How to Choose the Right Online Poker Room For You
Today's
poker players are spoiled for choice when it comes to
selecting a online poker room to play at thanks to there
being dozens of major sites offering online poker services
to them. Sometimes, too much choice can make the selection
process stressful, so here at PokerNews we've created
a ranking system for what we believe are the best online
poker rooms in business today.
PokerNews' Online Poker Room Rankings
The
team at PokerNews are not only experts in all areas
of poker, we also love this fantastic game and are avid
online poker players ourselves. This means that we are
committed to providing an accurate ranking system that
helps you, our loyal readers, to choose a poker room
that is going to provide you with endless entertainment
and a first class experience every time you sit down
to play poker.
When
one of our team is tasked with writing a review of an
online poker room, they go to great lengths to ensure
the review is accurate, fair and a true representation
of what you will experience if you choose to give your
business to that particular poker room. To do this,
the reviewer looks at several key areas β detailed below
β and puts the software through its paces so you know
what to expect when you come to create your account
at the site in question. In short, we do all of the
groundwork and research so you do not have to.
Which Are The Best Online Poker Rooms?
One
of the most common questions asked by poker players
is which are the best online poker rooms. The answer
to this question, like most poker-related inquiries,
is it depends.
As
the saying goes βone man's meat is another man's poison,β
meaning that what one person finds ideal for an online
poker room may not be what someone else is looking for.
Cash game players have different needs than multi-table
tournament specialists, while low-stakes grinders look
at a site differently to high-volume high-stakes players.
Thankfully,
regardless of what games you play and what stakes you
currently compete it, PokerNews' online poker room rankings
and reviews give you an insight into what to expect
from each poker room listed; both the positive and negative
qualities are there for all to see.
How Does PokerNews Rank Online Poker Sites?
Our
team members examine each of the online poker rooms
in great detail before publishing their findings on
the PokerNews site. As you will see from the reviews,
we give a brief description of the poker room, list
several pros and cons and reveal who the poker room's
owner is, where its headquarters are, who provides the
online poker room with its software and, if known, where
the game servers are located.
From
there, we take a look at bonuses and loyalty schemes
offered by each poker room, examine where most of the
site's traffic is concentrated, detail any notable software
features that allow the site to stand out from other
poker rooms, list the deposit and withdrawal methods,
before highlighting the all-important customer support
channels.
If
a site has plentiful traffic across all games and formats
they will rank higher than online poker rooms that are
less busy. Likewise, should a poker room offer generous
sign-up bonuses or run regular value-packed promotions
it will rank higher than one where these offers are
scant. By looking at these key areas, you know what
to expect (and what not to expect) before you sign up
to a poker room, which means you can concentrate solely
on playing poker and enjoying yourself.
What Should I Look For In An Online Poker Room?
It
is all well and good having the PokerNews reviews at
hand, but what should you be looking for other than
glowing references from our team of experts? Here are
some key areas that you should be looking for in an
online poker room.
Bonuses and Loyalty Scheme
Every
online poker room offers new customers a bonus when
they sign up for an account with them. The size of the
bonus and the conditions of its release vary wildly
from each poker room, but most require you to make an
initial deposit and will gift you a bonus based on the
size of that deposit.
An
increasing number of online poker rooms offer a no-deposit
bonus so you can test the software for yourself without
the need to risk any of your own bonus. The main downside
to these types of bonuses is they are always much smaller
than a typical welcome, sign-up or first deposit bonus.
Once
you have signed up to a poker room, it will want to
retain your business and one way to do this is via a
loyalty of VIP scheme. Again, like bonuses, these scheme
vary from site-to-site so finding one that suits how
much poker you play is key. Some VIP schemes look amazing
at first glance, often offering huge prizes for reaching
the top levels, but if the stakes and volume that you
play makes reaching those dizzy heights impossible they
may as well be offering you the moon.
Security
For
a poker room to even be considered for review at PokerNews
we ensure that it has received official certification
from an authorized online gaming regulatory body in
regards to its random number generator and in its encryption
methods. Thankfully, these days, the best online poker
sites are bound by strict terms of its license and security
is taken very seriously.
Traffic and Games Offered
If
you prefer to play mid-stakes pot-limit Omaha high/low
there is no point signing up with a poker room that
does not spread these games. Short-handed no limit hold'em
cash games are by far the most popular format offered
by online poker rooms today, yet some sites enjoy plenty
of traffic in other games while some offer specialist
games rarely found in the online poker world.
Software Features and Functionality
Even
if a poker room ticks all of the above boxes, you may
not want to play there if its software is not up to
scratch. Software of the major online poker rooms has
massively improved in recent years and even some of
the smaller poker rooms have excellent software.
Look
at the features offered by a poker room such as auto
top-up, preferred seating, automatic rebuys and anything
that you prefer to have available to you and see if
is available on your chosen site. Chances are, if it
is listed among our best online poker rooms, the features
you require will be present. |