PokerStars Review
Standalone · 26 ambassadors · Last updated April 2026
The room that built the internet poker generation - still the deepest tournament schedule on earth
PokerStars launched in 2001, dominated online poker for two decades, and still runs the biggest tournament series on earth in WCOOP and SCOOP. In 2026 the cash traffic rankings have changed but the tournament crown has not. Here is what the platform - and its 24-ambassador roster - actually delivers.
Visit PokerStars →01 The signings that matter
Jason Koon
Jason Koon is the highest-earning ambassador on the PokerStars roster with $71.6M in lifetime live tournament earnings - one of the largest figures in poker history. His November 2024 signing was a statement: Koon spent his formative years on PokerStars and called it 'home' when he rejoined. He bridges the high-stakes live world with the platform's US expansion push under the FanDuel partnership, giving PokerStars credibility at every level above $10/$20.
Profile →Benjamin Spragg
Benjamin 'Spraggy' Spragg is the most-watched English-language poker streamer on PokerStars, with over 160,000 Twitch followers built entirely on Stars. He joined Team Pro in 2017 as a micro-stakes grinder and won his first major live title at the 2023 UKIPT Brighton - becoming the first Team Pro member to win a PokerStars Main Event since Victoria Coren-Mitchell in 2014. His presence on the roster is a direct pipeline from recreational streamer viewers to the Stars deposit page.
Profile →
André Akkari
Andre Akkari has been a PokerStars ambassador for over 15 years and is the central figure in Brazilian poker's growth into one of the world's strongest player pools. With $4.1M in live earnings, a WSOP bracelet, and co-CEO of Furia Esports, he occupies a unique space between elite tournament pro and mainstream sports personality. His community in Brazil generates a sustained stream of new depositors that no other ambassador on the roster can replicate.
Profile →
Maria Konnikova
Maria Konnikova is the rare crossover signing: a New York Times bestselling author and psychology PhD who learned poker for a book project and ended up with $1.28M in live earnings and a WPT title. She re-joined Team Pro in 2023 and is the face of PokerStars' US expansion narrative - an approachable, intellectually credible voice for a platform trying to grow beyond the hardcore player base. Her book The Biggest Bluff remains the most widely read poker memoir of the last decade.
Profile →Joe Stapleton
Joe Stapleton spent a decade as the most recognizable voice in televised poker, commentating EPT broadcasts for PokerStars alongside James Hartigan before transitioning to the ambassador role. His comedic commentary style redefined how broadcast poker sounds and built genuine affection for the PokerStars brand among a generation of casual fans. As a player-commentator hybrid, he anchors the entertainment value of PokerStars' own streaming output in a way no purely competitive ambassador can.
Profile →Claim the Deposit £400 Get £400 PokerStars welcome bonus with code STARS400
New players can deposit up to £400 and receive a 100% matched first-deposit bonus when registering with the promo code STARS400. The bonus releases progressively as you generate rake and tournament fees. Use STARS400 during sign-up to activate the offer - it will not apply retroactively after your first deposit.
02 At a glance
03 What PokerStars still does better than anyone else
PokerStars launched in December 2001, hit the top of global online poker traffic rankings by 2006 after PartyPoker exited the US market, and spent the next fifteen years as the default answer to the question 'where should I play poker online?' Flutter Entertainment acquired the platform in May 2020 for $6.95 billion as part of its takeover of The Stars Group - the same deal that brought PokerStars under the same parent as Paddy Power, Betfair, and FanDuel.
In 2026, PokerStars is no longer the traffic leader in cash games - that position belongs to GGPoker by a significant margin - but in tournaments, it is still the undisputed world number one. The 2025 WCOOP ran 378 tournaments with over $65 million in combined guarantees. The 2025 SCOOP ran 380 tournaments with $60 million guaranteed. No other online room comes close on either figure. For players whose primary motivation is MTT volume and prestige, PokerStars remains the answer in 2026 by a wide margin.
The European Poker Tour remains the premier live tour in the game outside of the World Series. The 2026 EPT season opened with a Paris stop in February and Monte Carlo in May, with Barcelona and Prague expected later in the year. The $5,300 Main Event at EPT Paris attracted 1,474 entries for a total prize pool of over €7 million. Qualifying online through PokerStars remains the most accessible route into the EPT for recreational players anywhere in the world.
04 Software: what you get at the table in 2026
The PokerStars client runs on Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android. The desktop client is the most feature-complete, with a lobby that handles everything from micro-stakes NLHE to $25,000 NLHE Super High Rollers on the same interface. The mobile client covers the core cash game and tournament formats but lacks some of the lobby depth of desktop. There are no browser-based play options - download is required.
The signature cash-game format is Zoom, PokerStars' fast-fold variant launched in 2012. On Zoom, you are moved to a new random table the moment you fold, eliminating wait time between hands. It remains one of the two largest fast-fold pools in online poker alongside GGPoker's Rush & Cash. For high-volume grinders, Zoom is the most efficient way to generate hand volume on PokerStars.
6+ Hold'em - short deck poker with the 2-5 removed from the deck - is available exclusively at PokerStars online. It changes several core probabilities: a flush beats a full house, a set beats a straight, and three-of-a-kind is the rarest made hand. Originally a high-stakes Macau format, PokerStars has made it accessible across stakes from micro through mid. Spin & Go Max - the three-player lottery sit-and-go format with jackpots up to 240,000x the buy-in - received a refresh in May 2025 with increased jackpots and reduced wait times.
PokerStars signature game formats
| Format | Type | Availability | Notable feature |
|---|---|---|---|
| No Limit Hold'em | Cash / MTT / SNG | All platforms | Standard; deepest player pool |
| Zoom | Fast-fold cash | Desktop + mobile | Instant hand recycling; large pool |
| Pot Limit Omaha | Cash / MTT | All platforms | 5-card PLO also offered |
| 6+ Hold'em | Cash / MTT | PokerStars exclusive | Short deck; altered hand rankings |
| Spin & Go Max | 3-player lottery SNG | All platforms | Up to 240,000x jackpot; refreshed May 2025 |
| Fixed Limit | Cash / HORSE | Desktop | FL Hold'em, Stud, Razz, Omaha Hi/Lo |
| No Limit 5-Card Draw | MTT | Desktop | Featured in SCOOP and WCOOP schedules |
05 Rake: what you actually pay on the dot.com market
PokerStars charges a flat-percentage rake on cash games with stake-dependent caps. No rake is taken if the hand ends before the flop. For No Limit and Pot Limit games on the international dollar market, the base rate is 5% at most stakes, dropping to 4.5% at $5/$10 and above. The rake cap structure means high-stakes players pay proportionally less per pot than micro-stakes players.
Tournament fees are tiered by buy-in and range from 6% to 10% for standard scheduled MTTs. Spin & Go tournament fees are a flat 7%. The tiered MTT structure rewards higher buy-in play: a $5.50 event carries closer to 10% in fees while a $5,200 Super High Roller may be as low as 3-4%. For the typical recreational player playing $22-$215 events, expect roughly 8-9% in combined fees.
PokerStars uses the weighted-contributed method to calculate rake contribution in cash games - you receive rake credit proportionally based on how much you contributed to the pot. This is generally considered player-friendly compared to dealt-rake systems, because players who fold preflop receive no credit for hands they did not contest.
PokerStars dot.com NL/PL cash game rake (USD, key stakes)
| Stakes | Rake % | 2-Player Cap | 3-4 Player Cap | 5+ Player Cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $0.01/$0.02 | 5.00% | $1.00 | $1.00 | $1.00 |
| $0.05/$0.10 | 5.00% | $1.00 | $1.00 | $1.00 |
| $0.25/$0.50 | 5.00% | $0.75 | $0.75 | $2.00 |
| $0.50/$1 | 5.00% | $1.00 | $1.00 | $2.50 |
| $1/$2 | 5.00% | $1.25 | $1.25 | $2.75 |
| $2.50/$5 | 5.00% | $1.50 | $1.50 | $3.00 |
| $5/$10 | 4.50% | $1.50 | $1.50 | $3.00 |
| $25/$50 | 4.50% | $2.25 | $2.00 | $3.00 |
| $50/$100 | 4.50% | $2.50 | $3.00 | $5.00 |
06 Stars Rewards: the loyalty math, honestly assessed
Stars Rewards replaced the old VIP/Supernova system in 2024 with a Chest-based loyalty model. You earn 100 Reward Points per $1 of rake or tournament fees paid (130 per £1, 110 per €1). Points fill a progress bar; complete it and you earn a Chest containing cash, tickets, or store points. The level of your current Chest determines the value of future Chests.
The six Chest tiers run Blue through Black. New players start at Blue (2,000 points per Chest, $3 average value, 15% effective rakeback). You level up by earning 5 Chests within any rolling 28-day period; drop down one level if you go 28 days without opening a single Chest. The Black level caps the regular program at 40% effective rakeback with an average Chest value of $1,000 - but at 250,000 points per Chest (equivalent to $2,500 in rake per Chest), Black-level play is the territory of professional multi-tablers.
For most regular players, the realistic range is Silver to Gold (20-25% effective rakeback), which is competitive but not market-leading compared to ACR's flat rakeback or KKPoker's instant cashback models. The advantage of the Stars system is predictability: rakeback is paid as cash when you open a Chest, there are no monthly challenge resets, and the Select tiers (50-60%) are genuinely competitive for volume grinders who can sustain $4,000+ per month in rake.
Stars Rewards Chest tier structure (dot.com / .eu / .uk markets)
| Tier | Points per Chest | Avg. Chest Value | Effective Rakeback | Level-Up Requirement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue | 2,000 | $3 | 15% | 5 Chests / 28 days |
| Bronze | 6,000 | $10.50 | 17.5% | 5 Chests / 28 days |
| Silver | 20,000 | $40 | 20% | 5 Chests / 28 days |
| Gold | 50,000 | $125 | 25% | 5 Chests / 28 days |
| Diamond | 120,000 | $360 | 30% | 5 Chests / 28 days |
| Black | 250,000 | $1,000 | 40% | Top regular tier |
| Select | $50K rake/yr | Daily cash | 50% | Maintain $10K / 3 months |
| Select+ | $100K rake/yr | Daily cash | 50-60% | Maintain $20K / 3 months |
07 Tournament pedigree: where PokerStars is still untouchable
The World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) and the Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP) are the two biggest recurring online tournament series in the world, and both are PokerStars exclusives. The 2025 WCOOP ran 378 events from September 7 through October 1 with over $65 million in combined guarantees, including a $25,000 Super High Roller with a $1 million guarantee. The 2025 SCOOP ran from May 11 through June 2 with a $60 million guarantee across 130 events and 380 tournament sessions, from $5.50 buy-ins up to $5,200 Main Events.
For recreational players, the most meaningful number in the tournament schedule is the Sunday Million. Running every week with a $215 buy-in and a $1 million minimum guarantee, it is the longest-running million-dollar guaranteed tournament in online poker history. PokerStars has run it continuously since 2006. The format serves as both an accessible target for occasional tournament players and a consistent traffic anchor for the Sunday peak.
The European Poker Tour is PokerStars' live tournament brand and the most prestigious stop-by-stop live tour in the game outside the World Series of Poker. The 2026 season opened at EPT Paris in February and moves to Monte Carlo in late April. The €5,300 Main Event at Paris attracted 1,474 entries and a €7 million-plus prize pool. Satellite qualifications run through PokerStars online at buy-ins from a few dollars upward, making EPT realistically accessible to any player willing to work through the satellite structure.
08 Who PokerStars is actually for in 2026 - and where it falls short
Tournament players: yes, unreservedly. No other platform delivers the combination of volume, guarantees, buy-in range, and brand recognition that PokerStars offers across WCOOP, SCOOP, and the Sunday schedule. If your primary game is MTTs and you are not restricted to a ring-fenced regulated market, this is still the first answer in 2026.
Recreational players: yes, particularly if you want to play across formats. The game variety is the deepest in the industry: standard NLHE, Zoom, Spin & Go Max, 6+ Hold'em, PLO, HORSE, Fixed Limit, and Heads-Up formats all run on the same platform. The Stars Rewards program at entry levels is transparent and the bonus release via Stars Rewards is straightforward. Use code STARS400 on sign-up.
Cash game grinders: conditionally. The traffic decline is real and affects game availability, particularly at mid-stakes during off-peak hours. Rake at micro-stakes increased in 2024. The partial HUD restriction is less severe than GGPoker's full ban but more restrictive than ACR or iPoker. The Stars Rewards program at Silver and Gold levels is competitive but not exceptional for a dedicated cash grinder. Players above $5/$10 with $50,000+ annual rake volume will access the Select tier at 50% and find genuinely strong terms.
09 Quick facts
10 Full PokerStars ambassador roster (26)
Top 5 by lifetime earnings
| Ambassador | Country | Lifetime |
|---|---|---|
| Jason Koon | United States | $72.1M |
| Kenny Hallaert | Belgium | $9.1M |
| André Akkari | Brazil | $4.1M |
| Rafael Moraes | Brazil | $3M |
| Guillermo Sanz | Spain | $2M |
Full roster
Benjamin Spragg
PokerStars
Maria Konnikova
PokerStars
Jason Koon
PokerStars
David Lappin
PokerStars
Kenny Hallaert
PokerStars
Simon Wiciak
PokerStars
Sebastian Huber
PokerStars
Adam McKola
PokerStars
Alex Romero
PokerStars
André Akkari
PokerStars
Arlie Shaban
PokerStars
Benjamin Bruneteaux
PokerStars
David Gutierrez
PokerStars
Guillermo Sanz
PokerStars
James Hartigan
PokerStars
Jennifer Shahade
PokerStars
Joe Stapleton
PokerStars
Julien Brecard
PokerStars
Kerryjane Craigie
PokerStars
Marle Spragg
PokerStars
Nicholas Walsh
PokerStars
Rafael Moraes
PokerStars
Rory Jennings
PokerStars
Parker Talbot
PokerStars
Caitlin Comeskey
PokerStars
Felix Schneiders
PokerStars
Inside PokerStars
