The company that owns PokerStars has 2.5 million people playing poker in this room. Every day, topics are created on popular Russian-language and foreign forums where players ask for solutions to their problems.
Often these difficulties are general and widespread. We have collected the 5 most common problems that players encounter on PokerStars and prepared a short guide on how to fix these problems in 5 minutes.
Problem #1: PokerStars is blocked by the provider - How to bypass the block
Due to the “uncertain” status of poker in Russia and Ukraine, it is not always possible to enter poker rooms or poker sites. The largest room PokerStars is also banned by Russian and Ukrainian Internet providers. What to do if PokerStars does not start?
3 effective ways to “unblock” Starza:
- Turbo mode in Opera and Yandex browsers.
- Hola Browser Extension
- Anonymizer sites
If the client itself is blocked: click on . After the transition, the room client will be updated and will work as before.
Also, PokerStars itself allows the use of a VPN - we found out.
There is another similar problem that occurs among players from Russia when. Some players encountered it in 2019. The fact is that Russians cannot play on PokerStars.com after switching to PS.Sochi. This rule does not apply to PokerStars Ukraine and Belarus players.
Residents of these countries can request support to return from the Sochi client to the global one. So if you play at PokerStars in Ukraine and accidentally switched to PokerStars Sochi, then it won’t be difficult for you to go back. At least until the PokerStars Ukraine client appeared.
Often when switching from the Sochi client, players, instead of PokerStars.com. If for some reason pokerstars.eu does not work, the same 3 above methods of “unblocking” PokerStars will help you.
But keep in mind that PokerStars.com, PokerStars.eu and PokerStars Sochi are essentially identical poker room clients with the same lobby and the same field of players. The only difference is that they have different licenses and the com version also has a casino and sports betting.
Problem No. 2: The huge size of the pokerstars.log file – How to prevent it from growing to 120 GB
Until now, the PS has not finally solved this problem for all users. Some poker players still haven’t found a simple solution. And those who still constantly monitor the file size and delete it every time quickly realize that it is tedious. Sometimes this problem is accompanied by an error called: "Detecting OpenGl support pokerstars".
The following method helped most:
1. Open the main Pokerstars lobby
2. Click "Help", then "Open my settings". You will see a new folder window open
3. Close the PokerStars program (leave the settings window open)
4. Find the file user.ini (or called "user"), right-click on it, select open this file in notepad or a similar text editor
5. Press Ctrl+f, find and then change to openGlSetting=1.
6. Finally select the file and save
7. Restart the PokerStars program
8. Enter your username and password and try playing again
Another tactic that has helped some players solve the problem is to check the Windows Firewall to make sure PokerStars can be trusted. In some cases, Windows Firewall blocks Google Analytics for PokerStars, causing the data in the files to increase.
Problem #3: Scammers on Skype and email – How not to send data to scammers
PokerStars is a popular room. So do his shares. They attract not only players, but also scammers. Scammers send out “Trojan” letters with amazing promotions and tasty offers. Victims, having seen the cheese, do not even see the incorrect, dubious email, or a strange registration form.
To solve this problem, rely only on yourself and your attentiveness. Always keep track of which address the letter came from. If you see the address for the first time, go to the official website and check the links. Under no circumstances, until you are 100% sure, do not send a response, much less enter any data.
You can check the official email addresses at this mail: suppor [email protected] or on Twitter https://twitter.com/starssupport
Problem #4: Crashes in the new version of the PokerStars client - How to “roll back” to the old version
Due to the frequent introduction of new functions, the Starz client does not always work adequately, and some regulars are simply more comfortable playing on older builds.
To find an older version of the PokerStars client, write in the search “download the old version of the PokerStars client” or where we downloaded the file.
Just do not run pokerstarsupdate.exe after this, otherwise it will update again.
Problem #5: Gambling addiction – How to block yourself
The problem is not far-fetched, as it seems at first glance. According to R. Folberg (for 1996, no newer confirmed studies could be found) 5% of people are susceptible to the passion of losing everything in slot machines and other games with elements of gambling. Now, I'm sure the figure is more than 5%.
If, according to conservative estimates from 10 years ago, we take 5% of the number of people playing on PokerStars, then 125,000 people suffer from gambling addiction.
If you are part of this group or have problems with control, I advise you to use the “responsible gaming” function. It limits the deposit amount, limits, buy-ins and blocks access to all games on PokerStars.
How to block yourself on PokerStars
1.Go to Service
2. Responsible gaming
3. Deny yourself access to the game
4.Tick the box next to “I agree to self-exclude from”
5.Select the period for which you want to get rid of the game
6.Click send
While you are self-excluded, you can log into the client, but you will not be able to make deposits, play any games or place bets. The translation function will also not be available.
If you have any other problems with PokerStars, please let us know in the comments. Let's look for a solution to the problem together! Just write something like: “I can’t log into pokerstars eu” – and we will try to understand your problem and help solve it.
PokerStars keeps several working mirrors in stock. But recently, Roskomnadzor has learned to block access to all copies of the main site at once. Players ask: “What happened to PokerStars today?”, but the problem is not the technical work of the room.
Why is PokerStars banned in Russia?
Online poker is still not legalized in the Russian Federation, so Roskomnadzor has blocked access to the PokerStars website in Russia for “promoting gambling.” But don’t be afraid to play in rooms: it is not prohibited by law to play poker. The main problem for gamblers is bypassing the PokerStars block and downloading the client.
Login to the mirror of the official Poker Stars website
A mirror is a copy of the main resource, which repeats all the capabilities of the main portal. The easiest way to open the Poker Stars website is to go to its mirror. Enter the name of the room into a search engine, and a working copy of the official portal will appear in the top lines of the results. It should look something like this:
Download from the mirror and install the PokerStars client, register in the room. You will have access to all games for real money, just like when using the official website. But look at the name of the resource: it should not end in .net. “PokerStars.net” is a version of the room without a cashier, where you cannot make deposits and cashouts, and you can only play with playmoney.
How to access the official PokerStars website in Russia?
If you cannot find a working PokerStars mirror, use third-party methods to bypass the blocking. Opera and Yandex Browser web browsers are suitable for this. Look for the “Turbo mode” item in the parameters. In Opera, you need to go to “Menu” → “Settings” and check the following boxes:
Parameters in Yandex.Browser:
In addition to the turbo mode, Opera has another useful tool - VPN. You can enable it in the “Security” section. Click on the VPN icon in the address bar of your browser and find Europe in the “Virtual location” column. If you connect to America, the site will not allow you to download the client: online poker is prohibited in the USA.
You can log in to PokerStars via VPN from any other browser. Open your web browser's extensions directory and paste "VPN" into the search bar. The site will find several plugins, most of which are suitable for logging into PokerStars. All VPN add-ons operate in the same way, no matter which one you install in your browser.
You can connect to a real VPN, through which all Internet traffic passes. Almost all full-fledged VPNs are paid, but they do not slow down the connection speed and work more stable. You can run the PokerStars client under a VPN and hide your real country of residence from your opponents.
For a single login to the official website or PokerStars mirror, any anonymizer is suitable. Enter https://www.pokerstars.com/ in the line - the link to the main site of the room - click on Go or “OK”.
If you don’t want to install plugins and VPNs or mess with your browser settings, and anonymizers are too slow, download Tor. There is no need to change settings in this browser; it is designed to bypass blocks and works immediately after installation.
How to bypass PokerStars blocking on Android
Browser versions for mobile devices have a smaller selection of plugins and parameters; installing a VPN extension is not always possible. Find a VPN application on the PlayMarket, read user reviews and find out whether the selected utility helps open blocked sites, or whether it slows down the Internet speed.
Hi all! Where is PokerStars heading? What to expect in the future?
As everyone knows, Stars occupy a leading position in the online world, and, accordingly, they will be the first to influence the world of online poker.
But! Before starting a conversation about Poker Stars, I want to express some thoughts regarding what is going on throughout the world of online poker, and what the hell is going on here:
So, what recent changes do I remember:
- IPoker stopped working in Ukraine;
- Skrill and Neteller stopped sending cards to the CIS countries;
- 888 poker sold Lotos Poker to someone unknown, throwing some people off the playing field.
All this is not very encouraging. 888 poker, by the way, is still quite good in terms of clearing, but you can’t help but think: “So, what’s going on then?”
A giant in the online world
Now let's move on to the Stars themselves.
Poker Stars, like other poker rooms, doesn’t make us very happy, and this started from the very moment when the company fell into the hands of Amaya.
And now everything is systematically going far to the detriment of mid- and high-level players.
Personally, I got the impression that they want to squeeze all the last juice out of the company in order to sell it again. Why?
I'll explain now! It all started with the removal Supernova Elite(highest VIP status on PokerStars). Then they changed the structures in some tournaments, mainly through raising the rake. For example, many Heads-Up SnGs have ceased to be relevant, and, accordingly, many regulars have lost discipline.
Again, why? Because it is necessary to retain the newcomer!
For some reason unknown to me, the Stars management believes that recreational players (in other words, beginners) are the basis of all fundamentals. Yes, by and large this is true, but don’t take everything to the point of absurdity and neglect others.
"The present": at a 6-max table, the average rake reaches 10bb per 100 hands, when there are 4 regulars playing, with a win rate of 10bb/100, and two losing beginners.
Thus, it turns out that two beginners lose 50bb/100 between them (10 blinds for rake, and 10 for each regular).
25 big blinds for each newcomer. A lot of? Yes.
Let's accept the "real"
Accordingly, the management decided that newcomers should lose less, so they need to raise the rake so that regulars go to play other disciplines.
Now let's imagine what will come of this.
"Future": A 6-max table is played by 6 newcomers, who should lose less than 25bb per 100 hands to make it more profitable to play without regulars.
6 fish play equally, to zero, and accordingly the rake should double. And it should be at least 20bb/100. But this is only 20bb for six people. Few. You can go further and have everyone pay 20 big blinds! After all, it’s still less than when playing with a regular.
What awaits us?
So, let's go deeper. Let's assume the regulars are gone. But how long will this “ideal scheme” last?
Fishes roll cash for fun, they roll it to zero. They enter dispersion tournaments, which is equivalent to a lottery, and spend money on spins, and since they will not learn to win there, the “casino” will make money from this.
I think that such a system will not last long. Why?
People saw the positive graphs and continued to play because “he could do it, so can I.” There are many living examples of people making money and living off poker! Moreover, the winning regular generated tons of rake, albeit less, but many millions of barrels of oil were earned by the company from the regulars.
And now, if you remove everyone, but raise the rake, then the meaning will be lost and even the fish will start leaving, realizing that there is no way to make money with poker. Only the most impenetrable gambling addicts will remain.
This is where thoughts about resale come from. I think, I’m even sure, Amaya understands everything perfectly and knows that in the prospect of change, the mathematical expectation goes into the negative. That's why they decided to make the most of it.
Is the world of online poker doomed?
No, it's unlikely. If you look at other poker rooms, the picture is also not the most pleasant, but I think this is just a temporary stagnation due to the lack of a new poker “boom”, and due to the reservation of countries such as the USA.
In any case, the online world will not die because it is a business and it can easily change hands. Today, for example, there are rumors that PokerStars wants to be bought out by its former owners, the Sheinberg family, and then attention will be paid to the regulars again.
Sheinberg family
Well, for now, let’s continue riding, friends!
There are still positive fields left in the online world. For example, 888 poker or Black Chip Poker, they still have normal rake and a huge field of weak players :)
Tired of losing money? Sign up for the free group course "AWS 2.0" and start making gains! Fill out the form below and the manager will contact you to confirm the date of your first training session. The course is taught by the author of the post - Denis "Dzen".
After the persecution of poker by Russian legislation began, players began to massively develop online. And since the owners of any room register or rent a server outside the Russian Federation, citizens of our country can play poker on the Internet quite legally.
But zealous local authorities sometimes try to influence certain providers, negotiating, for example, with Rostelecom, Beeline, Yota, MTS, etc. And when a user tries to download the room client, an unpleasant surprise may await him - oops, PokerStars is blocked! However, this may be relevant for other poker sites (, etc.).
Quit the game? Of course not. If PokerStars website blocked(a window appears on the screen with a message that access to the resource is limited, closed or prohibited) you can simply select one of the methods that allows you to bypass this prohibition.
PokerStars blocking can be removed without any problems. There are several ways:
That's it, problem solved! Feel free to click on the banner below and go to the PokerStars website, download the client and play!
Method 2. Looking for a file C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts, add the line to it
77.87.181.63 www.pokerstars.com
77.87.181.63 pokerstars.eu(only for Starz). The file is edited as follows: Start - All Programs - Accessories - Notepad, right-click on the editor icon, then run as administrator. A window will open, in it we adjust “Text documents (.txt) to “All files”, find the file indicated above. Add 77.87.181.63 www.pokerstars.com and restart the browser, or better yet, restart the computer.
3 way. To unblock PokerStars, you can use Google Public DNS services. To do this, replace the DNS address of your provider with the corresponding Google addresses - 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4. The function is available in the properties of the network connection. In addition, you can use a proxy server, VPN. Here are examples of open and public DNS servers:
- 8.8.8.8 / 8.8.4.4 Google
- 184.169.143.224 / 184.169.161.155 Securly
- 208.67.222.222 / 208.67.220.220 OpenDNS
- 156.154.70.1 / 156.154.71.1 DNS Advantage
- 198.153.192.1 / 198.153.194.1 Norton DNS
- 74.207.247.4 / 64.0.55.201 OpenNIC
- 199.5.157.131 / 208.71.35.137 Public-Root.
More information on how to register DNS:
- Go to the Control Panel.
- Let's go to Network and Sharing Center, Then Change adapter settings.
- Open the properties of the network connection we are interested in.
- Go to the tab Net.
- Selecting a component Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) or Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6)(the choice depends on what network we are working on) and press the button Properties.
- In the window that opens, click Additionally.
- Go to the tab Net and add the Google DNS server addresses, these are 8.8.8.8 and/or 8.8.4.4 for IPv4 networks or 2001:4860:4860::8888 and/or 2001:4860:4860::8844 for IPv6.
- Press three times OK and make a reconstruction.
After completing the steps, you can safely proceed to
Today I read the poker news and again saw that the brethren of the famous and leading PokerStars have “lost weight”. Who recently left Team PokerStars? And for what reasons? Let's figure it out.
So, in August our colleague Maxim Lykov left the team.
Young Russian professional Maxim Lykov has competed under the PokerStars banner since 2010. That year and the previous one were triumphant for our player: victory at the EPT Kiev stage ($468,504), victory in the PCA side event ($100,000) and a whole series of smaller cashes; as a result - the title of best player of the sixth season of the European Poker Tour.
Later there was a victory at the WSOP, the EPT final table, including high roller tournaments.
Moreover, his prize money for his entire career is $3,116,252. And last year Lykov was among the top ten best MTT players on the planet.
So what prompted PokerStars to part with such a valuable “employee”?
It’s worth starting with the fact that Max deliberately did not intend to part with PokerStars; the news took him by surprise. Quote: “They said in advance that they wouldn’t extend it, I was a little surprised, I was upset for a while, because of course I never thought about it, that this could happen.
“The Pokerstars company is a leader in online poker and I cannot criticize and condemn their decisions, they clearly know better, this is business. I just want to say words of gratitude to the entire team and the people who work there for the quality of their work, it’s not for nothing that they are top1.
So far I have settled in Berlin, perhaps one of the best cities in the world.”
After the Russian, the elderly player from Costa Rica, Humberto Brenes, had to say goodbye to his contract.
He is 63 years old, a businessman (he has his own television network and a chain of restaurants), and he represented PokerStars Team Pro under the nickname “The Shark” for 8 years. By the way, don’t consider Brenes a braggart; his nickname does not show the level of his game, but a reference to a project to protect sharks in the player’s homeland, which he has been involved in for many years.
In addition to online poker, Brenes took part in live tournament series, and quite successfully - two World Series championship trophies. In 2014, the Costa Rican reached the prize zone several times.
Like Max, Umberto left without scandal. At the end of July, the contract was expiring, and over lunch the representative of the room and Umberto jointly decided not to sign a new one. Brenes warmly said goodbye to all Poker Stars players and thanked the management of the room. No offense, guys.
But now Humberto Brenes can focus on getting into the Poker Hall of Fame. Age allows it, and besides, he deserves it.
In June, a scandal broke out with PokerStarsTeamOnlinePro Dale Philip. 
He lost his sponsorship deal. The news shocked the poker community, because Dale was an exemplary “boy”: not capricious and not scandalous. He always fulfilled the terms of the contract on time, was not lazy to write on his blog and communicate with fans. In general, an exemplary member of the team of online professionals.
But on June 13 he was fired from the brethren without a chance to improve. Why, you ask? For excessive celebration of Spain's goal against the Netherlands at the FIFA World Cup. What a ridiculous reason, especially considering the guy is Scottish. And why did he support Holland so fiercely?
Since PokerStars is a complete Pentagon that does not cover such topics, you will have to trust Philip. He told his version on his personal blog:
“On June 13 I was in Spain. In Marbella I had to play the UKIPT / Estrellas Poker Tour. My cPokerStars contract requires me to play five tournaments in this series. From the poker room - money for the buy-in and 250 pounds for other expenses. But, as a rule, it is difficult to meet 250 pounds - travel expenses, accommodation... Therefore, I had to pay from my own and hope for success. But I went to all the tournaments and spent personal time. The main goal for me was to adequately represent PokerStars.
And so, finding myself in a Spanish hotel, I could not miss the broadcast of the World Cup match from Brazil on the big screen. Spain was playing, there were unlimited free drinks, the atmosphere was quite friendly.
But from the very beginning it was clear that it was better for me to control myself and not stand out. Most of the fans were Spanish. And I just adore the Dutch team.
Because the Scots are bad at football. It’s so bad that they don’t even qualify for the World Cup. So we have to choose another team and root for it. My “second team” is the Dutch national team. I have been following her successes since childhood. Since my favorite Scottish club took over as coach Dick Advocaat. Together with him, several Dutch players moved to the Glasgow Rangers club.
You know, four years ago the Spaniards defeated Holland in the final match, and I was looking forward to revenge.
Spain scored the first goal. While I sat and was sad, the Spanish fans did not hide their joy. They shouted and waved their arms, congratulating each other.
But the next goal was scored by Van Persie. It was a fantastic header against Spain. There were few of us Dutch fans. I was the most happy and truly myself.
He screamed and jumped like crazy. But most importantly, he could not restrain himself and showed the Spaniards a gesture. He was the one who angered them.
No, it wasn't the middle finger, or even two fingers. I just showed them my fist and said: “Here you go!” In Scotland this gesture is not considered aggressive or offensive. This is shown in any game when you defeat your opponent.
How can one even see an insult in this gesture? Have they never been in the stands? This is a normal expression of emotion. Just a fist thrown into the air. Not very polite, but also not dangerous.
When Holland scored two more goals, I clapped my hands and nothing more. By that time, I had already realized my mistake and was ashamed of my emotionality.
But then something happened that was much worse than my reaction to a goal with a harmless gesture. The Spaniards finally scored. About twenty fans rushed towards me. One guy even hit me with his chest and then his head. The guards helped me.
And then they announced that Spain’s goal would not be counted. Their faces were crimson with anger and shame. They sent a bunch of threats and insults on Twitter from their mobile phones. And someone thought of complaining about me to the manager.
Then I received a letter from a PokerStars representative in the mail. They wrote to me that the contract has already been terminated. The video where I show that very gesture is in the public domain and disgraces the company. This is unacceptable for the image of a Team PokerStars player, that’s how it was explained to me.
They didn’t even let me explain anything, the stars had already made a decision about me. It’s very disappointing to lose your job in such disgrace after four years of cooperation. The situation didn't even apply to poker. I just gave vent to my feelings and teased the fans a little. But this is football, the emotional support of the fans has always distinguished this game from others. This is not some kind of golf, where all you have to do is take off your hat as a sign of respect.
I’ve been receiving threats on Twitter for a week now, people are insulting me and rejoicing in my misfortune. Kick me off the team because of a gesture? Are you seriously?
There were still six months left until the end of the contract. I have already planned all these months in accordance with my work at PokerStars. Everything is over"
This story caused a lot of outrage from both fans and amateurs. True, well-known professionals from the Stars team prefer to remain silent, just in case.
If he were a simple fan, he would not have felt any retribution. And then the offended fans of Spain complained to the Spanish manager of PokerStars. How low is that!
This whole story outlines some practical advice for the future: Guys, poker face, poker face! And there will be no problems"
At the beginning of September, another compatriot, Alex Kravchenko, left Team PokerStars Pro. 
He wrote on his Twitter:
“From this day on, I am officially returning to the ranks of businessmen, I will only say good things about Poker Stars, but all good things come to an end sooner or later”
These actions of PokerStars fit well into the new policy of the room “one country - one representative in the Team Pro team,” which was mentioned a few weeks ago by the regional manager of the room in Latin America.
However, the current situation is strange in that the only representative of Russia in the professional PokerStars team is Ivan Demidov, who, in truth, has not won anything for a long time. In addition, Ivan has now moved to Latvia, where this summer the country’s authorities legally prohibit playing online poker on unlicensed sites, and Starz domains are blocked there by local providers.
In addition, a survey was recently conducted on Demidov’s website, according to the results of which only a quarter of those surveyed believed that Ivan fits the image of PokerStars Pro. And on other resources the number of people who agreed with this would probably be less. However, apparently the PokerStars management has its own considerations on this matter, which are radically different from the opinions of ordinary mortals.
Apparently, the new owner of the poker site, Amaya Gaming Corporation, decided to seriously take down the cost of the room, and cutting down the team of professionals was the first step in this direction. And many are wondering what their next steps will be? We can only guess.
And just a couple of hours ago in my feed I saw the following: Joe Cada also left the team. 
He commented on this event as follows: “I asked for 100% rakeback and was refused.” Apparently, the champion of the main tournament of 2009 has no other complaints about the leading room.
Immediately after leaving PokerStars, Joe took Norwegian Cruise Line on board. From November 9 to 16, the company will hold a series of tournaments on a cruise ship that will sail from Miami to the Caribbean. The main event of this series will be a tournament with an entry fee of 1,000 euros and a guarantee of 200,000 euros.
As you can see, Joe was luckier; he was not left without a label, but Kravchenko did not have time to find a sponsor.