On-Line play

MrBluffsAlotMrBluffsAlot
in Buy and Sell
I have recently started to play poker on-line and I was wondering if anyone had suggestions as to possible sites that they fancy. I've been playing low limit games at ParadisePoker.com but I'm looking to explore my other options.

Anyone have any sites they like? The bigger the sign on bonus the better! :redface:

P.S. still looking for local games, Kitchener/Waterloo area?

Thanks guys!

Comments

  • PhallicPhilPhallicPhil
    Hey Bluffs,

    Here are my two cents (or three, I guess). I've played on three sites: Royal Vegas, PartyPoker, and ultimatebet.

    Royal Vegas is hosted by Lou Krieger. Royal Vegas had the best sign up bonus because the bonus money is deposited directly into your account (I don't even think I had to play a certain number of raked hands). The players here are relatively weak, especially compared to ultimatebet. However, if you like tournaments, you don't get a lot of play for your money, in my opinion. Blinds increase on a discrete number of hands basis (rather than according to time intervals). You'll find that often there is almost no skill in winning a single-table tournament once you are down to heads-up. I call this, the Royal Vegas "Heads up all-in blind" phenomenon. They offer a LOT of multitable tournaments -- including a Wednesday tourney every week where you face off against several pros (Krieger, Lessinger, others) and get prizes for knocking one out. From $5 buy-ins to $100 buy-ins, both rebuy and freezeout varieties, mostly NLHD. Also, if you're a college student, they have the Online College Poker Championships, which holds weekly qualifying touraments for a major landbased college championship where the winner gets a $40,000 scholarship. Pretty sweet. Plus, it's completely free to play.

    PartyPoker has the second best sign up bonus -- 20% for registering your name (use bonus code WINS when you register) and 20% for your first deposit (use the bonus code they give you just before you make your first deposit -- I think it is BONUS20) -- but then you have to play 200 raked hands before it is directly deposited. I have found the players here to be better than at Royal Vegas, but worse than ultimatebet. Also, not a lot of play for your money in single-table sit-n-gos (blinds increase according to a discrete number of hands).

    ultimatebet has a lot of bonus dollars available (sign up bonuses, playing bonuses) but they are deposited into a bonus account and slowly trickle into your account as you collect "ultimate points" for playing in raked hands and tournaments. For example, you need to collect 10 ultimate points to earn $1 bonus dollar. And 10 points are the equivalent of about 10 raked hands at a $2-$4 table, 20 raked hands at a $1-2 table, or 2 $10 single table sit-n-gos. You get the idea. It's kind of annoying to see like $200 in your bonus account that you can't touch without playing a lot of poker. On the plus side, you can also play with your points on separate "ultimate points tables" and earn enough to buy swag like books, subscriptions to CardPlayer mag, motorbikes, entry to the Aruba Classic (a mere 1,000,000 points!). ultimatebet offers the best play for your money in single table tourneys (blinds go up in time intervals), and they also increase in relatively small increments. But this also means that the better players come to play. Competition is tough -- or maybe I just suck. But I've experienced a lot more success on the other two sites.

    So that's my piece. If you're going to sign up, feel free to let me know and I can refer you to earn us both some bonus dollars!!! :D

    Peace,
    Will
  • Dave ScharfDave Scharf
    I have played at and feel comfortable with the following sites:


    PlanetPoker.com
    RoyalVegas.com

    The BIG four:

    PartyPoker.com
    PokerStars.com
    UltimateBet.com
    ParadisePoker.com

    They are all good.
  • JayJay
    Hey Dave, do you still play at Royal Vegas? If so, what's your screen name (if you don't mind) and what do you usually play there?
  • UnknownUnknown
    I'll add a big thumbs-up for PokerRoom, too...
  • arkosearkose
    Phil pretty much said everything i was going to say....i play at ultimatebet and party, and he described them both quite well....i prefer UB for tourneys because the blind system used for Party SnG does get *very* annoying....i also like that UB's multitable tourneys have fewer people so it doesn't take forever and a day to play a $10-30 tourney (ie. you sit at your computer in a 1000 person party tourney and finish on the bubble after 4 hours....or just squeak into the money to win $40 after all that :) )...

    lately i've played a lot more ring games on party because there are more awful players there...i dislike the fact that party only allows you 50x the BB to buy-in at a NL table instead of 100x (like ub), but oh well....i actually dislike a lot about party, including their fisher-price colour scheme, but you gotta play where the games are good

    UB has the nicest interface IMO, but tighter players...but then again, if you're learning, its not a bad place to learn because you face off against better than average internet players (in general)...and then you can adjust your good style to take on the fishier, looser, crazier party game (instead of starting there and learning a lot of bad habits)...just my opinion of course :)

    of course, i'll slip in an ad (of course) and whore myself out.....i am an affiliate of both party and UB (UB just started their affiliate program), and i can give you codes for different bonuses that give us both something...but there are a million codes out there from a million people and they all offer the same bonuses so...its up to you whether you wanna go with me :) if you wanna go with me, and you choose UB, let me know and i'll figure it out for the both of us (their program literally just started, and accepted me yesterday)....and if you wanna go with partypoker, use signup bonus code ARKOSE for a flat $25 bonus on your first deposit, or ARKOSE20 for a bonus of 20% of your first deposit (up to a max of $100 bonus dollars...so if you deposit a large amount, this is the better bonus)....any questions, ask :)

    [selling out to the man: off] hehe

    ps. a lot of people i know play on pokerstars and really like it, but i have yet to buy in....the players there are probably equally tough as UB players, and they run quite a few tournaments...so thats another option
  • Big JBig J
    use signup bonus code ARKOSE for a flat $25 bonus on your first deposit, or ARKOSE20 for a bonus of 20% of your first deposit (up to a max of $100...so if you deposit a large amount, this is the better bonus)....any questions, ask

    20% of $100 = $20, how is that a better bonus than $25?
  • arkosearkose
    you misunderstand :) like i said, its 20% of your first deposit, to a max of $100 *total bonus*....in other words, if you deposit $300, you get a bonus of $60

    guess i should have added those 2 words, my bad
  • MrBluffsAlotMrBluffsAlot
    Thanks for all your responses guys! I'll be doing some investigating over this long weekend. I would prefer a site with the loosest of players, however, I can't turn down a juicy sign up bonus.

    If I do sign up for UltimateBet I'll be sure to let you know Arkose! I love a free lunch!

    :canada: 2004 World Cup Champs ALL THE WAY!!
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