PokerStars

Having long held the distinction of being the second biggest poker site on the internet, many experts in the industry now believe that Poker Stars has actually surpassed Party Poker as being the largest internet poker hangout. Of course, even if Poker Stars hasn't surpassed Party Poker in terms of the actual player base, it has definitely surpassed Party Poker in a number of other areas. Firstly, the World Series of Poker champions from 2003, 2004 and 2005 all hang out at Poker Stars for you to play with. In addition to that, Daniel Negreanu; poker legend and perhaps one of the most beloved poker players of all time, is a member of the Poker Stars star studded lineup. Take those two tidbits and put them together with the fact that Poker Stars has the best tournaments anywhere and you've got a pretty solid equation for giving them your business.

Game play

The game play aspects of Poker Stars are perhaps the best of the big three online poker websites although the guys at Full Tilt Poker might have something to say about that at some point. The lobby is very clean cut and easy to navigate and the tables are low graphics and very user friendly. The whole idea of the poker stars software is to get people comfortable with the software and keep them playing and indeed Poker Stars does an absolutely phenomenal job of accomplishing this. Their traffic is the best and most reliable around and even at not very popular variants of poker you can usually find a couple of games to suit your fancy.

Graphics

As previously mentioned, the main watchword for anything that Poker Stars does in relation to its actual software is simplicity. They are happy when they can offer a simple interface that while not artistically overwhelming is at the same time straightforward and to the point. Most users don't really care about really fancy graphical interfaces and Poker Stars understands this. Two dimensional card displays combined with a pleasing green felt on a 2-D table provide for an excellent playing atmosphere. Adding in a few options for functionality such as an optional four color deck seals the final deal in terms of a simple yet effective graphical interface.

Bonus

Poker Stars, being the powerhouse of the century at the moment, is actually the worst established poker site in existence when it comes to their first time deposit bonus. Their first time deposit bonus is only a maximum of $50 and even then it is very difficult for you to release. Of course, none of their other promotions are really worth discussing and even their Frequent Player Program isn't particularly up to snuff when compared to the other programs around.

Deposit Methods

The following deposit methods are available at Poker Stars: NETeller, Instant eCheck, Moneybookers, Visa, UK Debit Card, UseMyBank, ePassporte, MasterCard, Wire Transfer and PaySafeCard. If you are in the United States, by far the best option for you would be ePassporte. It allows you most of the same functionality as NETeller but is still accessible to players that live in the United States.