PokerStars Spain Review

PokerStars.es is the Spanish division of one of the most famous online poker rooms in the world. From 2011 to 2017, PokerStars Spain operated as a reservation. A major change occurred in 2018 with the creation of a shared liquidity pool, uniting players from PokerStars Spain, France, and Portugal. Players from other countries can also register and play, but with one important condition - bonuses will not be available.

PokerStars ES operates under the license of the Spanish regulator DGOJ, the RNG of the poker room is certified by iTech Labs, which guarantees the legality and security of all games on the site. The most popular in the poker room are 6-max regular and Zoom Hold'em tables with stakes up to €0.50 / €1.

New players from Spain at PokerStars receive a 100% first deposit bonus up to €200 and a month's entry into the weekly Welcome Freerolls worth €2,000 in prizes.

Pokerstars ES bonuses

The welcome package at PokerStars ES includes:

• First deposit bonus of 100% up to €200.
• 30-day access to weekly Welcome Freerolls of €2,000 GTD.

The bonus is activated by the code “'STARS200”, which must be entered in the cashier during the first deposit.

For collecting 75 redemption points, the player receives €5 to the account. 5 redemption points are credited for €1 rake, i.e. the bonus gives 33% rakeback. The maximum wagering period is 120 days.
If the player forgot to enter the code during the deposit and no more than 3 months have passed since that moment, the bonus can be activated by contacting the support service.

Welcome Freerolls

After registering at PokerStars Spain, the player must fill out a form with personal data in the "Withdraw" section of the cashier. After that, a special chest is given, which contains a tournament ticket valid for 30 days.

The ticket can be used in several Welcome Freerolls with €2,000 in prizes, which start every Sunday at 20:00 CEST.

Freeroll prizes:

• 1 – €500
• 2 – €250
• 3-9 – €50 Power Path* Step 4 ticket
• 10-100 – €10 Power Path Step 3 ticket

*Power Path are universal multi-tiered tickets for satellites with prizes up to €9,300 Gold Power Pass for participation in any live series from PokerStars.

Pokerstars Spain rakeback

The Stars Rewards poker room loyalty system consists of six regular levels:

*All Stars Rewards members who have played at least one raked hand receive one Power Path Level 1 ticket for €0.50 each day.

**100 Reward Points (RP) are awarded for every €1 of rake. Zoom players with €2.50/€5 stakes receive RP at x2 odds as long as there are no more than 10 players at the limit and for 10 minutes after the pool gets bigger.

***The chest is valid for 30 days. During this time, the player must manage to open it and receive a fixed payout.

And two annual levels:

*Rakeback is paid automatically to the player's account every day based on the results of the previous day. Exclusive bonus offers provide additional rakeback.

Rake structure

The rake at PokerStars Spain regular Texas Holdem and PLO tables is as follows:

The rake at Spins at the lowest limit is 8%, at all others – 7%.

Games and traffic

The game at PokerStars.es is played in euros. The peak traffic occurs in the late evening according to European time. The maximum number of connections can reach several tens of thousands. Cash tables account for up to 1,000 connections.

Cash games

The PokerStars.es client offers tables for:

• 6-max and 9-max Hold'em,
• 6-max Omaha,
• 6-max Zoom,

with stakes from €0.01/€0.02 to €5/€10.

Tournaments

Every day, PokerStars.es hosts dozens of MTTs of different formats with buy-ins from €1 to €20 and a guaranteed prize pool of up to €20,000.

TOP Sunday tournaments:

• Sunday Micro €1,000 Gtd for €1.
• Sunday Mini €5,000 Gtd for €5.
• Sunday Starter €5,000 Gtd for €5.
• Sunday Progressive KO €12,500 Gtd for €20.

The biggest tournaments in the poker room start on Thursday evening:

• Super Thursday Night on Stars Progressive KO €50,000 GTD for €250.
• The Hot BigStack Turbo €20,000/30,000 for €50.

PokerStars ES software overview

The PokerStars Spain poker client is well known to most players and is rightfully considered one of the best. It is stable, has many settings and works on all popular platforms: Windows, MacOS, Android, iOS.

The main vertical menu is located on the right, profile settings are opened by clicking on the avatar. The buttons for game types and filters are located above the table/tournament menu.

The "Seat me" option is available in the cash lobby. There is no list of individual tables, only a list of limits and the number of entries. Seating at a table is random, that is, the table select function is not available.

The PokerStars.es application supports HUD display by all popular trackers.

Is PokerStars.es legal in Spain?

PokerStars is a completely legal Spanish online poker room. The site operates under a license issued by the state gambling regulator - DGOJ. All information about players' funds, deposits and withdrawals is transferred to the regulator, which ensures their complete safety. Income from games (minus lost funds) is taxed under the IRPF law.

According to the license rules:

• Only persons located in Spain with a DNI / NIE and over 18 years of age have the right to play on PokerStars.es.
• The account must be opened in a Spanish domain (.es), otherwise it will be considered a violation of the law.
• If the account has not been verified within 30 days after registration, it will be closed.

Taxes on winnings

In Spain, PokerStars players are required to declare their winnings to the tax office themselves. Net income (including losses) is reported as “ganancia patrimonial no derivada de transmisión” on the annual declaration.

Poker winnings are considered “property gains” and are included in the general IRPF (individual income tax) base.

The tax rate depends on the total income:

*Depending on the region:

• Andalusia – 47%
• Murcia – 47%
• Madrid – 45%
• Canary Islands – 50.5%
• Catalonia, Aragon, Asturias – 50%
• Valencia – up to 54%

PokerStars Spain reports all player deposits and withdrawals to the DGOJ. This data may be requested by Hacienda, but is not transmitted automatically.

Account verification

Verification at PokerStars.es must be completed within 30 days of registration, otherwise the account will be deleted.

The following restrictions apply until identity verification if finished:

• Maximum deposit €150.
• Withdrawals are not possible.
• Not all promotions are available.

You must upload the necessary documents for verification in the client in the menu “Account settings - Identity verification”.

Identity verification: Passport (page with photo); or National ID (DNI) - for Spanish citizens; or Residence permit (Tarjeta de Residencia); or Driver's license (only if full name, date of birth and photo are provided).

Proof of address (document issued within the last 3 months): Utility bill or Bank statement.

Deposits and cashouts

The following payment systems are available at PokerStars ES:

The minimum deposit and withdrawal amount is €10.

The maximum cashout amount depends on the selected payment method.

A player can only request a withdrawal to the payment system with which they made a deposit in the last 12 months. Withdrawal takes from 3 to 10 business days.

Pros and cons of playing at Pokerstars Spain