Poker Stars is one of the largest online poker rooms to date. Poker Stars claims to qualify more players for WSOP Satellites, EPT and WPT than any other online poker room, plus exclusive signature events like Poker Star's World Championship of Online Poker and World Cup of Poker. Players find all of their favorite ring games and tournaments, plus tricks and tips to become a serious poker pro.

Poker Stars supplies their own software, which is fully functional and quite fast, with very little downtime is experienced. Lobby statistics show common features like average pot size, viewed-flop percentage and hands per hour. Players may upload a personal image/avatar and customize sound options. Other features include player notes, chat, instant hand history and multiple table stack. The graphical interface is attractive and smooth with an elegant, classic feel.

Game variety includes Texas Hold'Em, Omaha and Omaha Hi/Lo, 7 Card Stud and 7 Card Stud Hi/Lo, Razz, HORSE, 5 Card Draw and 2-7 Triple Draw. Limits are available is Fixed-Limit, No-Limit and Pot-Limit. Fixed-Limit stakes range from $0.02/$0.04 to $100/$200. No-Limit and Pot-Limit stakes range from $0.01/$0.02 to $10/$20.

Rake percentage is relatively high in lower stakes games, averaging 20% max. Higher stakes games collect a rake of 10% max - comparably lower, though still above industry standard. Fixed Limit games up to $0.10/$0.20 take a maximum rake equal to the big blind, or $0.01 for every $0.20 in the pot. $200/$400 games with 2-3 players take a rake of $1 for every $100 in the pot, max $2 - 4-10 players take a rake of $1 for every $100, max $5.

Daily Tournaments are constantly on-going with typically low buy-ins, staring at $0.10 and ranging up to $300. Tournaments include Freerolls, Satellites, Shoot-outs, Turbo Tournaments and Sit-n-Gos with Multi-table, Two-table, Single-table and Heads-Up action. Collect FPP (Frequent Player Points) to enter Daily Satellite Tournaments awarding entry into Sunday $1,000,000 Guaranteed Poker Tournaments. FPP also make it affordable to enter satellites and qualifiers to the WSOP, EPT and WPT.

Freerolls happen 3 times a day with $250 prize pools. Players need 10 FPP to enter. Daily Freeroll winners are entered into the $1,000 Weekly Round 2 Championship. A $50,000 and $20,000 Freeroll is offered each Saturday, and on the last Saturday of every month, a $100,000 Monthly Freeroll.

Loose competition can always be found, due to the extensive player volume at Poker Stars. Tournaments start with very loose play, but competition can get very tight near the final rounds. At lower limits, skilled players can find easy pickings at most games. The viewed-flop percentage is around 40-50%.

Great promotions are offered on a regular basis at Poker Stars. Players can win a seat to the 2007 WSOP for as little as $2 buy-in. A $1,000,000 Guaranteed Tournament is presented every Sunday, the longest running, largest weekly tournament anywhere. Players find an extremely generous loyalty program that accumulates Frequent Player Points (FPP) for games played, which can be used for tournament entry, cool merchandise and more.

The Sign-Up Bonus awards a 100% matching bonus up to $50 on a new players first deposit at Poker Stars. To receive the bonus, new players must enter the promotional code “first2007”. The player then has 6 months to accumulate enough FPP to release the bonus. 10 FPP = $1 of the bonus amount. FPP is earned by participating in raked hands, with the amount of points determined by the number of players, limit and rake taken. FPP is also earned at a rate of 5 points for every $1 paid in tournament fees. The highest amount of FPP needed to release the bonus is 500 FPP (for $50 bonus), which is very easy to acquire in 6 months.

Deposit/Withdraw methods offer plenty of options. Deposit methods include Visa, MasterCard, Visa Delta, Visa Electron, Diners Club International, Switch, Maestro, Solo, NETeller, MoneyBookers, ePassporte, PaySafeCard, ELV, Instant eChecks, Cashier Check, Money Order, Bank Draft, Bank Wire and Online Bank Transfer. Withdraws are generally processed in the same manner as deposits, with options including Visa, Switch, Maestro, Solo, NETeller, ePassporte, Instant eChecks and MoneyBookers. Withdraws can also be made by Check, available in 8 different currencies to help players avoid currency conversion deposit fees by their bank.

The dedicated customer support team at Poker Stars is very friendly and fast to respond with knowledgeable assistance to all inquiries. Support is only offered through e-mail, but the quick, reliable service makes up for this inconvenience. The FAQ page on the Poker Stars web site is very detailed and extremely helpful in answering most questions.

Poker Stars has been around since 2001, building a strong reputation for excellency in all aspects of their online poker room. They have acquired one of the largest player bases, giving them the financial security players are looking for in an online poker room. Security is of utmost importance, implementing the most stringent security and data encryption technologies available to ensure the absolute protection of all player information. RNGs and random shuffling is tested and certified by Cigital and BMM International, assuring game fairness. Poker Stars is fully licensed and in compliance with the Kahnawake Gaming Commission.