Choosing the right Poker Room for you!

Originally posted by ryciaga
Hi all.

Which room should I choose if: i want to play both micro regular speed sng's and cash? Played sng's in full tilt till the end, have some experience in cash, and finally managed to save ~100USD BR. So regular speed sng's, cash, and rakeback deal would be good

Thx in advance

I recently signed up at PKR and tilted a bit at first at the software, because it doesnt feel as clean and crisp as say Stars. The competition is really fishy though and there were enough games going (both cash & SnGs) to keep me busy.

I was only playing $5 SNGs and 0.05/0.10 cash game tables, but it was quickly obvious that the level of competition on these "recreational" focused sites is much easier than Party/Stars.

So I would say give PKR a go. You get a flat 30% rakeback (although at the micros you should focus on win-rate instead of rb!), plus your first deposit bonus and soft competition.

So I would give them a go. Remember to sign up via us to get both the FDB and the rakeback! Link to our download page is here.

PS - Forgot to mention, they have Speed games running as well as regular.

Ok thank, you. Are there any other options, with rakeback, or do we have some possibly better sites without rakeback?

1. Which game type you play? (No limit? Sit & Go? MTT? PLO, Fixed Limit, Other?)
Super Turbo SNG's and tourneys if there are good
2. Which limit do you play? (example: NL25, SNG $11, FL .50/1)
10$ and 20$ SNG's
3. Short handed or full ring tables, or even Heads-Up?
short handed
4. How much do you play? (e.g. I play 3 hours a week, or I generate $1000 rake/month)

Every day about 10-20 SNG's

Originally posted by Alkaseltzer
1. Which game type you play? (No limit? Sit & Go? MTT? PLO, Fixed Limit, Other?)
Super Turbo SNG's and tourneys if there are good
2. Which limit do you play? (example: NL25, SNG $11, FL .50/1)
10$ and 20$ SNG's
3. Short handed or full ring tables, or even Heads-Up?
short handed
4. How much do you play? (e.g. I play 3 hours a week, or I generate $1000 rake/month)

Every day about 10-20 SNG's

Forwarded to DtotheC, he will be here by Monday at the latest to give you sufficient info regarding traffic as obviously this is the sensitive issue with Super Turbos.

Originally posted by ryciaga
Ok thank, you. Are there any other options, with rakeback, or do we have some possibly better sites without rakeback?

My other suggestion would be 888. The software is faster than PKR, so you can play more tables easily and the tables are equally fishy. The only down side is no rakeback and the VIP system isnt very rewarding.

1. NL
2. 0.10-0.25 ; 0.2-0.5
3.FR
4. About 1k rake a month,depending on table limits.

hope for good advices.

thanks.

Originally posted by Alkaseltzer
1. Which game type you play? (No limit? Sit & Go? MTT? PLO, Fixed Limit, Other?)
Super Turbo SNG's and tourneys if there are good
2. Which limit do you play? (example: NL25, SNG $11, FL .50/1)
10$ and 20$ SNG's
3. Short handed or full ring tables, or even Heads-Up?
short handed
4. How much do you play? (e.g. I play 3 hours a week, or I generate $1000 rake/month)

Every day about 10-20 SNG's

Sorry for the delay in responding Alkaseltzer, had a hell of a weekend!

So, I checked out your blog before coming here to make any recommendations. Before I jump into that, just wanted to say GL getting all the studies sorted and I hope you will stick with us, keep us updated on how are doing in both poker and in general.

I would also suggest you have a read of other peoples blogs as well mate, some really inspiring stuff, covering things like tilt control, from zeros to heroes and much more. Never fails to make me smile when I see someone on here crushing

Ok, so Super Turbos. Not that common a game type surprisingly. Obv stars has it, I believe Party also has something similar (though their blind structure is fast enough at the standard Turbo speed!) and I believe Ongame also has it.

One word of caution though mate - Super Turbo's are sick on the variance side, simply because you can't afford to play super-tight unless you want to blind away. So people play a much wider range in general, which inevitably will lead to more suck outs from the runner runner :/

But, if you are playing correctly, then they can still be profitable. I would suggest that you use a generous bank roll management though, because the variance is so high.

So, Stars admittedly has the most traffic and probably the best software. The downside with Stars is that the level of competition is much higher than elsewhere and their VIP system isnt going to be rewarding for someone raking ~$800 or so a month, which is what I estimate you rake. So your win-rate isnt going to be as high as if you play somewhere else.

Party also has good software and their traffic isnt too bad (not great either but hey) and again, their VIP system isnt great for low-mid rakers.

So, I would suggest Ongame. On the basis that a) they have some of the best SnG traffic you can get, b) their VIP system is geared towards rewarding SnG players and you will likely get more % there than you will elsewhere, c) their tables are going to be fishier than Party or Stars, so your win rate should increase.

The main down side for Ongame is that their software is messier and less polished than either Stars or Party.

Alternatively, give up the high variance Super Turbos and go somewhere super fishy like PKR or 888 and get a much higher win-rate! (This is my personal recommendation. Quality/Win-Rate > Volume every time)

But if you want to play Super Turbos, then I would recommend Ongame, the best of which is Betfair. Our download page is here:

Hope you find that info useful mate!

BR,

DC

Originally posted by EnduPendu
1. NL
2. 0.10-0.25 ; 0.2-0.5
3.FR
4. About 1k rake a month,depending on table limits.

hope for good advices.

thanks.

For me, the definite answer here is William Hill. My reasoning is:

- They have strong and consistent traffic at those limits and there always seems to be full FR tables you can find.
- The competition is softer than Stars (everywhere is pretty much).
- The First Deposit Bonus gives a huge amount of rakeback (~40%)
- Their VIP system adds additional rakeback % on top.

Generally I expect you to get ~55-60% rakeback in the first month if you deposit the correct amount so that you can clear it all.

Our William Hill download page is here:

Hope this was useful

BR,

DC

Hey DtotheC,

thanks a lot for your help! Haven't updated my blog yet cause I didn't find the time... but I sure will in the next few days. I'm still having a really hard time with the super turbos and I think I'll follow your recommendation and change to playing the 6-seated turbo sng's.

I never really liked the 9-seated tables, no idea why.. think they take just a bit too long and there's less action..

As I am already playing on 888 poker with the super turbos, I guess I will give PKR another try. On 888 poker there just really is not enough traffic in the evenings here in NZ (thats around 11.00-12.00 european time)... Do you know if PKR might be better on that point?

I guess by going to the 6-seated turbo sng's I still get my action but will have lots more stability for my Bankroll than with the super turbo's.

Gimme your thoughts! thx!!

I started playing at PKR recently

Ok, first off, the software will make you tilt at first because it isnt as crisp as some of the others out there. Plus, having to manually check your hole cards and knowing that everyone at the table can see when you are checking your cards, adds in a new element to it.

The competition is really soft though and I have not needed to wait more than 3-4 minutes before a game started. There is more 6 max games going than there is FR, so I dont think you need to worry in that respect.

Their VIP system isnt amazing and their FDB takes a while to clear, but tbh, you should be winning so much more consistently, that overall your profit will be a lot higher.

So, in summary, not a fan of the software, but I am a huge fan of the fishy, noob players it attracts and the amount of winnings you can earn

1. NL
2. NL2 (but hopefully not for long!)
3. SH
4. 2-3 hours a week, don't generate enough rake for the bonuses to matter really

Many thanks

Originally posted by w0rm24
1. NL
2. NL2 (but hopefully not for long!)
3. SH
4. 2-3 hours a week, don't generate enough rake for the bonuses to matter really

Many thanks

Some people may notice a theme emerging in some of my posts and so I won't fail to live up to their expectations....win rate!!!

When playing a low volume, I have and will always recommend that you go where the tables are softest. This is because the amount of profit you will make from fishy opponents is obviously much greater than any bonus or VIP system.

So I would suggest PKR or 888. Both are very fishy (PKR cos of the software, 888 cos of the webcam poker) and both have enough traffic at those limits to keep you busy.

Sign up through us and you will still get a deposit bonus, plus 30% rakeback on PKR, which will only be a few $, but still, every little helps

Also to add to that, I assume the times you will be playing (2-3hrs a week as quoted) will be at weekends (generally pm or early am :)). This is when alot of amateurs or recreational players play so finding the sites that are really super super soft is a great advantage and wayyyyyy more important than finding a room with a good vip system.

Hey, currently play on WH but considering moving due to a lack of traffic and not being keen on the software.

Playing No limit cash games. Limits are NL2 and NL4, and i usually play 1-2 hours a day, so lyk anything upto 15 hours a week. Thinkin about pokerstars for traffic or party for traffic n apparently their cash games are quite soft. But any other suggestions would be appreciated

If you looking for better software and/or better traffic than WH (ipoker network), then your only choice is pokerstars.

traffict ranking:
1. Pokerstars ~50%
2. Party ~10%
3. ipoker (including WH) ~10%
4. others combined ~30%

software rangking (according to me):
Pokerstars: 9
ipoker: 6
others: 4 - 8

Ok cheers looks like pokerstars it is for me, does any1 know if you can deposit using a student bank account (from england).

Originally posted by pokeraras
If you looking for better software and/or better traffic than WH (ipoker network), then your only choice is pokerstars.

traffict ranking:
1. Pokerstars ~50%
2. Party ~10%
3. ipoker (including WH) ~10%
4. others combined ~30%

software rangking (according to me):
Pokerstars: 9
ipoker: 6
others: 4 - 8

@Keoghh - The traffic report is pretty much accurate, however my recommendation is to focus more on win-rate than volume.

Ask any experienced player which is more profitable, a higher win-rate or more games and they will always say win-rate.

Less tables but greater BB per 100 in profit will work work out more beneficial to you.

Pokerstars tables are tougher than elsewhere, so expect a drop in your current BB per 100 if you decide to go there.

As an alternative, if traffic is important, then I would try out Party before moving to Stars. The tables are soft (compared to stars) and the traffic is pretty good for cash games.

Your call ofc, just advice

Hey,

I'm looking for a) soft games, b) bad regs, c) nl100-200 tables (sh/fr), don't need to have many tables running since i'm not rly a multitabler. Preferably the site would have games running at most times tho but as said, i don't require many tabs.

I don't care much about the software, but it has to support hem and be trustworthy.

yeah, pretty much I agree with DtotheC.

And one more thing to consider:
pokerstrategy have no good deal with pokerstars. You get worst strategy ponts compare to other rooms, no rake race, no added promotions, etc.
I'm not mean you can get better deal anywhere else because pokerstars hate affiliate

I have pokerstars account before join ps. I'm not using it anymore. Too much multitable nit (because they have the best software). You will be at #10 wait list if you want to get table with >30% seeing flop.

Thanks for the detailed replys, with that point in mind i may actually choose party as i quite like the software and soft tables stand out to me, whats the rakeback like at party?