Those aspiring for only the best possible online poker experience should really look no further than PokerStars. With the largest player volume, coupled with the best features and most options available on a poker client, PokerStars ultimately sets the standard for what a top-tier poker site should be.

The best players from all around the world, including Canada, Australia, France and the U.S. all call PokerStars home. With their Team PokerStars, which boasts professionals whose beginnings range from brick-and-mortar casinos to the birth of Dell Inspiron computers, they have arugably one of the most diverse and premier groups of world-class players ever assembled. Vanessa Rousso, Mer Brit, Joe Hachem, Peter Eastgate and their biggest ambassador Daniel Negreanu are all associated with the PokerStars brand. The most notable stars in the game choose PokerStars for one reason; it's arguably the best poker site on the market.

Home of the biggest poker tournaments found on the Internet, PokerStars has hosted guarantees as large as $5 million dollars on Sundays and regularly runs guarantees that are in the six figure territory. Tournament professionals and aspiring amateurs alike flock to PokerStars because of the opportunity to win life-changing money. And since tournaments run consistently, it's not too far-fetched for the adept poker players to believe they have an honest chance at bringing home the bacon.

Fully licensed and regulated to the utmost of standards, PokerStars excels not only in terms of poker gameplay but also considering the security and protection of its players. You'll never have to worry about playing against a computer bot, or whether or not you're being scammed, because they spend countless hours monitoring the play at each and every table to make sure there is no foul play. They've yet to be involved in any online gaming scandal, and there is a variety of concrete reasons why you should never expect them to be in the future.

With the best selection of games, award-winning support, and world-class competition, those interested in improving their poker aptitude and bankroll should always be playing at PokerStars.

To call PokerStars software state-of-the-art may be an understatement. The team at PokerStars works almost daily improving the gameplay and customizable options available to players on their site. Whether it's extensive multi-table features you're after, standardized bet-sizing, interchangable background options, or customizable avatars, PokerStars has it all. Player notes, seat position, card design, table themes and multiple languages are all supported on the platform as well.

One of the often overlooked, but very pertinent features that PokerStars provides is the possibility to view your opponents' online connection strength. For those who play online poker frequently, it can be painful at times to sit idly through a poker hand while one player at your table goes through intermittent connection issues. Through PokerStars, you're now able to view each player's connectivity, and understand the reason behind that dreadful lag.

Another great option is what's called "Table Jumping." While many professionals can be found multi-tabling online quite frequently, PokerStars saves you time by immediately "jumping to" or selecting the table you're next to act on automatically. Albeit a small feature, in terms of saving time and maximizing playing efficiency, those looking for that extra available edge can definitely benefit with this neat extra.

The main lobby is very easy to navigate, with many different options to select from. Nearly every game you're looking for is neatly spread out via the use of a tabular interface right along the top of the main screen. With the recent update to a new, sleek black interface, consumers are able to really get the experience of contemporary, cutting-edge poker. For those who even prefer PokerStars' old lobby theme, that is also available under the "options" tab at the very top of the lobby.

Cashier screens, individual stakes, and players at specific tables are also displayed in the main view. Most (if not all) of the necessary statistics about a table, including limits, players waiting in line, hands per hour and players per flop can be found there as well.

For those players who are new to the game of poker, PokerStars also provides several guidelines and articles regarding the rules, strategy, common terms and requirements for nearly every game that they offer.

What's even more important than most of these features however, is that PokerStars is fully Mac compatible!

Aside from the fact that there isn't any telephone or live support help, PokerStars still provides a very high-level of service when it pertains to answering your questions. They have an email account, which may be contacted 24/7, to address any issue or concern you may have.

As mentioned previously, they've gone through extensive processes to ensure that each and every player who participates on PokerStars has the best level of safety achievable.

While nearly all online poker sites have a responsibility to protect their players and visitors from potential threats, it's often rare to find venues that put so much time and effort into also preserving patron livelihood. For those who have gambling issues or addiction, there's a plethora of different steps and procedures you can take with PokerStars to ensure that your issue doesn't spiral out of control. Whether it's links to Gamblers Anonymous, temporary self-exclusion, permanent self-barring or restrictive computer programs, they truly offer all the help possible to get your habit under control. Whether you're a poker superstar or a struggling amateur, addiction is serious and PokerStars definitely treats it as such.

With the largest player base in online poker, the level of play between their wide range of stakes seems to vary the most. However, dependent upon that level, the play seems to correlate rather well. At the micro to low stakes level, the play can be rather terrible at times, despite overall being a little tougher than industry standards. At these levels, its undoubtedly beneficial to participate in the No-Limit Hold'em games, as that's where much of the action lies. Omaha, Stud and Mixed Games do run frequently also, and provide another money pit for the professional card shark.

After taking a look past the lower level games however, things become exponentially tougher. While several pros can be found in the lower stakes games, after moving up the ratio of amateur per pro diminishes greatly. The required talent and experience is more expansive, and unless you place your play in that category it's best to shy away.

At the highest levels, roughly $50/$100 and above, the games become nearly unbeatable. Although, even the professionals are accustomed to having a few newbies or random fish show up from time to time.

Whether it's No-Limit Hold'em, Pot-Limit Omaha, or high stakes favorites such as Badugi and H.O.R.S.E., PokerStars offers it all. Even those looking for slightly more variation, or maybe you're looking to increase your edge by playing more games, PokerStars even offers an 8-game mix of most the above poker games plus their limit counterparts. In total, there's 13 different styles of play that you may take part in.

Dependent upon your favorite game, you may also play full ring, 6-max, and heads-up versions of most of the poker variations. The individual options when it comes to playing deep-stacked, short-stacked, fast, or with antes are plentiful, and you shouldn't encounter an issue when searching for the criteria that fits your exact specifications.

Custom filters may also be set, should you regularly play a specific stake and you're only interested in searching through that particular demographic. Subtle conveniences such as these certainly helps in drawing consumers to the action at PokerStars.

The Sunday Million, Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP), and World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) are just three of the biggest reasons to only play tournaments at PokerStars. In addition to these favorites, players are regularly bombarded with immense guaranteed events, often as large as $500,000, to entice both professionals and rookies to play for their share of prize money. Sundays are the biggest day in online poker, and at PokerStars they provide the biggest events.

Live tournaments are also promoted frequently through PokerStars main lobby. If there's a big tournament that's in the near future, PokerStars will run satellites and qualifiers around the clock until that tournament begins. The PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, Aussie Millions, European Poker Tour, North American Poker Tour and World Series of Poker are just a sample of the resources PokerStars exhausts every year.

When considering tournament types, PokerStars offers Sit-N-Go, Multi-Table Tournament (MTTs), Rebuy, Bounty, Knockout, Turbo and Guarantee variants. Each of these particular categories comes with even more options, such as number of players, "double or nothing" and shootout custom types. Most of the peculiar options are color-coded, so you shouldn't find too many problems with locating certain characteristics. Filters are also available for use, just as they are when selecting ring games.

PokerStars is very generous when it concerns freerolls. Since this particular tournament often attracts new players and those who are looking to build a bankroll, the world's biggest poker site has massive freerolls that generate tournament fields into the thousands. $100, $200 and other larger freerolls such as the $500 New Depositor are available regularly.

Dependent upon PokerStars current promotional offers, you may even get a chance to take place in more exclusive geo-specific freeroll tournaments. If you're a North American resident for example, PokerStars is currently running an NAPT Freeroll step event, in which you can weave your way through multiple tournaments to earn a terrific Mohegan Sun prize package! This reward gives entry into the upcoming NAPT Mohegan Sun Main Event ($5,000), $850 in spending cash, and free hotel and accomodations. The total value of this package is $7,000! This festival takes place during April 9-13.

Another valuable geo-targeted freeroll is the North American Poker League's $500 Nightly Freeroll. Those from the United States and Canada may take war against other fellow countrymen in an effort to win their fair share of $500 in total prizes. By finishing in the top 1,126 places, you'll win a tournament ticket to either a Senior or Rookie NAPL event. This could lead to even more prize money!

Granting desires of even the most money-hungry players, nearly every stake you could crave is available on PokerStars. From $1c/$2c right up to $1000/$2000, those who prefer to prey on the weak or challenge themselves against the strong have the opportunity to experience both levels.

With a playing field that diverse, there's a wide array of different player types and experience levels that you'll encounter along the way. From pure novices, to the average player, right up to the highly-skilled pro, they're all waiting on PokerStars.

If you're interested in playing with the pros, many players can be searched directly from the PokerStars lobby by clicking "Find a Team PokerStars Pro" under the "Requests" tab. With all the different levels of play, you'll be likely to find several pros spread out through a variety of limits.

With highly sought-after achievements such as Supernova Elite and a trademark Porsche, many players flock to PokerStars because of their unbelievable reward system. Through real money play on PokerStars, you'll be allotted Frequent Player Points (FPPs) based on the amount of rake taken from cash game play, or the entry fee paid during tournaments. As you earn more FPPs, your VIP Club and Point level will increase correspondingly. VIP levels are tracked monthly/yearly, and are more important when determining specific levels of rewards that you'll be offered.

VIP level ranges include Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Supernova, and Supernova Elite. Dependent upon the stake you play, along with the frequency, you may be able to achieve even the highest levels of the program with moderate ease. If you're able to earn one of the toughest achievements in poker; PokerStars Supernova Elite, you'll likely be on your way to poker superstardom!

In the PokerStars VIP Store, you may use your Frequent Player Points to purchase a variety of goods including electronics, poker materials, and books. Trademark merchandise such as PokerStars hoodies, sweatshirts, t-shirts, and card protectors are also for purchase in the store. If you're big on reading, you can even pick up a copy of Barry Greenstein's book "Ace on the River," which he often personally signs after someone eliminates him from a live tournament!

The more elite services for the everyday high-stakes player are also readily apparent, as concierge, custom apparel and expensive vehicles are never far out of reach.

Dependent upon your country of origin, there are several different ways to deposit funds online. If you're from the United States, options such as Instant E-checks, Visa debit/credit cards and Money Orders become the most viable options. For international depositors, they may select from additional methods such as Mastercard, UKash, Moneybookers, Neteller, and ECOcard.

Withdrawals have most of the same methods as deposits, but similarly some options have been restricted due to geographic regulations. Check, Instant E-Check, InstaDebit, Wire Transfer, Web Money and ClickandBuy are some of the most used.