It took me a while to get on board the internet poker craze.  I’m fortunate to live in an area where a public card room is always there,  so why play online?  I was also concerned about the shuffling  -–  if I won a few hands would the computer try to  “even it out”  and have me lose a few hands?  What about the safety of my money?  These were all reasonable concerns,  and while I will always like  “the real thing”  as opposed to playing online,  online poker has grown on me.  Now I play online just about every day.  My fears were quickly put aside when I found online swings were just like the  “brick-and-mortar”  swings.  One of the primary places I have chosen to play is at PokerStars.

In my opinion,  PokerStars is one of the best places to play poker online. So what makes this site among the best?

Games and Limits Galore.  One of the benefits of being at the top of the hill is you have one of the largest customer bases.  That translates into always being able to find a game.  PokerStars is unique,  because there literally is always a game,  and that doesn’t mean just a Texas Holdem game.  My favorite card game is 7 Card Stud Eight-or-Better.  Being a low stakes guy,  even if it’s 3am,  I can find some low limit games always going.  One night,  I logged into another popular online poker room,  but to my dismay,  no stud 8 games were going and only one stud poker game was being played.  Bummer.  I don’t have this problem at Stars.  PokerStars has the player base to allow me to play whatever game I want whenever I want. Granted, a specific limit of stud 8 may not be playing at a given time,  but give it an hour or play another limit for a while and that game will probably start too.

PokerStars also has some unique games,  such as a  “6 player max”  Holdem Poker for players who enjoy playing short-handed with faster action.  There are also  “high speed”  tables which give the player less time and automatically post antes and blinds for those who like the action to go quicker.

Those Neat Icons.  Sitting down at a table for the first time,  you will notice something unique:  There is someone looking at you.  Maybe it’s Elvis.  Or Batman. Or Kramer from Seinfeld.  It can even be your actual picture if you like. PokerStars allows you to have a picture of whatever you like  (in good taste of course -– nothing offensive)  to be your icon.  This shows up next to your online name when you sit down to a table.  Most other sites have either no icon,  or some cartoon character you pick.  Not a big deal,  really,  if you are looking just to make money – but it makes the game,  in my view,  more fun and gives the player the freedom to express his or her individuality more.  (Note:  You can only change your icon once,  so choose wisely!)

Great Support. One night,  I tried to check my account status and couldn’t find the balance.  The server was slow.  I went to the PokerStars website,  hoping to find a number to call.  No number.  Not good.  All I found was the email address for the support department.  In my mind,  I already had the scenario worked out;  the email would either:  1) Come back to me and say the address was invalid; 2) Go to the wrong department or  3) I would get a reply in 7 to 10 business days.  After all,  that’s how corporations work these days, isn’t it?  None of that happened.  It took about three minutes and I got an email back explaining the issue.  The e-mail was direct,  to the point,  and solved my problem.

On another occasion,  I had a follow-up question to my original question for the support team,  and got another very rapid reply.  I’m not sure how many people work for the support department,  but rest assured,  you will not have to worry about waiting to hear a reply  -–  issues are solved quickly.

Low Rollers Not Neglected.  Not too long ago,  I read the book The Biggest Game in Town, written by English author A. Alvarez,  visiting Las Vegas during the World Series of Poker in the early 80s.  It’s a good read,  and a cult classic of sorts.  Among the images he presents are poker players living in an almost surreal world,  playing high-stakes games with mountains of black chips and wads of $100 bills in their pockets.  Many of us like to live vicariously through these pros we read about and see on TV,  but the reality is most of us are never going to play for those high stakes.

Because I am a low-stakes player,  I dwell at the $2/$4 holdem and stud tables. For many people, especially those new to poker,  even those limits can cause a knot the stomach.  At these limits,  when you run bad it’s not uncommon to drop $100 in a session.  If you have several rough sessions in a row,  that can add up.  But most online poker sites offer an array of  “micro-limit”  games.  For tiny micro-limits,  PokerStars can’t be beat.

It comes down to game selection.  Other big poker rooms do offer micro-limit games that are frequently going,  but Stars always has countless games going at the micro-limits.  You can even find a $.01/$.02 no limit holdem game with an $.80 buy-in,  and a $.02/.04 limit holdem game going.  And it’s rare you can’t find a $.04/$.08 stud or stud 8 game going as well, something you are hard-pressed to find at other sites.

Easy Deposits.  Getting money into your account is relatively simple. You can use a Visa card;  I use one linked to a bank account so find this easiest.  Other online deposit services are featured,  but be aware that there is a fee with these.

About the only drawback is withdrawals.  PokerStars states that it takes up to 15 business days to receive a check for processing.

Information, Please.  A fantastic feature of PokerStars is the depth of information that the player is given.  When you log into the “lobby,”  you can click on the type of game you want to play,  and are given a list of tables.  For instance, say you want to play some 7 card stud.  Stars lets you know what the average pot is,  how many hands are being played per hour,  and how many players are seeing fourth street.  Not bad,  eh?  This gives you an idea of how tight or loose the game is before you sit down.  Of course you can be a  “railbird” too and watch games in action before you sit down.  You can even watch the big games if you desire;  I’ll probably never play $100/200 holdem,  but the game is fun to watch.

The information doesn’t end there.  Once you are playing in a game,  Stars allows you to check your stats at the click of a button,  telling you how many hands you’ve won at the showdown,  how many you’ve won without a showdown,  and how often you are seeing the various betting rounds in stud and the flop in holdem.  You can also get detailed information on hand histories (up to your last 100 hands)  by clicking on the dealer tray.  This will tell you how the hand went,  who bet where and with what if the hand is shown.  This is very helpful in that it allows you to  “review the tape”  and see if you would have played the hand differently if you had it to do again.  This history is sent via email to you and takes about a minute at most.

My favorite feature:  notes.  What did that guy raise with on the flop?  What did he call with on fifth street?  PokerStars allows you to jot down such things.  By clicking on a player’s icon,  you can write down whatever you wish.  After doing so, a little  “N”  will appear under that player’s icon,  indicating you have notes on the player.  This will appear every time you sit at a table with that player, allowing you to recall your notes at the click of a button.

Tournament Time.  Numerous online poker rooms offer tournaments,  but PokerStars always seems to have a tournament going.  Click on the “tournament”  button in the lobby and you get a list.  You can arrange the list by date or game;  on any given day numerous tournaments in various games and limits take place.  You can also look up tournaments that are simply satellites (tournaments with a small buy-in to advance to a bigger tournament)  or look at them all.  Most of the tournaments with very small buy-ins are satellites,  but even these have payouts.  Just make sure that you can play in the bigger tournament,  though,  when playing a satellite,  should you win.

PokerStars also features what are known as  “Sit & Go”  tournaments,  where you can play heads-up against another player,  and single and two-table tournaments that start as soon as there are enough players.  Results of past tournaments are also listed for several days in case you busted out of a tournament and wanted to see who finished where.

Frequent Player Points (FPPs):  Any gambler is familiar with the use of “comps”:  a free room for playing at a casino,  a buffet coupon, etc.  Online poker rooms picked up on this idea.  PokerStars gives frequent player points based on how much you contribute to the rake.  Obviously,  the higher stakes you play the more points you will rack up.  These points can be used to play in “free” tournaments,  or you can turn them in for a free book,  shirt,  jacket,  etc. at the FPP Store.

Ante Structures:  This is an oft-overlooked aspect of poker that many players take for granted,  but ante structures are important.  They help determine how tight or loose you should play.  One of my favorite things about PokerStars is the fact that the ante structure is fairly tight,  meaning that you can be more selective of the types of hands you start with.  For instance,  in a $2/$4 stud game,  the ante is $.25;  at the Canterbury Card Club,  the same game has an ante of $.50. “Just a quarter,”  you say,  but think about it  -–  if you play 100 hands in a session,  that’s an extra $25 that you have paid to see those hands!

The Players:  It’s difficult to make a blanket statement on the quality of the players at PokerStars.  In general,  I have found the majority of players to be competent and most games not to have everyone calling to the river.  That being said,  with 30,000 players on at a time,  games vary greatly.  Additionally, in online poker people come and go much more frequently than at a “regular” poker table,  the game can change quickly.

The Rake:  While most people pay no attention to the rake  (the amount the house takes for running the game),  how much the rake is determines how much you will win or lose over the long haul.  A high rake is difficult for even the best of players to overcome.  The rakes at PokerStars are very fair.  At the smallest of limits,  $.02/$.04 and $.05/$.10,  there is no rake.  For the limits of $.25/$.50 up to $1/2 with 2 to 10 players,  the rake is $.25 per $5 up to a $20 pot, with a maximum rake of a buck.  For the higher limits,  rakes vary depending on how many players are involved.  If there are two to three players,  the maximum rake will be a buck  ($.50 for $20,  another $.50 when the pot gets to $40);  if four to five players the maximum rake will be $2  ($1 for $20 and another $1 when you get to $40),  and for six to ten players the maximum rake will be $3  ($1 for the first $20 in the pot,  another $1 when the pot gets to $1 and a final $1 when it gets to $70).  In pot & no-limit games,  the rake is a nickel per dollar in the pot, with a maximum of a dollar for two to three players,  two dollars for four to five players,  and three dollars for six to nine players.  Sound confusing?  There are easy charts you can find at the PokerStars website: http://www.pokerstars.com/rake.html/  This is a very fair rake,  certainly smaller than anything you will find in a public card room.

Criticisms:  One is the lack of “fun” promos you find at many brick and mortar card rooms.  And another site offers a  “high hand of the hour”  mini-jackpot, a nice bonus.  Yet another offers a  “bad beat”  jackpot at some tables,  but this does not exist at PokerStars.  However,  when they do pass a milestone,  such as the millionth hand dealt,  a cash prize is given to the individual getting the hand,  and every so often there is a deposit bonus  -–  but that’s about it for promos.