Choosing an Online Poker Site Part I

Player pool

One of the biggest considerations you need to make when choosing a poker site is the strength and depth of its player base. Unsurprisingly, lots of players = lots of games and very few players = very few games.

A shocking revelation I’m sure, but there is more to this slightly facetious comment than: more players = more games. By choosing a site with a large player pool you are increasing your likelihood of being able to find a suitably juicy game.

In the wild fish like to group themselves together in shoals in order to protect themselves and much the same phenomenon occurs in the poker world. Fish love to follow each other and the more players a site has the more fish it seems to attract.

Maybe it’s the comfort of being amongst other poker piscine, maybe the fish don’t realise they’re fish and whilst trying to be a hunter they inadvertently become the hunted. Whatever the reason, it is generally true that the more players a site accommodates, the larger the fish demographic will be and that can only be a good thing for your bankroll.

Player traffic can also be an issue for many players and just because a site boasts large numbers at peak times it may be virtually empty during non-peak times.

For many European players the major sites like Stars and Tilt are generally more active during the early hours of the morning because this is the peak time for many of their American players.

Fortunately their player pools are so large that finding a game anytime is relatively easy, although you will certainly see an increase in stronger players during peak times. Sites that don’t allow American players are likely to be most active during the afternoon and early evening when most recreational players log in after work.

Daytime hours are usually stocked with regulars grinding out some hands while waiting for the more lucrative games to start. Therefore, as well as considering the size of the sites player database it is also important to consider when their peak times are and how these fit into your personal schedule.

Top 5 Sites by Size:

PokerStars
Full Tilt Poker
iPoker Network
Party Poker
Ongame Network

Amount of Games for Newbies

Considering the amount of players a site caters for is only one figure you need to bear in mind when finding a site that will be most profitable for you. Just because there are throngs of eager players clogging up the waiting lists every night desperate for a game it doesn’t necessarily mean that you will be able to find yourself a slice of the action.

While many sites are keen to attract new players and do offer a selection of reasonably priced or even free games the amounts offered vary from site to site.

Many of the smaller sites have smaller budgets to work with than the larger sites and because it is more profitable to attract more experienced players they often only offer a limited amount of games for newbies. This is why is important to consider the amount of traffic and provisions that are in place for level at which you play.

Just because a particular site has thousands of players playing in their $100 NL games the traffic at the lower end of the spectrum may be significantly less. Indeed, for players just starting out on their poker journeys the prospect of having to take a small bankroll straight into $25 NL games should be an off putting prospect.

Established sites like Stars, Tilt and those on the iPoker network do their best to offer games at the very lowest amounts ($0.01/$0.02), however, this trend isn’t common across the industry and many of the smaller rooms start their cash games at the $10 NL level or above.

A strange paradox seems to be true though, as many of the smaller sites that don’t cater particularly well for newbie cash players do offer better freerolls. A case in point is Aced Poker and Full Tilt.

Even though Full Tilt have opened up their cash games to more players by integrating cash tables as low as $0.01/$0.02 their range of low buy-in tournaments, especially freerolls is quite low.

In contrast, Aced Poker, a much smaller site in comparison, offers more guaranteed freerolls than almost any other site.

Indeed, the site built its reputation on freerolls and holds a regular one every four hours.

For players looking to learn the game and build a bankroll from scratch this is something that must be considered carefully. Sites like Full Tilt offer a greater player pool and overall better selection of games they aren’t necessarily the best place for newbies to earn some free $$.

Top 5 Sites for Newbies:

Aced Poker
PokerStars
UltimateBet
Carbon Poker
Full Tilt Poker

Loyalty and Bonus Schemes

Everyone likes something for nothing and with more and more poker sites springing up the online poker world has turned into a consumer market. Modern online poker players are now demanding more from their sites; more bonuses, better loyalty schemes and more added value.

The poker industry has reacted to these demands and some sites offer some fantastic deals for their loyal customers, however, knowing which sites offer the best value is not as straight forward as it may seem.

A good deposit bonus is the first thing you should be looking for when choosing a site. Most sites will offer a deposit match of anything from 100% to 200% so it is crucial to make sure you don’t miss out on this initial value. Most bonuses are match bonuses and are valid up to a certain amount which means that if the maximum deposit bonus is $600 you need to deposit $600 to get the full amount.

This is something some new players fail to realise and can often lead to some confusion when their $50 deposit isn’t topped up with an extra $600. Another thing that you need to assess is the rate at which the bonus is released.

The standard procedure is that the amount of bonus you earn is released in increments of a certain amount, e.g. every $5 or $10. This means you have to spend time at the tables earning enough frequent player points to release the bonus over time.

Different sites have different rates at which they release their bonuses and players should take into consideration the amount time they will spend playing in order to find the best deal for them. Beyond deposit bonuses are the loyalty schemes.

Some sites like to keep their programmes to a straight forward points and reward system; while others like to spice things up and add various extra incentives. Undoubtedly the pioneer reward system is the one run by Pokerstars.

Their VIP scheme sees players earn an increasing amount of points and benefits as they progress up the status ladder. These perks range from things such as store items (TVs, poker tables, even a Porsche), to tournament vouchers and money back offers.

This model has been replicated across many sites, each adding their own little quirks to the mix. My advice is to find a site which offers the most perks for the least effort.

Some sites require you to maintain a certain volume of play I order to maintain your VIP status, while others allow you to climb their status ladder quicker than others. You should consider your volume and level of play and match this against the best scheme.

If you’re a regular player who plays low/ mid stakes then a top heavy scheme which rewards it players more handsomely the higher then VIP status will be the best value. For more casual low stakes players you should look for a site that offers a more even spread of rewards for all players.

These passive benefits should be one of the major factors in deciding where you’re going to deposit your hard earned cash.

Top 5:

PokerStars
UltimateBet
Cake Poker
Carbon Poker
VC Poker