This is one of the most respectable online cardrooms in the world. Their customer service is the best, their game selection is terrific and they qualify over 1,000 players for the World Series of Poker every year. Two of the last three World Series champions won their seat on Pokerstars.

Strengths: Diversity of tournaments and cash games that are available, impeccable customer support, easy deposits and withdrawals, wonderful VIP program for high-volume play where you can receive comps of free plasma televisions, travel gift certificates and entries into World Series of Poker events, dozens of freeroll tournaments per month for VIP players.

Weaknesses: There’s a fair number of good players on Pokerstars. You’ll still find plenty of soft money, but be aware that some of the players who make it deep into tournaments know what they’re doing. This is also a strength, however, since playing against tough competition makes you tough. Don’t get me wrong. There is plenty of easy money to be won on Pokerstars, but it’s also “where the champions play.”

Satellites: There is always some kind of special qualifier going on. In the spring and summer it’s for the World Series. In the fall it’s for their Caribbean Adventure World Poker Tour event, held at the Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island in the Bahamas. There’s also their World Championship of Online Poker, European Poker tour and various other World Poker Tour events. They have multiple ways to qualify for their Sunday $215, $530, and $1,050 tournaments, where the first prize is usually in the neighborhood of $200,000. All of these can be won in to for as little as $2.

Financial Transactions: Minimum deposit is $25. Maximum is $600, although this can be waived if you request it. Deposits are not used for operating expenses, so your money is safer than it is in a bank.

Bottom Line: I’ve played here every day for three years. If my mother wanted to play online poker, I would tell her to play at Pokerstars. If you put the time in, you will win a lot of money here and qualify for some big events through satellites.