Games played at the highest levels of stakes. Online cash games fromR$5/$10 and up (akaR$1000NL and up for No Limit Hold'em games) are considered high stakes. Live cash games played aboveR$10/$25 are considered high stakes games.

The phrase "high stakes" is derived directly from a gambling term. In gambling, a stake is the quantity of money or other goods that is risked on the outcome of some specific event. A high-stakes game is one in which, in the player's personal opinion, a large quantity of money is being risked.

On April 15, 2011, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York seized and shut down Pokerstars and several of its competitors' sites, alleging that the sites were violating federal bank fraud and money laundering laws.

PokerStars currently has legal, regulated online poker sites in three US states  New Jersey, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. On Jan 1, 2024, PokerStars combined their NJ and MI player pools, forming a single PokerStars US Network.