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Visit Poker
Room
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Overall:
3/5
Bonus and Promotions:
3.5/5
Fish Rating:
 
2.5/5
(little guppies)
Tournaments:
4/5
Software:
4/5
Payouts:
4.5/5
Customer Service:
4/5
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Overall:
3/5
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, this
site 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. This will
likely have a substantial negative impact on their traffic and,
thus, tournament offerings.
Bonus (30%
up to $150) and Promotions:
3.5/5
Poker Room has traditionally been very
generous in their promotions department but they do not allow
players from the US at the tables. Currently, you're able to
bump up the standard 20% deposit bonus to 30% through our site. Just
visit Poker Room
through our link and enter bonus code "BTF" at signup
for the special 30% bonus. This
is a pretty good deposit bonus that doesn't take too long to work
off. However, I find the number of other promotions to be more
attractive than the deposit bonus alone. Currently, they'll give you
a beginner's tournament entry with your deposit, which is a neat way
to get acquainted with their tourneys. Another interesting 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.
 Bonus code "BTF" will get you
an extra 30% on your first deposit.
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, 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 very cool tourneys, as they'll typically attract over 1,000
players and they add $2,500 to the prize pool. Talk about getting
great odds on your buy-in. For bigger bankrolls, they host daily WPT
event satellites, as well as a huge $1,000 buy-in event once in a
while. I also like the guaranteed events run almost daily for
mid-stakes buy-ins since they 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, so they earn a good
score.
Software:
4/5
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.
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 withdrawal is sent within 24 hours.
Customer Service:
4/5
While their customer service is pretty
fast, I give them a lower score for only providing e-mail support.
If I have a pressing question, I much prefer to be able to talk with
someone right away and get a personal response. On the whole, e-mail
responses do come in quickly.
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 total players 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
magazine the other day in my mail box. It was actually pretty good
with a lot of content.
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, Firepay,
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. You 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 pocket pair.
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Poker Room
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