Pokerstars Casino Review

PokerStars has been a top-tier gaming platform for over 20 years. It was one of the first poker online sites I used, and it remains a major player in the industry.

However, with ownership changes ushering in casino and sports betting products, some people think PokerStars’ crown has slipped.

Here’s my take on PokerStars UK’s current status and whether it’s still the world’s best poker site.

What Does PokerStars Look Like?

PokerStars Casino UK is functional and well-appointed. Although I’ve never regarded it as the best-looking poker room and casino online, I have zero complaints about the design. It does a job, and by that, I mean every page element serves a purpose.

A lot of UK online casinos and poker rooms look fancy, which is nice. However, flashy page elements can make sites hard to navigate. PokerStars UK might not win any awards for creativity, but you’ll never find yourself lost in a matrix of tabs and dropdown menus.

If I’m being critical, the addition of a “news and updates” sidebar a few years ago was annoying. However, this has now been moved to its own page, “The Rail.” What I also like about PokerStars UK is that you can customise the lobby. So, if you don’t like certain page elements, you can remove them.

This is particularly useful when you’re playing poker. You can apply filters to the cash game and tournament lobbies. This makes it easy to zone in on the latest low-stakes PokerStars tournaments, six-max cash games, or a specific Spin & Go.

Trust, Safety and Security at PokerStars

PokerStars takes its regulatory obligations incredibly seriously because those at the top have seen the demise of past rivals, such as Full Tilt, due to regulatory failings. Therefore, as part of its obligations to the UK Gambling Commission, PokerStars has these protective measures in place:

• PokerStars’ casino games, as well as its poker software, are audited by GLI. This means all products are certified as safe and fair.
• The PokerStars Game Integrity Team uses a peer review system to ensure that players aren’t cheating. PokerStars also uses the latest security monitoring tools to detect instances of cheating and fraud in real time.
• The PokerStars UK website and app use SSL encryption technology.
• Under PokerStars’ terms and conditions, certain third-party apps, such as real-time solvers, are prohibited. These apps allow players to gain an unfair advantage, so it’s good to see that they’re prohibited.

Responsible Gambling

In addition to the safety features listed above, PokerStars Casino UK provides all users with advice on how to tackle gambling addiction. In addition to on-site advice and customer support agents trained to spot signs of addiction, you can use the following tools to manage your gaming activities:

• Set a personal net deposit limit
• Limit the stakes/tournament buy-ins you can play for
• Restrict your access to specific games
• Session reminders
• Timeouts (temporarily restrict access to your account) and self-exclusion (close your account)
• Links to Gordon Moody, BeGambleAware, and GamCare.

The Pokerstars Bonus

I’ve been critical of PokerStars’ casino bonuses over the years. To me, it always seemed like the offers weren’t as generous as they could be. I put it down to the fact that PokerStars was so popular that the promo team didn’t need to try very hard.

To some extent, that’s still the case. However, I’m pleased to say that PokerStars has upped its game in the bonus department.

PokerStars Casino UK Welcome Bonus

PokerStars UK has two opening offers:

Use the PokerStars code STARS400 to get a 100% deposit match up to £400 + £10 in Spin & Go tickets. (£20 minimum deposit, bonus released in £5 increments each time you earn 100 redemption points, four months to clear bonus)

Use the PokerStars promo code FIRST500 to get a 100% deposit match bonus worth up to £500 + 50 free spins. (£20 minimum deposit, £1 bonus released for every 5 redemption points earned, £10 max win from free spins)

Of the two PokerStars sign-up offers, I prefer the poker-based bonus because you have four months to convert your free credits to cash. That’s an exceptionally long amount of time, making it ideal for recreational and low-stakes players.

Wagering requirements for PokerStars UK bonuses

You’ll see that I mentioned redemption points in the previous section. These are crucial when it comes to converting bonuses to cash. Here’s how you earn PokerStars redemption points:

• You earn 6.5 redemption points for every £1 you pay in PokerStars rake. This covers PokerStars tournaments and cash games. For example, you earn 6.5 points for a £10 tournament with a £1 entry fee (aka rake). Similarly, if £2 were taken from a cash game pot as rake, you’d earn 13 redemption points.
• You earn 1 redemption point based on a casino game’s RTP. In simple terms, you have to wager more in games with high RTP values to earn points compared to games with lower RTP values. For example, you earn 1 redemption point for every $54 wagered in Classic PokerStars Blackjack (high RTP) compared to 1 point for every $6 wagered in American Roulette (lower RTP).

The variable nature of redemption points in casino games makes sense from a business perspective, but it does make the system overly complicated. That’s why I recommend the PokerStars UK poker bonus for new customers. It’s easier to understand, and you’ll have plenty of time to hit the playthrough target.

Other Bonuses

Beyond the welcome offer, PokerStars has a selection of themed promotions for casino customers and poker players.

I will say that PokerStars’ no deposit offers for poker players have decreased in value over the years. The SuperNova Elite loyalty program used to be incredibly generous, particularly for high rollers.

The shift to Stars Rewards a few years ago ruffled some feathers, and while it has improved over time, it’s still not as good as the old system.

That said, I won’t dwell on the past. The gambling economy is different now, and the current PokerStars rewards are still generous and, more importantly, fun.

• PokerStars Rewards: turn redemption points into different coloured chests. Each chest contains a mystery prize, including cash, free spins and tournament tickets. Chests range from Blue to Black, with the latter offering the biggest mystery prizes.
• Points Boosts: you’ll have various ways to earn extra points by playing specific PokerStars casino and poker games.
• Power Path: the best way to win a seat in PokerStars live tournaments, including European Poker Tour events, is via Power Path. Generating at least $0.01 in rake gives you a chest that will set you on the path towards satellite packages worth up to $10,300.
• Stacks: complete PokerStars casino challenges to improve your level and earn cashback every week.
• PokerStars Spin of the Day: spin the free bonus wheel once every 24 hours for a chance to win up to £1,000 in cash.

Casino Games at PokerStars

PokerStars Casino UK doesn’t have as many games as some sites, but it covers all the main bases. There are also some nice surprises amongst the 1,000+ popular slots and table games.

PokerStars Slots

There are plenty of slots to choose from, including mainstream hits and progressive jackpot games. Within the top picks listed below are games either made by PokerStars or made exclusively for PokerStars by developers such as Pragmatic Play:

• Diamond Stars (PokerStars product)
• Stars Invaders (PokerStars product)
• Big Bass Return to the Races (made for PokerStars)
• Sweet Lab (made for PokerStars)
• Tomb of Ra Jackpot (made for PokerStars)
• Megaways Bison Rising Jackpot
• Fishin’ Frenzy Jackpot King
• Ted Jackpot King

PokerStars Table Games

The table games lobby is slightly disappointing. It contains all the classics, including blackjack, poker, roulette and baccarat. However, there isn’t much in the way of variation.

By that, I mean you’ll only have access to a small selection of traditional variants. There is a smattering of exclusive table games, but, again, they’re not particularly innovative.

While there’s certainly room for improvement here, I’m pleased to say that the live casino games lobby has plenty of novel variants.

PokerStars Live Casino Games

Like slots, PokerStars’ live casino games are enhanced by race promotions. These races are great for competitive players who want additional ways to win.

Regardless of whether you join races or not, PokerStars Casino UK has a healthy selection of live dealer games that includes these hits:

• Speed Baccarat
• PokerStars Spin & Win Roulette
• XXXtreme Lightning Roulette
• PokerStars Blackjack
• Power Blackjack
• Super Sic Bo
• Andar Bahar
• Live Video Poker
• Mega Ball
• Funky Time

PokerStars Poker Room

PokerStars has been one of the world’s leading online poker providers for more than 20 years. The result of this time in the business is a slick site that’s packed with games that players of all persuasions want.

Before I discuss PokerStars’ tournaments and cash games, let’s discuss rake. For those unfamiliar with it, rake is a small amount of money taken from every cash game pot and tournament buy-in. This fee covers the cost of running an online poker site.

PokerStars rake is relatively low compared to other UK online poker sites. The variable rate for cash games ranges from 3.50% to 5%. For context, GGPoker, which is currently the world’s largest poker site, charges 6% rake with no cap.

PokerStars rake for certain tournaments increased from 10% to 12% in 2024. That’s a bit too high for my liking, but the increase mainly applies to KO tournaments. If it stays this way and other MTTs aren’t affected, I’m not too concerned because, overall, the amount of rake PokerStars charges isn’t excessive.

PokerStars UK Cash Games

Personally, I prefer PokerStars tournaments to cash games. That being said, the line-up of games is still better than almost any other poker site out there.

As you’d expect, there are games at all stakes. This means you can ante up at $0.01/$0.02 tables as easily as $50/$100 tables. The fast-fold Zoom tables are great for action lovers, and you’ll never be short of choice if you enjoy full-ring and six-max games.

What’s nice about PokerStars’ cash game lobby is that it has heads-up tables. A few poker sites offer these games but lack the traffic to support them properly. PokerStars attracts more than 55,000 players on any given day, so there are plenty of heads-up games.

PokerStars Tournaments

PokerStars tournaments are legendary. The PokerStars Sunday Million has been paying out $1 million in prize money every week for more than 20 years. Similarly, PokerStars WCOOP remains one of the biggest online tournament series of the year, with prizepools topping $95 million.

There are plenty of alternatives for those who can’t afford to enter PokerStars WCOOP events, including the MicroMillions series. Those with fledgling bankrolls can also take a shot at the big time thanks to a plethora of satellites that cost less than $1 to enter.

My only criticism of PokerStars UK when it comes to tournaments is freerolls. The number of PokerStars freeroll tournaments has decreased over the years. There are still ways to play MTTs without spending any money, but the schedule isn’t as good as it once was.

PokerStars Home games

The final thing I want to draw your attention to is PokerStars Home Games. This feature allows you to make your own cash games and tournaments.

There aren’t many poker sites that allow you to do this, so PokerStars gets a gold star. I also like the fact that PokerStars home games can be open to anyone or protected by a password.

PokerStars Mobile App

The PokerStars mobile app has a 4.2/5 rating from Android users and a 4.5/5 rating from iOS users. Those are strong scores, and I think they’re mainly due to the ease with which you can play multiple games.

PokerStars was one of the first mobile poker apps to offer multi-tabling. What I like about this feature is the way you can let the software take control or switch tables manually.

Overall, it’s an impressive app and, in many ways, the standard-bearer within the industry.

Payments at PokerStars UK

The nice thing about payments at PokerStars is that you can use three different currencies: GBP, EUR and USD. GBP makes the most sense for us because it removes the issue of currency conversion fees. However, if, for some reason, you need to use another currency, you’ve got the option.

In terms of safe ways to pay, PokerStars’ payment methods include:

• Debit Card (Visa, MasterCard, Maestro)
• Wire Transfer
• Rapid Transfer
• Skrill
• Neteller
• PayPal
• Paysafecard
• MuchBetter
• Luxon Pay
• Pay by Bank
• PokerStars TopUp Card

PokerStars Deposits

The minimum deposit is £10, which aligns with the industry standard. The payment method I like most is Pay by Bank. This option syncs with the banking apps on your smartphone, making it the ideal option for mobile payments.

PokerStars Withdrawals

Withdrawals are sent back to your original deposit method whenever possible. That’s standard in the gambling industry, so I haven’t got a lot to say here.

The minimum withdrawal at PokerStars UK is £10, which also matches the industry standard. Debit card withdrawals can take up to 10 days, which is far too long.

The positive, however, is that eWallet payments are usually completed within an hour. That’s incredibly quick.

PokerStars UK KYC

I started my PokerStars UK review with a rundown of the security features. Alongside these security features is a process called Know Your Customer (KYC). A KYC check is required by law and allows PokerStars to verify your identity.

In line with this, PokerStars UK requires all customers to provide the following:

• Name
• Address
• Date of birth
• Proof of your identity (passport, driver’s license, utility bill, etc)
• Proof of earnings to pass the affordability checks (bank statement, payslip, etc)

PokerStars Casino Support

I’ve always had a good experience with PokerStars’ support team. I was the victim of fraud (along with dozens of other players) about 10 years ago.

Basically, a team of players was colluding in some SNGs I played. I and others reported what we suspected were instances of cheating.

PokerStars’ support team investigated and found that collusion had occurred. I was duly compensated, which is why I think PokerStars UK has one of the best customer support services in the business.

PokerStars UK Contact Options

• PokerStars FAQ
• PokerStars Live Chat Times: 24/7
• PokerStars Phone Number: Callback service
• PokerStars Email: support@pokerstars.uk

PokerStars Feedback

I’ve talked at length about my experiences with PokerStars over the years, but what do other customers think? I’ve scrolled through some PokerStars reviews and picked out a selection of comments that provide an honest representation of what people think:

“Excellent site, enjoyed playing on it, got my favourite games, looking forward to playing on it in the future,” Lola – Trustpilot.

“FAST response time when contacting support and speaking to a HUMAN,” Michael Clason – Trustpilot.

“Stars is easily the safest site in terms of your money. You’re never getting ripped off by Stars. The player pool is one of the toughest online, though, because software and security are basically unmatched,” yeseecanada – Reddit.

PokerStars UK: Ante Up at the World’s Leading Poker Site

PokerStars does a lot of things better than its peers, mainly because it sets trends rather than follows them. The poker room isn’t perfect, nor is the casino. I long for the days of SuperNova Elite rewards, and the PokerStars freeroll schedule should be restored to its former glory.

However, these criticisms are relatively minor in the grand scheme of things. The positives far outweigh the negatives, which is why PokerStars remains the leading poker site in the world. It’s also why the casino and sportsbook are thriving.

Some of the takeaways from this PokerStars review are:

• Tons of innovative features, including exclusive slots and PokerStars Home Games.
• Slick mobile app with clever payment options.
• Ongoing rewards and PokerStars no deposit bonus offers.

If you’re a poker player, you have to download PokerStars. I won’t be as forceful with my recommendation if you’re a casino player because there are plenty of great options out there. However, when it comes to poker, PokerStars is only matched by GGPoker.