Choosing a Real Money Poker Site
What kind things should you consider when choosing a real money poker site? There are so many different choices of real money online poker sites that it can be an overwhelming decision if you aren’t an experienced online player. Some of the main things that you may want to consider before choosing an online poker site are the reputation of the room, the size of the room, and the sign up bonuses that are offered.
The reputation of a real money poker site is one of the more important things to consider when making a decision on where you will play. Would you deposit money with some shady investment company that no one has ever heard of? No, you probably wouldn’t, so why would you deposit money to some fly by night poker room that no one has heard of?
This seems like a no brainer, but there have been countless instances of new poker rooms folding and keeping player funds, or sites that fold because they already spent all of the players’ funds. PokerSpot is the prime example of this, as they folded in 2001 keeping about $400,000 in player funds.
So which sites are well established sites that have always paid players? Some of the more well known names in the industry are PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, and Everest Poker. They all have an excellent customer service history, and to my knowledge have always made payouts promptly.
The size of a poker room should also factor into your decision of choosing a real money poker site. It goes somewhat hand in hand with reputation, as the sites with a better reputation are usually the largest poker sites as well. The three largest real money poker sites are PokerStars, Full Tilt, and Party Poker.
Size does matter when it comes to choosing a poker site, as bigger sites will have a larger game selection. Smaller sites rarely have games or tournaments running other than no limit holdem, so if you ever like to play limit holdem, stud, or Omaha then a larger site is definitely the way to go.
I have listed bonuses as the third most important thing to consider when choosing where to play real money poker. What good does a $3000 bonus do you if it’s from a shady poker site that doesn’t have any experience in processing cash outs? If you can’t get paid, then you can’t win so you should consider reputation before just jumping for the biggest bonus.
That isn’t to say that bonuses aren’t important at all, because they certainly are. I like to play at both Full Tilt Poker and PokerStars, but if one of these rooms sends me a better bonus offer then I am likely to play there for awhile. Currently the sign up bonuses are the same for Full Tilt and PokerStars – 100% match on your first deposit up to $600 extra. If you are looking for a bigger bonus from a well known room you may want to try UB, as they offer a 111% bonus up to $1100 extra on your first deposit.