Selecting an Online Poker Site
Mar 13, 2008By: J.B. Harshaw Once you’ve decided to take the plunge and play poker online, you are faced with many choices on where to play. Just 10 years ago the only choice, for real money play, was Planet Poker. Two years ago my computer had poker software for 140 separate sites. Today, there may be more than 140 sites but most are simply skins to some of the big online poker networks like; OnGame, Ipoker, and Boss. Actually there are very few separate, stand-alone, poker rooms. Most are on a network that involves any number of other rooms.
So, how should you select your online poker site?
It may surprise you that Security isn’t on the list. Simply put, “You cannot play on any site unless the game is secure and fair.” Although the poker site has no reason to be “crooked,” the sites are vulnerable to personnel security issues. The recent problems, of some poker sites, are good examples. John Vorhaus, in his book “Killer Poker Online,” may have said it best. “Never play for more than you are willing to lose to computer glitches, acts of God or acts of the other guy.” (Well, something like that anyway.) All of the poker sites spend a lot of effort and money on maintaining a secure site, but the bigger poker sites have more personnel and money to spend on security.
You can get a lot of information about a poker site but to really evaluate it, you need to download the poker client (software), and watch the tables for a while. Also you want to get a good idea about what games are available. If you want to play 7 Card Stud, your choices can be rather limited. Most sites offer the variation but the games are infrequent at low limits only and generally don’t last long. Download the client check the number of games, during your most probable playing time. Poker sites oriented toward Americans may not have many games when the European player might be expected to play. One of the biggest advantages of online poker is the availability of games. Don’t restrict yourself by selecting a site with little traffic and poor game availability.
The Poker client should be considered. Some sites have very bad software. It may be clunky, unstable, hard to use, or just ugly. You will spend a lot of time on the site. Don’t select one you don’t like.
Your personal skill level is also important. An advanced player can probably profit on any site but a beginner may be better served by a poker site that offers extensive low limit or micro limit games. Some poker sites offer games down to .01/.02 blinds with a $1 minimum buy-in. For the beginner the micro limits are a great place to learn. On the other hand, an advanced player that wants to compete in the big multi table tournaments might consider other sites.
The bonuses offered by the site are the last reason to select your first online poker site. The initial bonuses are the most lucrative but are usually hard to clear for the first time online poker player. Re-deposit bonuses usually are intermittent and not that good on any site. Besides that, our goal is to make withdrawals, not deposits. Many players claim to be bonus whores, but why join a site to become a low paid proposition player (A player that plays with their own money but “props” up the games, in a poker room, for an hourly wage).
Of course for Americans, the selection of poker sites has declined significantly since 2006 when the Internet Gambling law was passed. Whatever the reason, take time to evaluate several sites before you make a deposit. All of the sites have play money tables where you can practice on their poker software. Play a few hands before you open a live account. Although you should probably keep your money consolidated on a few sites, multiple accounts will allow you to find more lucrative games.
