Why ACR Poker is slowly gaining more popularity than Pokerstars
Over the past few years, America’s Cardroom (ACR) has been steadily growing in popularity among online poker players in the United States. At the same time, industry giant Pokerstars has seen its reputation decline due to its exit from the US market in 2011 and controversial business practices. There are several reasons why ACR is becoming a preferred option over Pokerstars for American poker enthusiasts:
ACR Remained in the US Market
When the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) was passed in 2006, it forced many American online poker sites to leave the US market. However, ACR (then known as Doyles Room) chose to stay and focus on providing online poker offerings specifically tailored for Americans. This established goodwill and loyalty among players in the States. Meanwhile, Pokerstars abruptly closed US player accounts on “Black Friday” 2011 due to threats of Federal prosecution. This soured Pokerstars’ reputation among its American customer base.
Weakened Poker Ecology Benefits ACR
Pokerstars held a dominant position in online poker’s “poker ecology” in the 2000s. But its departure left a vacuum in the ecosystem. ACR moved into this space, gaining market share and improving its products. Today, despite Pokerstars re-entering New Jersey and Pennsylvania recently, its absence at a national level over the past decade strengthened platforms like ACR across America.
Robust Tournament Schedule
ACR runs the most active tournament schedule for US players. It provides a multitude of guaranteed prize pool (GPP) events, including a $1 million weekly GPP. Moreover, it runs special event series like Online Super Series, Online Series Leaderboards and various live tournament packages. This bustling tournament ecology caters well to both casual players and aspiring pros. In contrast, Pokerstars USA restricts players to only NJ and PA – limiting its tournaments.
Lucrative Rewards Program
The ACR rewards program provides players 27.5% rakeback along with bonuses and promotions. Additionally, new players can claim a 100% first-time crypto deposit bonus up to $1000. Such incentives benefit low-stakes grinders and attract more recreational players. Though Pokerstars has a long-running rewards program, it pales in comparison for US players due to Pokerstars’ limited reach currently.
Wider Range of Games
ACR spreads games like pot limit Omaha, Omaha hi/lo, 7 card stud, and mixed poker variants besides regular No limit Texas hold ’em. These appeal to players seeking more poker game diversity. Currently, Pokerstars offers NLHE cash games and tournaments predominantly to fit its smaller player pools in NJ and PA. Expansion of gaming variety seems unlikely there in the near future.
Cryptocurrency Support
ACR processes deposits and withdrawals through 60+ cryptocurrencies besides regular payment options. This provides extra flexibility and privacy. Pokerstars does not use crypto, sticking to traditional banking methods only. For American players wary of strict anti-gaming financial regulations and bureaucracy, ACR holds an advantage in offering bitcoin transactions.
Recreational Player Friendly
ACR actively promotes a “fish-friendly” environment catering to casual poker enthusiasts through various measures like limiting heads-up tables and restricting the use of certain tracking software. This approach draws more new players and discourages pros from preying on recreational players. Though Pokerstars claims having a recreational player friendly ecology, many still accuse it of indifference to regs targeting weaker players.
Aggressive Expansion
Winning Poker Network, which operates ACR, has been aggressive in its development plans recently. It struck deals to power poker rooms in casinos at Las Vegas and expand into Latin America. Such expansion indicates long term ambition to rival Pokerstars’ scale someday. In comparison, Pokerstars seems content currently boxed into NJ and PA without firm national plans. Its global pullout from dozens of country markets also tarnished its image.
Controversies around Pokerstars
Over the years, Pokerstars attracted lots of controversies – from insider cheating scandals to recent accusations of operating virtual casino-like games while classifying them as poker variants. Such issues undercut player trust. ACR meanwhile maintains relatively transparent operations and consistent product focus on poker. This inspires confidence in its brand integrity.
While Pokerstars retains higher brand recognition currently thanks to its years as the #1 online poker room, recurring issues plague its reputation while America’s Cardroom remains laser focused to capture the US online poker market. With its momentum accelerating, ACR seems poised to establish itself as the dominant player in this lucrative market. Though dethroning Pokerstars completely seems unlikely given its vast resources and scale, ACR prevailing over it in America seems a realistic possibility in the 2020s.
Conclusion
Through a combination of focus on the US online poker market and catering well to recreational players, America’s Cardroom has rapidly grown its player base and casino traffic over the past decade. Its expansion plans, cryptocurrency support and aggressive rewards further bolster its appeal.
At the same time, Pokerstars’ exit from America during 2011-2018 did significant damage to its brand appeal and player trust in this lucrative market. Its limited re-entry later into a couple of states pale against America Cardroom’s national presence. Continuing controversies also undermine Pokerstars’ reputation.
As America’s Cardroom continues improving its products, launching live poker room partnerships, spreading into Latin America and maintaining its recreational player friendly approach – it seems poised to cement itself as the #1 US-facing online poker site. Pokerstars seems to have missed the boat for US online poker dominance due to its blinkered strategy over the past decade. Though its wider global brand recognition sustains currently, America’s Cardroom’s rise reflects how Pokerstars is slowly but surely losing its popularity and player base to this ambitious upstart in its home territory.
 has been steadily......){kind=link}