Choosing the Right Online Poker Room
Choosing an online poker room today is a much more difficult task than it was a few years ago. Online poker has grown tremendously in recent years and the number of rooms has grown and expanded by leaps and bounds. When choosing an online poker room, you should take into account at least the following: safety, quality and convenience. These are the 3 things Gambling Gurus took into account before starting our online poker league.
Security
By security it means how safe it is to move money in and out of the poker room. Consider this first and foremost whenever trying an online poker room. Since this industry is not heavily regulated by government bodies and is largely self-regulated, you need to know that you can trust the poker room you choose to handle your money .
For this reason it is best to stick with poker rooms that have established themselves in the industry and have built a solid player base. Poker rooms like Paradise Poker, Absolute Poker, PokerRoom.com and Party Poker have proven to be stable online poker rooms that will be around for the long haul. All of these poker rooms are not only proven to be reliable, they are also independent of their past achievements. Each of these poker rooms also have a 3rd party that checks their poker algorithm to make sure it is working properly and giving fair time time and time again. These quality checks ensure these poker rooms remain at the forefront of the industry.
Quality
Quality can mean different things to different people when discussing online poker rooms. In this case it refers to several different things. This refers to the quality of the software. Choosing an online poker room that is visually satisfying, game playable and reliable is important. Most online poker rooms now offer versions of their software to download and try playing for play money before committing to playing for real money.
Gambling Guru recommends choosing a visually satisfying room to maximize the online poker playing experience. Some rooms take additional steps to make the table look more lively. For example poker rooms like Pokerroom.com have added people as avatars to their tables. Other rooms like Paradise Poker don’t have people at their tables, but do have an additional option where players can order drinks or snacks from the menu. This is something that players personally entertain, but a little bit, while waiting between hands.
Another option to balance into the equation is quality of play. Make sure the room you choose offers all the features you need to make the game fun and easy. Decide if it is easy to follow the actions that are taking place at the table. Some rooms such as Pokerroom.com highlight players who are in the act. This seems obvious, but some rooms don’t offer this option. The player must track the action in the chat dialog box. However, if you’re playing multiple tables, then you might want to be able to quickly click back and forth between tables and visually find out where the action is without having to scroll through the chat boxes to find out.
Finally, consider account software and server reliability. It is listed third here, but is probably the most important factor in choosing an online poker room. It sure isn’t fun to be constantly disconnected from the room during play, especially when important decisions have to be made. If you find you have to frequently battle with your online poker room, this will add additional stress to the online poker experience.
Convenience
Most importantly you should feel comfortable with the poker room you choose. This means you have to consider every element from above and decide if the online poker room you choose is right for you. If you are not comfortable with a poker room in any of the above categories, then I suggest finding a new place to play poker online. Whether you go in to play poker for fun or try to get out of playing online poker, you must have confidence in the poker room to give you your money, provide quick and accurate answers to your questions, and provide an enjoyable gaming experience.
