Pokerstars.it
Size matters - comfort for the elite
General: the network
The biggest network in Italian online poker in terms of traffic is constituted by pokerstars.it. Launched in october 2008 it soon claimed its status as Number One in Italy offering highly contributed games and large tournaments 24 hours a day. The main characteristics are an extensive VIP-program for regular players, an easy-to-handle software, a tremendous support. However, pokerstars.it is also home of a large number of tough regular players.
Promotions: the VIP system
Players automatically contribute in the loyalty program with two types of points earned for real-money play:
1) VIP player points (VPPs)
2) Frequent Player Points (FPPs)
VPPs determine your VIP level and can’t be exchanged for cash or prizes. The higher your VIP level, the faster you earn FPPs. The latter can be used to buy merchandising, electronics etc. in the store but can also be turned into cash or spent on tournaments.
There are also special tournaments reserved for every higher VIP level.
VIP levels at PokerStars range from the new player, the BronzeStar with 0 points, to the SilverStar with 750, the GoldStar at 3.000 to the Platinum player, that’s accrued 7.500 VPPs in a given month, and on up to the SuperNova with 100.000 and SuperNova Elite Status needing 1 million VPPs. If you reach the last level, you can earn upwards to 125% of rakeback, participate in tournaments worth hundreds of thousands in cash prices, and have yourself booked the most highly sought achievement in online poker.
The software: everything + Zoom to come!
Other than it's big mother company, pokerstars.it only offers the 2 most popular game types, namely Texas Hold'em and Omaha with Omaha Hi/Lo as a variant. However all the other popular variants like Seven-Card Stud, 2-7 Triple Draw, Five-Card Draw, Razz etc. are offered in play-money games only.
The client software is very user-friendly with a lot of customization settings to fit the desired play experience. The software reacts very fast to user input and the resizable tables can be automatically arranged to allow comfortable multi-tabling. Pokerstars also added an in-game hand replayer, allowing to revisit recent hands immediately. Also available is a Mac-Client.
However the hottest news is Zoom Poker. Following standard Hold'em or Omaha rules, the player is directed to a new table as soon as he isn't involved in a hand anymore. So whenever you fold a hand, be it preflop or postflop, you immediately see a new table with new players where a fresh hand is to be dealt. Of course the opposite players do not see your reaction until it's your turn. You can also choose to follow the hand until the end by pressing CTRL while folding. This gameplay, developed after the fulminant success of the Full Tilt's Rush Poker, allows a very fast and compact play experience with nearly no time wasted between the hands.
At the moment, Zoom poker tables can only be seen as play money tables offered in the lobby, so there is no real money involved yet. However, the mother company pokerstars.com already offers real money play as a beta version, and we are excited to see if pokerstars.it will follow this example soon.