Deputy Editor
PokerStars is back for U.S. players, relaunching as “PokerStars on FanDuel” after a brief period of downtime. However, the early response from players has been far from positive.
Players are unhappy with a number of aspects of the launch, with most of the complaints directed at buggy software that veered from the legacy product. Rather, parent company Flutter apparently opted to contract out iPoker software, generally considered inferior to that of PokerStars.
Furthermore, several bugs plagued the launch.
Finally, the client itself launched with a relatively limited game menu. A promised built-in heads-up display (HUD) also remains pending.
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Players Unhappy With Switch to iPoker Software
PokerStars software was generally considered among the best in the business. That’s little surprise, considering the company had both ample resources and time to develop it. PokerStars spent years as the global market leader, and it has operated for about 25 years, dating to 2001.
Furthermore, PokerStars still owns the Full Tilt Poker branding and software, should the company ever desire to reboot that once-popular brand.
Despite all of that, Flutter surprised players by relaunching PokerStars on FanDuel with iPoker’s software.
Players in the U.S. Poker Community Discord expressed their frustration and confusion at being met with the less popular product. User “BRob” spoke for many:
What exactly does ‘PokerStars’ even mean if not using the Stars software? Why not just call it FanDuel poker if you’re going to use iPoker software? If you want to preserve the PokerStars brand which has had the best software in the market, then why are we not using that software? Especially when you’re going to release new software that’s not only subjectively worse, but objectively has less features and a ton of bugs.
…Is there any clarification that can be provided as to why the Stars software couldn’t be used? Or what exactly the Pokerstars brand even is if not its software?
Unfortunately for those looking for clarity, despite the post above going into the “site feedback” channel, no site rep provided a response. Many flooded the main PokerStars thread with sarcasm after encountering software issues.
“If only there was a seamless functioning piece of software that their parent company owned,” someone said.
Bugs Plague PokerStars Relaunch
Perhaps most frustrating to players was the poor communication regarding deposit bonuses. One thing that surely pleased everyone was the announcement that all players, including those with legacy PokerStars accounts and those with FanDuel accounts, would receive first-deposit bonuses.
The site rep announcing the bonuses noted that no bonus code was required. Unfortunately, he failed to mention that players needed to opt in to secure the bonus. After multiple complaints, he said he was “unaware” of that requirement.
Crucially, site reps assured players they hadn’t forfeited their bonuses, at least.
“We’re aware of the deposit bonus issues and are looking to implement a resolution in the next few hours,” a site rep wrote.
Other bugs left players frustrated as well. Several reported being booted by the software multiple times, including mid-hand and mid-tournament. Some said it happened like clockwork every 15 minutes. Others couldn’t even get into the software, struggling to bypass the captcha security feature.
“Forced logouts without any explanation, Cashier doesn’t load Paypal, Venmo, etc – seemingly to force you to use the Online Banking option and surrender all of your bank information, click and hold a button for a very long time to verify you aren’t a bot, and the list goes on and on and on,” someone said.
Players hoping for the traditionally robust game menu have also been left wanting. PokerStars on FanDuel launched without several popular games and game types.
Notably, pot-limit Omaha eight-or-better isn’t yet available in the client. It also lacks mixed formats, much to the consternation of players looking to play limit poker outside of stud and razz, which are apparently available.
A site rep responded that PokerStars on FanDuel has “plans to expand offerings in the near future.”
PokerStars on FanDuel also launched with no heads-up games and no sit-and-gos. A site rep confirmed there are no plans to add heads-up cash games and heads-up sit-and-gos. Normal sit-and-gos are also not in the plans, though PokerStars on FanDuel does offer the popular lottery product, Spin & Go.
Timeline Uncertain for PokerStars on FanDuel’s Built-In HUD
Early buzz about the PokerStars on FanDuel launch indicated a built-in HUD would be part of the software. However, that has yet to materialize.
A site rep confirmed it’s “coming” and isn’t yet available, following player queries.
HUDs have been a controversial feature of online poker for more than a decade. They provide stats that give a snapshot of opponents’ styles of play. At a basic level, these include how often the player enters the pot, how aggressive they are, and how many hands of sample size the HUD has. At a more granular level, they can inform the user how often a player check-raises the turn, bets the river after betting the flop and turn, etc.
Many have decried their use, citing them as a deterrent to recreational players. Some poker sites have outlawed them, with varying degrees of success.
Several have pivoted to in-app HUDs, seeking to give recreational players a similar, if much more limited, resource. GGPoker and the old Run It Once Poker were pioneers in that space. More recently, BetRivers (borrowing from legacy product RIO) and CoinPoker provide players with basic HUDs.
PokerStars’ built-in HUD is apparently forthcoming, but no timeline has been laid out.
Image credit: Peter Alfred Hess/Flickr (license)
