- Sports
- Football
- Horse Racing
- Free Bets
- Bookmaker Reviews
- Online Casinos
- Bingo
- Free Play Slots
- Euro 2012 Betting
| Go to Odds |
Online poker sites
Besides the well-known factors such as traffic flow, the level of skill of your opponents, player bonuses and loyal incentives, there are a number of other key aspects to consider when comparing online poker rooms.
It is important to determine which online poker sites are able to deliver the types of games that best match your style and strategy.
Poker room software considerations
Before taking a look at the various games that are offered, some features of the actual software and visual interface need to be given some attention.
Poker tracking software
Does the poker room allow and support external applications that track hand-histories? Math based players who multi-table (remember to check how many tables can be opened at a time) tend to have a heavy dependence on the HUD (heads-up display). These statistics are relied on because it is impossible to watch every hand due to the rapid pace of the gameplay.
Revealing losing hands at showdown
Some poker applications allow cash game players to throw their losing hands into the muck at showdown if a hand that beats theirs is revealed beforehand. This limits the amount of information available and requires more awareness of player actions.
The visual interface
Ensure that it is easy to count out the correct bet sizes, find tables and follow the flow of the game.
Additional features
- Does the lobby support customizable waiting lists?
- Are hand histories easily obtainable?
- Are any unique game variations offered, such as (the now defunct) Full Tilt’s “Rush Poker”?
Cash Games
Players tend to specialize in specific game variants that match their style of play and overall strategy.
Short-handed, deep-stacked games with antes tend to greatly favor aggressive, fearless and analytical players who aren’t afraid of gambling their entire stack and putting their opponents to the test.
Likewise, full ring games are a bit less aggressive than their 6-max counterparts.
Sit-and-go online poker tournaments
These games suit players who want to reduce variance, play lower-risk games and who understand how to handle their chips at various stages of the game.
Each real money online poker room will have its own rules and game variants, but they generally fall into 2 broad categories that demand different strategies:
Multi-table sit-and-go tournaments
These tournaments generally abide by the same gameplay flow and strategies as regular online poker tournaments, but tend to have much smaller playing fields. They start automatically as soon as a set amount of tables have been have been filled up, instead of beginning at a predetermined time.
Single table sit-and-go tournaments
These are usually available in full-ring game, 8-seater, 6-max and heads-up varieties. Some rooms offer the “double or nothing” variation, where play stops when half of the entrants have been eliminated and the remaining players double their buy-in amount, regardless of the size of their chip stack at that point.
Multi-table online poker tournaments
The focus here is on outlasting opponents through meticulous hand selection and by picking moments carefully. Some common types include:
Guaranteed tournaments often involve thousands of players from across the world and the larger ones can last for hours, if not days. The minimum payouts are stipulated beforehand, but the prize pool money increases as more players sign-up or re-buy. However, freeze-outs do not allow players to rebuy at all.
Feeders are smaller, low-buy in tournaments where the prizes for first finishes often include a seat to a more prestigious or invitation-only tournament.
Points tournaments are restricted to players who have accumulated loyalty points through playing in other tournaments or on certain cash tables. These are a great way to develop and practice tournament strategies with relatively little risk.
All original material is Copyright © 2001-2012 Gambling Guru Networks. Other content, images and trademarks are owned by respective parties.
UK Betting Guide supports Responsible Gambling initiatives. Visit GamCare, GambleAware or Gamblers Anonymous for more info.
License Number: FDCBETCOMP11/12-119043. Copyright © and Database Right 2010 The Football Association Premier League Ltd / The Football League Ltd / The Scottish Premier League Ltd / The Scottish Football League / Football DataCo Limited / PA Sport (UK) Limited. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any way or by an means (including photocopying, recording or storing it in any medium by electronic means), without the premission of the copyright/database right owner. Application for written permission should be addressed c/o Football DataCo, 30 Gloucester Place, London, W1U 8PL.