Big Poker Sites
With Poker Sites, Size Matters
So
this page is about big poker sites, and we've included a bold headline at
the top pointing out that we think size matters when it comes to playing at
an online poker cardroom. But why does size matter? Why should you care
about big poker sites versus small poker sites?
Here are some observations about big poker sites:
- We define a big poker site as being a site with a lot of players.
- The size of a poker site is relative. If there are only three poker sites to choose from, and two of them have 50 players at any given time, and the third has 200 players, then the third poker site is a "big" poker site.
- More players means more opportunities to make money.
- More players means less time trying to find a poker game you want to play in.
- More players means a higher profit.
- More players usually means the site is more trustworthy and less likely to be sketchy. (This last point is a generalization, though. It's an indicator. Absolute Poker, for example, has plenty of players, but given some of what's happened in the past there, it might be considered "sketchy".)
Here's a list of poker sites in order of size as defined by total number of players, from biggest to smallest:
- PokerStars
- Full Tilt Poker
- Party Poker
- iPoker (This is the entire Playtech poker network, which includes sites like Titan Poker, bet365 Poker, and William Hill Poker, among many others.)
- Ongame (This is another network which includes several sites and brands under its umbrella, including Betfair, bwin, and Hollywood Poker.)
- Cereus (Another poker network that includes Absolute Poker and Ultimate Bet.)
- Microgaming (Another network, Microgaming powers all of the Microgaming casino poker rooms, like Aztec Riches Poker, Captain Cooks Poker, and 32Red Poker.)
- International Poker Network (This network used to be called the "Boss Media" poker network. They power Paradise Poker, Poker Heaven, and CanadaPoker.com, among others.)
- Entraction (This network powers Devilfish Poker, Betsson Poker, and EuroStar Poker, among others.)
- Everest Poker
I should point out that this list of poker rooms by size is current as of August 2010, and I'm not sure when I'll update this page again, so those estimates could be completely different.
Like I pointed out earlier, which poker sites are the biggest is a relative thing, and it also depends on what kind of game you want to play. For example, at any given time, PokerStars will have twice as many players as Full Tilt Poker, which makes them far and away the biggest Internet poker site. But if you want to play Rush Poker, then you need to play at Full Tilt Poker, as PokerStars doesn't offer that game.
In fact, PokerStars is so big that if you took everyone playing at Full Tilt Poker and combined them with everyone playing at Party Poker and iPoker, you still might not have as much poker action going on as you'd have at PokerStars.
I like PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker. I don't think either poker site is sketchy or scammy at all, and they both allow players from the USA to play poker on their site.
I enjoyed playing at Party Poker back when they still allowed USA based players. If the USA ever changes their position on the legality of online poker, I'll expect Party Poker to enjoy a resurgence and larger size.
I have no personal experience playing at Ongame poker rooms.
I enjoyed playing on the Cereus Network, at both Ultimate Bet and at Absolute Poker, but the scandals regarding cheating at both sites make me leery of them. I don't play at either site anymore.
I don't have a lot of personal experience playing at the iPoker Network, but I do remember that I didn't care much for the software there when I did play there. (That's been several years ago, admittedly.)
I have no personal experience with the Internationa Poker Network, Entraction, or Everest Poker, although I've heard good things about Everest.
Poker Websites to Avoid
First of all, you should avoid any poker website that offers real money games if you live in a jurisdiction where playing poker for real money online is illegal. I'm no expert on laws in various jurisdictions, so you'll need to do your own research here.
Is Absolute Poker Sketchy?
You also want to avoid playing poker at sketchy websites. I personally avoid playing at the Cereus Network, but that's not a condemnation of their business practices. But I think reviewing some of the information about how some things were handled there in the past is a good idea when deciding which poker sites to avoid. See this thread at Two Plus Two, for example.
Reading that thread will give you an answer to the question, "Is Absolute poker sketchy?" and you won't need any further editorializaton from me on the matter.
Spend a little time in poker player forums and consider what other poker players have said about various poker sites when deciding for yourself which poker websites to avoid. You should only be playing with money you can afford to lose, but you still need to play at a poker site where you feel safe.