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PokerStars vs PartyPoker
PokerStars Vs. PartyPoker
Given that PokerStars is the most popular USA poker room and PartyPoker was once in that same position, pitting the two against each other in a heads up match is valuable. Both have legions of fans and can boast a long history of evolution within an industry that can be unforgiving to the less adaptable. The key point to remember is that PartyPoker no longer accepts players from the U.S. They closed their doors years ago.
Below, we’ll compare PokerStars versus PartyPoker with regards to their respective software, traffic, bonuses, tournaments, and customer support. If you know very little about either poker room, consider the following comparison a speed course.
PokerStars Vs. PartyPoker: Software
Both poker rooms provide their members with software that is both reliable and intuitive. We’ll describe PokerStars’s download first. The lobby is organized in a way that makes it incredibly easy to find the type of game and stakes you’re looking for. Once you enter a room, you’ll find the tables are clearly rendered; everything is simple to read. Plus, you can resize the table easily as well as multi-table. Another item we liked is that the color scheme was changed awhile back from a black base to more eye-pleasing earth tones.
PartyPoker’s software has also been developed with a keen eye for intuition and readability. Their lobby is organized differently and is a little difficult to navigate. However, once you grow accustomed to it, you’ll be able to find everything easily. The graphics used on the tables are less appealing than those used in PokerStars’s software, but they won’t get in your way.
PokerStars Vs. PartyPoker: Player Traffic And Competition
PokerStars is the leviathan of online poker rooms. They gained the lead in player traffic at the end of 2006 and have aggressively expanded that lead since. There’s also a huge disparity in skill level at PokerStars; the reason is partly due to their promotions. Nationwide television ad campaigns and a growing online presence have attracted waves of new players. However, as a result of the fish, sharks have predictably circled. Join for the fish, but keep your eyes open for lurking sharks.
PartyPoker has a large player base, but it’s smaller than PokerStars and comprised entirely of non-US players. Before abandoning the US market, they enjoyed the distinction of being the largest online poker room (based upon membership levels). Non-US players will find plenty of action at all of the tournaments as well as at the individual ring games. The average competition at PartyPoker is a little stiffer than at PokerStars. But, with a little reconnaissance, you’ll be able to identify the fish and sharks.
In our opinion, PokerStars is a much friendlier place to start.
PokerStars Vs. PartyPoker: Bonuses And Promotions
PokerStars offers one of the easiest-to-clear bonuses when compared to other major poker rooms. It’s a 100% match up to $600 which is par for the course with the major online poker sites today. They also have a perpetually rotating list of promotions in order to keep player activity high. They finally revised their miniscule $50 bonus when Full Tilt Poker started gaining market share.
PartyPoker used to offer a miserly 30% match sign-up bonus up to $150. They have since changed that to a 100% match up to $500. Even though the ceiling on their bonus is much higher than PokerStars’s bonus, it’s more difficult to clear (though you’ll have six months during which to do so). Like PokerStars, PartyPoker has a long list of promotions, including those which rotate and others that are ongoing.
PokerStars Vs. PartyPoker: Tournaments
Tournament selection is definitely an area of strength for PokerStars. Plus, not only is their tournament structure well thought out, but their prize pools are typically enormous. Their regular tourneys include the Sunday Million and Sunday Warm-Up as well as a huge list of ongoing Sit N Go’s, freerolls, and satellites. If you’re planning to play in tournaments, you need to join PokerStars.
PartyPoker also has a strong list of tournaments though their list has less breadth than PokerStars’s schedule. That said, their membership base is large and active in the daily and weekly tourneys, so prize pools for the multi-tables can grow to be reasonably large. Unfortunately, since they don’t allow US players, we no longer participate in the PartyPoker tournaments.
PokerStars Vs. PartyPoker: Customer Support
Both PokerStars and PartyPoker have strong customer support. Their staff is responsive and knowledgeable which means they can actually provide answers in a timely fashion. We’ve played at poker rooms that included a “support” page on their website, but failed to provide anything resembling true support.
At PokerStars, you can contact a representative through email. PartyPoker provides email and phone options through which to contact them.
PokerStars Vs. PartyPoker: Overall Verdict
So, who’s better, PokerStars or PartyPoker? In our book, Pokerstars edges out PartyPoker by a respectable margin. That’s not to say that PartyPoker is not a high-quality poker room. In fact, if they allowed U.S. players, we’d definitely participate. There’s a reason why they were enormously popular in the U.S. a few years ago and why they’re still popular overseas today.
For more information, read our highly popular PokerStars vs Full Tilt Poker article and the in-depth first person online poker reviews we link to from our home page.
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