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Poker Stars introduction into the online poker marketplace represented a major step into adulthood for the online poker
industry. As time passes, online poker will continue to grow and mature, but PokerStars is responsible for many of the most
player friendly innovations we enjoy today. PokerStars.com is currently the largest online poker cardroom in the world.
A key element separating the best online cardrooms from the pack is superior software. PokerStars software was
developed by designers who play poker, and it shows. The game moves briskly -- cards are dealt, bets made, pots
awarded, and then we do it again. But more than its efficiency, what really interests me about PokerStars is how
it introduced many new functions to online poker.
My favorite original PokerStars feature is Stats. Ever wonder what percentage of Holdem flops you see? Or how about what
percentage of showdowns you win, or how often you play the big blind? You have this information at the click of a button.
You can see your dynamic stats for your current session right on your game screen, or request your stats for some number
of previous hands, or even for your entire history on the site. In poker, knowledge is power. This is especially true of
online poker. Since we lose much of the human interaction online, the statistical analysis of our play is even more important
than in a casino. And with PokerStars many key statistical facts about our game are now at our fingertips.
PokerStars also first provided an aid to help with the human aspect of the game too. Like Statistics, the "Notes"
feature is integrated into the games chatbox. (You click on tabs on the chatbox to switch between Chat, Statistics, Notes,
and Info modes.) In the Winner's Guide to Online Poker
I mention how I keep track of the small group of the very best players as well as the somewhat larger group of extremely
poor players. Without an integrated notes feature, this can get cumbersome. Some people have their player databases organized
very well, but PokerStars offers an integrated way to do this. Simply click the Notes tab on the chatbox, then click on an
opponent's icon. That opponent's name will now appear in the upper part of the chatbox. In the lower part, type in whatever
comments you want to make about that player, for instance: "Biff -- likes to checkraise." This note about Biff
will be stored on your hard drive (and only your hard drive), so when you next play against Biff, all you have to do is
double-click his icon and your previous notes on him will appear in the chatbox -- even if it is days, weeks or months later.
 PokerStars
multi-table tournaments represented a major step forward from previous online functionality. Once again, a key word in describing
PokerStars is integration. When you play a multi-table tournament on PokerStars, you sign up in a tournament lobby. Navigation
between tournaments and ring games takes one mouse click. The Tournament Lobby also provides a wealth of information. You can see
who is at what table, exactly how many chips each player has and results of previous tournaments. You can go to each table and
observe the play. You can see who has been eliminated, how many players left, average stack size, etc. Additional information is
accessible under the "Info" chatbox tab. Info tells you exactly where you stand in the tournament (for example, third
out of twenty remaining players) and more.
PokerStars also offers satellite tournaments for larger events, which are again fully integrated. When you qualify from a
satellite to a larger tournament you are automatically and immediately registered to the target. There is no guesswork to
see how many other players are registered or any doubts about whether your win will be somehow "lost" in cyberspace.
Another original tournament feature is a "Time Bank." Some tournament decisions require extra thought. At the
same time, it is important to not let angleshooters stall at critical junctures. PokerStars Time Bank gives players a
stash of extra time to use when faced with difficult decisions, so no player can habitually stall (or just play super-slow).
When it comes your turn, once you take most of your normal allotted time to act, a time bank button appears. If you want
to think more, click the time bank button and you get more time, up to your total time bank limit for the tournament
(usually 120 seconds). In practice, a person might use this three or four times a tournament, maybe taking an extra ten
or 15 seconds each time. Your total available time bank balance can be viewed by clicking the Info tab.
 Other
PokerStars features are the ability to have your own unique photo as your "game face." You can use a
picture of yourself, your cat, John Wayne, your mother-in-law, or any other (non-rude) photo you desire. You can
also disable this feature and see the usual sort of generic icons for everybody. PokerStars offers Pot Limit and
No Limit capability (including play money), hand histories (including tournaments), and the ability to see all
players' connection speed/ status. They also have chosen to take a strong stand on all-in abuse.
Statistics, notes, the multi-table tournament lobby and features... I hope all online cardrooms adopt these innovations.
They are technological advances, but they also provide thinking players with information. And since knowledge is power,
PokerStars is a powerful online poker room. Pokerstars.net is the free-games-only section of Pokerstars.com. You can
access the same things from the .com that you can from the .net, but the .net offers no direct path to the .com.
Click the link in the middle of this page to visit Poker Stars.
 The
photo at left is Chris Moneymaker, 2003 World Series of Poker champion, who won his seat into the main event by winning a $40
tournament on Pokerstars -- $40 into $2.5 million. The photo at right is 2004 World Series of Poker champion Greg "Fossilman"
Raymer, who also won his entrance into the World Series of Poker main event on Pokerstars. When he bested the record field of
2576 players, Fossilman took the five million dollar prize, double what Moneymaker won the year before. Click here for a
Chris Moneymaker Profile and a
Greg Fossilman Raymer Profile.
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