Last Update: May 2, 2022
PokerStars is one of the world’s leading online poker platforms.
Quite interestingly though, it is not available to freely access in many countries including the United States. Fortunately, you may utilize a VPN to bypass geoblocks and gamble on PokerStars along with any other similar site wherever and whenever you desire.
Needless to say, not all virtual private networks are created equal. Many available service providers don’t have the means to serve as solutions for PokerStars. That’s because they lack the unblocking capabilities needed for you to access the platform where it is restricted.
In this article, we’ll talk about the best PokerStars VPNs and everything else that you may need to know about the subject. By the time you are done reading, you’ll not be left with any unanswered questions regarding the matter.
Credit: nordvpn.com
Unblocking & Speed Capabilities: NordVPN has superb unblocking capabilities. With it, you’ll have no trouble accessing PokerStars wherever you may be. Just make sure to connect with a server that’s in a place where online gambling is legal and access to PokerStars is not banned.
When it comes to speed, many say that NordVPN is the king. Though I don’t think it's the fastest VPN available, it definitely won’t leave you disappointed. Even when connected to its furthest servers, the bad impact on your internet connection speeds shall be surprisingly minimal.
I should also note that NordVPN has gotten me off bandwidth throttling time and time again. As such, I’d have to say that it’s a great VPN to have if you’ve got an internet service provider that is known to impose bandwidth limits to prevent network overloading.
Privacy & Security: The privacy and security capabilities of NordVPN are superb. While paired with its servers, it is guaranteed that you’ll be safe from hackers and government monitors. Of course, this shouldn’t come as a surprise. After all, NordVPN uses AES military-grade 256 encryption and supports every major VPN protocol including WireGuard (as NordLynx).
NordVPN’s network will be 100% RAM-disk-enabled by the end of this year. That means that it’ll soon be 100% not capable of compromising your logging information. I’d have to say that this is great because only a handful of VPN nowadays can claim to be truly logs-free.
When it comes to features, NordVPN has a bunch. Besides your standard malware blocker and kill switch, the provider also has something called Double VPN. To put it simply, the feature routes your web traffic through two VPN servers to heighten your anonymity levels.
Pricing: The rates of NordVPN are incredibly fair. In fact, the VPN is much more affordable than its closest competitors in the industry. For a 1-month subscription plan, all you’ll need to spend is a mere $11.95. If anything, this makes VPN service provider a bargain that’s hard to pass.
Credit: surfshark.com
Unblocking & Speed Capabilities: If you’ve got Surfshark, then you shall never have trouble accessing PokerStars. That’s because the VPN has excellent unblocking capabilities because of its massive network of more than 3300 capable servers.
When it comes to speed, there’s nothing to complain about Surfshark. My tests have revealed that it’s one of the fastest options around in the industry. Regardless of how distant the server my device was paired to, not once did my web connection slow down to a significant degree.
Privacy & Security: There’ll never be an unsafe moment when you’re paired to SurfShark's network. The reason for that is because it’s 100% RAM-based, meaning that it’s completely incapable of tracking, collecting, and giving away any of your private logging info.
Surfshark encrypts your internet traffic using AES-256 military-grade encryption. Together with that, it lets you make use of nearly every leading VPN protocol. Now for those wondering, Surfshark does have support for WireGuard - the best protocol choice for PokerStars.
You’ll be glad to know that Surfshark has very user-friendly applications for common operating systems. Furthermore, these apps come with a wide array of interesting features. You’ve even got the option to avail of a hacking alert system for a small additional fee.
One last thing to know is that Surfshark allows for unlimited simultaneous device connections. I would have to say that this gives the provider excellent value for money. With simply one user subscription, it’ll be possible for you to safeguard the digital lives of everyone that you know.
Pricing: Surfshark isn’t a cheap VPN provider. However, it isn’t an expensive one either. For a basic monthly subscription plan, you’ll currently need to shell out $12.95. Now if you ask me, this is a fair price because Surfshark has so much to offer.
Last but not least, those who value their privacy would be glad to know that Surfshark accepts cryptocurrency payments. Because of that, you’ve got the option to acquire the VPN without breaking your anonymity to reveal your credit card information.
Credit: expressvpn.com
Unblocking & Speed Capabilities: The unblocking capabilities of ExpressVPN are superb. It is guaranteed that you’ll have no trouble accessing PokerStars while using the service provider. All that is thanks to its very capable network of 3000+ server locations.
ExpressVPN has some of the fastest VPN servers around. None of them cause significant lags in internet connection speeds. Furthermore, a handful are even capable of eliminating the bandwidth throttling that might secretly be imposed by your internet service provider.
Privacy & Security: Privacy and security are two things that ExpressVPN takes very seriously. As a matter of fact, the provider is a pioneer of sorts in the VPN industry. It was the first major player to equip itself with a RAM-disk-enabled network and have itself independently audited.
When it comes to encryption, ExpressVPN utilizes military-grade AES-256. Moreover, it also lets you toggle nearly every leading VPN protocol. Quite interestingly though, it doesn’t have support for WireGuard. Instead, the provider has Lightway, which is proprietary.
Each one of ExpressVPN’s apps and browser extensions is very easy to use and configure. Sad to say, these applications and extensions lack many features that many seasoned VPN users deem essential. On the bright side, the provider does have an automatic kill switch.
Another thing that ExpressVPN needs to improve on is simultaneous connections. You see, the provider only supports a maximum of 5 devices. This puts it way behind competitors like Surfshark that currently have unlimited simultaneous device pairings support.
Pricing: Despite its shortcomings, ExpressVPN is a very good VPN that provides decent value for money. As of writing, you can get the provider for $12.95 per month. Besides credit cards, you may also pay using a variety of methods including cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin.
PokerStars is an online poker platform where bets are made, which makes it illegal to access in jurisdictions that have criminalized gambling activity. As a result, it’s not possible to freely access it without the help of a VPN provider in many places across the globe.
A good VPN can allow you to access PokerStars from anywhere because it’s able to mask your legitimate IP address. In doing so, it fools the systems that are in place to prevent you from heading to PokerStars into thinking that you’re browsing from somewhere you’re not.
Because decent virtual private networks can hide your IP address, they can also keep you fully anonymous. That means that as long as you’re connected to their servers, you’ll be able to remain safeguarded from any prying eyes that seek to penalize you for breaking the law.
Here is a list of notable countries that restrict access to PokerStars:
Besides what’s stated above, PokerStars also cannot be freely accessed and used in important territories such as Hong Kong and Puerto Rico. Of course, if you wish to know if PokerStars is banned where you reside, then you should research the local laws of your jurisdiction.
With all that said, you should know that some VPNs also sometimes improve your internet connection speeds. They achieve this by getting you off any bandwidth limits that’ve been established by your ISP in secret. Thus, if you wish to have a smoother experience while gambling on PokerStars, then you might want to consider using a VPN service provider.
Below is every step necessary to use a PokerStars VPN solution:
Kick things off by getting a VPN service. At present, there are countless options on the market for you to choose from. Some of which are even completely free to utilize. Needless to say, we don’t recommend free VPNs. That’s because most of them are not equipped to meet the needs of PokerStars users like yourself.
Rather than choosing just any provider, go for any of the three VPNs that we talked about. Any of them is sure to have unblocking and security capabilities that you need. Also, each of them provides excellent value for money, which makes them ideal for even the thriftiest of shoppers.
Your new VPN must be controlled via an app that must be installed. Do not concern yourself as this process is incredibly easy. On most devices, all you’ll need is to hit the download button then wait. Now if your internet connection is decent, you should be finished very quickly.
Keep in mind that VPN router installation can be a bit trickier to do. That’s because it’s often a technical process that’s not suitable to those who aren’t tech-savvy. Luckily though, all of our preferred PokerStars VPNs sell pre-configured routers that offer a plug-and-play experience.
After installing your VPN’s app, open it then connect to a server. Make sure that the server you choose is in a country where PokerStars is perfectly legal and accessible. That way, you’ll be able to avoid any of the consequences that come with illegally visiting then utilizing the site.
It would also be a good idea to choose a server that’s not too far away. The reason why is that distance often affects how drastically your VPN will bog down your internet connection speeds.
The next thing to do is activate your VPN’s kill switch. Although many argue that this step is not necessary, we believe that it is. After all, security and privacy are the two most important things to have and retain when you are gambling on PokeStars or any other similar platform.
For those unaware, a kill switch is a very important VPN security feature. It cuts your device’s internet connection if its connection to your provider’s server becomes compromised. As a result, you get protected from unwanted accidental exposure, which is undoubtedly great.
Once you’re done activating your VPN’s kill switch, you may finally open PokerStars then start gambling. Don’t disconnect from your VPN’s servers for the duration of your session. If that’s done, you run the risk of detection and prosecution by local authorities for illegal gambling.
It was not that easy for us to come up with our rankings.
First of all, we narrowed down our picks by researching and testing. Out of hundreds of VPN service providers, only a handful had the specs that met our needs. Even fewer actually managed to perform at the capacity that we needed from PokerStars VPN solution.
Aside from what’s stated, we also took affordability and value for money into consideration when we were deciding our rankings. That’s because these two things are what most people look at when they’re on the market for a VPN service for PokerStars or just about any gambling site.
