Player Accounts - Frequently Asked Questions

No problem – we are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year!

You may contact us at any time by sending an email to Support. While you may find the answer to some of the most frequently asked questions on this FAQ page, you are always welcome to contact us via our Contact Support feature in the client, accessed via the ‘Help’ app located on the right side of the desktop software, or via the ‘More’ > ‘Settings & Tools’ tab on the mobile app.

We are here to help!

In order for us to provide you with the best possible support, we do ask that you contact us using the email address registered on your account, if known. This enables us to review your account history, check for any problems relating to your account, and ensures that only you are able to request personal and private information.

If you do not know which email address is registered to your account, you can go to ‘Account’ in the lobby, where your email address will be displayed.

If the email address listed on your account is obsolete or incorrect, we recommend changing it. This can be done through the desktop client by clicking on ‘Email’ on the ‘Account’ screen (after changing it, please see Email Validation).

If you are not able to access your account at all, please include the following in your email to Support, along with a description of the issue:

• Your Stars ID
• Your full name
• Your mailing/postal address
• Your zip/post code
• Any email address that may be registered to your account

If your query is regarding a technical problem, we most likely will need to review your PokerStars log files. For instructions on how to retrieve and email those to us, see the Unable to Connect section on the Download FAQ page.

As always, Support is there to help!

In an effort to fight growing amount of spam email, service and software providers have been implementing new anti-spam filters. Inadvertently, large numbers of legitimate emails are falsely identified as spam and not delivered to an inbox. Instead these false spam positive emails are either blocked or delivered to spam or bulk folders, or automatically deleted. This is why you may not be receiving your important PokerStars transaction details and missing out on exciting news, events and promotions.

To ensure you receive all PokerStars emails please add PokerStars to the safe list or permitted sender list of the service or software you use. This is usually achieved by adding PokerStars to your address book, or via the Settings in your chosen email service or software. If you are continuing to have problems, please contact Support.

No. In protection of the game’s integrity, and players’ account security; you are only permitted one account at PokerStars. Instead, please follow the instructions below.

PokerStars has a feature to help players who have forgotten their password. With the PokerStars software (not the website) open, please follow these steps:

1. Open the software
2. Click the 'Forgot Password / Stars ID' button
3. Enter the required information in the ‘Forgot Stars ID / Password’ screen
4. After clicking ‘Submit’, you should receive a message asking you to enter and confirm a new password for your account.
5. You will now be able to ‘Save and Login’.

If you did NOT receive the above message, but instead receive any sort of error message, please contact Support, including the message or error code received, and we will be happy to help you out. In your email, please include the following details (include old/alternate addresses - the more information the better!):

• Your full name
• Your mailing/postal address
• Your zip/post code
• Any email address that may be registered to your account
• A telephone number, in case we need to contact you

No. In protection of the game’s integrity, and players’ account security; you are only permitted one Stars Account. Instead, please follow the instructions below.

This is very common and it is no problem at all. You will be unable to create a new account, so you simply have to retrieve your existing Stars ID. Please follow the following steps:

1. Open the software or, if it is already open, click the Login button in the lobby header.
2. On the login screen, click the 'Forgot Password / Stars ID' button
3. Click ‘Cancel’ and try logging in with the email associated with your account

Remember, if you get stuck at any point, please feel free to contact us via Support – we are happy to help! To help us assist you the first time around, please include the following in your email (include old/alternate addresses - the more information the better!):

• Your full name
• Your mailing/postal address
• Your zip/post code
• Any email address that may be registered to your account

If you did not upload an image when you created your account, or if you are unhappy with the image you chose at account creation, you will be allowed to change/upload your image.

Upload an image

Note that all uploaded images will be screened before being shown at tables, and may take up to five days to be approved.

Keep in mind that images will not automatically be visible at the tables, as PokerStars will review and approve (or deny; you will be notified per email if this is the case) all images prior to displaying them at the table. This is done to avoid inappropriate or obscene content, which are not welcome in the fun and entertaining atmosphere we aim to provide.

This approval process takes five days. If, after five days, your image still is not visible, please contact Support, and we will look into it for you.

First, turn off all of your computer and network equipment, then restart it and try to log-in to PokerStars again

If this fails, check the date on your computer’s calendar to ensure the current date and year is set properly.

Next, if you have a firewall or similar software (i.e. proxy or websense filter/parental control) installed, check it is configured correctly to allow PokerStars to access the Internet.

If the above fails, please provide us with the exact error message you are receiving and let us know what firewall or security software is installed on your computer.

It would also be helpful if you could send us the PokerStars program Log Files and Network Status Report (NSR) from your computer, as these will help our Technical Specialists to determine the nature of your connection problems.

Please see below for how to send Log Files and a Network Status Report.

For Windows XP:

1. In the client, click 'Help' > 'Show Network Status'. When the dialog box opens, click the ‘Report’ button.
2. Next, select 'Help' > 'Log Files' > 'Send Log Files to Support'
3. Please be sure to include your Stars ID and any details related to the reason why you are sending Log Files.

For Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8:

1. Right click the PokerStars shortcut and select ‘Run as Administrator’. If you do not see this option, it means that your Windows Account is not an Administrator. In this case, you will need to get the Administrator to log into the computer for you.
   
   Once PokerStars has loaded, click ‘Help’ > ‘Show Network Status’. When the dialog box opens, click the ‘Report’ button. The report will be saved to your PokerStars settings folder.
2. To send this report and your Log Files:
   • Open the software.
   • Go to 'Help' > ‘Open My Settings Folder’.
   • When the folder opens as a separate window, locate the file 'NetworkStatusReport.log' or 'NetworkStatusReport' then copy and paste it to your desktop.
   • Go to the lobby again.
   • Go to 'Help' > 'Log Files'.
   • Select ‘Save Log Files as ZIP...’
   • Save the file to your desktop (you may have to navigate to the desktop as the default location is the Settings Folder).
   • Send an email to Support.
   • Click on ‘Attach File’ (or similar option).
   • Select the 'NetworkStatusReport.log' or 'NetworkStatusReport' *and* the ZIP files located on your Desktop (or wherever you chose to save the file).
   • Click ‘OK’ and send the email.

For Mac OS 10.5 and later users:

1. To run the Network Status Report from our software, click the 'Help' menu, then 'Show Network Status'.
2. Click the 'Report' button.
3. Once the report has finished, a pop up window will ask you to select a location to save your report. The desktop is a good place.
4. Once the report has finished, locate the file 'NetworkStatus.txt'.
5. Attach the file to an email and send it to Support.
6. In addition, open the software and click 'Help' > 'Log Files' > 'Send Log Files'.
7. Please be sure to include your Stars ID and any details related to the reason why you are sending log files.

For Mobile app users:

1. Open the Mobile app, go to the ‘More’ menu and select 'Send Log Files'. This will automatically send the files to us for you.
2. Send us an email with the following details:
   1. Your Stars ID.
   2. Detail the issue you had, and if relevant, include information on the game(s) you were playing at the time; eg: tournament ID(s), ring game table/stakes, time of your issue, etc).

If your connection is only poor for PokerStars or has been a long-term reoccurring connection issue it is possible it is revealing a connection stability issue that will not manifest itself on most other Internet sites and applications. We are willing to assist you in trying to isolate and resolve this issue and will require some information about your system and connection. First you may wish to learn more about disconnections and the common causes found on the Download FAQ’s page.

If the information here fails to assist you in isolating the cause of your disconnection, please provide us with the following information so we may help.

Among the things we will need to know are:

Operating System (i.e. Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Mac OSX, etc…)
Computer Processor (i.e. Pentium 4, 2.4 GHz, etc…)
System RAM (i.e. 512 MB, 1 GB, 2 GB, etc…)
Connection Type (i.e. Dial-Up, Cable, DSL, Satellite, etc…)
ISP (Internet Service Provider, company name that provides your Internet service)
Router/Modem (i.e Dlink DI-624, Linksys WRTG54GS, etc…)

Please send the above details to Support.

You will be given at least 30,000 chips to start with, and can top up your balance with 15,000 chips for free, every four hours. This option is available when confirming your buy-in as you take your seat in play chip ring games, on the home screen of the mobile app, when registering to a play chip tournament, or simply within the Cashier. Just look for the ‘Refill Play Money Chips’ option.

As you may know, the total number of play money Sit & Go tables that may be running at any one time is limited.

In the past some very fast players had been signing up for many events, as fast as they would appear on the system, and were entering far more events than they could realistically play.

As there are a limited number of seats, this practice was making it difficult for some players to get into the tournament of their choice during peak periods. We have put in place a limit of three Sit & Go tournaments and with these limits in place, we believe it will be easier for all players to find and enter the games they want.

Similarly, there is also a limit of a maximum of five cash game tables at the same time.

That said, there is no maximum limit on how many Multi-Table Tournaments you may participate in at any given time.

No, there is no limit to the maximum balance players are permitted to accumulate in play chips. Play chips are for "fun", so we do not want to encourage competition between play money players for the largest play chip balance. Play chips are also for practice, so if you have won a lot of play chips, you are obviously doing well at the tables. We are impressed! Congratulations!

Real money cash games and tournaments are available with buy-ins from under a dollar, so even a small deposit of $10 can have you playing for a long time.

For more information about playing for real money, please visit the Playing with Real Money page.

If you do decide to deposit, remember to enter the first deposit bonus code which allows you to earn a 100% deposit bonus. For more information about this promotion, and terms and conditions, please visit the PokerStars Deposit Bonus page.

We have just the feature you are looking for!

If you ever have difficulty finding the lobby of a Tournament you are registered for, or playing in, to locate it, go to ‘Tools’ and select ‘My Games & Tickets’ > ‘Registered in Tournaments’.

You can also open the ‘Account’ and click on the ‘Registered in Tournaments’ button.

Or you can simply press ‘Ctrl R’ on your keyboard. All three of these methods will open the ‘Registered in Tournaments’ panel that will list all the tournaments for which you are currently registered or are actively playing. Select the row for the tournament of interest and click it to open that tournament lobby.

If you are using the Quick Seat lobby, click the ‘Tournaments’ tab and then the ‘My Tournaments’ sub-tab to see a list of tickets for your registered/playing tournaments.

On mobile, go ‘More’ > ‘Settings & Tools’ > ‘Tournament Tickets’.

Absolutely! Simply go to the ‘Tournaments’ tab (desktop) / ‘Tourney’ tab (mobile) and input the Tournament Number in the search box. On desktop, you can also press the hotkeys Ctrl and T at the same time, to access the feature faster.

The mobile app also has a search function accessed via the ‘More’ tab.

Sitting Out in tournaments is permitted at any time – for good reasons. Any player participating in a tournament is permitted to fold every hand if they choose, and Sitting Out is no different from folding every hand.

We deal the cards in a fair and honest manner. Once the deck is shuffled, it is set, and the order in which the cards are dealt cannot be changed. The software that shuffles and deals the cards cannot control who wins or lose; it just deals the cards and the rest is up to the players in the game. Our software produces a shuffle that is completely random, which favors no player over any other. The methods we use ensure complete randomization of the cards, and complete unpredictability of the cards to come. See the description of these methods.

We arranged for the largest consulting firm specializing in software security and quality, Cigital, to review our shuffle. Their investigation found the shuffling to be fair and random. Read their analysis.

Should you have further questions regarding our shuffle or security of our software, feel free to ask any question you would like to Support. The integrity of our games is paramount to our success, and we are happy to address any concern you may have.

Saving your Hand Histories is easy – just follow the link

Save your Hand Histories

You may wish to consider activating our 'Instant Hand History' feature, should you wish to immediately review your hands. Using this feature you will be able to see a hand history from within the software.

In order to use this feature all you need to do is sit at a table and click on the ‘Table’ menu in the top left corner and select ‘Instant Hand History’ to open the Hand History Panel.

You can also access them via the link above or if on desktop you can use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + I.

Whichever method you use, the hand histories will be there. Please note that if you close the software the hand histories will not be stored unless you have specified otherwise. To learn how to save your Hand Histories, see the How do I save my Hand Histories? section above.

Sure!

We have a graphical hand replay feature available which allows you to see a full replay of previous hands you have played. When using our default table theme (‘Mercury’), simply click the replay button in the top left of the table window.

When using some of our other table themes, look for a red button in the top left hand corner of the table window.

A new window will open, giving you the opportunity to replay previous hands.

If you cannot see the chat of other players, you may have accidentally modified some of the chat visibility options in your account. Open the desktop client and do one or more of the following:

1. If the chat of only one player is blocked, to unblock it right-click their image icon and remove the check mark next to the 'Block Chat' option.
2. If you cannot see any chat – including your own – you have turned off chat. To turn it back on, click the ‘Table’ menu in the upper left of the game window and select Table Settings (this will cause an 'Options' window to pop-up) and place a check mark in the 'Show player messages' box.
3. If the chat of observers is blocked, to unblock it, place a check mark in the 'Show observer messages' box.
4. If dealer chat is blocked, update the 'Dealer Messages' option from 'Silent' to 'Normal' or 'Everything.'

In order to resolve this, you will need further information from Support. Please contact us, from the registered email address on your account, with a description of the problem.

To report Chat Issues from the desktop lobby follow these steps:

1. Click on 'Help' (?) on the right tab.
2. Click on 'Contact Support' or 'Open Contact Support Form'
3. Complete all the fields requirements for the issue you are reporting: Category: Chat > Sub-category: Report chat abuser/General chat question/Complaints
   Subject line (i.e. offensive comments)
4. Type your message (include copy of Stars ID/chat you wish to report)
5. Then click the green ‘Send’ button to submit your report.

For Mobile App users, take the following steps:

Android Users: ‘Menu’ > ‘Setting & Tools’ > ‘Support’ > ‘Contact Support’ > ‘2. Category Chat’ > ‘Sub-Category: Report Chat Abuse/General Chat Questions/Complaints’, then fill in your subject and message body, and finally press ‘Send’.

iOS Users: ‘More’ > ‘Setting & Tools’ > ‘Support’ > ‘Contact Support’ > ‘2. Category Chat’ > ‘Sub-Category: Report Chat Abuse/General Chat Questions/Complaints’, then fill in your subject and message body, and finally press ‘Send’.

Please Note: this feature is only to be used for chat issues. Please direct other issues to Support.

First, please review our Poker Games FAQ and make sure that you actually did nothing wrong. Keep in mind that retaliatory chat is not permitted, and may cause your chat to be suspended.

If you are certain your chat should not have been suspended, contact Support with a detailed explanation of the issue.

We pride ourself on taking player feedback seriously, and if you have any improvement suggestions or ideas, please email our Management Team directly.

Please note that every month we receive thousands of emails containing ideas, suggestions and feedback, and as such, we cannot respond on the merits of each one. However, we do read every single email, and take each suggestion into careful consideration.

Should you require a response for any part of your query, please contact Support, and we will address your concerns.