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| $110 + $9 |
4 |
<7 min |
S/H |
| $200 + $15 |
2 |
10+ min |
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| $200 + $15 |
6 |
10+ min |
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| $210 + $15 |
4 |
<7 min |
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| $210 + $15 |
4 |
10+ min |
turbo |
| $300 + $20 |
2 |
20+ min |
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| $300 + $20 |
2 |
10+ min |
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| $500 + $30 |
1 |
10+ min |
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| $500 + $30 |
1 |
20+ min |
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| $525 + $30 |
4 |
10+ min |
turbo |
| $1000 + $50 |
1 |
20+ min |
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| Link to blind structure |
Link to site's tournament listing |
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| We think PokerStars software is among the best in the industry. The lobby includes all the info you need for good game selection (flop%s, avg pot, hands/hr, etc.) and the table includes all the features you need to play your best--pot and bet amounts visible, r/t hand histories, table specific stats, player notes--and no gimmicky features. We'd prefer it if players couldn't post an image of their eye, kid, dog, team logo, etc., but thankfully, you can turn the images off from the lobby. The menagerie aside, the table and card graphics are excellent. Betting buttons are large and intuitive, it's easy to see if you have player notes, and the session stats are accurate. PokerTracker supports PokerStars hand histories (both ring and tournaments). Note: recent software updates have added the ability to select your table background and seat position and the ability to resize your tables. |
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| PokerStars hand histories are stored on your hard drive and are available for real-time review from the table. The hand histories are clear and easy to follow, and the viewer is the best we've seen. PokerTracker supports both ring games and tournaments from PokerStars without an add-on. |
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| Players |
yes |
| Avg pot |
yes |
| Flop% |
yes |
| Wait list |
yes |
| Hands/hr |
yes |
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| Session stats |
yes |
| Player notes |
yes |
| Bet amounts |
yes |
| Pot amounts |
yes |
| Max tables (ring) |
unlimited |
| Max tables (trnys) |
unlimited |
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| Choose own image |
yes |
| Visible profile |
no |
| Player search |
yes |
| Transfer money to player |
yes |
| Private tables |
no |
| Private trnys |
yes |
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If you play this site we would love to hear your experiences.
Please click here.
You can also enter a trip report to share a story about a poker session at this site.
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