Online Poker Reviews

POKER ROOM REVIEW

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Note: Poker Room is not accepting US registrations. American players should visit our US Poker Rooms.

Overall:  4/5

Poker Room has been around since the beginning of online poker and they have a professional set up. Their promotions are typically strong, and their software is very detailed and simple to use. They also offer a no-download Java version of their software as well as an even faster "lite" version, which makes them available to poker players on a Mac or those who are away from home. The player base has been growing at a steady rate, so players can usually find plenty of tables available at their desired game.

Also, we rate the tournaments very well at this site with a packed schedule with a good range in terms of buy-ins. Overall, Poker Room earns some good scores and remains a player favorite amongst veteran players. Please note that their score has been lowered due to to their decision to withdraw from the US market.

Bonus (100% up to $250) and Promotions:   4/5

Poker Room has traditionally been very generous in their promotions department. Currently, our visitors receive an increased deposit bonus of 100%, good up to $250, which is more than twice the standard bonus offer. Our new players also receive 3 free tournaments entries in addition to the deposit bonus. Players will need to visit Poker Room through our links to qualify.

I also find the number of other promotions to be more attractive than the deposit bonus alone. Poker Room offers our players 3 free Weekly Welcome series tickets with their first deposit. The top finishers in these daily events qualify for a final $2,500 tournament held every Sunday. They also have one of the more extensive loyalty programs with realistic goals for trading in player points for cash or special freerolls.

Another interesting Poker Room promotion is the "Become a Poker Pro" special, which rewards players for competing in big live tournaments through their satellites. They're also holding a Royal Flush jackpot right now, which allows you to win 100x the big blind at your ring game if you hit the top of poker hands. Finally, you earn Player Points, which can earn you prizes and allows you to participate in special freerolls.

Fish:   2.5/5

While Poker Room hasn't completely dried up in terms of the fish pond, it does play a bit on the tight side. Yes, you'll typically only find goldfish, guppies, and sardines. Mmm... canned, processed, salty goodness... I mostly attribute this to the fact that it is a site that has been around for years. Thus, they have kept many loyal players who've had that much time to improve their games. Your typical low limit ring game is still pretty beatable on this site, but you won't experience the wildest online tables here.

Flop percentages tend to run at about 35-40% for middle stakes, so there will usually only be about 3 or 4 players who see the flop. I always recommend raising your strong hands online to discourage potential draws, but at a tighter site like Poker Room, you should consider slowing down a little if you feel like building a larger pot. Of course, you shouldn't take off the pressure altogether if there is an obvious draw on the board, but if you have a real monster and can afford to give a free card it can pay off.

Tournaments:   4/5

The tournament traffic is very high on Poker Room, and at peak times they are hosting events every 10-15 minutes. For low stakes players, you can't get much lower than $1. Poker Room hosts a $1 buy-in "Lucky Dollar" event twice a day. These are actually fairly high-value tourneys, as they'll typically attract over 1,000 players and Poker Room adds $2,500 to the prize pool.

For bigger bankrolls, Poker Room offers a monthly $1,000 event, two weekly $150 events, and a weekly $300 event every Sunday. The guaranteed events run almost daily for mid-stakes buy-ins and attract at least a few hundred opponents. They also host a good number of Turbo tournaments for us patience-challenged online players. You can pretty much find any type of tournament you're looking for here with a wide range of buy-ins, so they earn a good overall score for their well-rounded offerings. 

Software:   4.5/5

The software tends to be a favorite among players and I have been pleased with it overall. The avatars are very detailed and statistics at the table are easily read but not in the way. Game speed runs fairly quickly at Poker Room at 60+ hands per hours for full tables. The lobby is laid out very simply, and you can find the game or tournament you're looking for very quickly.

My only issue with the lobby is that you actually have to click on each table to see statistics. Positives include voice bubbles from each avatar that announces their action, which helps to make clear what your opponents are doing. Overall, this is an attractive software package in terms of visuals and functionality.

Payouts:   4.5/5

This is a company that is very experienced in online gaming. Cashout requests are processed quickly and your NETeller withdrawals are almost always received within 24 hours.

Customer Service:   5/5 

Poker Room has improved their customer service system dramatically in recent months. In addition to standard e-mail support with quick response times, they now offer both telephone support to a number of countries and a live chat option. I've used the live chat several times and have been pleased overall with the lack of waiting time and the competence of the agents.

Player Traffic

Poker Room was one of the first sites on the online poker scene, so they've been building traffic for a few years now. They still have a loyal following, so traffic is very good here. Tournament traffic is also high for almost all events, and the total player count often reaches over 10,000 during peak times.

Best Features

Lots of promotions. They're very promo-heavy, so they usually have a few new offers for existing players monthly. I actually even received a copy of the Poker Room print magazine the other day in my mail box.

Good software. This is probably one of the best looking software packages, and it still has good functionality.

Large number of tournaments. The tournaments are very numerous and they do have a good range in terms of buy-ins.    

Game Selection: Hold'em, Omaha, Stud

Limits:  Limit: 25c/50c up to $50/$100   No-Limit: 10c/25c up to $25/$50

Deposit Methods: NETeller, Instacash, ePassporte, 900 Pay, MoneyBookers, major credit cards, and Click2Pay.

Minimum Deposit: $10

Tips: As Poker Room sponsors many freerolls daily for money players (including one for making your first deposit), I would like to give you some tips on playing freeroll tournaments, or other tournaments that have a relatively low buy-in and a large field of players. As you might expect, these tournaments get pretty wild - especially in the early stages. I recommend staying out of the action right away unless you are holding a premium hand. And if you are, I suggest raising it more than you would in a cash game or other tournaments.

In tournaments with large reckless fields, players often get rewarded for staying out of the gamblers' way early on. You'll see many tournament players who think they need to double up early on to settle down. I wouldn't get all my chips in without Aces, Kings, or AK early on. Even Big Slick is risky, as you're basically a 50/50 favorite against any lower pocket pair. 

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