A lot of factors should be considered when ascertaining the quality of a poker room. In the world of online poker, not all rooms are created equal. Depending on a player’s tastes and bankroll, one site might be better than another for them. That’s before you even take geography into account.
Some of the things that players must take into account when they’re in search of the best holdem sites. Let’s look at some of the things that players frequently look for in a new online poker room, and then we’ll look at some of the sites that we’ve believe are the best options based on various factors.
Best Bonuses
One of the first things that attract players to try out a new poker site are the sites bonus offers and other new player marketing promotions. For instance, right now PokerStars and 888Poker are both offering free no deposit bonuses to new players that qualify based on geographical location. A no deposit bonus gives players the opportunity to try out a poker site without having to actually invest any of their own bankroll.
In addition to the no-deposit-bonuses offered at each of these sites, most online poker sites offer new players a deposit match bonus. Meaning the site will give the player free poker chips equivalent to a percentage of the chips they deposited. For instance, PokerStars will give you 100% of your deposit in free chips. So if you made the maximum $600 deposit at PokerStars you’d receive a matching bonus of $600, after meeting certain play requirements.
Bonus Clearing Requirements
The bonuses we mentioned above, with the exception of the no-deposit-bonus, are not generally going to be available the moment a player finishes making that 1st deposit. The player will generally have to earn loyalty points by playing in a specific number of raked hands. The rate at which those points are earned is another factor that can be compared to ascertain the best poker sites to play holdem at. Additionally, some sites pay out bonus funds in $5 increments as the player earns them, others pay out the entire bonus all at once after it has been cleared, the former is preferable. The worst bonus requirement is found at sites that not only require players to clear an entire bonus before they’re given any portion of it, but also nullify the entire bonus, even the amount that has been cleared if the player does not clear the entire bonus by a given deadline that’s generally found in the fine print and unseen by most players.
Other important factors to look at when looking for the best Holdem poker sites online include:
- Safety
- iFnancial Transaction Security
- Legal Standing
- Hub Compatibility
- RNG Certification
- Availability of Support
Here is a list of some of the best rooms to play poker at based on certain distinct features.
888Poker: Formerly Pacific Poker, 888Poker is not available to US players. However, for international poker players, this is a site worth investigating. The rake is unduly harsh for no limit players at the low limits, with a cap of a whopping $4 at even the .10/.25 tables with three or more players. With the rake structure set at 0.01 for every 0.16 in the pot, that cap is hit frequently when someone gets stacked. However, rake aside, 888 poker offers consistent traffic (over 2000 ring games going at prime times) and a steady source of soft players from the casino and sports betting end of things. They also offer VIP rewards equivalent to up to 36% rakeback, and allow players to win status upgrades via tournaments. That way, players can circumvent high-volume play requirements and take advantage of this structure.
Poker Stars: Poker Stars boasts high traffic and the status of being the internet’s leading poker tournament provider. There are 13 daily guaranteed prize tournaments every day, and that’s just the category called “The Daily Bigs.” If a player enjoys tournament Hold’em, they’re probably already playing at Stars. The rake in their cash games is very fair, considering they cap the rake at $1 in 3 handed .10/.25 No Limit Hold’em compared to 888Poker’s $4 cap. However, their VIP program does not ever approach the cash back rates at other sites, since it caps at just over 10%.
Bovada Poker: For US players who cannot utilize the first two options, Bovada offers a reasonable alternative. The traffic at the more popular international sites is certainly much higher, and the tournament offerings are certainly not as elaborate as at Poker Stars. That said, Bovada offers one thing that the other sites do not. Poker at Bovada is anonymous, which means that players are not subject to the various data mining services that can give opponents a read on their play. So, for a player that can’t figure out why they consistently get check-raised on the river over at Poker Stars, Bovada might have a solution for that.
Switch Poker: Switch Poker is a unique offering. Their game selection is awful, offering only 6 max No Limit Hold’em. They don’t currently have support for tournaments. Why are they mentioned here? Two reasons. First, they offer mobile support for iPad and Android devices. Switch Poker allows for play on the go. Second, they offer deposit options utilizing Bitcoins. For these two features alone, Switch Poker deserves a mention, even if they still need time to develop a more well-rounded poker room.
