PokerStars Gets Flak On Social Media For Multiple Server Crashes

The world’s largest online poker site has been hit with technical glitches over the past few days and players are taking to social media to express their frustration.

PokerStars acknowledged the problem in a tweet last week, saying their technical team was already looking into those issues.

PokerStars’ server began to crash on the morning of April 23, with some players tweeting that their games had been affected, and some tournaments cancelled.

we’re aware of issues affecting some games right now and the technical team is working to resolve it.

— PokerStars (@PokerStars) April 22, 2020

Based on reports from Downdetector.com, the problem continued throughout the night, with the site crashing twice within 24 hours. Among the most reported problems were app, log-in, and website issues.
 

The recent server crashes was not the only reason why players were upset. They were also upset with how PokerStars was dealing with the problem. The online poker room’s responses to the affected players have also been disappointing, at least for some prominent poker pros who took to Twitter to express their frustration.

Poker Pros Vent Frustration On Twitter

Dutch player Jans “Graftekkel” Arends was among those who raised concerns about the recent cancellation of tournaments that have been paused after day 1, saying this could not happen on a regular basis, as it could impact larger tournaments such as the upcoming Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP).

Arends also called on PokerStars to pay out the overlay as soon as possible.

Dear @PokerStars can you please explain to me why you keep cancelling tournaments that are paused after day 1 has finished? If the site is gonna keep going down twice a week this will be a huge problem for SCOOP. Also, you need to pay out the overlay ASAP. pic.twitter.com/aCzL0p4ZYp

— Jans Arends (@Graftekkel) April 23, 2020

High-stakes regular Sam Greenwood specifically hit out at the site’s communication failures in light of the technical issues.

This could have been resolved if Pokerstars had better communication with their customers. The original email had several errors and there was no mention of why the tournament was cancelled. A two day PSKO is an unusual tournament, but that’s not an excuse for poor communication.

— Sam Greenwood (@SamGreenwoodRIO) April 24, 2020

Inadequate Response To Affected Players

Greenwood made a reference to PokerStars’ policy on tournaments that are cancelled before players reach the money, with the affected players entitled to a refund, and the prize pool divided. But Greenwood was playing a 5K PSKO that was impacted by the server crash before day 2, and by that time the tournament was already in the money.

In an email sent to affected players, PokerStars blamed technical errors for the sudden cancellation of tournaments, but Greenwood was not satisfied with that response. Other high-profile pros also expressed similar sentiments, criticizing the online poker operator for not properly addressing players with regards to the issues.

Poker couple Alex Foxen and Kristen Bicknell, as well as former heavyweight boxing champion Riddick Bowe, all wanted to get adequate answers to their inquiries. One player claimed he had deposited over $500,000 playing at PokerStars, and had tried to get in touch with anyone from the site who could answer his questions, but to no avail!