Online Poker - Hold'em
Poker - Poker Rooms Reviewed - Poker Online- 7Card Stud
Online
Poker Choosing A Web Site
Managing Online
Poker $$$
Where
To Play Online:
Readers
have asked us why or how we selected the sites
that comprise our list of the top poker rooms
online. Here, we share the criteria used so
readers can consider the factors for themselves.
Security and
Privacy
When you're playing poker for real money,
you want as much reassurance that your credit
info is safe, your identity and contact info
won't be sold and that game conditions are
as safe and as fair as possible (e.g. that
the software isn't vulnerable to manipulation;
players aren't colluding because a system
of checks is in place; etc.). Secure servers
are a necessity. Sites should elaborate on
the encryption system that they use. All good
sites should address the above issues to your
satisfaction. Do they discuss issues like
their card-shuffling algorithm? Also, what
kind of RNG (random number generator) do they
use? The best ones increase the level of unpredictability
in the cards being played. What other safeguards
do they have in place to prevent game-rigging,
collusion, hacker intrusions, etc.? You should
always read a site's privacy policy, including
the small print. INDEPTH Poker
Site Security
Action
How many players log on to the games? Can
you get action in the poker game of your choice
anytime, day or night? Do they have diverse
offerings with enough players to keep tables
full? The larger the pool, the more action
you'll see in both gameplay and cash winnings.
We visit the sites at different times to see
what the overall action is like as well as
the variety of players in all games offered.
Gameplay
If your money and personal info are secure
but the ease of gameplay and visuals suck,
then chances are you're not going to return.
We look at the variety of poker games offered
and keep a close eye on how well a site creates
a good poker environment. How easy is it to
play? Converse with other players (or mute
them, if you wish)? Are the graphics and sounds
fun? Interesting? Can I play even if my system
doesn't support the absolutely latest graphics,
etc.? Is all the information needed to play
easy-to-access and clearly stated? Some sites
definitely have more appealing gameplay than
others.
Customer Service
Ok, so you love the initial gameplay but
then you run into a problem. Your computer
crashes. Or the server goes down. Or you're
having problems trying to cashout.How easy
is it to find the contact info on the site
and have someone help you? How responsive
is the customer service? Is it truly 24-7?
We like toll-free numbers (although this doesn't
help our readers from non-U.S. Countries).
But best of all, we like speed. If we get
fast responses to our questions and fair resolutions
to our problems, we are happy. E-mail works.
Connectivity
How often does the game crash due to server
issues at the online poker room's end? How
bad are the delays in transfer of info? What
about disconnection's? Are they repeated?
Anything that disrupts gameplay on a regular
basis is going to be an annoyance and a major
problem (at the worst if the stakes are high
and you're on a streak). We realize problems
can occur at the player's end (with their
computer and their particular ISP) but there's
no denying some sites are more reliable and
offer less "downtime" and other
such irritations than others.
Cashouts
How much money have players won at their
poker games? How easy is it to cashout your
winnings? Do they credit your credit card?
What charges are applied? How long does it
take to receive winnings? You shouldn't have
to be a rocket scientist to figure out how
to cash out what you've won and whether extra
charges, delays, etc. are worth it. Or have
the patience of a saint. And we like features
such as e-mail confirmations of the withdrawal
transactions verifying request, dates, and
amounts.
Free Play
Testing out poker gameplay, environment,
percentages, etc. helps to familiarize yourself
with what to do in the event of server crashes,how
well you've understood the written rules of
play at the particular online poker room,
and the mixed quality of other players you
may encounter. This is an important feature
of any good poker site although we recognize
that people play differently when they've
got real money on the line. Some sites make
it easier than others to identify how to get
in on the free play action without submitting
heaps of personal information in advance.
Tournaments
We definitely enjoy poker tournament play
and have noticed more and more online poker
rooms adding this as a feature or in beta
stages of testing. We're looking forward to
seeing more variety and increased cash prizes
in the future.
Promotions
What kind of player incentives does each
online poker room offer? Do they reward frequent
visitors? What about high hand or bad beat
jackpots? tournaments? random cash giveaways?
Other features/conveniences
Some sites will let you choose a character
image which becomes identified with your nick.
Others will track your gameplay statistics
for you. Some provide no charges for certain
kinds of cashouts. Some track the top players.
Some allow you to beta-test new games or poker
tournaments in development. Others offer good
poker resources in terms of celebrity columns,
advice, links, etc. We like both access to
quality information that's useful to us in
playing poker as well as convenience.
In creating our list of the best, we looked
at each of the above factors and in cumulative
scores, mysportsbook.com
definitely stood out. We know players may
have other preferred online poker rooms of
their choice and that's cool! Variety is good.
New competition is entering all the time-
meaning we expect to see continued improvements
in all of the above areas, especially at the
established sites. Online poker will only
get better with time!
Join our top poker
rooms fast growing poker communities and put
your poker skill to work in one of their many
poker tournaments. We hope you enjoy playing
in the top online Sportsbooks Poker Rooms.
NOTE:
Wager on football sportsbook review have gone
to great lengths to insure that the Paradise
Poker, Party Pokre, Internet Poker, Bodog.com
Poker, Bodog casino games, VIPPoker.com, Pokerroom.com,
Pacific Poker, MySportsbook.com Poker, and
online poker rooms are safe, legal, legitimate,
and very very FUN. Prior to being listed as
the Top Online Sportsbooks and Poker Rooms
on our site, MySportsbook.com & Bodog.com
rated higher than any other online wagering
establishment. We have seen them grow since
the late 90's folks. They are not in the business
of ripping people off. If they were they'd
be on our scam casino and scam sportsbook
list.
