PokerStars launched on FanDuel on April 1, with players in Michigan, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania finally getting their first look at the updated client and newly expanded player pool.
As a Pennsylvania player previously excluded from shared liquidity, I jumped in immediately.
It's worth noting that this might be billed as 'PokerStars exclusively on FanDuel,' but the legacy software in the US has been retired.
That means you now need a FanDuel account to access PokerStars – even if you previously played on the old client.
Feels like PokerStars
The good news is that you can currently get a sign-up bonus (deposit match up to $1,000 and free tournament tickets).
The offer is available to all players — including existing FanDuel users — but you need to opt in. The free tournament tickets are a $20 Sunday Million satellite and two $5 Spin & Gos.
Screennames are all up for grabs as well, so if there's one you want and you think it might get snapped up, it's worth moving quickly.
My first thoughts on logging in for the first time: the gameplay and functionality of the tables are nearly identical, with only aesthetic changes. Some subtle FanDuel branding has been sprinkled around, but overall, it looks like a refreshed PokerStars client, despite running on entirely new software.
On Day 1, traffic was modest: 17 NLH cash tables (from $0.05/$0.10 up to $1/$2), five PLO tables, alongside Zoom and Spin & Gos. Traffic is expected to ramp up as more PokerStars players move over.
Big guarantees headline early schedule
The tournament schedule was a bit sparse on the opening day, but it's set to pick up.
The schedule already includes some strong-value events, including the return of the Sunday Million on April 12.
The $1M guarantee is split across two buy-in tiers ($100 and $1,000) rather than being a single traditional Sunday Million. This has attracted plenty of criticism on social media, and it's easy to see why.
I'm just glad to see such a big guarantee back in Pennsylvania.
Someone is set to win close to six figures on a regulated site with just three states – that's very, very rare. There are also tons of $20 qualifiers to the Sunday Million.
The Stars Nightly runs daily at 7pm ET with a $100 buy-in and a $50,000 guarantee.
FanDuel fish come out to play
Overall, I think the new software looks great, and I didn’t encounter any bugs during my initial session.
Despite having a smaller player pool than some of its competitors in the last few months, PokerStars has always boasted one of the best software platforms in online poker, regulated or not.
Hopefully, we'll start seeing existing FanDuel players coming across to try out poker and make the games softer.
And hopefully, the partnership with FanDuel will make it easier to get into any newly regulated states and grow the tournaments even more.
It feels like a step in the right direction.
Create your FanDuel account to claim a 100% deposit match up to $1,000, plus $30 in tournament tickets.
Existing PokerStars accounts will remain accessible for withdrawals until April 30. Any remaining balances after that date will be issued by check to the registered address.
