How to Register on PokerStars: Account Setup Step by Step (2026)

Find out which PokerStars site serves your country

PokerStars is not a single website but a family of licensed sites. The international room operates under a Malta Gaming Authority licence, while France, Spain, Italy, Denmark and Germany have ring-fenced local versions and Ontario has a site of its own. In the United States the brand is offered only in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Michigan, through PokerStars on FanDuel.

A long list of countries cannot open real-money accounts at all, among them Russia, Turkey, Czechia, Australia, most of the US and many states in Asia, Africa and the Caribbean. Living in one of them means not playing: an account opened with a borrowed address breaks the terms and can be closed with the balance held.

Get the software or start in the web lobby

On a computer you download the Windows installer or the macOS build from the official site. iPhone and iPad owners use the App Store, and Android users install an APK from the official site, because the real-money app is missing from Google Play in most regions.

One account covers every platform, but Stars allows a single active session, so logging in on your phone ends the session on your laptop.

Opening the account, screen by screen

Button names vary slightly by platform, but the order is the same:

1. 1Launch the PokerStars client or app and press Join (on some versions, Register) on the start screen.
2. 2Enter an email address you actually read and a password you have never used on another site.
3. 3Choose your Stars ID — the screen name opponents see at the tables and in published tournament results.
4. 4Type your legal name, date of birth, country and full home address exactly as they appear on your ID and bills.
5. 5Accept the terms of service, decide whether you want marketing messages and create the account.
6. 6Check your inbox for a welcome email from PokerStars and complete any confirmation it requests.

Treat your Stars ID as permanent

PokerStars regards the Stars ID as a fixed identifier, and requests to change it are routinely declined. Leave out your surname, birth year and anything resembling your email login: a neutral handle keeps your privacy intact when SCOOP or WCOOP leaderboards are published.

Names that insult anyone or imitate another player, a brand or a member of staff can be suspended until you sort things out with support.

Lock the account down before you deposit

Stars adds several layers on top of the password. You can add and validate a mobile number so that suspicious activity triggers an SMS code, set a PIN, and in some regions attach an RSA security token. While an SMS check is pending, deposits, withdrawals and transfers stay frozen, which is exactly what you want if your password leaks.

Keep the email and phone in Account Details current. Losing access to both makes recovery slow, because support must confirm your identity before resetting anything.

The Real Money form, the bonus and your limits

Before the first deposit the cashier asks you to complete a Real Money form that confirms your personal details. The welcome offer — 100% up to $600, released in $5 parts for every 75 redemption points — is tied to that first deposit of at least $10, so read the promotions page before paying.

It is also the right moment to open Responsible Gaming and set a deposit or buy-in limit. Lowering a limit works immediately, whereas raising it involves a waiting period — a useful brake on heat-of-the-moment decisions.