Online poker cardroom
Screenshot of the Pokerstars GUI (the "classic" theme) at a real
money table
PokerStars is an online poker cardroom.[1] 1️⃣ It is the largest real money
online poker site in the world,[2][3] controlling over two-thirds of the total online
poker 1️⃣ market,[4] and can be accessed through downloadable poker clients for Windows,
macOS, Android and iOS.
A PokerStars online satellite tournament produced 1️⃣ the 2003
World Series of Poker (WSOP)[5] champion, Chris Moneymaker. As the first person to
become a world champion by 1️⃣ qualifying at an online poker site,[6] Moneymaker's 2003 win
was an important factor in catalyzing the poker boom of the 1️⃣ mid-2000s. The press has
called this the "Moneymaker effect."[7]
PokerStars was part of The Stars Group until it
was sold to 1️⃣ Flutter Entertainment, owner of the Irish gambling company Paddy Power, on
May 5, 2024.[8]
History [ edit ]
PokerStars launched its beta 1️⃣ play-money-only site on
September 11, 2001.[9] The company began offering real money wagering on December 12,
2001. PokerStars was originally 1️⃣ a Costa Rican company, Rational Enterprises, part of
Canadian company The Stars Group which was majority owned by the Canadian 1️⃣ Scheinberg
family.[10][11] The company was subsequently moved to Onchan, Isle of Man. The move was
driven by the establishment of 1️⃣ a 0% corporate tax rate and the removal of rules barring
companies from accepting casino and poker bets from the 1️⃣ United States.[10] PokerStars
holds numerous licences in other jurisdictions (see Regulated Markets below). In
February 2012, PokerStars acquired a European 1️⃣ Union license granted by the Malta
Lotteries and Gaming Commission.[12]
While privately owned, PokerStars had been the
subject of financial media 1️⃣ speculation regarding a possible initial public offering or
merger with a publicly listed company. Analysts estimated its market value would 1️⃣ have
been approximately US$2 billion in 2006, which would have made the company one of the
world's largest privately held 1️⃣ gambling companies.[11] PokerStars overtook PartyPoker
as the world's largest online poker room after the U.S. Congress passed the Unlawful
Internet 1️⃣ Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006. Many sites, including PartyPoker,
immediately suspended business with U.S. gamblers, while others, including PokerStars,
did 1️⃣ not.[13]
In December 2009, PokerStars set the world record for the biggest online
tournament. The tournament entry fee wasR$1, and the 1️⃣ number of entrants reached
149,196.[14] They broke that record in December 2011, when 200,000 players played in
aR$1 buy-in tournament 1️⃣ with a first prize ofR$50,000.[15] PokerStars was so busy during
the early stages of the tournament, all tournaments had to 1️⃣ be stopped for 20 minutes
because the heavy traffic crashed their servers. This record had been broken again in
June 1️⃣ 2013, with 225,000 participants. The buy-in wasR$1 and went completely into the
prize pool, with no rake.
In January 2012, PokerStars 1️⃣ introduced a downloadable mobile
client for iOS from iTunes. In February 2012, the company also introduced a client for
Android.[16]
In 1️⃣ July 2012, PokerStars bought its former competitor, Full Tilt
Poker.[17] TheR$731 million deal settled a civil lawsuit with the Department 1️⃣ of Justice
while giving ownership of Full Tilt Poker's assets to PokerStars.[18]
In June 2014, The
Stars Group, then known as 1️⃣ Amaya Inc, agreed to buy PokerStars and its parent company
forR$4.9 billion in cash.[19][20] The deal was completed on August 1️⃣ 1, 2014.[21] Later
the deal led to a major insider trading investigation conducted by the Autorité des
marchés financiers (AMF) 1️⃣ over a four-year period concerning Amaya Inc.[22][23]
As of
April 2024, they have reached an agreement with Netent to add desktop 1️⃣ and mobile
gambling games to its poker lobby in New Jersey and other locations.[24]
In February
2024, Microgaming announced a partnership 1️⃣ with PokerStars, owned by parent company for
the integration of its Quickfire platform.[25]
In July 2024, PokerStars agreed to a
deal 1️⃣ with bankruptcy administrators to acquire some of rival PKR's assets without
reviving the brand, while refunding the full account balances 1️⃣ of the entire PKR player
base.[26]
In December 2024, PokerStars unveiled a brand new player tournament called
the PokerStars Players No 1️⃣ Limit Hold'em Championship, which is to be held in January
2024. The tournament is expected to become one of the 1️⃣ biggest events in the annual
poker calendar with a twenty-five thousand dollar buy in and aR$1 million bonus for the
1️⃣ eventual winner.[27][28]
In March 2024, The Stars Group reached an agreement with
gaming company Sugal & Damani to support the launch 1️⃣ of its PokerStars brand in
India.[29][30]
In September 2024, PokerStars launched PokerStars VR, a fully immersive
virtual reality poker experience.[31][32] The 1️⃣ platform was developed in collaboration
with virtual reality software developer Lucky VR and was unveiled at EGX
2024.[33][34]
In October 2024, 1️⃣ The Stars Group, owner of PokerStars, agreed to be
acquired by Flutter Entertainment, in aR$6 billion all-share merger.[35][36] On May 1️⃣ 5,
2024, PokerStars became part of Flutter Entertainment.[37]
In 2024, Pokerstars entered
into a partnership with Red Bull Racing, sponsoring their 1️⃣ Formula 1 team, with the
brand to appear on Red Bull's new cars for the next few seasons, as well 1️⃣ as on the
suits of Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez.[38]
In January 2024, PokerStars announced an
extended multi-year partnership deal with 1️⃣ Red bull racing. The deal included
PokerStars’ branding on the RB18 and race suits. The company stated they aim to 1️⃣ provide
fans “new and unique ways” to watch the sport in addition to increase technological
advancements.[39]
In April 2024, Pokerstars launched 1️⃣ their peer-to-peer betting
exchange which allowed customers to enter their own odds and bet against other
customers.[40]
In December 2024, Pokerstars 1️⃣ announced that Michigan and New Jersey
players would be unable to access their servers on December 12 and December 13 1️⃣ for a
“major upgrade of the site” . This upgrade is to allow Michigan and New Jersey poker
players to 1️⃣ play together, as both states are participants in the Multi-State Internet
Gaming Agreement (MSIGA). Pokerstars stated, “The upgrade is a 1️⃣ necessary milestone to
bring more games, bigger prize pools and guarantees in poker tournaments so New Jersey
and Michigan poker 1️⃣ players can compete against one another in the near
future."[41]
Games [ edit ]
PokerStars offers multiple poker variations: Texas hold
'em, 1️⃣ Omaha, Omaha Hi/Lo (8 or Better), Courchevel, Stud, Stud Hi/Lo (8 or Better),
Razz, Five-card draw, 2-7 Triple Draw & 1️⃣ 2-7 Single Draw, Badugi, HORSE, HOSE, Mixed
Hold'em, Mixed Omaha Hi/Lo, Triple Stud and 8-Game Mix. PokerStars also offers "Mixed
1️⃣ Games," which rotate through several of these games.[42]
PokerStars averages over
15,000 players playing real money cash games daily.[43]
PokerStars launched Zoom 1️⃣ Poker
in March 2012, with an official launch in May 2012. Zoom Poker is a fast fold ring game
poker 1️⃣ format where opponents change after every hand. The aim of Zoom poker is to offer
players more hands of poker 1️⃣ than in a regular ring game.[44] In January 2013 PokerStars
rolled out Zoom Poker Tournaments due to popular demand for 1️⃣ the fast fold variant
[45]
Online tournaments [ edit ]
The site's weekly Sunday Million tournament has a
guaranteedR$1 million prize pool 1️⃣ and aR$215 buy-in. The Sunday Million is the biggest
weekly online poker tournament. On March 7, 2011, The 5th Anniversary 1️⃣ Sunday Million
broke records, with 59,128 players creating a total prize pool
ofR$11,825,600.[46]
World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) has been 1️⃣ running since
2002 and is regarded[by whom?] as the online equivalent of the World Series of Poker.
The WCOOP tournament 1️⃣ series is the largest online poker series and pays out the largest
prizes in online poker. The WCOOP 2010 Main 1️⃣ Event champion Tyson "POTTERPOKER" Marks
wonR$2.2 Million, the largest online tournament prize in history.[47]
Spring
Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP) was 1️⃣ established in 2009 and has since become the
most popular online tournament series.[48] Unlike WCOOP, there are three different
buy-in 1️⃣ stakes in the SCOOP events: Low, Medium (10x Low stake) and High (100x Low
stake).
Micro Millions was launched in March 1️⃣ 2012 as a tournament series designed for
recreational and micro-stakes players offering a low buy-in tournament schedule and
large guaranteed 1️⃣ cash prizes. PokerStars guaranteedR$5 million in prize pools for the
second installment of MicroMillions.[49]
In 2014, PokerStars was hosting 500,000 online
1️⃣ tournaments each day.[50]
Live poker tours [ edit ]
PokerStars sponsors various live
poker tours such as the European Poker Tour (EPT), 1️⃣ Asia Pacific Poker Tour (APPT),
Latin American Poker Tour (LAPT), UK and Ireland Poker Tour (UKIPT), Estrellas Poker
Tour (ESPT), 1️⃣ Eureka Poker Tour, Italian Poker Tour (IPT), Czech-Slovak Poker Tour
(CSPT), Australia & New Zealand Poker Tour (ANZPT), France Poker 1️⃣ Series (FPS), Belgian
Poker Series (BPS), Russian Poker Series (RPS) and Brazilian Series of Poker
(BSOP).
PokerStars VR [ edit ]
Pokerstars 1️⃣ VR is a free-play poker game for Oculus and
Steam VR platforms that was released in 2024. It allows players 1️⃣ to get free chips and
use them to play Texas hold 'em as well as roulette, blackjack, slots, and sports
1️⃣ betting, although the winnings cannot be transferred into real money. Players can use
store credits to buy cosmetics and props 1️⃣ for use in games. As of February 2024 it was
the 14th most popular game on Meta Quest.[51]
Pokerstars is a 1️⃣ company website offering
only free play games. The pokerstars domain is used primarily in their TV
advertisements since there are 1️⃣ no real money games available at this website. This
avoids any legal issues or censorship of using their pokerstars domain 1️⃣ which allows
real money games.
PokerStars.tv is the online source for PokerStars TV shows,
commercials and event highlight shows – with 1️⃣ commentary and expert analysis available
in up to 7 languages. The content available includes live cards-up coverage of the
biggest 1️⃣ PokerStars tournaments, TV shows such as The Million Dollar Challenge and
PokerStars Big Game and online tournament highlights from WCOOP 1️⃣ and SCOOP.
Team
PokerStars [ edit ]
PokerStars sponsors a team of professional poker players known as
Team PokerStars. As of 2024 1️⃣ , the team consists of André Akkari, Arlie Shaban, Ben
Spragg, David Kaye, Felix Schneiders, Fintan Hand, Georgina James, Jennifer 1️⃣ Shahade,
Lasse Jagd Lauritsen, Laurie Tournier, Lex Veldhuis, Nicholas Walsh, Parker Talbot,
Rafael Moraes, Ramón Colillas, Sam Grafton and Sebastian 1️⃣ Huber.[52]
Celebrity players [
edit ]
Former Brazil striker Ronaldo pictured with PokerStars in 2014
PokerStars also
has had a Celebrity team and 1️⃣ a Sports team, called respectively "Friends of PokerStars"
and "SportStars". These have included Jamaican Olympic gold medal winner and World
1️⃣ record holder Usain Bolt and American actor / comedian Kevin Hart.[53] Former
associated celebrities include World Cup winning Brazilian striker 1️⃣ Ronaldo,[54] tennis
pro Rafael Nadal,[55] former tennis champion Boris Becker, FIFA World Cup-winning
Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, Manchester United star 1️⃣ Cristiano Ronaldo, Dutch
field hockey Olympic Gold medalist Fatima Moreira de Melo, Norwegian cross-country
skier Petter Northug, Swedish cross-country skier 1️⃣ Marcus Hellner, quantitative analyst
and author of the 'Chen Formula' for Texas Hold'em Bill Chen,[56] Brazilian auto racer
and race 1️⃣ team owner Gualter Salles and French rugby union international Sébastien
Chabal.
Regulated markets [ edit ]
PokerStars and PokerStars.eu operate worldwide under
1️⃣ a license from the Maltese government. PokerStars also operates under separate
government licenses in Denmark, France, Italy, Belgium, Spain and 1️⃣ Estonia.[57] In
October 2008, PokerStars launched PokerStars.it, exclusively for Italian players, which
offers real money tournaments in euros in addition 1️⃣ to the usual play money games.
PokerStars offers some ring games and tournaments on its main PokerStars site in euros.
1️⃣ In March 2010, the site began allowing users to keep their real-money accounts in
British pounds and Canadian dollars as 1️⃣ well as U.S. dollars and euros.
In March 2024,
PokerStars launched in New Jersey for real money.[58][59]
In June 2024, PokerStars
ceased 1️⃣ to allow real-money online poker in Israel. The decision is thought to have been
made after recent pressure from the 1️⃣ country's banking regulator on financial
institutions demanding they stop processing online gambling transactions.[60]
In July
2024, PokerStars stopped offering real money 1️⃣ games to players who are physically
located in, or have a registered address in, Slovenia.[61]
In July 2024, PokerStars
withdrew from 1️⃣ the Portuguese market. In November 2024 the Portuguese regulator,
Serviços de Regulação e Inspeção de Jogos (SRIJ) issued its first 1️⃣ online poker license
to The Stars Group's subsidiary REEL Europe Limited. As a result, legal online poker
returned to Portugal.[62]
In 1️⃣ November 2024, PokerStars was cleared to launch in
Pennsylvania for real money in 2024.[63]
On January 29, 2024, Pokerstars launched in
1️⃣ Michigan. Pokerstars was Michigan's first regulated online poker site.
In December
2024, Pokerstars announced the would be combining players from Michigan 1️⃣ and New Jersey
under the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement.
Domain name seizure [ edit ]
On April
15, 2011, the Department of 1️⃣ Justice seized the internet addresses of the three online
gambling sites,[64] a total of five URLs: Pokerstars, Fulltiltpoker, Absolutepoker,
1️⃣ Ultimatebet and UB.
On April 15, 2011, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern
District of New York seized and shut 1️⃣ down Pokerstars and several of its competitors'
sites, alleging that the sites were violating federal bank fraud and money laundering
1️⃣ laws.[65] On April 20, 2011, the U.S. Attorney's office returned control of the
Pokerstars domain name to the company in 1️⃣ order "to facilitate the withdrawal of U.S.
players’ funds held in account with the companies."[66]
On July 10, 2012, PokerStars,
asserting 1️⃣ the Government had insufficient grounds on which to base the charges, filed
motions to dismiss the charges against them.[67]
On July 1️⃣ 31, 2012, the US government
dismissed with prejudice all civil complaints against PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker
after reaching a 1️⃣ settlement with PokerStars which includes PokerStars acquiring Full
Tilt.[17] Under the terms of the settlement, PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker 1️⃣ admitted no
wrongdoing for their past U.S. activities. The U.S. Government acknowledged both
companies can apply for licenses to operate 1️⃣ online gaming in the U.S. when a legal
framework for such licenses is offered.[68] The settlement terms also called for
1️⃣ PokerStars to acquire certain assets of Full Tilt Poker from the Government.
On August
9, 2012, PokerStars paidR$225 million to the 1️⃣ U.S. Department of Justice, consummating
the asset transfer of Full Tilt Poker. Full Tilt Poker was successfully relaunched on
November 1️⃣ 6, 2012.[69]
