For many poker players, home games are where they got started. Whether it was playing with buddies in college or with co-workers on the weekend, these games were not only fun, but also helped you sharpen your skills. If you have ever wanted to play in private games online with your friends, you will want to check out Pokerstars Home Games.
Pokerstars Home Games allows you the opportunity to set your own private tournament or even your own poker league. In addition, you can setup a poker tournament in any of the games offered at Pokerstars. If you have a bunch of friends that like to play Omaha or if your an older player that would prefer to play Stud poker, you can setup your tournaments to suit your needs.
The first step to setting up your own home game is to signup for a Pokerstars account if you do not already have one. The Marketing Code for PokerStars is PSP1913. You will need to then download the software from the website. If you are already a player on Pokerstars, then you are ready to setup your club.
When you open up the PokerStars client, you will notice a "Home Games" tab on the main screen. Click on this tab and you will be taken to the lobby. There you will click on "Create a Poker Club" to begin your poker club setup. You will then setup the name of your club and setup the invite code that you will distribute to your friends.
Once you have setup your PokerStars club, you will be emailed your club ID number. Send this and your invitation code to your friends so that they can join your poker club. At this point you have officially setup your poker club and are ready to setup your first tournament.
To setup your PokerStars home game tournament, head back to the Home Games lobby and you will now see your club listed. Double click on the club or click on the lobby and select "Open Club Lobby." You will then find your poker club’s lobby and from there you can click on the Manage Games button. From there, you can setup your tournament. You can select the game type, buy-in, structure, etc.
Once your game is setup, any friends that you approve to your league can register for the game. To approve friends to your league, go under the "Manage Club" button on your home games lobby. You can then accept or reject members.
This is just a quick overview of how to setup your Pokerstars Home Game. To learn more, you can check out the Pokerstars Home Games section of their site. There are several advantages to playing Pokerstars Home Games. First, you only play against those you want to. No worries about some random pro dropping in on the game or having to face online grinder. You also can play what you want and at the stakes you want.
Finally, Pokerstars Home Games are free to setup. Obviously there are buy-ins to the event, but Pokerstars will never charge you for using their software to host your events. Try doing that at your local casino. Simply put, Pokerstars Home Games are all the fun of home games, but without the hassle of trying to find a house to host the game.
