6 Questions to Ask When Choosing a Poker Site

You’ve made the decision to play poker online. You know what days and times you’re free, how much of a bankroll you will have and what format too. But where to play? Don’t worry. Instead of googling online poker and picking the first site that comes up, you can use our tried and tested technique when choosing a poker site. Ask the questions in this article and you will have a better time and hopefully earn more money too.

1) How much traffic does it have?

There’s no point playing on sites with little to no traffic. You want to play on sites that have lots of players, and preferably weak. Most poker sites have the number of players active in the lobby. Once you’ve downloaded or logged in, have a look. If its less than 2,000 people, than you may want to look elsewhere.

2) How soft is the competition?

There are lots of poker review sites that will provide this information. Try to find out how tough the competition on a site is. You don’t want to play with tough players, believe me. I will take an easy game with fishes every day of the week. Poker is great as there are no handicaps, use this to your advantage and play on a site with bad players. A free poker tip for you is to choose sportsbooks with poker rooms. Often, those who gamble on sports will give poker a shot too. Unsurprisingly, most are bad and give their money away so keep an eye out for those sports betting sites that offer poker too. Look out for them overplaying ace rag hands.

3) What bonuses do they offer?

Most major poker sites offer some form of bonus when you deposit. Some even offer no deposit bonuses, although this is getting more rare. Try to take advantage of any bonuses that poker sites are offering. The one’s that offer 100% match deposit bonus are the best to use. Always remember to check the terms and conditions so you know how much you need to play before withdrawing though.

A bonus for joining is almost mandatory in my opinion. If you’re thinking of joining a site but they don’t offer an incentive to deposit, try a different poker site.

4) What is the poker software like?

You don’t have to deposit and play with real money in order to test out a site’s software. Most online poker sites offer play money tables. Simply download, install it and play 10 minutes with play money. If the feel, interface, animation and themes agree with you, great, if they don’t, maybe the site isn’t for you. The worst thing you can do is deposit your money then realise you hate the software. Trust me, I did this many years ago. The feel of a site is very important when choosing a poker site.

5) Is the site available in your country?

Legislation is hard to keep up with isn’t it? Some sites offer games exclusively to certain countries. It was great when we could all play together but this isn’t the case anymore. Make sure you read the site’s details properly. With some states in America now legalising online gambling, there are US poker sites around now too. Obviously, this is solely for those states but it’s better than nothing!

6) What loyalty programme do they offer?

This is something players don’t give enough attention to. If you are spending hours and hours playing on an online poker site, contributing to rake, you should get rewarded. Most poker sites offer some form of loyalty rewards scheme, either by way of points that can be converted or through cash. Either way, research their specific programme and take advantage as much as you can. Some online poker sites even offer lucrative freerolls for member who have achieved a certain status. This can be a potentially great way to boost your bankroll.

I hope you enjoyed this article. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or feedback.