Europe might be fragmenting a little, with France already partitioned into their own sites and other countries looking at legislation – however the ‘old continent’ remains the single biggest driver of online poker traffic in 2012. This article looks at some of the poker networks which are fighting for your business in Europe this year and compares the games and bonuses to highlight where you can find the very best deals.
Here are the contenders: iPoker are the biggest single network in Europe (behind only the stand-alone poker sites Pokerstars and Party), with OnGame next on the list. After these two we have the popular Microgaming Network. While there are some smaller networks and other stand-alone sites available… these are the most popular for good reasons – I will explain below.
European Poker Networks 2012 – Best Of All? – The iPoker Network
iPoker are huge, with more than 65,000 simultaneous players at peak times. They are made up of many big named sport-betting brands, including William Hill and Bet365. With a lot of players crossing over from the betting areas into the poker room, you will find that the iPoker Network deserves its reputation for being easy to beat for players with some poker strategy knowledge.
My recommendation for players wanting to check out iPoker is to pick a brand focused on poker players – with my personal favorite being Titan Poker. Titan offer one of the most generous VIP deals on the network and look after their players with a long list of dedicated promotions and special offers. In addition, Poker Bonus Network readers can claim $20 extra in cash on top of your already huge 200% matched welcome bonus. All you need is to use Titan Poker bonus code PBKLUB and deposit a minimum of $30 – we will then ensure that the extra cash paid direct into your account within 48 hours!
European Poker Networks 2012 – Great Software! – The OnGame Poker Network
OnGame are another network who benefit from the soft games brought about by having sports-betting traffic cross over to the poker games. This time it is brands like Bwin and Betfair who supply the traffic, both of these brands have huge publicity in Europe and bring in new players week after week. Software is a big plus at OnGame, with Mac, PC and Mobile devices all supported. You will find 20,000 players at peak times – meaning a great choice of games and tournaments too.
I recommend this network, not just for the software, but for the easy and friendly games and big bonuses. For example, Betfair give you a choice of 5 different welcome bonuses ranging from $50 through to a massive $2500 (hint: smaller ones clear into your real money account faster!). You will be well looked after by this big site too – with regular promotions keeping your bankroll nicely topped up. I recommend readers check this one out – it could be a booming network in 2012 and beyond.
European Networks 2012 –– Microgaming and Boss.
There are several more European Poker Networks to cover, however these are minnows compared to the big ones covered above. Each has its strengths, so I will give you the overviews and links to more information below.
Boss Poker Network: This is the 6th largest site overall, and 3rd largest true network. Boss has a large number of ‘Skins’ including some big names like Paradise Poker. Bonuses are big, games are friendly and there are plenty of extras including Jackpot SNGs, A bad-beat-jackpot table and plenty of satellites to live events. You can find out more about the Boss Poker Network here.
MicroGaming Poker Network: With peaks below 10k, this is a smaller network which like iPoker and OnGame, does benefit from having a lot of sports-betting traffic at the poker tables. Brands include Unibet (who have a big European presence) and Ladbrokes (who are well known in the UK and Ireland). With relatively few grinders compared to recreational players, Microgaming is a great place to play in 2012. Check out my main MicroGaming Network Info page for more.
European Networks 2012 – The Rest
We are down to the real small-fry now, as you may know the benefits of big player pools in terms of choice and tournaments offered makes having a certain size critical for great games… I will keep an eye on the smaller networks and let you know when they have enough games to shout about!
f I had to pick one European network which was in the ‘sweet spot’ with plenty of great (soft) games and some very generous bonuses it would be OnGame – and in particular big-brand Betfair Poker. You’ll have a choice of 5 welcome bonuses and plenty of extras at this site – make sure you check them out first!
Click here and visit Betfair Poker Now!