Pokerstars

• Website – www.pokerstars.com
• Welcome Bonus – up to $40 in free play + entry to the $100K Privilege Freerolls
• Bonus Code – FREE20
• Games – a huge selection of poker variations

PokerStars is the Internet’s premiere real money poker venue, with more active users than any other poker site. You can see how many punters are playing at any given time in the top left hand corner of the homepage, with the number usually teetering close to the 100,000 mark round the clock. While PokerStars is a great starting point for newbies, this is also the venue for serious players, with high stake tournaments attracting some of the biggest names in poker.

PokerStars welcome offers & promos

Although you won’t find the huge matched deposit bonuses that you may be used to from some other leading online casinos, PokerStars offer players a nice little chunk of coin to get the ball rolling. New players signing up an account will receive $20 for free when making a deposit of $20 or more by entering the promo code ‘FREE20’ when loading funds. This bonus will be credited to your account within 36 hours and ready to use on any game in the poker catalogue.

Players can also earn an additional $20 bonus when racking up at least 10 VPP points every week, with $5 of the bonus deposited on a weekly basis.

Upon making your first deposit of $20 or more you’ll also receive an instant entry ticket to the PokerStars $100K Privilege Freerolls, which gives you a chance to play in up to four tournaments a day for 31 days to compete for your share of $100,000.

PokerStars software download & free play casino

To enter games at PokerStars a download is required, which may have some players groaning in frustration, but you can rest assured that this free download is quick, easy and uses the ultimate in security to ensure your system remains free from any viruses or malware.

The download takes a few minutes, then all you need to do is accept the sites terms and conditions before signing up for your own PokerStars account. Accept the verification email and you’re all good to go, ready to dive into the range of games and tournaments with the chance to win some sweet cash and prizes.

This desktop software is among the best on the market and continuously received accolades and awards from the online gaming industry. It contains fully customisable themes, a super user friendly layout, a variety of languages and will take up minimal space on your hard drive.

PokerStars mobile app

If you’re one of the many players who prefer to play from the convenience of your smartphone or tablet, PokerStars has you covered. Their poker software is also fully optimised for use on Android and iOS devices and comes with some added benefits, like the Quick Seating features which allows you to join in your favourite game or tournament with the simple tap of the ‘play now’ button.

PokerStars also has a couple of additional apps for mobile users, including the PokerStars Clock app which assists players in organising the perfect poker game at home, helping determine tournament duration times, the size and lengths of blind bets, buy-ins, number of players and more.

The impressive PokerStars TV app steams live video of all the latest poker footage from around the world, including TV shows, famous clips from the biggest poker events, interview with world-class poker champions and direct streams from PokerStars Big Game, the European Poker Tour, PokerStars Caribbean Adventure and the Online Poker Show.

PokerStars games

As you may have already guessed, this site is all about poker, poker and more poker! If there’s a poker variant you’re looking for, you’re highly likely to find it here. This comprehensive site offers some of the lesser known poker games that you won’t find elsewhere at an Internet casino, giving online players the chance to branch out way beyond anything they can expect to find within the walls of a bricks and mortar casino.

Some of the poker games and tournaments you can expect to find at PokerStars, with details about the rules and gameplay of each, include:

• Texas Hold’em
• Omaha Hi/Lo
• Seven Card Stud
• Razz
• HORSE
• Courchevel
• Five Card Draw
• 2-7 Singe Draw and 2-7 Triple Draw
• Badugi

On top of the poker variants, Pokerstars now offers a range of online slot games so you can switch things up between poker hands.

PokerStars tournaments

On top of a kick-ass design, gigantic game catalogue and some of the industry’s best customer service, it’s the poker tournaments that are the biggest draw card to PokerStars. There are literally thousands of tournaments underway at any given time (to see just how many are happening at this moment, look at the top left hand corner of the home screen). Don’t worry if you’re not a seasoned player, there are plenty of options for beginners and less advanced players, while pros can try their hand for some serious dollars. Tournaments range from the most basic of sit-and-go tourneys to VIP tournaments boasting cash prizes well into the millions.

Major tournaments at PokerStars include: Sunday Billion, Sunday Million, Sunday Majors, Sunday Warmup, Saturday Line Up, the Hot Turbos, Omania, Daily Bigs, Women Sunday, Women’s Guaranteed, Play Money Masters and Spin & Go.

Secure real money payment options

Like all the casinos and poker sites you’ll find recommended by us, PokerStars uses the highest in SSL security encryption to ensure the personal and financial details of players is protected at all times. When making real money deposits to your PokerStars account, the only thing you need to worry about is how much you want to play with. Players have these options when it comes to making secure deposits at PokerStars:

• Credit Cards and Debit Cards – Visa and MasterCard
• Online bank transfer and local bank transfer
• Neteller
• Skrill
• Entropay
• Paysafecard
• Banking methods like cheques and wire transfers can be used for withdrawals only.

Customer support for online players

One thing for certain is you’ll never be left on the lurch at PokerStars. For starters, their FAQ and help section is by far one of the most extensive we’ve yet to see at an online gambling venue, with clear icons helping users to easily navigate through the help categories.

If you can’t find the answer there (which is unlikely), the PokerStars award winning customer service team is available 24/7 to assist with any queries. You can hit them up via email at [email protected] or by completing the Contact Support Form from the ‘help’ tab within the downloaded software.