Where to start in online poker?

gunner

I'm a little behind in the times and have never played any online poker. I'm looking to start out and am looking on suggestions for best site(s) to start out on. Any tips would be appreciated.

Gunner

ScottyZ

I'd suggest PokerStars.

www.pokerstars.com

Not sure if you're completely knew to poker in general, or just online poker. If you're completely new to poker in general, PokerStars has a few nice features for the beginner (e.g. freeroll tournaments, micro-stakes money games). If you're already an exprienced player, you'll find a good variety of ring games, and this is hands down the best site for poker tournaments.

In either case, PokerStars is a well-established, trustworthy site (which I play as personally) and I'd strongly recommend it with no reservations.

ScottyZ

Paul3221

Pokerstars is widely regarded as the best site online, but it also probably has the best players and no signup bonuses. If you're just starting out, there are a few sites that will give you some free money to try out their site, and the play will be a little looser.

There are also web sites out on the web that will basically reimburse your money if you sign up for certain sites, which is a good way to limit your losses starting out. Getting referred by a friend will also get you some free money.

I'm not giving specifics here, as I don't want to sound like a shill for any sites or deals.

Just my 2 cents worth. That's how I started out. It took a little while before I started being a winning player.

Good luck!

Tilter

For Multi Table play: Pokerstars, best MTT on the net
For easy limit play: try Pacific Poker (heard Party Poker was loose, but I never played there before).
ring games: Pokerroom is pretty good for those
Up and Coming site: Full Tilt Poker (have new games like razz )
For free real money: a couple prima poker sites (royal vegas, 7 sultans, etc)

BBC Z

I'm shocked that no one has said it, but how about partypoker? The only drawback is that the smallest limit they offer is .50/$1 and smallest NL ring game is $25, so if you want to play microlimit poker you may want to go to a different site. On the other hand, the nice thing about partypoker is that .50/$1 is the smallest limit they offer, so there are tons of 'sub-optimal' players on it which make it very profitable.

If you want to start off small, go with pacific poker. Thier software sucks, but ABC straightforward poker is profitable poker there.

Forget about stars cash games.. The average % seeing the flop is like 30%-40% where on other sites it's 60%-80%..

SirWatts

The Pacific Poker software is quite bad, and there are numerous glitches that have given me or an opponent an unfair advantage. I have seen people get credited for the same pot twice at least 3 or 4 times (ie get twice the chips but only in tourneys, and only ever on small pots so far). Also there is a disconnection bug where instead of autofolding a disconnected players hand it skips them and comes back to them after eveyrone else has bet, giving them ideal position. This has helped put me out of at least one sit and go. All that being said the play is generally very soft there and you can play for as little money as you please, which isn't bad when you're just starting out.

ScottyZ

BBC Z wrote:

I'm shocked that no one has said it, but how about partypoker? The only drawback is that the smallest limit they offer is .50/$1 and smallest NL ring game is $25, so if you want to play microlimit poker you may want to go to a different site. On the other hand, the nice thing about partypoker is that .50/$1 is the smallest limit they offer, so there are tons of 'sub-optimal' players on it which make it very profitable.

I also play (cash games) at PartyPoker. However, I was very hesitant to recommend this to someone as their first experience in online poker because their software is, to put it nicely, absolutely brutal.

Their cash games are the softest I've seen anywhere.

If you want to start off small, go with pacific poker. Thier software sucks, but ABC straightforward poker is profitable poker there.

PokerStars offers limit games as small as $0.02/$0.04. With plenty of (true) freeroll tournaments also available, I think Stars is the site to play if you want to start off (this) small.

Forget about stars cash games.. The average % seeing the flop is like 30%-40% where on other sites it's 60%-80%..

I agree with your general point, but I think those figures are a little off. I'd say the average flop percentage numbers are more like 20%-30% at PokerStars, and 30%-40% at other sites (e.g. PartyPoker). (It depends on exactly what limits/games you're talking about here... I'm thinking of 2-4 LHE.)

Even though this may appear to be only a small difference numerically, it does indicate a significant difference in the game softness. Again, I agree with the main idea: PokerStars' cash games (at least at the low limits) are somewhat tougher than at many other sites.

ScottyZ

BBC Z

SirWatts wrote:

The Pacific Poker software is quite bad, and there are numerous glitches that have given me or an opponent an unfair advantage. I have seen people get credited for the same pot twice at least 3 or 4 times (ie get twice the chips but only in tourneys, and only ever on small pots so far). Also there is a disconnection bug where instead of autofolding a disconnected players hand it skips them and comes back to them after eveyrone else has bet, giving them ideal position. This has helped put me out of at least one sit and go. All that being said the play is generally very soft there and you can play for as little money as you please, which isn't bad when you're just starting out.

Any time I've had a glitch occur on pacific poker, I have emailed support and they have always addressed the issue. The first time, they credited my account 50 bucks for a glitch in a $1 MTT. The 2nd time, they refunded my buyin for a STT. So yes, thier software sucks but their support is spot on (but slow of course).

I also play (cash games) at PartyPoker. However, I was very hesitant to recommend this to someone as their first experience in online poker because their software is, to put it nicely, absolutely brutal.

Party poker immediate hand histories beat the hell out of pokerstars 'send it to me over email' any day of the week. Factor in deposit and sign up bonuses that you can actually CLEAR (unlike PS impossible FPP accumulation unless you play 2/4+ :banghead: ) and Party is clearly superior to stars for a new player.

I agree with your general point, but I think those figures are a little off. I'd say the average flop percentage numbers are more like 20%-30% at PokerStars, and 30%-40% at other sites (e.g. PartyPoker). (It depends on exactly what limits/games you're talking about here... I'm thinking of 2-4 LHE.)

At pacific, I'm shocked if I ever see a game that has a % less than 60. At party, I leave a table if it drops to 30% and can find a juicy replacement (60%+) in minutes.

Of course, I guess it's all about playing in the types of game you find comfortable. My theory is that looser game would be easier for a new player to beat because they get the added cushion of schooling if they chase and can pull in big pots if they're ultra tight (since the opponents dont pay attention).

In summary. I like pacific and party.

ScottyZ

Party is clearly superior to stars for a new player.

Not if the new player is interested in either

(a) Tournaments

or

(b) Software that is relatively nice to use and does not crash.

The PartyPoker client has crashed on my machine dozens of times, if not hundereds at this point. Number of times all other online poker clients combined have crashed on my machine in 5 years of online play: 0.

I know that chasing sign-up bonuses and reload bonuses can be profitable. This is yet another reason I'd specifically recommend *against* PartyPoker for a first-time online player. Someone who is completely new to online poker is unlikely to be able to find the best sign-up offer possible if they simply jump right in and open an account at PartyPoker right off the bat.

Just so nobody gets the wrong idea here, I'd recommend PartyPoker *in general* without hesitation, and despite the janky software. The specific question here is what the best portal of entry is for someone who is completely new to the world of online poker.

PartyPoker doesn't strike me at all as the best welcome mat.

ScottyZ

BBC Z

(b) Software that is relatively nice to use and does not crash.

I've never had the party software crash on my machine.

I know that chasing sign-up bonuses and reload bonuses can be profitable. This is yet another reason I'd specifically recommend *against* PartyPoker for a first-time online player. Someone who is completely new to online poker is unlikely to be able to find the best sign-up offer possible if they simply jump right in and open an account at PartyPoker right off the bat

Party has 5 separate skins you can sign up for which all offer sign up bonuses..

PartyPoker doesn't strike me at all as the best welcome mat.

Yeah, who wants to play on a site with 45,000 users, big welcome bonuses and loose games when you can go to stars and grind out 10c in a 25% flop 0.02/0.04 limit game.

ScottyZ

BBC Z wrote:

Yeah, who wants to play on a site with 45,000 users, big welcome bonuses and loose games when you can go to stars and grind out 10c in a 25% flop 0.02/0.04 limit game.

I do. I'm playing on PartyPoker right now in fact. But I've played online poker for years. We're talking about what might be the nicest experience for someone trying out poker online for the very first time. PartyPoker simply doesn't strike me as such.

My problems with PartyPoker's software are certainly not limited to it crashing. A lot about PartyPoker's software and interface might sour a new player to the online poker experience as a whole.

Consider the following analogy to B&M. I have played in some home games with players who were absolute jerks, but also some of the biggest fish I've ever seen. If I could fill a room with these players, it's a game I'd surely play in myself any time I could. However, I would *never* bring a friend of mine (one who had some online poker experience perhaps) who was interested in playing B&M for the first time to this game, despite it being very soft. Even if the game is good, it might not be the right way to introduce him to B&M as a whole for other reasons.

I know the game selection at PartyPoker is top notch, but for a completely new player, PartyPoker and its soft games will still be there in a day, a week, a month, and so on.

ScottyZ

BBC Z

Pacific poker offers a 25% deposit bonus which they credit to your account immediately. So you get to play with house money and the restriction is on cashing it out (need to play it 20x$).

I wonder if that explains in insanely loose state of the games over there..

ScottyZ

BBC Z wrote:

Pacific poker offers a 25% deposit bonus which they credit to your account immediately. So you get to play with house money and the restriction is on cashing it out (need to play it 20x$).

I wonder if that explains in insanely loose state of the games over there..

I've played at Pacific (no longer play there), and while the games are loose (yes, I played at the time that promotion you mentioned was on), I would still say that PartyPoker has much looser games.

In terms of recommending either PartyPoker or Pacific Poker to a completely new online player, the software at Pacific is almost as bad as it is at Party, and game selection is worse. I'd recommend neither of these sites to a new player as a first experience.

ScottyZ

BigBoss

I play at absolute poker
they give u $10 free to start off with no deposit required. I usually play tournment on there an I have no problems with it.

Chris

For cash games play at UB.

For SNGs or MTTs play at pokerstars.