888poker vs Pokerstars, Who Is The Best?

Head to head comparison between 888poker and Pokerstars, two of the most popular poker rooms online. Discover what each has to offer and which ranks best between the two
Last Updated on October 3, 2024 by Avatar Author Adrian Sterne
Fact checked by Dusan Jovanovic

When you compare an industry giant like Pokerstars to a renowned online poker site like 888poker, there’s bound to be loads of features, incredible bonuses, and lucrative tournaments in both these online poker rooms. However, to fully understand how these two differ from each other, we need to look at every single aspect to determine which of them is best suited for your poker needs.

  • 888poker

    888poker has been around since 2002 and is owned and operated by 888 Holdings Limited, a public gambling business that is situated in Gibraltar. Licensed and regulated by the UK Gambling Commission, 888poker has been the recipient of three EGR Best Poker Operator of the Year awards and has over 10 million customers worldwide.

  • VS
  • PokerStars

    Established in 2001, Pokerstars is considered the largest online poker room in the world. Situated in the Isle of Man, Pokerstars generates more traffic than any other online poker room and provides a complete online poker experience with live events, cash games, and tournaments. Owned by the Stars Group, Pokerstars produced Chris Moneymaker, the World Series of Poker champion in 2003. The online poker room is licensed and regulated by the Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission.

  • Welcome Bonuses
    Promotions
    Loyalty Rewards
    VIP Services
    Updated/Improved Software
    Poker Variety
    Tournaments
    Traffic
    Deposit/Withdrawal Options
    Customer Support

888poker

888poker has been around since 2002 and is owned and operated by 888 Holdings Limited, a public gambling business that is situated in Gibraltar. Licensed and regulated by the UK Gambling Commission, 888poker has been the recipient of three EGR Best Poker Operator of the Year awards and has over 10 million customers worldwide.

PokerStars

Established in 2001, Pokerstars is considered the largest online poker room in the world. Situated in the Isle of Man, Pokerstars generates more traffic than any other online poker room and provides a complete online poker experience with live events, cash games, and tournaments. Owned by the Stars Group, Pokerstars produced Chris Moneymaker, the World Series of Poker champion in 2003. The online poker room is licensed and regulated by the Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission.

Conclusion

There’s no denying that Pokerstars is far more appealing to serious online poker players around the world thanks to extraordinary tournaments, a huge selection of games, and fantastic software. However, if you consider yourself a casual player, 888poker might be more suited for you, especially if you are looking for softer cash tables.

Final Score

  • 81 / 100
  • 90 / 100
  • 888poker
  • Pokerstars

Welcome Bonuses

It’s rather difficult to determine which welcome bonus is more rewarding to players between these two poker rooms. 888poker does have a no deposit bonus on offer which is certainly appealing and the only one left in the online poker industry, making it more appealing than Pokerstars.

Score

  • 9 / 10
    888poker"
  • 8 / 10
    PokerStars"

Promotions

Pokerstars is celebrating the fact that it recently reached 100 million players, so there are loads of promotions that surround this incredible milestone. From freerolls to daily challenges, there’s something for everyone at Pokerstars.

888poker is also attracting more customers thanks to their exclusive Live the Game promotion, offering several deposit bonuses and a bunch of challenges on a regular basis. However, when you look at both online poker rooms, we have to give a slight edge to Pokerstars due to the number of promotions on offer.

Score

  • 8 / 10
    888poker"
  • 9 / 10
    PokerStars"

Loyalty Rewards

With 888poker, the points you earn to meet wagering requirements on bonuses can be used in the rewards program. Just like most multi-tiered loyalty programs, you earn points through rake contribution. Typical rewards include tournaments entries, freerolls, and various merchandise in their exclusive store.

Pokerstars also offers an excellent multi-tiered rewards program where you can convert points into cash. The poker site further impresses with Star Reward Chests and Featured Rewards, ranging from StarsCoins to exclusive tickets and live event packages.

Score

  • 8 / 10
    888poker"
  • 9 / 10
    PokerStars"

VIP Services

One area where 888poker is suffering is the lack of a VIP program. Although they offer a marvellous multi-tier loyalty program, it does not offer a VIP program for high rollers. Pokerstars, on the other hand, offers an exclusive VIP Club with seven different tiers where VIP players will get invited into exclusive tournaments as well as receive tailor-made promotions.

Score

  • 7 / 10
    888poker"
  • 9 / 10
    PokerStars"

Updated/Improved Software

Both 888poker and Pokerstars provide some of the best software in the online poker industry. There’s loads of customisation available at each poker room, and the graphics on both are absolutely stunning. You will also find loads of additional features that you won’t find at other online poker rooms and the overall game speed is extremely fast and hassle-free at both sites.

Score

  • 10 / 10
    888poker"
  • 10 / 10
    PokerStars"

Poker Variety

One of the biggest differences between 888poker and Pokerstars is the game selection. At 888poker you can only look forward to Stud, Omaha and Texas Hold’em. However, at Pokerstars players are treated to Triple Stud, Courcheval, HORSE, Triple Draw, 5-Card Draw, Badugi, Razz, Stud, Omaha and Texas Hold’em.

Score

  • 6 / 10
    888poker"
  • 10 / 10
    PokerStars"

Tournaments

Pokerstars biggest attraction is the vast range of tournaments on offer that simply cannot be matched by any other online poker room. There’s an unparallel selection of satellites with loads of lucrative prize pools throughout the month. At 888poker, you will also find an assortment of daily, weekly, and monthly tournaments, but nothing as spectacular as Pokerstars.

Score

  • 8 / 10
    888poker"
  • 10 / 10
    PokerStars"

Traffic

If you rank a poker site according to player traffic, there’s no doubt that you’ll play at Pokerstars instead of 888poker. According to statistics, 888 Poker is currently ranked in the fifth position relative to player traffic, while Pokerstars has been at the top of the leaderboard for several years now.

Score

  • 8 / 10
    888poker"
  • 10 / 10
    PokerStars"

Deposit/Withdrawal Options

Both Pokerstars and 888poker offer a wide variety of payment methods for both deposit and withdrawals. You can transact using credit/debit cards, PayPal, Instadebit, Entropay, Neteller, Skrill, Webmoney and loads of other popular and secure methods. Both also offer lightning fast payouts, making them equally matched in this area.

Score

  • 9 / 10
    888poker"
  • 9 / 10
    PokerStars"

Customer Support

The only downside to playing at Pokerstars is the fact that you can only contact support via email. There isn’t live chat or telephone numbers listed on the site. However, with 888poker you can either give them a call, contact them via live chat, or send an email.

Score

  • 8 / 10
    888poker"
  • 6 / 10
    PokerStars"
  Contact Me

Hi, I am the Chief Editor of top10pokersites.net, this site is dedicated to all thing poker. I have been working around the poker industry for the last 15 years, with different brands. The main purpose of this site is to keep you uptodate with the industry and offer you the best deals around.