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Online Poker Reviews

1. Sportsbook Poker

2. Pacific Poker

3. Full Tilt Poker

4. Superbook Poker

5. Bodog

6. Poker Stars

7. Doyle's Room

8. Players Only

9. Absolute Poker

10. PKR

11. Ultimate Bet

12. CD Poker

13. Poker.com

14. Party Poker

15. Mansion Poker

16. Titan Poker

17. Sun Poker

18. Noble Poker

19. Bugsy's Club

20. True Poker

21. Poker Host

22. Celeb Poker

23. Everest Poker

 

PLAYERS ONLY POKER REVIEW

 

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Players Only Poker

 Overall:  4.5/5

 Bonus and Promotions:   5/5

 Fish Rating:   5/5 (mackerel only)

 Tournaments:   4/5

 Software:   4/5

 Payouts:  4.5/5

 Customer Service:  5/5

 

U.S. Players Welcome at Players Only

Open to U.S. Players ONLY

 

Visit Players Only Poker

Get a 110% Bonus Now

U.S. Credit Cards Accepted

 US CREDIT CARDS PROCESSED SUCCESSFULLY: The deposits at Players Only Poker are the easiest possible for US players. Utilizing successful payment processors, all US credit cards are processed block-free for deposits. This is, by far, a big step forward in allowing players to fund their accounts painlessly. There is no need for a third-party e-wallet, with credit cards being accepted directly through the cashier in the poker software. I can recommend this method as I have successfully deposited using a Visa card from one of the largest US banks. The minimum deposit is also low at $20.

PLAYERS ONLY PROMO CODE FOR $1,000 BONUS AND 10% INSTANTLY: BTF1000. New players coming from our site are eligible for an instant 10% bonus on their first deposit in addition to an increased 100% play-through bonus, good up to $1,000. Please note that players must download the software using our Players Only Poker links to be eligible. Players Only bonus code BTF1000 is also required for the full 110%.

Note: Players Only Poker only accepts players from the US.

 

Overall:  4.5/5

With the market for US poker players declining over the past several months, I was interested to see Players Only Poker enter the fray. While most new poker rooms take ages to build a solid network of players and promotions, I've been very pleased with some key aspects of this site.

 

Firstly, Players Only Poker is a no-brainer choice if you're looking for easy deposits. They can successfully process any US-issued credit card, allowing players to bypass the waiting time and hassle of an e-wallet. You can get on the site, make your deposit in a couple of minutes, and be done with it. This is unheard of in the current climate of online poker and is a major plus for my rankings.

 

Beyond deposit methods, this sportsbook-crossover site has awful players and surprisingly has busy tables up to the higher limits. The promotional system is strong with an increased 110% bonus offer for our players, which includes 10% instant cash. Overall, Players Only Poker is an underexposed poker room that I was impressed by because of their direct credit card deposits, poor competition, and quality bonus structure.   

 

Bonus (110% up to $1,000 plus 10% instantly) and Promotions:   5/5

For a first-time deposit bonus, Players Only Poker offers 110% extra exclusively for our players. In addition to an instant 10% cash bonus on all new deposits our players also get a 100% play-through bonus. The maximum bonus cap is $1,000. Please note that players must use one of our links to Players Only Poker to be eligible for the increased 110% offer.

 

The extra 10% is immediately available to use at the tables without complicated playing requirements making it one of the few instant bonuses online. Unlike many sites that make it extremely difficult to actually see your play-through bonus, the Players Only Poker bonus structure is actually pretty generous. I would often $20 or $30 of bonus per playing session at medium limits, which shows me that they actually intend to allow players to earn the full bonus.

 

The other main promotion at Players Only Poker is the $100,000 freeroll in which you qualify by choosing one of several daily freeroll heats to get into the final. Finally, players earn Gold Chips and Gold Cards by playing in ring games. Gold Chips can be used to buy into private freerolls or other special promotions. By eventually making poker hands out of the Gold Cards you can earn different sums of cash.        

 

Fish  5/5

With many of the more established sites featuring tighter play, Players Only Poker is the polar opposite. The overall level is play is simply horrendous on this network and thus a top Fish Rating is definitely in order. The truly awful fish aren't even relegated to the lower limits. In fact, you'll often find clueless players up to the often full $5/10 level.

 

I attribute the loose play at Players Only Poker to a few factors: the predominantly young American target demographic, the easy deposit methods, and the fact that it is also a casino/sportsbook. When players aren't afraid that they'll have trouble re-funding their accounts, they tend to be willing to gamble a bit more. Also, when action-hungry but inexperienced sports bettors find their way to the poker room, you'll find more than a couple of maniacs at each table.

 

Substandard starting cards are just the tip of the fish-filled iceberg. You'll probably witness all-in pots with players having small pocket pairs, gutshot straight draws, middle pair, and of course the weak flush draw. Patient players who bet and raise even more for value with their premium hands should be able to reach extremely high hourly win rates. The busiest action is at the full no-limit ring games, which also potentially provide the most profit.

 

Tournaments:   4/5

Especially on new networks, tournament traffic is usually paltry during overnight hours. Amazingly, Players Only Poker attracts more multi-table tournament players than many of the big-name poker rooms. Most of the action is dominated by low-stakes events under $20. These tourneys can draw up to 300 or 400 players during peak hours.

 

Also on the positive side, most tournaments have a guarantee of at least $1,000 for small buy-ins or $5,000-$25,000 for bigger buy-ins. This helps to ensure that players don't waste their time on what are essentially large Sit and Gos. As for single table tournament, they're also popular with a short wait time. Players Only Poker also runs Bounty Tournaments throughout the day in which a portion of the buy-in puts a bounty of every player that gets knocked out.

 

Finally, a $100,000 freeroll is run every couple of months for players finishing in the top spots in free qualifiers. Overall, the tournament schedule is pretty busy  at Players Only Poker with an event every 15-30 minutes and a good number of players per event.

 

Software:   4/5

The Players Only Poker software isn't stellar or groundbreaking, but it runs the games fairly quickly without a lot of added bloat. Every player is able to choose a photo-like avatar at the table, which is a typical birds-eye view. A feature I do like is the hand history, which actually shows the cards rather than making you have to wade through text lines to review a hand. Also, a meter that shows your bonus progress or player stats in built into each ring game window.

 

Statistical nuts might also appreciate the hand history files that can be automatically saved from the software to your computer. Overall, this software package won't blow you away but it is sharp, to-the-point, and uncluttered. Most importantly, this translates to quick game speed of 60+ hands per hour at 10-handed tables.   

 

US Payouts:  4.5/5

The payouts at Players Only Poker work in two stages: you get amounts up to your initial deposit sent back to your credit card and amounts over that sent by Fedex check. Because they use a courier service, this cuts down on mail delays and gets you the money within a few days. These are free to do monthly and other withdrawal methods are in the works.

 

Customer Service  5/5

The Players Only Poker support gives the right options in telephone, live chat, and e-mail customer service. While I haven't used the telephone support, I give sites that allow instant contact a top score. I've opted to use the live chat feature in which a representative usually responds within a minute or two.  

 

Player Traffic

The overall traffic at Players Only Poker is coming close to rivaling some of the larger networks still open to US players. This is especially true during off-peak hours. At the microlimits, you'll usually find 5-10 full no-limit ring games. At the $1/2 level there are usually 3 or 4 full tables. Also, there is a regular $5/10 game going on and occasionally a $10/20. Shorthanded games also usually outnumber full games. Tournament traffic can reach up to 500 players for guaranteed events. 

 

Best Features

Wild play. The tables here are probably the loosest you can find online right now.

Ability to process US credit cards. The cashier is able to accept deposits without blocks from your bank.

Growing network. Even though this is a newer site, tables are filled at all levels.

 

Game Selection: Hold'em, Omaha, 7 card stud

 

Limits: Limit: 4c/8c up to $100/$200    No-Limit: 2c/4c up to $50/$100

 

Deposit Methods: Visa and Mastercard. Players Only Poker has a unique system of deposits that allows them to successfully charge your US credit card without being declined from your bank. This is built straight into the cashier for probably the easiest deposit method of any poker room.

 

Minimum Deposit: $20

 

Tips: Of course, with the poor play at Players Only Poker, you'll experience a greater variance both in your short-term ups and downs. While you'll often get paid off even more at loose tables with your monster hands, the likelihood of bad beats also increases when you're up against several gambling opponents. While you cannot control the long shots to which your opponents are willing to play, you can control the betting and take steps to lessen the likelihood of a suck out.

 

For starters, try increasing your standard raise to 5 or 6 times the big blind. If there are already several limpers in the pot, using the "Pot" raise button should do the trick. Also, it is very simple to deduce likely draws on the flop so bet enough that your opponent is making a mathematical mistake to stay in with you.

 

With extremely heavy betting on the flop a defining characteristic at Players Only Poker you should become comfortable with throwing away an unimproved premium pocket pair at such a loose site. Hopefully, simple tips like these will go a long way in helping your big hands stand up. After all, that is our mantra here: helping good players avoid bad beats.   
 

 

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