Best Online Poker Sites
What are the best online poker sites? What poker room suits me best? What characteristics should I be looking for when I choose my online poker room? Do they Accept Australians? These are just some of the questions that this page on the best online poker sites will answer.
Depending on what interested you most as a poker player, your choice on where you want to play will vary greatly. As an Australian poker player, this will also influence your decision.
What I am going to do for you is to break down each factor into its own section. I will then tell you what I believe are the best poker sites that are strong in that particular area.
Biggest Poker Sites
I like to play at the biggest online poker sites for a number of reasons:
- There is always a cash game available to me, at almost every level, 24 hours a day
- Tournaments are regular – I don’t have to sit around waiting for the next one to start
- Security and trust – I have a lot more faith in my personal details being safe
- Deposit options – I can usually withdrawal to my bank account within 3 days
- The promotions are massive – Much more chance of winning a massive payout
These are just some of the reasons why I play at the bigger rooms. Below I have ranked in order the biggest online poker sites.
1. PokerStars – By far the largest poker site in the world. At the time of writing PokerStars had a 7 day average of 26,000 cash game players. The 24 hour peak was over 42,000 cash game players. They have also increased their signup bonus from $50 to $600. Just enter the bonus code PAWT7 during the registration process when you make a PokerStars account.
2. PKR Poker – They are the top rated 3D poker site online. They have regular tournament series and the sit n go’s tourney are extremely popular. They also regularly run small stakes tournaments of just a few cents buy-in for entry level poker players.
3. SunPoker – This is a part of the iPoker Network which has a 7 day average of 5,300 cash game players. Sites on this network include Bet365, Titan, Mansion and many, many more. All the sites share the same player base and tournaments. That means no matter which site you play on within the iPoker network, it will essentially be the same. So what are the differences? The poker interface and the promotions are two things that come to mind. Often you will find that each site offers promos relevant only to that particular site. That is why I recommend SunPoker. They often have rake races, and they give you a $500 first deposit bonus.
4. Party Poker – These guys were once the king of online poker. When they closed their doors to USA players because of gambling legislation, they lost a ton of ground on their competitors. With acquisition of properties like the WPT and a fantastic software upgrade they are recovering that ground steadily. At the time of writing Party Poker has a 7 day average of 5,200 cash game players.
5. Bwin Poker – Part of the Ongame network that includes sites like Betsson and Hollywood Poker. It works in the exact same fashion as the iPoker network, with the sharing of the player base. I have chosen Bwin as the best one to play at because of the sportsbook and casino attached to it. It is world renowned as being the industry leader in this regard. They sponsor football teams like Real Madrid and AC Milan. The Ongame network has a 7 day average of 2,850 cash game players.
6. Everest Poker – This is a mainly European poker site. They have bought the rights to sponsor the tables at the WSOP as well. Their average cash game player amount is 2,250.
Best Poker Sites for Australians
Online poker companies are starting to cotton on to the fact that Aussie love to play poker. Recently we have seen them advertising on TV, running Australian specific promotions and targeting Aussies in their marketing.
We want to play at the online poker sites that value Australians as players. Here is a list of the poker rooms that value Aussie poker:
1. PokerStars – As you may have noticed there are ads on TV regularly now. They have run the TV show “The Poker Star” with Joe Hachem which airs on OneHD. They sponsor the ANZPT and the APPT series.
2. 888 Poker – They have hired Shane Warne as their Aussie marquee signing. He plays online and can be seen around the poker circuit. Pacific Poker (888) also have Aussie qualifiers to the Aussie Millions.
Loose and Action Packed Cash Games
Sick and tired of playing against tight nits at the cash tables? I know I play to win money, I don’t like to lose. The loosest cash games are as follows:
1. PKR Poker – This place is swarming with fish. After giving in to the hype about how easy this place is to win money at, I decided to have a few beers at play there. I only deposited $40 so I could get used to the 3d software. Lo and behold, a few hours later I had over $600. It is like taking candy from a baby, especially with their $800 bonus.
2. Party Poker – Originally known as a donk fest, things have eased up a little bit in that regard since the Americans left. That being said, most of the players here still have no clue as to what they are doing. A few years ago I played online poker for the first time and this is where I played at. In my third tournament ever, I won over $600. I would have won the tournament and over $2,000 had it not been for the fact I didn’t know A-5 was a straight. That goes to show you how terrible they are if they can’t beat a noob like I was.
Best Online Poker Tournaments
You will find that there is a direct correlation between the biggest and best tourneys, with the size of the poker rooms. If you have forgotten already, here are the best places for poker tournaments.
1. PokerStars
2. PKR Poker
3. Party Poker
4. SunPoker
5. Bwin
Best Deposit and Withdrawal Options
If you use e-wallets like Neteller and Moneybookers, you will find your experience almost the same in regard to banking options. Where the difference is though is in the cash out to your bank account. I have done this many, many times and I have found these as the best options by far:
1. PokerStars – They send express cheques for amounts over $1,000. They also have a whole host of banking options.
2. Bet365 Poker – Similar to my experiences with Full Tilt, money arrives in my bank account quickly. I suggest you sign up for a sports betting account like I did because it seems faster that way.
Promotions
Promotions can differ greatly from room to room and this factor is what sets it apart from their competition. Obviously the biggest poker sites run the biggest promotions. With that being said, the smaller rooms run more unique promotions to get more players in the door. These promotions can also offer great value for the astute player. Below I have provided a mix of the best poker rooms for promotions:
1. PokerStars – Over more seats, more money, more value than any other online poker site.
2. SunPoker – They have one of the best marketing teams in the business. Aussies love to play here because of the low competition in their rake races.
3. Party Poker – With a bad beat jackpot that can win you a life changing amount of money and a $1 million hand they cannot be excluded from this list.
