Pokerstars Bet

Although fashions in bet sizing are always changing, and advanced players have different reasons for betting different sizes, the following are widely accepted definitions:

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• Small bet: about half the pot.
• Medium sized bet: between half and three quarters of the pot.
• Large bet: more than three quarters of the pot.

PokerStars is the first operator in Michigan to offer peer-to-peer poker games online, MGCB executive director Richard Kalm said. Michiganders are only permitted to play against others within state. Pokerstars violates customers rights I live in NJ where Poker Stars is legal. Despite living within the state, I am too close to the border for the geo location to pick me up as a NJ resident.

This applies in cash games or tournaments. In the former, the pot will be real money, while in the latter it will comprise tournament chips. But the general guidelines apply in both instances.

Small Bets

The size you want to bet will always depend on the specific situation, but typically players might want to make small bets on a dry board (ie, where there are few connecting cards), on the river (when all community cards have been exposed) or as a continuation bet (ie, following up a pre-flop raise).

On a dry board – If there are few to no draws possible – for example a flop of K♥7♦3♠ – then it is not possible to have a flush draw or an open-ended straight draw. Therefore it is not as important to protect a big hand because the chances of it being outdrawn are slim. Therefore it is OK to bet relatively little, in the hope of attracting a call to swell the pot. (Remember, if you typically bet small with a good hand then you should typically bluff small as well. Good opponents can spot changes in patterns and can figure out when you are bluffing and when you are not.)

On the river – If all the community cards are out already, no one can outdraw your hand. It follows that it is no longer necessary to protect a big hand. Therefore the situation is similar to an extremely dry board and bets on the river tend to be smaller than bets on other streets.

A continuation bet means to bet on the flop after raising pre-flop. You are continuing your aggression, hence the name. This is a way to pick up the pot if your opponent missed the flop. It’s not necessary to make a big bet in order to do so as your opponent should already be convinced of the strength of your hand from your pre-flop aggression.

Big Bets

In certain situations, big bets can be a very strong weapon. They will put a lot of pressure on your opponents and force them into decisions that can cost a lot of their chips. Big bets can be useful to bluff people off decent hands, gain huge value with strong hands or to protect against strong draws.

Here are typical situations when to make a big bet:

On a draw heavy board – In contrast to a “dry board” described above, you should bet big when there are many ways in which your strong hand can be outdrawn. Suppose you are holding 10♠5♥ in the big blind. Several players call and nobody raises, so you see a flop for free. It comes 10♣8♣5♦ and you have two pair.

You hand is strong at this stage, but a lot of cards are dangerous. Your opponents could easily make a flush, a straight or a better two pair on the turn or river. You should make a big bet here, possibly even bigger than the size of the pot.

Two pair is a hand that often calls for big bets because although it is strong enough to be ahead most of the time, it is weak enough that it can be outdrawn on turn and river. (This only holds true if there is no pair on the board. Otherwise a lot of players might have two pair and your hand is usually not strong enough to make a huge bet.)

Pre-flop – Before any community cards have been dealt, even a very strong hand can be vulnerable against a significantly weaker one. Even if you hold A♣K♥ and your opponent holds 6♦2♠ you are less than a two to one favorite. If you raise pre-flop it should almost certainly be a large raise to force out holdings that might beat you.

With the nuts – If you are lucky enough to have the best possible hand, you might want to bet big in order to build a gigantic pot. (Sometimes you also want to pretend to have the nuts and make a huge bluff.)

Medium Bets

If you have decided that a bet is necessary, but the situation isn’t listed above, then a medium-sized bet is probably in order.

Bet Sizing Examples

• A decent pocket pair pre-flop. You are J♠J♥ holding in the cut off seat. Two players in front of you call. It is important to make a big raise, up to five or six big blinds here. You are pretty confident to hold the best hand and you want an opponent to pay dearly if they want to out-flop you.
• Protecting your hand on the flop. In the same scenario as above, both limpers call after you raise to five big blinds. The flop is 10♠6♥3♦. The board is pretty dry but your hand is vulnerable to over-cards, and you could be outdrawn if an ace, king or queen comes on the turn or river. You should definitely protect your hand by betting. A medium sized bet will do the job
• A monster on the river. You are holding K♠10♦ and the board is Q♠J♠4♥6♦A♣. You have the nuts. You have one opponent, who checked to you. It is OK to bet big here. Maybe he caught an ace on the river and wants to see the showdown.
• A decent hand on the river. On the same board as above and with the same opponent, but this time you have A♠6♠. You were trying to hit a flush after the flop but made two pair on turn and river instead. When he checks to you, you should make a small bet. If he has a queen or a jack, for example, or even a hand like A♦9♦, he might call you to see if you have a busted flush draw.
• A marginal hand on the river. Consider the same board again. This time you are holding K♠J♥ for third pair. This is a hand you should just check behind. Remember that you always need a purpose to bet. You shouldn’t go for a value bet here because your hand is not strong enough for that. It’s obviously not necessary to protect your hand from draws because all cards are out already. Bluffing is not necessary either because if you opponent has a weak hand, you will win the showdown anyway. And there is no need to bet for information either. If you check, the cards will get turned over, which will give you all the information you need.
• A terrible hand on the river. Yet again the same board with your lone opponent. Unfortunately you are holding 9♠8♠. You had a nice draw but it missed (a “busted” draw) and now you have nothing more than nine high. This is a good spot for a bluff. Usually you should bet small and represent an ace. Once in a while it’s OK to make a big bluff, representing a straight.

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While doing research for this guide, I read hundreds of pages of 2+2’s PokerStars Improvement Thread and played tons of hours of online poker at PokerStars.com. I’ve also been in the online poker industry for well over a decade, from before PokerStars ever got started. With that said, let’s get started on the PokerStars review.

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PokerStars Pros & Cons

Pros

• Secure and Safe Online Poker Site.
• Massive Opportunity for Gaming.
• Quality Customer Support.
• Great promotional opportunities.

Cons

• Low US Player availability.
• No Live Chat Support.

About PokerStars.com

Since 2006, PokerStars has reigned as the most popular online poker room in the world – and not only has it been in the lead, it has dominated its competition.

For instance, according to PokerScout.com, PokerStars’ cash game traffic at its lowest hours is still twice as high as its nearest competition’s traffic at peak hours. At the time of writing, PokerStars has about 19,000 cash-game players online while the second busiest site (888 Poker) has about 3,000.

Not one competitor comes even close to PokerStars. But for how long?

Is PokerStars legit? Safety and security

When choosing an online poker room, players want a place that is safe and secure. At PokerStars, only the latest technology is used to ensure that gameplay is fair, player data is secure, and all financial transactions are safe. When it comes to fairness, PokerStars has game integrity experts who work to ensure that no player has an advantage over another. Software security is in place as well, to keep the quality of gameplay at the highest level.

PokerStars also holds their licensing within the Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission. This commission was created in 1962 and ensures the regulation of online gambling activities. With this backing and the standards PokerStars upholds, players can rest assured they are going to experience legit game play.

Opening your PokerStars account

With our PokerStars review, you can easily learn how to open a new account. Below you will find step-by-step instructions to get you started.

1. Download the online poker software from PokerStars
2. Open the software via the quick-start icon, should be labeled “PokerStars”
3. Once opened, choose ‘Create a new account now”
4. From here, you will be able to set up your Stars Account

PokerStar Bonus

Bonuses are readily available at PokerStars, especially for new members. To begin, new players to the site can access $30 in Free Play. Deposit $20 or more with the bonus code THIRTY to earn this extra bonus cash. The $30 in Free Play includes Spin & Go Tickets plus bonus cash.

Another option for new players is the 100% deposit bonus worth up to $600. This bonus can be accessed by using the code STAR600 and depositing via three qualifying deposits within a 60-day time frame. After depositing, players will need to play real money games. During gameplay, redemption points are earned. Players will earn 5 redemption points for every $1 paid in rake or tournament fees.

Player Traffic and Tournament Prizepools

Even though the recent changes have been unpleasant (to say the least), PokerStars is lightyears ahead of others when it comes to cash game player traffic and tournament prize pools. Volume makes a huge difference and PokerStars has ten times the volume of its closest competitor. For a poker player who cares about the art of game selection (as any winning player should), there’s no better place to play at than PokerStars.com.

While there is a high level of traffic at PokerStars, the game quality is among the poorest in all of online poker. Grinders play a dozen or more tables at a time. There are also problems with bum-hunting, meaning serious players will only go up against weaker ones. Some of the recent changes have tried to combat this, but it has not been effective.

PokerStars real money deposit and withdrawals

Now that you have your PokerStars account created, its time to learn about deposits and withdrawals. There are options for players to enjoy PokerStars via desktop and mobile, so game play can be enjoyed at home or on the go. PokerStars bitcoin, WebMoney, Visa, MasterCard and many more options are available for deposit and withdrawal depending on your location.

• Desktop Cashier
  • In the desktop version, you will need to open the software and click on Cashier then the Make a Deposit tab. Select the deposit option you wish to use and click Deposit. Enter the amount and use a bonus code if it applies. Click submit and once your transaction is processed, you are ready to play.
• Mobile Cashier
  • Log in to the PokerStars app via your mobile device using your Stars ID. Be sure you log in via the real money tab. Choose the Deposit button to open the cashier. With an iOS device you will find the Cashier button at the bottom of the screen. On Android, you will need to choose the navigation menu at the top left corner to find the cashier. Choose your payment option, preferred currency and amount of deposit. Follow the instructions to complete your transaction.

When choosing your payment method, you will need to choose an option available to your country. PokerStars offers varying financial methods based on location. Players in one location may have access to more deposit and withdrawal options based on their home country. Be sure to check what options are open to you and select the preferred method when depositing.

Software Quality

For several years now, I’ve ranked PokerStars’ software as the second best in the world, right behind Full Tilt. For me, Full Tilt had something special, but PokerStars has always had good software as well which obviously appeals to plenty of people. Full Tilt was folded into PokerStars in May 2016, leaving PokerStars as the top software in the online poker industry.

What’s so good about the software, then? Well, for one, it works (or at least worked before the latest major update). It’s easy on the eye, and even more importantly, it’s easy to use. Online poker has been around for over 15 years now and it’s mind-boggling how few online poker rooms still have a top quality software, and PokerStars happens to be one of the rare sites who do.

Playing on PokerStars on your mobile device

With our PokerStars review, we wanted to cover mobile device use as most players want to take their online poker gaming on the go. The very same features and support can be found on mobile, allowing players to move from desktop to mobile with ease, never missing out on poker opportunities. With the mobile cashier, players will be able to manage their bankroll, making deposits via the Mobile poker application.

To get started, players will need to download the application on their mobile device. PokerStars offers mobile gaming via iPad, iPhone, and Android devices. Once downloaded, players can log in and begin able to enjoy poker cash games or tournaments from anywhere!

The big benefit of mobile gaming is being able to play at any time from anywhere. You are no longer tethered to your desktop computer and can log on anywhere you like.

PokerStars Customer Support

You don’t get to be the top online poker site in the world by providing bad customer support. PokerStars is a professional online poker operation and they will treat you that way. They’re also active in online gambling communities by answering to members’ questions, solving their problems and asking for feedback.

The customer support personnel aren’t to blame for the decisions the directors of the company have made regarding the recent (mostly negative) changes. If anything, their job has become harder since people are surely complaining more nowadays.

I have no complaints regarding the customer support department (except for the lack of phone support which could come in handy). But the way PokerStars takes care of its customers as a company (again, referring to the recent changes) has changed for the worse and that bothers me (and judging by all the comments made online, bother a lot of other people too). With that said, it is still among the best in terms of how it handles player complaints and support issues.

Amaya Acquisition

…the ability to fight off the ABCs of business decay, which are arrogance, bureaucracy and complacency. When these corporate cancers metastasize, even the strongest of companies can falter.Warren Buffett

Only time will tell if Amaya is making smart business decisions. But I can tell you something right now: plenty of PokerStars customers are disappointed by 2 major changes, first, it has cut back on costs and second, Amaya increased fees. These changes have lead to a worse user experience.

How the Amaya acquisition has affected PokerStars

Not only is it more expensive to play at PokerStars due to the increase in rake fees in both cash games and tournaments, and the decrease in the VIP benefits, they now seem less and less willing to promote poker by cutting out affiliate marketers and terminating contracts with Team PokerStars Pros all the while launching online casino games and sportbooks.

They’ve also decreased the quality of the playing experience. When it comes to significant software updates in any business, you’ll have long-time users who aren’t fond of the changes but it eventually grows on them. In this case, lots of players started experiencing significant lags after the software update from what’s called PokerStars 6 to PokerStars 7. Players are now reporting continuous lags, sometimes to the point where the tables are frozen for several minutes while multi-table tournaments are running (the lags seem especially bad for multi-tablers).

Pokerstars.net

But why is this happening?

If the rumors on poker forums are to be believed – not always a good idea – Amaya has also cut back on server costs which, in turn, has caused its customers to experience significant lags. A PokerStars representative took part in 2+2 forum’s discussion with the following quote:

Unfortunately, lags have continued long after the tournament was held. And it was a weak response either way since we’ve already seen PokerStars host the biggest tournaments online ever. If the problem is on server-side, then the server-side isn’t what it used to be.

And that, in turn, is in line with the rumors. Amaya Gaming has since changed names to Stars Group to reflect its largest holding.

Conclusion

PokerStars may still be the best option for online poker players around the world (US players are prohibited) but its quality has gone downhill recently. However, it’s hard to argue against the massive amounts of player traffic and tournament prizepools which tower over all of PokerStars’ competitors, in addition to other types of promotions that PokerStars is better-equipped to offer than its significantly smaller competition.

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