PokerStars Expands its Casino Offering

It is no secret that PokerStars has very serious plans with its casino games offering, and the latest development is only a further testament to this fact. In a press release sent out earlier today, the company announced that Blackjack and Roulette have been added to the mobile apps, while new casino games, including Slots, are now available on desktop clients.

Director of the Casino for PokerStars and Full Tilt, Sam Hobcraft, explained that the introduction of Slots was based on the feedback received from the users, who seem to favor these games above all the others. Some of the games included in the initial offering are "7 Lucky Dwarfs", "Dragon Slot", "Golden Rome", "Treasure Island", "KGB Bears" and quite a few more.

Apart from Slots, three new table games have been added: Baccarat, Heads-Up Hold'em and Double Ball Roulette.

Baccarat, or 'Punto Banco', as it is known in some parts of the world, is one of the most popular games amongst the high stakes gamblers. Baccarat is a game of chance, played with cards and in its 'Punto Banco' variation doesn't leave too much space for any skill considerations.

Heads-Up Hold'em is derived from the classic Hold'em variation, but it's been simplified and turned into a fun and fast casino game, where players play against the dealer, trying to make the best five-card hand. There are special bonuses if a player loses holding a big hand (up to 500 times for losing with straight flush).

Double Ball Roulette is possibly the most interesting of the three. The name says it all - it is a variation of roulette that uses two balls instead of one. The betting rules are the same as with the classic roulette, but the payouts are much bigger and a player can get 1300/1 if they bet on both balls landing in the same slot.

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Although PokerStars may not have been a major casino player up to this point, the company's strategy in this field seems to be setting them up for success. While the tradition may play some role, in a sense that players might prefer to gamble on a room they are used to, attractive offers and good selection of games could certainly persuade them to change allegiance.

One of the main guiding ideas behind the casino offering, as PokerStars representatives initially explained, resided with the fact that a great percentage of poker players were also involved in other gambling activities and they had to switch sites for this. If they have it all in one place, perhaps they will just stay where they are and just switch between different offerings instead of switching between rooms.

Initially a lot of poker players were afraid that PokerStars might completely switch focus with time and make online poker just one of their many offerings, leading to reduce in quality in every sense. However, David Baazov's statements and the latest initiatives clearly demonstrate that the company still has a very big interest in online poker as well and that bringing new players remains near the top of the priorities' list.