PokerStars Review
Since its launch in 2001, PokerStars has operated with a reputation for the largest tournament guarantees in online poker, active cash games at all stakes, and running fair games.
In 2026, PokerStars joined forces with FanDuel, retired its standalone poker platform, and rebranded as โPokerStars on FanDuel.โ Simultaneously, PokerStars finally merged its Michigan, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania player pools into a single network, ending years of ring-fenced operations.
The combined player pool has resulted in larger tournament guarantees, busier cash games, and the return of flagship events like the Sunday Million for its US customers. Read on for our full PokerStars review, where weโll cover whatโs new and how it compares to other poker sites.
- Huge Tournaments
- VIP Loyalty Program
- Available In MI, NJ, and PA
Pros
Biggest Poker Tournaments Solid ReputationCons
Average Cash Game Traffic Tight PlayersIn Which States is PokerStars by FanDuel Available?
PokerStars offers online poker in the following states:
PokerStars Bonus Code
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
PokerStars Bonus Code | None Needed - Use Links |
| Bonus Offer | 100% up to $1,000 on First Deposit |
| Minimum Deposit | $10 |
| Clearing Requirements | $5 in bonus funds released for every $25 paid in rake |
PokerStars Deposit Bonus
The PokerStars on FanDuel bonus welcomes new players with up to $1,000 in bonus funds. New customers can claim the offer in three steps:
- Sign up for an account
- Opt in to the PokerStars bonus
- Make a first deposit of at least $10
In turn, PokerStars on FanDuel will match your first deposit 100% with up to $1,000 in bonus funds. For example, if you deposit $500, youโll get $500. If you deposit $1,000 or more, youโll receive the max bonus amount worth $1,000.
Note: The PokerStars Bonus is available to anyone new to FanDuel Poker, including existing FanDuel Sportsbook and Casino customers who havenโt yet played poker. Former PokerStars customers may also claim the bonus.
How the PokerStars Bonus Works
After you claim the bonus, PokerStars will release it in $5 increments for every $25 you pay in tournament fees and cash game rake. You have 120 days from your first deposit to clear as much of the bonus as possible.
The $5-for-every-$25 clearance rate works out to roughly 20% rakeback on the bonus amount, which is competitive but not unheard of. If youโre a casual player who sticks primarily to micro stakes games, donโtโ expect to clear the full $1,000 bonus.
The bonus applies to the first deposit only. Players who deposit less than $1,000 cannot top up later to claim more bonus funds.
PokerStars VIP Program: Dynasty Builder

Dynasty Builder is PokerStarsโ loyalty program, which is based on missions rather than points and offers two tracks for earning rewards:
- For the Thrill: These recurring missions are open for all PokerStars customers, but theyโre best for casual players because they are straightforward and achievable without massive volume. For the Thrill missions offer tournament entry tickets, cosmetic upgrades like in-table avatars, and more.
- Built for the Grind: High volume players can earn up to $1,000 cash per week by hitting weekly volume milestones based on rake. For example, if you pay $50 in rake in a week, youโll earn a $5 reward. Players earn cash rewards for each of the program’s sixteen milestones, which offer a combined cash payout of up to $1,000 for anyone who pays $4,000 or more in rake in a week.
PokerStars Download
One of the keys to PokerStars establishing worldwide dominance in the online poker market was and continues to be its poker software. Even years ago, PokerStars was the place to play poker if you needed a clean, crisp interface with games that move quickly, an ability to easily run multiple tables and advanced tournament features such as chopping the last few payouts at the end of a big tournament.
The PokerStars download is compatible with all desktops and mobile devices. If youโre on a PC or Mac, you can download the PokerStars client from the official website. If youโre on a mobile device, just open your deviceโs app store to download PokerStars for iOS or Android.
Once youโve downloaded the PokerStars software and run it, youโll be taken to the main lobby where you can browse cash games, tournaments and special events. The cash games lobby is organized in a straightforward manner with a simple listing of tables sorted by stakes.
Info provided in the cash games lobby includes table names, stakes, game type, number of players at each table and critical statistics such as the average pot size, average number of players to see the flop and number of hands played per hour.
A variety of sort features at the top of the cash games lobby can be used to narrow down the games list according to specific parameters. Available filters include: filtering by game type (NL Holdem, Pot Limit Omaha, etc), stakes and max number of players.
The tournaments tab inside the main poker lobby offers similar features that allow you to observe games, filter by game type and so on. One tab is specifically dedicated to sit-n-go tournaments, another is reserved for multi-table tournaments and a third is for notable events, such as the weekly Sunday Million.
Once youโre actually seated at a table, you have a variety of other options that can be used to further customize the experience. Tables may be resized endlessly such that you can have one big table occupy your entire monitor or six smaller tables all sized such that all remain within sight at all times.
Additional table settings allow you to change the color theme, use four-color decks, customize which sound effects are active and much more.
PokerStars Screenshots
PokerStars Cash Games
PokerStars on FanDuel currently offers three cash game variants:
- No-Limit Hold’em: $0.05/$0.10 to $50/$100
- Pot-Limit Omaha: $0.02/$0.05 to $25/$50
- 5-Card Pot-Limit Omaha (PLO5): $0.05/$0.10 to $1/$2
The lineup is noticeably leaner than the old PokerStars cash game menu, which included fixed-limit Hold’em, Stud variants, Razz, Badugi, mixed games, and several draw formats. That said, fewer cash games means PokerStars is now better at funneling players to the most popular variants, which is good for traffic at all stakes.
PLO5 is a notable inclusion since it isn’t widely available on other poker sites, which gives PokerStars on FanDuel a small edge in game variety.
PokerStars Tournaments
Tournaments have always been PokerStarsโ most recognized strong point, and it continues to improve in that regard.
Since PokerStars relaunched its multi-state network in 2026, its tournament guarantees have hit numbers that were impossible under the previous ring-fencing restrictions. Now, six-figure prize pools are a regular occurrence at PokerStars, and even bigger one-off events are not uncommon.
Player Traffic at PokerStars on FanDuel
Traffic has long been the primary weakness of all legal online poker sites in the USA, and PokerStars is no exception. Fragmented player pools and the limited number of states where online poker is legal make it difficult for any licensed poker site to generate the massive, 24/7 player traffic that existed in the USA pre-Black Friday.
However, PokerStars has improved in that regard since merging its Michigan, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania player pools into a single, multi-state network.
Since combining its player pools, PokerStars has improved traffic to its cash game tables at all stakes. Tournament traffic has also increased significantly, making it possible for PokerStars to revive its weekly Sunday Million, complete with prize pools that will soon justify the name (the Sunday Million currently guarantees at least $500,000).
Now, the PokerStars network is comparable to its main competitors, including WSOP Online, BetRivers Poker, and BetMGM Poker.
Itโs also worth noting that PokerStars has two advantages that its competitors lack: direct access to FanDuelโs massive customer base and a shared sportsbook/poker wallet. Now that existing FanDuel Sportsbook customers can move their money into PokerStarsโ table games and tournaments with a single tap, thereโs a steady flow of recreational traffic that other poker sites canโt match.
PokerStars Deposit Options
PokerStars accepts credit cards, debit cards, electronic bank transfers, and cash via the following deposit methods:
Will PokerStars Launch In More US States?
PokerStarsโ expansion outlook has improved considerably under the FanDuel umbrella. The FanDuel Group holds online casino licenses in multiple states and operates online sportsbooks in nearly two dozen others, thereby solving any of PokerStarsโ previous market access questions, like who it would partner with to qualify for licensure.
Connecticut and West Virginia are the two most obvious candidates since FanDuel Casino is already operational in both, provided PokerStars can bring both into its multi-state network.
The bigger constraint is the glacial pace at which state legislatures have moved to legalize online poker. Only a handful of states have legalized online poker, and progress in other states has ranged from halting to non-existent, minus the odd exception such as Maine.
In short, PokerStars has the means to expand into states where two conditions are in place: online poker is legal, and the state has approved multi-state poker networks.
Expert Opinion: Is PokerStars Legit?
PokerStars on FanDuel is operated by Flutter Entertainment, the world’s largest online gambling company and the parent of both the original PokerStars and FanDuel. The company is licensed and regulated in multiple states, undergoes frequent third-party audits, and holds player funds in segregated accounts.
Both brands bring strong reputations to the partnership. PokerStars has operated since 2001 and is one of the only long-running poker sites that has avoided a major scandal across its entire history, including through the turbulent post-UIGEA period when it consistently paid winners and ran fair games. FanDuel is one of the two largest US sportsbook operators and remains in good standing with gaming regulators nationwide
The merger does represent a significant change in identity. The original PokerStars built its reputation as a poker-first company, with a player-focused culture that defined the early years of online poker.
However, folding the brand into FanDuelโs platform will inevitably result in additional changes as PokerStars no longer operates from a poker-only perspective. Itโs now a division of a bigger brand, committed to driving value for FanDuel as a whole.
Whether that’s a good thing depends on what you value. If youโve been waiting for PokerStars to merge its states into a single pool, and you value the additional traffic that integration with a mainstream sportsbook drives, youโll probably like what you see going forward.
However, players who valued PokerStars as a dedicated poker destination are getting something different than what they signed up for under the standalone model.
What hasn’t changed is the underlying question of trust. PokerStars is operated by a publicly traded, heavily regulated company with no history of failing to pay players. On the legitimacy question, PokerStars on FanDuel is as safe a place to play poker online as exists in the US market today.




