One of the most popular online poker rooms in the business, PokerStars strives to maintain a standard of excellent customer service, competitively innovative software, rewarding bonuses, enticing promotions, and one of the most extensive tournament schedules available. With an ear to the suggestions of the Team PokerStars Pros - including such notable poker players as Daniel Negreanu, Chris Moneymaker, Joe Hachem, Vanessa Rousso, Joe Cada, and Barry Greenstein - PokerStars is a constantly evolving service tailored to fit poker players of all skill levels and aspirations.

Providing one of the broadest selections of poker forms and variations available in online poker, combined with an impressive amount of traffic pouring in from all over the world, it is easy to find just about any game one feels inclined to play, any time of the day or night. Daily freerolls offer new players an opportunity to get valuable practice that can jump-start their online poker bankrolls, while weekly tournaments - such as the Sunday Millions - provide more ambitious players with the challenging opportunity to cash in for a big win.

For the absolute newcomer, play money tables are available in every game format and variant, allowing players to acclimate to unfamiliar poker forms and game styles before taking on the real money tables. Absolutely any type of poker player, from the recreational player to the diligently focused player seeking fortune and fame, will find the games and stakes to meet their needs at PokerStars.

The sign-up bonus and player rewards system offer PokerStars members gratifying incentives for new and returning online poker players. The 100% match on the first deposit provides players with greater flexibility than most welcome bonuses, and the PokerStars VIP Club implements multiple levels of player benefits.

Members making their first initial deposit into their real money PokerStars account are eligible to receive a bonus of 100% of their deposit amount, up to $600 (€465). In fact, first-time depositors can break up their bonus-qualifying deposit into three deposits made over the course of 90 days. For instance, in order to receive the maximum bonus, one could deposit $200 the first time, then make two more $200 deposits within the next three months for a total of $600 deposited, and $600 in bonus cash. After each deposit, members have six months to clear the associated bonus by earning 170 VPPs in real money games for each $10 of bonus cash (220 VPPs per €10).

The PokerStars VIP Club extends rewards to players who participate in real money online poker games and tournaments. PokerStars members earn two different types of points as they play; VIP Points (VPPs) and Frequent Player Points (FPPs). VPPs are collected at a rate of 5.5 per each $1 (8 VPPs per €1) paid in tournament entry fees, and 6 VPPs for every $1 (8.5 VPPs per €1) collected in rake from cash game tables. The number of VPPs earned on a monthly basis determines the player's VIP level, and the VIP level dictates the number of FPPs the player receives for each VPP earned. FPPs can be used like cash to purchase merchandise from the PokerStars VIP Store, enter a variety of tournaments and satellites, or even exchange FPPs for cash or bonuses at the higher VIP levels.

Many seasonal and limited-time promotions are constantly running at PokerStars, including freerolls, satellites and qualifiers for live poker tournaments, televised events, and regional championships. There are also several ongoing promotions that are very enticing for both new and seasoned poker players.

The Turbo Takedown is a monthly No Limit Hold'em poker tournament offering $1,000,000 in cash prizes, a brand new Audi TT (or optional cash equivalent) to the first place winner, and bounties for knocking out Team PokerStars Pros. The buy-in for the Turbo Takedown is 3,000 FPPs, though there are satellites running daily for a fraction of the FPPs. The Turbo Takedown happens on the last Sunday of every month at 15:30 ET, and can be found in the PokerStars Lobby under 'Tourney' and 'Special.'

Battle of the Planets is a weekly Sit and Go leader board contest in which players compete for a weekly prize pool. There are eight stake-based divisions, each named after a planet. Each division is further divided into two leader boards according to frequency of participation; the Low Orbit Board (recreational players) and High Orbit Board (high volume players). The weekly prize pool for each division is split evenly between the low orbit and high orbit leader boards. The points for the Battle of the Planets leader board contest are awarded automatically when a player cashes in any regular real money Sit and Go with less than 40 players at PokerStars, with no special registration or sign-up necessary. Qualifying Sit and Gos start at $1.

The proprietary software that is privately developed for PokerStars is among the most sophisticated and reliable in the online poker industry. Customization options allow players to choose the layout that is most aesthetically pleasing, while innovative features and frequent updates provide the latest in online poker functionality. PokerStars was also among the first online poker rooms to develop a Mac-compatible poker client, allowing Mac OSX users to download and install the PokerStars software directly onto their computer.

With improved multi-tabling capabilities, the most ambitious online poker players can juggle up to 24 cash games at one time, and an unlimited number of tournaments and sit and gos. The table resizing options allow multi-tablers to tile or cascade each window, and the advanced multi-table options allow players to customize features such as 'single-click table activation' and 'auto-open sit and go tournament lobby.'

PokerStars also provides easy lobby navigation in which players can find the type of game they want to play using a series of customizable filters. Other software perks include table statistics for cash games available in the lobby, hand histories that can be saved to one's computer, and in-game notes applied to opponents - leaving an indicator by their avatar or nickname as a reminder of the note if they are encountered again in the future. There is an auto re-buy option that can be applied to cash games, as well as a selection of keyboard shortcuts and a hand re-player that doesn't require leaving the table to watch.

Among the oldest and most successful online poker rooms in the industry, PokerStars has maintained some of the most impressive traffic ratings in online poker. Frequently overshadowing the competition in both cash and tournament poker games, one can always find a cash game or sit and go in any poker form, at any stake, day or night. Online poker enthusiasts all over the world flock to the enormous game selection, and even Badugi receives notable round-the-clock action.

Given the high traffic volume, the level of competition at PokerStars runs the full gammit, from the ultra tough professional poker players, to the completely inexperienced and unskilled newcomers. The higher limit cash games tend to be frequented by many strategically tight players, with somewhat softer competition in the tournaments. However, PokerStars' high-profile television advertising brings in crowds of new players on a daily basis, testing out the variety of micro-, low-, and even mid-level cash games.

The support team at PokerStars can only be contacted via email, though the response and resolution time is usually excellent. There is also an extensive FAQ available on the PokerStars website that offers detailed instructions for resolving the most common issues players encounter. For help that is not covered in the PokerStars FAQ, 24 hour customer support can be emailed through the website, or from within the poker client, with 25 languages to choose from. An email confirmation will be sent to inform PokerStars members that their inquiry has been received.