PokerStars Review: Online Poker Website in India

PokerStars doesn’t need much of an introduction in the online poker industry. Operating since 2001, PokerStars is home to the best online poker events in the world and offers an unrivalled selection of cash games and tournaments at any hour of the day. With a game starting every second, it is relatively easy that you will find one that suits both your wallet and your game preference.

Now, if it is such a popular choice amongst beginners and pros then why are we not rating it the #1 Poker site in India? Let’s find out –

PokerStars entered the Indian market with the launch of PokerStars.in in April 2018. The site was launched in conjunction with the Sugal & Damani Group and offers a wealth of features to the Indian audience. PokerStars.in has its exclusive tournaments with a series of free-rolls for players. However, there’s one demerit also – the players in India will likely miss out on the flagship tournament of PokerStars, i.e. Sunday Millions.

Positives

• Almost 19 years of expertise; operating since 2001
• Compatible with both desktop and mobile devices
• A massive volume of cash games and tourneys at a wide range of stakes
• 24×7 High traffic in both cash games and tournaments
• Advanced features such as multi-table, hand history, and chat with other players
• PokerStars School to help you improve. Here, you can test your skills and get strategy tips from experts and pros
• A robust loyalty program – awards tournament tickets and pleasant surprises
• Fast and secure deposits and withdrawals

Negatives

• No instant play version
• Offers only e-mail support in 24×7 cycle
• No option for the call or live chat support
• Less number of cash tables and players in comparison to its competitors

PokerStars Mobile Apps Compatibility

PokerStars’ mobile apps are compatible only with iOS and Android devices. So, if you are a Windows phone owner or a Blackberry user, then you need to own a supported device, i.e. a laptop, desktop or an Android or iOS mobile phone.

• Apple devices running iOS 7 or above (iPhone 4 and above, iPad 2 and above, iPad Mini models, iPad Air models, iPod touch 4th Generation and above)
• Android devices running Android 4.1 or above

How to download the PokerStars app?

• Apple iOS device owners can download the iOS App version from the App Store
• Android device owners can download the Android app version directly from the PokerStars website.

PokerStars.In Tournaments

• Daily Bigs- The Daily Bigs is a big-money guaranteed tournament that runs every single day of the week. The buy-ins are as low as just a few rupees, which means everyone can take part and compete in this tournament.
• Knockout Poker Tournaments- Think you’re the king of the poker ring? Register in this tournament and show you’ve got what it takes to eliminate the competition. Every time you eliminate somebody, you win a cash prize. It’s that simple!
• The Hot Turbos- This is a fast-paced version of Daily Bigs, i.e. runs seven days a week designed in a turbo structure and a guaranteed prize pool. The buy-ins in this tournament vary from low-stakes to high stakes, which means there is something on offer for players from every level.
• Bounty Builders – Bounty Builders is a series of exciting Progressive Knockout tournaments that run every single day of the week. Each Progressive Knockout tournament has a guaranteed prize pool.
• Sunday Majors- Sunday Warmup, Sunday Storm, Sunday Special, Sunday Supersonic are a few big Sunday prize pool tournaments to make your Sunday even bigger. You can also qualify for these tournaments via low buy-in satellites.
• Multi-Table Tournament Leaderboard- This lets you show that you’re one of the best local MTT players in India. A total of ₹ 5 Lacs in prizes is shared between the top 120 players of the monthly Leader Board.

Software, Security and Fair Play

If we talk about the software, security, and fair play, PokerStars is one of the best in the business. They use privately developed software which is very fast, highly secure and stable, highly customizable and caters well to multi-table players. The PokerStars software supports advanced multi-tabling, and you can play up to 4 cash games at a time. Apart from this, you can also review your hand history and analyze your previous hands without leaving the table.

Few hits of the PokerStars software-

• state-of-the-art software developed in-house
• upload an image to use as your avatar while playing
• block player images of cats, dogs, and the occasional Playboy bunny
• several backgrounds and table layouts to pick from
• an auto-rebuy option for ring games

PokerStars.com is licensed in the Isle of Man and is reviewed by independent auditors regularly concerning its overall security and fair play standards. Also, the website uses advanced encryption methods – for both desktop and mobile play to ensure the complete protection and privacy of each account. All real money players can deposit and withdraw any amount from their accounts without any worry.

In short, the endorsement by India’s biggest cricketing star MS Dhoni provides further assurance of the site’s credibility.

In Conclusion

While PokerStars is undeniably the industry leader in the world, the scenario is not similar when it comes to Indian jurisdiction. With the limited audience and plenty of poker websites in India, the traffic has got dispersed, making the competition average in the cash games and softer in most of the tournaments. But, PokerStars.in is expected to match its global standards soon with the gradual rise of the Poker audience in India.