About PokerStars
PokerStars has been in business since 2001, making it one of the longest-running online poker sites in the world. Since its creation, PokerStars has grown exponentially and is now by far the market-leader in the online poker industry.
In addition to the busiest and widest variety of cash games, PokerStars is the home to the biggest weekly online poker tournament – the Sunday Million – and hosts massive online festivals such as the Spring Championship Of Online Poker (SCOOP), MicroMillions, Turbo Series and the daddy of them all, the World Championship Of Online Poker (WCOOP).
After the collapse of the old Full Tilt Poker, PokerStars stepped in and acquired Full Tilt Poker’s assets for $731 million, which allowed Full Tilt Poker’s customers to be repaid. This happened in June 2012 and two years later, in 2014, Amaya Gaming acquired both PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker in a $4.9 billion deal.
In 2016, Full Tilt completed its migration to PokerStars, and in 2021 the brand and software was officially retired.
In October 2019, Flutter Entertainment and The Stars Group merged to form an online gambling company valued at more than $13 billion.
Poker Games Offered at PokerStars
PokerStars spreads a wide variety of cash games and tournaments. In fact, it's probably the best online poker room to play at if you're looking for choice of games to play. As well as plenty of tables available for playing standard NLH or PLO, they have a range of other poker game types that aren't so mainstream and many players won't be too familiar with. Games like Badugi, 5-Card Omaha and are nowhere near as popular as Hold'em, but offer exciting and alternative gameplay.
Here's a full list of the different poker variations available to play on PokerStars:
- Texas Hold’em
- Omaha and Omaha Hi/Lo
- Omaha Hi/Lo
- Five Card Omaha and 5 Card Omaha Hi/Lo
- Five Card Draw
- Seven Card Stud and Stud Hi/lo
- Razz
- Single Draw Lowball 2-7
- Triple Draw Lowball 2-7
- 8-Game Mix
- Courchevel and Courchevel Hi/Lo
- H.O.R.S.E
- Badugi
- Fast fold variants of Hold’em and Omaha
As mentioned previously, PokerStars is the home to the WCOOP, SCOOP, MicroMillions and weekly tournaments such as the Sunday Million. You can also qualify for major live events with PokerStars including the European Poker Tour (EPT), Brazilian Series of Poker (BSOP) and even the PokerStars Players Championship (PSPC)
Play Online Poker with Friends with PokerStars Home Games
PokerStars allows you to create private cash games and tournaments via the Home Games feature. This special facility is provided so you can play against friends, create leagues and clubs all through the excellent PokerStars software.
Home Games is perfect for those of you who want to play against your friends and only your friends, but never seem to be able to get together in person. That and for members of poker clubs and forums who want to battle it out at the virtual felt against their own members without having to find a public table.
Play Zoom Poker on PokerStars
Zoom Poker is PokerStars' offering to the "fast-fold" craze: an exciting and exhilarating way to play online poker. Check out this introduction to Zoom Poker with PokerStars Ambassador Felix Schneiders!
The rules are the same as those of a standard poker game, but you can be dealt up to 300 hands per hour on each table you sit at! How is this possible? Easy, because instead of being seated at a single table with the same opponents and stay at the same table until you leave (like it would happen in a "normal" game) you are entered into a pool of players.
Which means that when you fold, you are whisked away and placed at a new table with new opponents and a new hand is dealt straight away.
You can even fold before the action gets to you, so if you are dealt seven-deuce on the button and don’t want to play this trash hand, simply click the "Fast Fold" button and you will be moved to a new table and dealt another hand immediately!
Your opponents on your old table will not know you have folded until the action gets to you, by which time you could have been dealt two or three more hands!
This is the fastest way to play poker on the Internet, and can see you log tons of volume, clear bonuses and climb up the VIP scheme quicker than ever before. You can play Zoom poker cash games AND tournaments on PokerStars.
Related: Zoom on PokerStars - It's Not Just for Cash Games!
Play Short Deck Hold'em / 6+ Hold'em
PokerStars launched 6+ Hold'em, also known as Short Deck Hold'em, in January 2019. The game's popularity has exploded in the live poker scene over the past few years, with it being the game of choice for high stakes players.
The game plays like a traditional Hold'em cash game except all deuces through fives are removed from the deck, leaving only 36 cards in the deck. Aces can be high or low, acting as a five when used to make a straight, so the lowest possible straight is A-6-7-8-9. Also, three-of-a-kind beats a straight, and a flush beats a full house! It's crazy but it's fun!
Check out our article on how to play short deck/6+ hold'em!
PokerStars Freerolls - Play Free Online Poker Tournaments at PokerStars
Check out the latest Freerolls available at PokerStars.
PokerStars offers a number of freerolls each week, where players can play real money online poker absolutely free and win real cash prizes for finishing in the money! See our Online Tournament Calendar below to find the best PokerStars freerolls.
Notable PokerStars Features
As you would expect from the world’s biggest online poker site, PokerStars is often a trend-setter when it comes to new and innovative features.
The latest version of the PokerStars software makes it easy for you to jump straight into a game in only a few clicks of your mouse and has a plethora of settings to make your time at the PokerStars tables be enjoyable. Some PokerStars features include auto-top up of your stack in cash games, preferred seating options, slick-and-easy inbuilt note taking software, various table themes to enjoy, a full customisable lobby and award winning customer support.
PokerStars FAQs
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