Online Poker Rooms & Sites

Absolute Poker has historically been one of the stronger players in the U.S. online poker market, offering good action and loose games. In 2007 a merger with Ultimate Bet was signed, allowing for transfers between accounts among other things, and in late 2008 the two rooms should complete the shift to the new Cereus poker network, greatly increasing the player base and overall traffic volume. The action at Absolute Poker is still somewhat concentrated in Texas Hold'em - in particular shorthanded games, where the play is loose and fast - but other games are also well-populated. Sign up through a PokerListings link and get an exclusive $600 bonus at 150% deposit match.

Absolute Poker has always offered good software, and the latest release has lots of great improvements, including many different table views and sizes, faster card dealing, new graphics and innovative mouse actions such as scroll-wheel betting increases. Absolute Poker allows play at 10 tables simultaneously, and multi-table play runs smoothly and safely. Real-money player statistics as of October 2008 show 1,800 ring-game players and 9,000 tournament players at peak hours.

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(Note: this poker room does not allow U.S. players).

CD Poker is one of the most popular rooms on the iPoker network, offering relatively loose and easy-to-beat games with highly playable software. CD Poker also offers one of the best bonus and loyalty packages in the industry, giving players every chance to build their bankroll. The game variety is good and the software offers good graphics and playability. Sign up through a PokerListings link and get a $600 bonus at 200% match PLUS an extra $20 bonus with first deposit over $20.

The CD Poker software offers good functionality and is very stable. The graphics are good, and overall the software offers premium playability. The games are generally quite loose, with plenty of opportunity for skilled players to earn money. The site's time clock requires players to act quite quickly, which helps improve the overall game pace. Real-money player statistics as of October 2008 show 10,000 ring-game players, and 55,000 tournament players at peak hours.

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(Note: this poker room does not allow U.S. players).

bwin poker is not only a part of the Ongame network - one of the largest poker networks in the world - it's actually the owner, as the originally Swedish-owned network was bought by bwin in 2005. The software is very good and comes as both a download and a no-download version, making bwin poker a good choice for players using a PC or a Mac. An added edge is that bwin poker and the Ongame network offer mobile gaming with both play and real money. Sign up through PokerListings and get an exclusive $500 bonus.

The bwin poker software is available in both a download and a no-download version. The download version is for PC only and offers nice, crisp 3D graphics and very good game play. The software is both fast and stable (both versions) and offers a very nice playing experience. bwin poker is also available as a mobile gaming platform, where play is offered in both play and real money. The Ongame network is one of the largest in the business and offers very good volume in both cash and tournament play. Real-money player statistics as of October 2008 show 9,000 ring-game players and 45,000 tournament players at peak hours.

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Full Tilt Poker is one of the most famous poker sites in the business, sporting great promotions, super high-stakes games and the largest line-up of professional poker players. Launched in July 2004, the room has since attracted a lot of players and has created a sponsored team of world-class poker pros including Howard Lederer, Chris Ferguson, Phil Ivey, John Juanda, Mike Matusow and Erik Seidel. Full Tilt Poker's software is updated frequently and offers great playability, multi-table mini views and superb graphics. Sign up through a PokerListings link and get a $600 bonus at 100% deposit match.

The Full Tilt Poker software features innovative graphics with cartoon-style avatars, and several table sizes and backgrounds. High quality and unique, the software is quite in line with the very best in terms of functionality; it runs quickly and is very reliable, and all updates take a minimal amount of time. Full Tilt Poker continues to grow exponentially and offers plenty of guaranteed tournaments and satellites to live poker events. Besides the nice sign-up bonus, there are always a number of other excellent promotions, like WPT and WSOP qualifiers and freerolls. Real-money player statistics as of October 2008 show 10,500 ring-game players and 70,000 tournament players at peak hours.

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PokerStars is the largest poker site in the world. It offers a particularly good variety of games, including many super high-limit events and some of the rarer mixed games. The room sponsors many of the world’s most famous poker players, including Canadian prodigy Daniel Negreanu and WSOP Main Event winners Chris Moneymaker, Joseph Hachem and Greg Raymer. The site is home to players of all skill levels from many countries around the world, and thus boasts a massive and diverse player pool. Sign up through a PokerListings link and get an exclusive $100 bonus at 200% deposit match.

With a nice look and quality feel, the PokerStars software is among the best in the world. It offers players innovative functions, lightning-fast game play and great multi-table options. It's also fully customizable and very stable. Players can upload their own images for use as avatars and can change the table size of all the poker games. There are three styles of card graphics to choose from, and 11 themes for the overall appearance. Tables can also be cascaded and tiled, and all visual and audio options can be turned on and off.

Overall, PokerStars boasts top-notch software with a great look and feel. Even as the world’s largest poker site, it's still growing quickly and it offers the best volume of guaranteed tournaments and live poker event qualifiers in the world. Real-money player statistics as of October 2008 show 22,500 ring-game players and 155,000 tournament players at peak hours.

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(Note: this poker room does not allow U.S. players).

Hollywood Poker is part of the Ongame network, one of the largest poker networks in the world. The player base is widespread but mainly European, and because the network is so big, it offers up a fairly good balance of both soft and tough games. Sign up through a PokerListings link and get an exclusive $500 bonus at 1,000% deposit match.

Both Hollywood Poker and the Ongame network are growing quickly, and offer plenty of guaranteed tournaments and satellites. Hollywood Poker itself is endorsed by many big name celebrities - most prominently acting icon James Woods, who can be found at the tables frequently. There are lots of special promotions as well, including regular money-added tournaments, Top Set and Quad Aces payouts and Celebrity Invitational tournaments. The weekly Celebrity Classic is always a favorite as well, paying out over $200k in celebrity bounties in 2007.

The Hollywood Poker software comes in both a download and no-download version, and the download version offers great 3D-graphics, featuring nice looking avatars and many pleasing functions. The software is stable, clean and in line with the better software on the market. Real-money player statistics as of October 2008 show 9,000 ring-game players and 45,000 tournament players at peak hours.

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(Note: this poker room does not allow U.S. players).

Party Poker is one of the leading online poker rooms in the world, sporting massive player volume in both cash games and tournaments. Party Poker has been able to maintain loose and juicy games over time due to a constant influx of beginners and gamblers looking for action. Party Poker offers great promotions and very reliable software, making it a very good all-around poker room. Sign up through a PokerListings link and get a $500 sign-up bonus at 100% deposit match.

Party Poker became the world's largest site in ring-game traffic in late 2002 and early 2003 after its legendary launch campaign. It has since dropped down in traffic due to American online gaming restrictions, but it still maintains a very solid player base. With its phenomenal growth, Party Poker has added servers and increased bandwidth to secure full reliability for over 100,000 simultaneous players. The software is highly functional, fast and very reliable. In terms of big events, it hosts the flagship "Party Poker Million" annually, and offers many guaranteed tournaments and satellites. Real-money player statistics as of October 2008 show 9,500 ring-game players, and 60,000 tournament players during peak hours.

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PlayersOnly Poker is one of the newest additions to the poker world, opening for play in late 2006. The site is backed by Sportsbook.com and resides on the Cake Poker Network, meaning they only accept U.S. players and, more importantly, U.S. credit card deposits. PlayersOnly Poker offers good game variety, good graphics and playability and is growing quickly, although most of the action is still found at the lower limits. Sign up through a PokerListings link and get an exclusive $1,000 bonus at 125% deposit match.

The PlayersOnly Poker software offers great playability with clean and appealing graphics, although tables can be a little cluttered with information. The software runs quickly and reliably and updates take a minimal amount of time. Even though the higher-stakes games and tournaments still leave something to be desired, the games are super loose and quite a lucrative opportunity for a poker player with skill and experience. Aside from the nice sign-up bonus, players also get a good loyalty program, WSOP giveaways and some quality freerolls. Real-money player statistics as of October 2008 show 1,700 ring-game players and 6,000 tournament players at peak hours.

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(Note: this poker room does not allow U.S. players).

Poker players looking for juicy, high-action Texas Hold’em tables and frequent promotions often find themselves at longtime industry favorite Pacific Poker. One of the first quality poker sites in the industry, and for several years a market leader, Pacific Poker has seen a drop in traffic but remains an excellent site for Hold'em games. In May 2007, the poker room upgraded its software, adding numerous functions and improving their graphics to top-of-the-line quality. Sign up through a PokerListings link and get an exclusive $475 bonus at 125% deposit match.

The Pacific Poker software offers great functionality, clutter-free tables and high reliability. The graphics are superb, and you'll also find some of the best search functions ever invented. One in particular allows players to view their previous hands in a unique-action replay interface, showing exactly how the hand played out.

Pacific Poker is definitely growing again, and making up ground lost with the passing of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act. Aside from its innovative software, Pacific Poker is also known for hosting really good tournaments, including many exclusive freerolls. Real-money player statistics as of October 2008 show 2,000 ring-game players and 8,000 tournament players at peak hours.

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