Internet Poker Site and Game Selection
One of the unique features of the Internet is the tremendous selection of different
sites mid games. This gives an experienced player a great advantage, as you can
evaluate all the games and decide which site and which game has the best action
at the moment.
Site Selection
There are a tremendous amount of poker sites to choose from. Some of them are
very large and some very small and they all have different things to offer. Let's look
at some of the criteria you should evaluate in choosing a site.
- Financial Security: The most important criteria in choosing any site is the
financial stability of the company. You need to be sure that you will be paid,
and in a timely manner. A few sites have gone bankrupt and left their
customers out in the cold. Traffic is a good indication in how a site is doing.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! is an excellent site to compare traffic for all of the different
poker sites. The smaller sites could be under financial pres sure if they are
having difficulty attracting players to the site.
- Site Security: We discuss cheating and collusion in a later chapter, but it is
important that the site does an effective job of monitoring the site for
cheating and collusion.
- Software: To enjoy playing, it is nice to play at a site with user-friendly
software. Paradise Poker set the standard in the industry in regards to speed
of the game. Today, most of the major sites have caught up, although some
of the smaller sites still have issues with speed. Look and feel is also
important since you will be spending a lot of time looking at the computer.
Each site has different color schemes, presentation, and sound effects.
Some sites use 3-D characters, just your name, or provide the ability to post
a picture to represent yourself at the table.
- Games: This site is about Texas Hold’em, but there are many types of
games available on the Internet. The most popular games that almost every
site offers include: Omaha, Omaha Hi-Lo, 7-card stud, and 7-card stud Hi-Lo,
Some sites also offer other games such as 5-card stud. Pineapple. Draw and
Razz. Although the sites offer the games, it is sometimes difficult to find
active games other than Hold'em, especially at the higher limits.
- Limits: Related to game offerings, you need to choose a site that offers
games at the limits you want to play. The most common limits range from
$.25-$.50 up to $30-$60, although you can find limits as low as $.01-$.02
and some limits higher than $30-$60. Some players also enjoy pot-limit and
no-limit. Again, although the site offers a particular limit, sometimes it is
difficult to find an active game going.
- Traffic/Number of Players: A site can offer a lot of games with a lot of
different limits, but if no one is playing them it does not do you any good. The
larger sites have a big advantage since it is easier to find the game you are
looking for at any time of day.
- Tournaments: Almost all of the sites offer single-table tournaments. Several
of the sites also offer multi-table tournaments, with Poker Stars the current
leader in regards to types of games and number of multi-table tournaments.
- Type of Players/Game: Some sites have games that are typically tight and
aggressive, while other sites have loose conservative games. Although a
generalization, I typically find that the larger sites have better players than
the smaller sites.
- Customer Support: When you have a problem, it is nice to get a quick
response from the site. Some sites offer 24-hour online customer support
and toll free telephone numbers, while others require that you send an email.
- Promotions: Deposit bonuses are a great way to add to your bankroll and are
a good incentive to try new sites. Other types of promotions such as bad
beat jackpots and freeroll tournaments can also give you good incentive to
play at a particular site.
- Rake: As of the publishing of this site, there still has not been a tremendous
push to differentiate in regards to rake, although there are some small
differences, especially at the lower limits and for short-handed play.
NEXT...Game Selection
