5 Factors To Consider When Choosing Online Poker Sites To Play At
The online poker landscape in 2014 is so diverse I feel every online poker player should consider a few variables before creating a new real money account and depositing. In this post I will outline a few of the factors I consider when evaluating which online poker sites I want to play at, especially if I plan to make a deposit. This year has seen many mergers and even more bankruptcies of online poker websites, some good and some bad.
A few of the sites that closed their doors even resulted in players losing their bankrolls, so I feel it’s more important than ever to play at only safe poker sites on the internet.
Below are the major factors I consider when trying to find the best poker site for me:
1. Site Reputation And History
Once I have found a site that looks worth my playing time, I first do some searching using both google and social media like facebook and twitter as to the poker websites history and reputation amongst other players who play for money online.
I also tend to inquire whether the poker site I’m interested in playing at is part of a trusted network software provider, or whether they host their own games and software.
Regulation is sweeping the world as we speak, so much so that it’s almost impossible to keep up with it all, so my advice is to be more picky than usual when judging whether a poker site can be trusted with your cash. Don’t be afraid to ask around what your peers think of a site before signing up, it could save you future headaches later on.
2. Game Variations, Traffic, And Table Selection
The next thing I look for when choosing an online poker site is whether the poker game variations I want to play are offered for real money play. If I am looking to play razz poker games, I need to make sure the website I’m joining not only offers the game variation at all, but also draws enough traffic to be able to play at my convenience. Texas Hold-em players won’t find this to be much of an issue, but fans of other formats will want to take note of this tip.
On a related note it’s also wise to consider the format a poker game is offered on the site, if you are looking to play “heads up pot limit omaha sit and go’s” then you want to make sure that the site not only offers pot limit omaha poker tables, but also in the format you wanted (in this case a heads up sit and go tournament).
3. Are The Stakes I Want To Play Available?
Now that I’ve covered the importance of game selection at poker sites and variations offered, it should go without saying that verifying a poker site offers the stakes I wish to play at. If my bankroll is only $50 and I want to play 7 card stud, it would not be very wise of me to deposit at online poker sites that only offer the game in $5/$10 stakes.
Before signing up, and certainly before funding your account, I reccomend downloading the software and taking a look at the sites game lobby (if possible) before creating an account.
4. Easy Deposit And Payment Methods
After the considerations I outlined above, nothing else is more important to me than making sure I can easily fund my account with real cash money. I’ve experienced the frustration of going through the process of creating a new account and setting up the software only to not be able to fund my player account with my deposit method of choice. Depositing at online poker sites can be especially challenging for players who reside in the United States, which brings me to my next point.
5. Make Sure Players Are Accepted From Your Region Of The World
Verify that players from your country are allowed to sign up and play poker games for real prize money before downloading the software. This is emphasized again to U.S. players – but many other countries around the world also face challenges. For example, players in Australia cannot access Merge network poker sites, as the company is housed there and doesn’t wish to break Aussie law. A more complicated example would be players in Turkey, who are allowed at some sites and not others – even on the same network.
Sometimes this information is difficult to find, so I usually recommend looking for a live support option and ask the site help staff directly.
Summary:
This is only a brief introduction to factors I tend to consider when choosing between online poker sites to play at, I encourage readers to custom tailor to their own preferences by making a list of what features you demand from poker sites you play at for real money prior to searching for a website to create an account at.
Taking the time to consider a few important factors and do some research will ensure you end up having the most fun possible while playing poker games online, instead of dealing with frustrating road blocks and other issues beyond you control. I hope this article has helped you filter your choices.