Today in PokerStars Tournament #3994842165, I was suddenly logged out/disconnected even though my internet connection was working.
After logging back in, I was seated and dealt live hands, including A♠A♥ and A♦K♦, but my status was forced to “Sitting Out”. When I clicked “I’m Back”, the client showed:
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So I was logged in, present, and trying to play, but PokerStars blocked me from acting while blinds, antes, and hands continued.
This looks like a false or overly broad implementation of the German §6h GlüStV rule. That rule is meant to prevent parallel play or provider switching — not to block a player from reconnecting to the same running tournament after an unexplained logout.
What makes this even worse: regular support does not seem to care or offer any meaningful help. A standard support reply does not fix the fact that a player can lose real tournament equity while being physically present and actively trying to play.
For MTTs, this is unacceptable. Five minutes can destroy a stack, cost premium hands, and cause direct financial damage.
PokerStars must explain whether this was legally required exactly this way or caused by their own implementation. Reconnects to the same running tournament should not be treated like provider switching or parallel play.
Screenshots show: logged in, seated, dealt premium hands, forced sitting out, and return attempt blocked.
