Poker Room Reviews

Choosing an online poker room can be a confusing experience – one size doesn’t fit all. You need to consider your stakes, favoured game, level of skill (both yours and your likely opponents) , bonus or rewards programs etc etc. The great news is there are hundreds of rooms out there all desperate for your action. The bad news is how to do you choose one? Well, hopefully my reviews of the best rooms around will save you time and give you the best shot at making money.

Over the years, I’ve seen rooms come and rooms go. I’ve only reviewed rooms I play at regularly and together, they cover the needs of a broad range of players. I’d recommend them all, depending on your particular requirements.

Below is a short summary of the pros and cons of each. Click on the relevant icons to see my detailed review of each room and find out if it might be right for you.

Big incentives for lower stakes players, limited competition, live festivals!

Limited tracking software support, lacks traffic at middle to upper levels

Play on live TV, great community, good for lower limit & casual players

Difficult to multi-table, lacks action at higher limits

Huge variety of games, industry leading software, tourney central

Stiff competition, no rake back (rewards scheme instead)

Range of games & promotions, speedy software, soft money!

Multi-tabling not the easiest, no rake back (loyalty scheme instead)

Virgin Poker Review

Sadly in all my time playing on the Virgin online poker room I’m yet to play Richard Branson. I secretly think he plays anonymously at the 0.5/0.10 limits – just grinding up his bankroll. Virgin is a great worldwide brand but their poker site feels like a new kid on the block – can it compete with its bigger more established rivals?

Why should I play there?
Virgin poker is all about having fun with your poker. I’ve liked the Virgin brand ever since I got free night socks on a flight to America and their poker site has the same values. Nowhere more so than at their live festivals – they have a lot of poker and side games including drink the bar dry. I can speak from painful experience. You can, of course, have a lot of confidence in the brand and their customer support is excellent. As its part of the Boss network it always has a ready supply of players and in my experience the standard isn’t as tough as some of the other rooms and networks so there’s plenty of money to be made.

What are the downsides of playing there?
The site can sometimes lack traffic at the middle and upper levels. However this won’t affect most casual or lower stakes players where there’s always lots of action. The site doesn’t support tracking software which may scare off more serious players – but that’s good news for the less experienced looking for a fun game

And the software is?
In the main it’s relatively easy to use and very quick. It might be a little too fast at times but if you’re like me and like your poker action and decisions to come thick and fast you’ll love it. The software lacks some features I’d like to see however the 5 handed tables aren’t found on many other networks and they make the games even more action packed. The addition of the mini view makes it possible to multi table, a good option to improve your win rate.

What’s in it for me?
The Virgin V points scheme is Virgin’s earn as you play scheme with a difference to its competitors. In addition it the ability to gain points for freerolls with cash prizes you can also earn other goodies including flights to Vegas – on British Airways obviously… okay they might be on Virgin. I think the freerolls are great value for lower stakes players. You can also qualify for their exclusive Virgin festivals which are some of the best fun you can have at a poker table or near one.

To sum up….
Virgin is a fun place to play poker with a lot of incentives especially for lower stakes players. Check it out and make sure I see you at the next Virgin festival.

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Terms & Conditions

1. The sign up poker bonus will be automatically credited into your account as follows: When you make your first deposit a 200% bonus up to a maximum of £250 (or equivalent USD or Euro values) will be credited to your pending bonus balance. The bonus release is £10 for every £40 (or equivalent USD or Euro values) in generated rake.

2. Once the bonus is initiated you have 180 days to fulfil the bonus requirements. At this point any bonus which has not yet being released in to your account will expire.

3. The poker bonus is for new players only.

4. Only one Real Account per player, per household. If you already have multiple accounts you are NOT eligible for the offers in your additional accounts. Any player attempting to claim multiple bonuses for which they are not eligible will have their accounts closed and any winnings on all their accounts will be null and void. All cash outs will be cancelled.

5. All promotions are available only once per person, family, household address, e-mail address, credit card number, and environments where computers are shared (university, fraternity, school, public library, workplace, etc).

6. If, while playing at the poker room, you win a sum or a promotion regarded by the Management as worthy of publicity, we reserve the right to use your ‘Nickname’ in any announcement about this result.

7. In the event of any dispute, the decision of the Poker Room Manager or Boss Media AB will be considered full and final. No correspondence will be entered into.

8.Employees, officers and directors of Virgin Poker , its promotional or other agencies, licensees and licensers, service providers and any other associated or affiliated companies shall not be eligible for entry. The same terms shall apply to the direct families of such persons.

9. Entrants who fail to comply with any of the stipulated Terms and Conditions of this promotion will forfeit their bonus, which will subsequently be removed from their gaming account.

10. Virgin Poker reserves the right to bar any promotion abusers from receiving any further promotions, and or lock the players account as well as the right to pass on any information regarding known abusers to other Boss Media poker room operators. This will ensure that they will be barred from promotions at all poker rooms utilizing the services of Boss Media.

11.Virgin Poker reserves the right to change the terms of the promotions without notice.

Sky Poker Review

Sky poker is unique among online poker rooms in that it offers poker games which are broadcast live on its own TV channel. It just so happens that I work as a poker analyst on that channel so you might get your hand commentated on by me! Of course none of that means very much if the poker action isn’t up to much so how does it stack up?

Why should I play there?
Sky poker built their site from scratch and I was sceptical that they’d be able to pull it off. In my experience it’s hard to launch a new site that doesn’t use existing software. There were some teething troubles, however now the site is really starting to shape up. There’s great action, a slew of tournaments and refreshingly, the site is targeted at lower limit and casual players. There’s also a real effort to create a poker community with lots of live events to qualify for. You can also play poker against the presenters of the TV show and gain the kudos of busting them – obviously I know you wouldn’t do this to me but good luck against the others. And of course you can have you’re emails read out and your hands analysed on live TV while you play and watch.

What are the downsides of playing there?
Sky Poker isn’t for the serious online professional player but then it isn’t meant to be. I have a good time when I play there but it’s very difficult to multi table in a meaningful way and there isn’t enough action at higher limits if that’s where you like to play. However if you’re looking to have fun with your poker or are at the start of your poker career these things won’t stop you from having a great time on the site.

And the software is?
Improving is a fair assessment. When sky poker launched it was a little slow and clunky however these problems have been fixed. It has the advantage that you can play online without downloading any software if you wish. Having a lot of tables on the go isn’t really necessary, however the display is clear and easy to use. Oh and don’t worry if you don’t want to be on TV the TV tables are clearly marked.

What’s in it for me?
Sky poker has a loyalty scheme which allows you to win points which can be converted into cash for your bankroll or other goodies. You will also join a very active poker community with exclusive satellites to their live events. Finally – of course – there’s the chance to be a TV star; you won’t get that anywhere else.

To sum up….
Sky poker has stacks to offer the casual or low to mid limit player. In my opinion it’s hard to find a poker site where you can have more fun or feel more part of a community. Of course you can also play poker against the TV presenters and take their money – I love it when that happens so the more of you on there doing that the better. Right now, Sky Poker are offering a welcome bonus of upto £500 with no minimum deposit so click the link below to find out more.

Click Now To Check Out Sky Poker

PokerStars Review

Poker Stars is the biggest online poker site in the world. But you probably knew that. I knew it too but didn’t play there for a long time. I’m not sure if it was not wanting to run with the pack that put me off or just apathy at leaving the sites I was on. However once I stuck my toe in the water I saw what I was missing. My first experience was attempting to qualify for a European Poker tour event and I was struck by the variety of games and how easy the software was to use compared to my current site. Since then I’ve played on Stars regularly and had great experiences with the site and support network.

Why should I play there?
Simply Poker Stars has more games and players with better software and a better rewards scheme than virtually any other poker room. The importance of so many games can’t be overstated. I’ve always been able to get a choice of games at my stakes and you’ll likely have the same experience whatever your level. If you like tournaments you really have to be playing on Stars – it’s tournament central. The tournaments also include an amazing array of satellites starting at just a couple of dollars for some of the biggest events in the world. You can also have a lot of confidence in their support network.

What are the downsides of playing there?
Bigger may not be better – after all there are a huge amount of players. Probably the main downside is the competition. The great selections of games mean that you’ll encounter lots of pros plying their trade so there may be times, especially in the higher limits when the games are tough. However there are so many players and games that finding weaker line ups, especially at lower limits, shouldn’t be a problem.

And the software is?
Industry leading and has been for a while. I’ve always found it a little ugly on the eye however there’s no denying it’s fantastically easy to use. The software really comes into its own if you want to play more than one table and if you want to multi table and play 4+ tables Poker Stars software is out on its own.

What’s in it for me?
Poker Stars don’t give rake back. For some players this could be a minus point. However once you start playing on the site you’ll quickly realise there are plenty of compensations. Many sites offer points for playing which you can exchange for goods but Stars ‘frequent player points’ system is probably the most generous. After all there aren’t many loyalty schemes in this world where you can earn enough to buy a Porsche… so far I’ve got enough for a wing mirror.

To sum up….
Poker Stars is a great site with an amazing array of games and tournaments. You can have confidence playing there, you’ll earn plenty of goodies and find lots of opportunities to make a bundle of cash. I’ve spent years playing on lots of poker sites and I always find myself coming back for the action at Poker Stars. Poker Stars are currently offering a first time deposit bonus of up to $50 using bonus code ‘Stars50′. Mac users, in addition to using ‘Stars50′ to claim your bonus, please also use marketing code ‘PSP9299′ when creating your account.

So click the link below now to take advantage of this offer.

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Labrokes Poker Review

When I was little Ladbrokes meant trips with my Dad on Saturdays – we picked some horses according to their form, I picked them according to how cool their name was; our results were about even (sorry Dad). They’ve been around in the UK for ages as one of the countries biggest and most trusted gambling names but does their poker room measure up to their reputation?

Why should I play there?
Ladbrokes poker room has just joined the Microgaming network which means it has far more players and games than before. To accompany this they’ve also introduced some nice new promotions and a software re-design which is a big improvement.
There’s a good choice of games whatever your limit both in cash and tournaments. Far more importantly I think the games include some soft money. The site is made up of mostly European players which makes it a little easier than the big US sites but also it has a sports book and we all know how much fun it is playing poker with sports bettors! The only downside is it’s easy to transfer your money from poker to sports if you fancy a casual flutter – must…resist…my gambling…monster….

What are the downsides of playing there?
As with most poker sites out there multi-tabling is a slight problem. To be fair to Ladbrokes they’ve made big strides in this area and multitabling on this site is definitely an option. However the cards could be bigger and clearer and the buttons slightly easier to hit quickly. I wish sites would design their software from the start with multi-tabling in mind rather than adding things on – but then I know this won’t be a big deal for many of you.
The site also doesn’t offer pure rakeback which may put off some cash players however the loyalty schemes and cash back offers are generous and better than most on the net.

And the software is?
On the whole I found it easy to use, bright and clear. As mentioned above it’s a little less clear when multi tabling, however in the main there are few quibbles. One massive plus point is it’s really really quick. If you’re like me and suffer attention deficit disorder when online you’ll be really thankful for how quickly the action zips round. Also a generous time bank allows you to take pause for those really key decisions.

What’s in it for me?
Ladbrokes is famous for taking care of its players and they offer a lot of bang for your buck. There’s a generous welcome bonus, a cashback programme based on your rake and some really cool free-rolls including a rake related tournament with a $1 million prize pool.
The site also invests a lot of effort into taking players to the World Series each year. They not only offer lots of ways to qualify but also try to offer the best package to the series with a great lounge and hospitality if you’re lucky enough to go out with them.

To sum up….
Ladbrokes offers a great combination of choice of game, softness of competition and player promotions. There are a couple of niggles if you’re a multi tabling cash grinder but in general the recent changes have put the site back near the top.

In summary it’s almost as much fun as going to a Ladbrokes betting shop…just a lot harder to steal a little pen – I averaged 3 a visit, shhhhhhh.

Right now Ladbrokes are offering a Welcome Bonus of up to $1,000 (or the equivalent in your local currency), check it out below.

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