As you know, I am a proud PokerStars Affiliate Member. PokerStars is the leader in the online poker industry. And when all the other big boys like Party Poker and Paradise Poker cut their USA players loose, PokerStars stood firm – for poker AND freedom – and stayed with us.
Therefore, I will always be with PokerStars – until I am bad beat into bankruptcy - but I digress.
That being said, if you want to multi-table tournaments in a window of stake ranges, playing it all on one site limits your options. Because PokerStars is the best and the biggest, I can usually get in two tourneys and sometimes three in my price range at the same time. But sometimes I can’t.
Full Tilt Poker is the 2nd best site I use. I will give you some stats in a minute to prove this out, but it is the next best option – far and away.
That leaves the rest of the pack. I have decided to play at four sites exclusively, and with the first two obviously carved in stone, I have to pick two more. My choices are between:
Bodog Poker
Cake Poker
Carbon Poker – Merge Gaming
Ultimate Bet – Cereus Gaming
Poker4ever – Everleaf Gaming
WorldPokerExchange
In my review of close to three hundred poker sites, I am down to these six choices. Lets look at some data shall we?
Site – Week Average # of Cash Game Players (tourney data not available, darn!)
Bodog – 910
Cake – 1860
Carbon – 425
Ultimate – 2450
Poker4ever – 100
WPE - 50
And for comparison;
PokerStars – 23800
Full Tilt – 12100
For reasons of full disclosure, Bodog Poker is the wildcard. They are a sports book too, and you have to have more action than Bodog to be considered for the 3rd spot. Bodog by default earns spot #4. Sometimes Faldo requires horse, fights and sports odds – for news information only of course - so, ummmm, they are #4 darn it!
The data don’t lie. My choice now is between Cake and Ultimate Bet due to the larger volume of traffic and business. This means less chance of my account disappearing and a greater chance for more 100+ player tourneys that I like to play in.
For reasons I will not get into here, the celebrity pitch-people for both of these sites are – in my opinion – a reason NOT to pick either one of them. But pick one I feel I must.
If any readers want to chime in with opinions about the tourney play on either site, I am all eyes. I will review their tourney blind structures, payout structures and shear number of weekly tourneys in my budget range.
I will also send emails to both sites requesting information on why they should be my #3 site. Stay tuned for the results.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
Would the fact that Ultimate Bet has cheated many players out of money influence your decision? I know they paid many back but I can't imagine everyone was paid back, not to mention the mental anguish experienced by the high stakes losses some endured. It is not important to me which site you pick as I only have an account at stars, but I would not play at Ultimate Bet after what Russ & friends have pulled off. I have not followed the story closely, but from what I have read justice is not really available due to foreign and Indian (native American variety) ownership, and a genearl lack of laws regarding the issue in general.
Thanks for the input Matchy. I have followed the story closely, and the new management (who did not have anything to do with the cheating) did the right thing financially and then closed the holes in the system.
And justice is up to politicians everywhere on the globe now, so I don't expect that - ever - especially with on-line gambling.
But the Absolute Poker connection to UB you mention is a real concern.
My issue with Cake Poker is that they are the new kids on the block - with Doyle Brunson as their flag carrier.
Every site he has put his name on has gone toilet! Doyle's Room, Platinum Poker, and The Gaming Club.
As great a legend as Doyle is, he is the Ted McGinley of poker rooms. Every time he joins them, the room 'jumps the shark'.
Cake is partnered with Sportsbook Poker, so they have a cash backer, but Doyle's track record as a spokesperson is pathetic.
Thanks for the article...really informative. PokerStars is the best and the biggest, I can usually get in two tourneys and sometimes three in my price range at the same time. But sometimes I can’t.Poker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually (but not always) hand rankings
Post a Comment