Bit more of a speculative post today. I was thinking about the imminent return of Full Tilt Poker and wondering what the effect would be on the other networks? Will some sites or networks lose more players than others – or will this be largely balanced? The answer as with most things related to poker is ‘it depends’… this post looks into some of the things this will depend on!
Category Archives: Best Poker Networks
The Poker Bonus Network Is Back!
After a long break caused by a combination of a hacker and my lack of technical ability above and beyond the ability to delete everything on the server The Poker Bonus Network is back!
As you can see, there is still some work to be done on the graphics and layout… however this is a great opportunity to start with a clean new look (I never really liked that dark theme with the white writing anyway!).
I’ll be posting at least 3 times a week from next month here, with a mix of news, promotion information, network changes and other interesting bits and pieces for poker players. My main blog will still be over at SNG Planet where I will do more opinion pieces and big announcements about changes to m wider network.
I’l like to personally thank a gentleman called Adam from the community of webmasters at Poker Affiliate Listings for his help in getting me up and running again. He has some great poker sites and I recommend you check them out (not just the front pages, there is plenty of good material to view). These are Best Online Poker and Play Poker Online.
Right, thats it for the welcome back post – I’ll crack on with a huge backlog of writing and hope to find the time to fix up the graphics and navigation of this site soon.
GL at the tables, Mark
April 2011 Best US Poker Networks After Black Friday
With Pokerstars and Full Tilt no longer available to US Players, this post looks at the poker networks still available for US Players as of April 2011. I’ll update this blog with new developments throughout this week, and once things settle down I’ll put up cliff notes and / or a sticky post. Continue reading
Poker Networks Which Offer 5-Card Draw Poker?
5 Card Draw is one of the original forms of poker, made famous in countless Western films of the 50’s to 70’s. This article lists the poker networks and stand alone poker sites at which you can play 5-card draw for real money – along with some of the great bonuses you can get as a first time player.
Recommended 5-Card Draw Poker Sites:
1 ) Pokerstars.com: The largest poker site has a number of different draw poker games, including 5-card draw in fixed limit, no-limit and pot-limit format. You will find games running up to surprisingly high stakes at this site – and have a huge choice of games at the smaller levels (up to $1 / $2 blinds). Pokerstars are the most popular poker site online for many good reasons – check out the excellent software and acclaimed player rewards (including a 100% matched bonus up to $600 with Marketing Code PSP3108) when you check out Pokerstars.com for yourself now!
2) Full Tilt Poker: The home of the pros and the nosebleed stakes games feature a huge game selection which also includes a section of dedicated to different draw poker games. Choose from fixed limit, pot limit or no-limit betting which ranges from pennies to high stakes… look out for the cash games ‘happy hour’ promotions too. New players can claim a 100% matched welcome bonus up to $600 with referral code PBKLUB. Check out Full Tilt Poker for yourself today!
3) Carbon Poker: While you not have the choice of games offered by the leading sites – Carbon Poker offer a really cool twist with their 5-card draw poker games, you can choose to play with a joker! This opens up the games and – together with the innovative software including user-triggered animations – makes playing 5-draw profitable as well as entertaining. We can offer a great bonus at Carbon, a 200% match up to $600 + free $11 SNG entry token for new players – simply use coupon code PBKLUB when you check out Carbon Poker for yourself today!
More Game / Network Specific Articles:
- Best Poker Network For Tournaments
- Best Poker Network For Cash Games
- iPoker Network Review
Which Poker Networks Offer Double-Up Sit N Goes?
Double-up Sit N Goes are 1 table tournaments in which half of the players double their stake, while the other half win nothing. These are entertaining games and are considered to be good ‘bankroll builders’. Some sites refer to them as Double or Nothing Sit N Goes, while others use the double-up and variations of this.
This article lists the main poker networks and stand alone poker sites which offer double-up games. For strategy tips on these games I refer you to this article over at SNG Planet: Double or Nothing SNG Strategy
Poker Networks With Double-Up Sit N Goes – My Top 3
#1 – Pokerstars.com: The biggest of the stand alone poker sites is the clear leader when it comes to the sheer number of Double-up games being played. You will find them from the micro-limits up to high stakes, and never have to wait long for a game. One of the key reasons to choose this site is that the double or nothing SNGs charge lower fees than elsewhere. Combine this with fantastic software, generous loyalty rewards and a 100% match bonus on up to 3 ‘first deposits’ (max $600, 90 days, marketing code = PSP3108) and you have a combination which is hard to beat – check out Pokerstars.com now!
#2 – Titan Poker: For non-US based readers only, my hot tip is for the softest double-up games around. The iPoker Network are huge, which means they can run a large number of games. They also host more recreational players than just about any other network, meaning anyone with a little strategy knowledge can easily make money at this site. My personal rec for non-US readers. Grab $20 in free cash on top of the usual 100% matched first deposit bonus with our bonus code PBNETWORK. Check out the soft Titan Poker games now!
#3 – Cake Poker Network: Cake are US friendly, and in fact are one of the easiest US networks to deposit with. This smaller poker network has a good variety of double-up SNGs and some very soft competition compared to the larger rooms. While you might have to wait for opponents above the smaller buy-ins, this wait is usually worth it! Great promotions can be found at Cake Poker, including the infamous Gold Card and Gold Chip loyalty schemes. Claim your 110% match bonus with code = PBKLUB when you check out the soft Double-Up Sit N Goes at Cake Poker now!
Poker Networks With Double-Up Sit N Goes – Honorable Mentions
Red Kings Poker: The OnGame Network offer a wide range of Double-Up games on their multi-platform software client. This site is non-US, they offer some of the most generous bonuses around in addition to soft games. Check out Red Kings Poker now!
Merge Poker Network: This network is actually one of my favorites – with Carbon Poker standing out on this top US-friendly poker network. They have 6 and 10 handed double-up games which charge lower fees. Due to the size of the player pool you will have to wait a little while for a game, though there is plenty more to keep you entertained while waiting! On the plus side their software is awesome and by using our bonus code PBKLUB you can claim a huge 200% bonus + free $10 Sit N Go entry token (why not use it on the double-ups!). Check out the fantastic Carbon Poker now!
More Great Poker Network Articles:
- Best Network For Tournaments
- Best Poker Network For SNGs
-
Which Poker Networks Have Bad Beat Jackpots?
Bad beat jackpots are an old idea – taken from brick and mortar casinos. The idea is to take a small additional fee from each pot, which can accumulate into a large amount. When someone gets beaten at a specially designated ‘Bad Beat Jackpot’ table holding quad 8’s or better, the jackpot is triggered.
While the exact payouts depend on the room, the person who suffered the beat gets the most money – often half of the total, with the player who beat them next (20% or so) and all other players at the table often get a smaller prize too. Between 10% and 20% of the total jackpot is left behind to start a new pool.
Bad beat jackpots offered by the leading poker networks are often in the 6-figure range and have been known to hit the 7-figure sum on occasion. This page lists the best networks and stand alone sites which offer bad-beat jackpot tables.
Which Poker Networks Have Bad Beat Jackpots – Progressive Bad Beat Jackpots:
1 – Cereus Poker Network.
2 – Carbon Poker (Merge Poker Network)
3 – Party Poker (Stand Alone)
4 – Boss Media Network
My recommendation is for Carbon Poker on the Merge Poker Network, this hits the sweet spot between extra soft tables and a really big jackpot which went over the $1 million mark recently. Great software, easy deposits – and best of all recreational players rather than ‘pro grinders’ – make this site a great choice, we can offer readers an improved 200% matched sign-up bonus + free $10 SNG token too – simply use coupon code PBKLUB when you register… click to check out Carbon Poker now!
Which Poker Networks Have Bad Beat Jackpots – Fixed Bad Beat Bonuses:
In addition to the sites with progressive bad beat jackpots, there are many sites which offer fixed rate bonuses for those times you get beaten with a big hand:
Titan Poker (iPoker Network) will give you $250 if you get beaten holding quad Kings or Better using both of your own hole-cards. You need to send an e-mail to support to claim this bonus.
Read Kings Poker (OnGame Network) have a far better bonus for the first time you get beaten holding the red kings (king of hearts + king of diamonds). Losing with this hand gets you a $300 bonus, you’ll need to clear it at the real money tables – though the good news is that this does clear alongside the normal bonus. OnGame are not US friendly at the moment – though I do urge non-US players to keep an eye on their very soft games and excellent promotions. Click to check out Red Kings Poker now!
Size Of Poker Networks – Biggest Online Poker Networks
This article lists the poker networks in size order from the biggest networks to the smallest – I’ll update this article every few months with the latest figures, so make sure you bookmark The Poker Bonus Network Today!
While the two biggest poker sites of all are stand-alone sites, many of the popular poker networks feature heavily in the top rankings for poker traffic. Best of all, by playing on a poker network you get the benefit of players from all sites involved.
This article lists the biggest poker networks, using the most up to date data available. While we do not differentiate tournament from cash game traffic, all of these number are for ‘real money players’. It would make no sense to exclude the bigger stand-alone poker sites in our listing – so I have put them in. This list is from Fall of 2010, I’ll update it every 3 months minimum, so do bookmark this page now.
#1 Pokerstars 180,000 Pokerstars Review
#2 Full Tilt Poker 85,000 Full Tilt Poker Review
#3 Party Poker 70,000 Party Poker Review
#4 iPoker Network 67,500 iPoker Network Information
#5 Everest Poker 23,500 Everest Poker Review
#6 OnGame Network 22,000 OnGame Network Information
#8 Boss / IPN 17,250 Boss Media Network Info
#7 Cereus Network 17,000 Cereus Network Information
#8 Microgaming 12,000 Microgaming Network Information
#9 Cake Network 11,500 Cake Poker Network Information
#10 Pacific Poker 10,000 Review Coming Soon!
#11 Merge Network 8,000 Merge Poker Network Info
#12 B2B Entraction 6500 B2B 24h Network
#13 PKR Poker 6000 PKR Poker Review Coming Soon!
As you can see from this list, there is a huge difference between the biggest sites and the rest. Since most of the players (65% to 80% depending on the site) are tournament, rather than cash game fans this translates into a major difference in the promotions, give-aways and special offers that the networks can offer.
We also need to bear in mind that there are dynamics within the list from month to month and within the year. Sites move network fairly frequently, especially where the mid-sized networks are concerned. Cake and Merge Networks are great examples of new sites joining (and bringing considerable player pools) with them in recent times.
Promotions and events also affect players, an example of this the running of the ‘World Championship Of Online Poker’ at Pokerstars might easily give them a boost of several thousand players each September.
Astute readers will have noticed the absence of Bodog Poker. I do not cover this room anywhere on my network for personal reasons, and so will not be adding them to this list either – sorry!
To conclude we need to ask – Is the biggest also the best when it comes to online poker sites? This question is answered in our section on the Best Poker Networks – check it out now.
Best Poker Network For Omaha Poker
The Best Poker Networks Assessed For Their PLO and PLO8 Games!
Omaha used to be thought of as a niche alternative to Texas Holdem, it is now so popular that it is a common career choice for online pros, and huge among recreational players looking for a bit more in their poker than the same old two cards!
This article looks at the Best Poker Networks and summarizes what they offer in terms of Omaha games – with a particular focus on the most popular variant Pot-Limit Omaha Hi. Stand alone poker sites such including Pokerstars, Full Tilt and Party Poker are also great for Omaha games. You can find reviews of each of these via our ‘Stand Alone Poker Sites’ section, here I fill focus on the networks and what they offer Omaha fans.
I will start with the biggest networks and work down:
#1 – Best Poker Network For Omaha Poker – The iPoker Network
iPoker are a personal favorite when it comes to the Omaha tables – both for cash games and for tournaments. Not only will you find some generous bonuses and special offers (including the occasional Omaholics special), you will find some of the softest PLO and PLO8 cash games anywhere online – it is almost as if people enjoy giving you their stack with an overpair on this network!!
As usual I go with the biggest site on this network – Titan Poker – readers using bonus code PBNETWORK when they sign up and make a first deposit will get a free $20 cash boost in addition to the usual 100% to $500 bonus.
Check out those soft Titan Poker games for yourself now!!
#2 – Best Poker Network For Omaha Poker – The Cereus Poker Network
US Players looking for easy Omaha games should definitely check out UB.com on the Cereus Poker Network. With big media-coverage this site attracts more recreational players and less grinders than many alternatives. Cereus Poker also have a big enough player pool to offer a huge range of PLO, PLO8 and HORSE cash games – as well as tournaments.
UB is a high profile site with some high profile bonuses, including a massive 111% to $1100 sign-up bonus matched to your first deposit with bonus code PBKLUB. One thing that UB to really well is to look after their existing players with a lot of innovative promotions and offers – including the popular RAI$E loyalty scheme.
I recommend you check out UB Poker now for some great Omaha games!!
#3 – Best Poker Network For Omaha Poker – Cake Poker Network
Cake Poker Network are a mid-sized US-friendly network with some great Omaha games. Surprisingly, the PLO8 games are extra busy compared with similar sized networks, not as busy as the high-only – but getting there. The Cake Network have a strict “No Tools” policy, which stops a lot of ‘small stakes grinders’ coming to the site. This has the effect of tipping the balance towards recreational poker fans – which keeps the games both entertaining and profitable for the rest of us!
My recommendation is for the flagship (biggest) site on this network – Cake Poker. You get easy deposit methods, a generous 110% to $500 welcome bonus with bonus code PBKLUB + the ongoing ‘Gold’ promotions which are considered some of the best loyalty reward schemes around.