Quick PlayersOnly.com Facts

• USA Players Allowed
• Highest % of Visa and Mastercard Deposits Accepted
• $1000 matched at 110% Bonus by using bonus code: KAP1000 *poker only
• Cash Game Texas Holdem from .02/.04 up to $25/50 NL and up to $100/$200FL
• Visit PlayersOnly

Playersonly.com Poker Tournaments

Most poker tournaments are NL Texas holdem, although there are Omaha tourneys as well. Tournaments happen every day, from freerolls, to satellites, to large guarantees with soft fields. Here are some of the promotional tournaments offered at Players Only.com Poker room.

• $150,000 Guaranteed $150+12 - $31,125 1st place prize.
• Lots of satellites to internal tourneys and World Poker Tour events
• $30 rebuy and addon with $20k guaranteed
• $3.30 rebuy with $1,000 guaranteed
• $500 Friday Night Freeroll
• $500 Welcome Player Freeroll (small tourney for new Real money players only).

PlayersOnly.com Poker Table & Lobby

Here are screenshots of the Players Only Poker table and lobby.

The software is very user friendly even if you have not played online poker before. The buttons are easy to read, easy to press and they don’t jump around on you based on whether or not it is your turn to act. There is also a handy betting bar that lets you easily size your bets using your mouse instead of typing in certain amounts.

The lobby is pretty straightforward with easy sorting options. I found it easiest to find a game by clicking on the Texas Hold’Em tab and then sorting by stakes. They do show the amount of players seeing the flop which is a handy feature if you are looking for a tight table to play wild and loose on or if you are looking for a loose table with fishy players calling raises before the flop.

PlayersOnly.com Poker Games Offered

Poker players can enjoy the following poker games at Players Only.

• Texas Holdem (limit, no limit and pot limit)
• Omaha (pot limit and fixed limit)
• Omaha Hi-Lo (pot limit, no limit, fixed limit)
• Seven card stud shows up in the lobby, but currently there are no games running or offered
• Multi-Tournaments
• Sit-N-Go (1 table tournaments)

PlayersOnly Poker Final Thoughts

With the shrinking options for USA poker players, it is nice to find a site that has a quality reputation of that of PlayersOnly.com. They are a medium to small sized poker network, but they are seeing growth as more and more people are taking advantage of the incredible special deposit bonus offered of a 110% up to $1000 and finding out that being at a site that is super easy to deposit at is good for the action.

• MasterCard and Visa Deposits from Americans is a huge plus
• Easy software to use is a plus
• Reasonable traffic is ok
• Huge Deposit Bonus
• USA Players Accepted
• Download Players Only Software

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The Full Tilt Poker FTOPS IX

Here are the lean mean details on the Full Tilt Poker FTOPS IX Series

• Starts August 6th
• 24 Events Total
• $15 Million in Prize Pools Guaranteed
• Largest Buy-ins = $2500
• Smallest Buy-In = $120+9 “Knock Out tourney at the end of the series, most events are $200
• Satellites start at $50+5 to events currently, more expected soon.
• Blind Times range from 10 minutes to 30 minute rounds.

Poker Stars WCOOP

Here are the lean mean details on the Poker Stars WCOOP, aka the 2008 World Championship of Online Poker.

• Starts September 5th
• 33 events total
• $30 Million in prize pools guaranteed
• Largest buy in = $25,000, this is a special high roller Heads up Poker tournament with 1.6 mill guaranteed!  Sick!
• Also a $10,300 NL hold em main event for the non heads up tourney.
• Smallest buy in = $215
• Satellites start at $2.20
• Satellites also from FPP’s.
• Steps satellite system, win a seat through a series of steps sattelites.
• Winners win a WCOOP Bracelet
• 30 minute blinds across the series

PokerStars WCOOP or FullTilt’s FTOPS?

The choice is really up to you, the debate rages constantly about which is the better place to play online poker, PokerStars or Full Tilt Poker, but in this comparison of the FTOPS vs WCOOP I’m going for PokerStars and the WCOOP. That is even with the recent criticism by online poker players about the new tournament payout structure that PokerStars implemented where they award more money to a larger portion of the field and not as top heavy as a typical poker tournament. Argue that as you may, the fact that I was quickly and easily able to find a ton of cheap PokerStars satellites into the WCOOP and the Full Tilt Poker satellites were $50 bucks, a fourth of the initial buy-in itself which doesn’t seem that great of a satellite to me. It is possible that they just do not yet have any satellites listed in the Full Tilt Poker lobby for the FTOPS series yet, but they should have.

This Comparison Winner goes to: PokerStars.com

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If you are a poker player from the USA, you probably know that your deposit options can be somewhat limited. There has been a move to using e checks to play online poker. This is a list of internet poker rooms accepting e check for instant deposit.

• PokerStars.com echecks is probably the quickest way to deposit online other than a credit card (which is limited to only a few credit card poker sites). If you use echeck to deposit at PokerStars you will get a 100% bonus up to $50 by using the bonus code first2008 (valid through Dec 31st, 2008).
• Bodog Poker - If you already have an account at Bodog you can utilize echecks but they are not yet available for brand new players at Bodog. If you are new and wanting to play at Bodog you are going to have to utilize a credit card, cash transfer, or some other options available in the cashier. Current bodog real account holders can utilize echecks for instant deposit online poker.

Poker Stars is also now proud to have their online poker and mac compatible software.

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Today I would like to talk to you about the no download feature used by some poker sites to cater to people who are looking for online poker no downloads needed. Up until now, I have always downloaded the program from the site I wish to play at and always have the software on my computer.

Absolute Poker No Download - Free & Easy with a 100% Deposit Bonus up to $500

For USA Players, your choices are very limited for a true no download option, you are pretty much able only to play for real at Absolute. You still get the Absolute bonus deposit. Download poker and play or use the no download ‘instant play’ link, the bonus is still good. Of course if you are looking for an absolute poker download software you can do that as well.

The two sites I am comparing today that offer no download poker options are AbsolutePoker.com and 888 poker.com. Both of these sites allow you to play poker online without a download.

Two free no download poker sites

Absolute Poker no download and 888 Pacific Poker Online Poker without download required.

If you are looking for the best two no download poker websites and places to play online poker no downloads needed we recommend Absolute and 888.

Benefits of playing online poker without downloads:

• Play poker on a computer without installing any software.
• Do not risk downloading a virus when finding a poker room to download. We understand that you may be skeptical about downloading programs from the internet and this allows you to play texas holdem without downloading any software.
• If you are using computer that isn’t yours, ie at work, and still want to play poker (on your lunch break of course), you do not have to download software on to the company PC.
• You are on a Macintosh Computer and need a Mac Friendly Option

Since we are compare online poker, we are going to compare the two best known no download poker websites, where you can play poker for free and for real without downloading anything to your computer. For a non download poker room, we’re going to look at 888.com poker and AbsolutePoker.com. Let’s compare look at the two online poker sites that offer a quality no download option and see see what they both have to offer.

I set up an account at both sites (Absolute Poker and 888 Pacific Poker) and gave them a test run to see how the no download interface worked.

I would say that neither site took me longer than 5 minutes to set up my account and start playing mainly because I didn’t have to wait for any software to install.

No Download Poker at AbsolutePoker Room

(USA and International Accepted)

Getting to the no download poker option at AbsolutePoker is easy. You simply go to absolutepoker.com and then select the no download feature which I have shown in the screenshot.

You will need to have Java enabled before you can play.

As with most poker sites, you have the option to play for free or for real money. If you do choose to play for real money, they offer a 100% deposit bonus up to $500.00.

The no download poker interface is pretty classy and I did not notice any hang ups or unusual lagging when I played. The only thing I don’t care for is the fact that you cannot maximize the screen to full size. Other than that, if I had sat down after someone had already loaded the site, I would have never known that it was not a regular poker software download.

There are plenty of rooms and various limits of play so you are sure to find something to suit your particular tastes, as well as multiple $50 freerolls with no requirements to play each and every day. You can also take advantage of multiple tournaments each day!

888 Poker Without Downloading Software

Accessing the no download poker option is easy at 888.com as well. You simply go to the website and there is a link on the front page.

You can play for real money or for fun here as well and they also have a deposit bonus although it is not as nice as Absolute Poker in terms of total amount of bonus.

They only offer you a 25% bonus up to $100.00, but the do offer it as an instant bonus available to use at the tables right away.

The interface here wasn’t quite as enjoyable as AbsolutePoker.com, it didn’t feel as quite as sleek or clean.

I didn’t notice much lagging however I did notice everything taking just a little longer to load up. I also was able to play for fun on this site but U.S.A. players cannot set up real money accounts.

Poker Star Mac Poker Download

PokerStars.com is the largest site on the internet and although they do not have a no download option, they do offer a Mac Poker Stars download. The client is still in beta test, but you are able to go ahead and download your mac poker star client and play at the biggest and arguably the best online poker site on the net.

No Download Poker Final Thoughts

I do like the new no download poker options and I really couldn’t tell the difference from some other poker sites that I have downloaded on my computer. If I was going to have to make a choice between these two sites, I would have to go with Absolute Poker as the best no download poker options. They have the better deposit bonus and I do like the interface better.

I hope this has been informative to you in helping you decide if you want to use the no download poker option.

Other useful sites and pages:
Download Poker Casino Games Online
Mac Friendly Poker
USA Poker Sites
Non Download Poker

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There were tables offering $0.15 / $0.30 blinds.

The cool thing about these tables is that these are a deep stack buy in table, the max buy-in is $60, or 200 times the big blind. Consider that the normal max buy in for the .25/.50c table is $50, or 100 times the big blind, this deep stack table offers something that the other big poker rooms do not offer right now, and that is smaller staked, deep stack no limit texas holdem cash games.

Full Tilt Poker No Limit Holdem

I have only played at these deep tables in the in the 6 man variety, aka short handed play, although they do offer full 9 man tables.

I’ve only been playing at these deep stack no limit tables for a month or so and so far, so good! Weak players, putting in large sums of money on the flop with way bad hands… This lets you take advantage of weak players who will go way to far with top pair on dangerous flops.

They also offer other stakes of these ‘deep stack’ tables including $0.40/$0.80 deep stack, $0.75/$1.5, and up from there. All of these tables offer 200 x the big blind buy-in’s.

Visit FullTiltPoker.com and Play Now (100% match bonus up to $600).
Full Tilt Poker Referral Code: KICKASSPOKER

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Lets take a look at some of our favorite tools for online poker players. Some of these tools are free and some are not.

Poker Tracking and Stat Software and Poker Calculators

Poker Tracker - probably the most widely use poker tracking software. Import your hand histories and you can see where you are winning and loosing money, as well as analyze your play.

HoldemRanger - Display Stats right on your online poker table. This is a free tool where you can get a heads up display that allows you to see a visual record of players at your tables stats in real time. You can see how aggressive someone is, how often they three bet, how often they fold to a pre-flop raise, how often they voluntarily put money into the pot… It’s very useful, plus it’s free.

PokerStove - Got a hand vs hand matchup you want? PokerStove it.

TwoDimes - Hand vs hand stats, online with no downloads.

Poker Schools - Texas Holdem Course

There are a handful of online poker schools springing up where winning online poker players record their online sessions and play them back to you, while explaining why they are doing what they are doing. You get to see their hole cards and they show you exactly how they play. This can be an excellent way to learn for people who just can’t stomach reading another no limit holdem book talking about theory, this puts that theory into practice.

All of the online poker schools have a cost to join and a monthly tuition. Click the links to read more in depth reviews and pro’s and cons of each online poker school.

CardRunners - Expert No Limit Cash Game Players. Our favorite online training school for ring game no limit holdem students. Expert training from no limit texas holdem cash game specialists.

Poker X Factor - Tournament focus plus a sweet hand replayer tool. Sit-N-Go’s and Multi-Table Tournaments are the focus here.

Real Poker Training - Multi Table Tournaments.

*for 10 free poker strategy videos, sign up for the Kick Ass Poker Newsletter and you’ll get them instantly, videos of Spry (successful lower stakes no limit and limit player) playing online poker, free of charge and no strings attached other than signing up to the newsletter.)

Other Useful Poker Websites

Poker Leaderboard - Get a free poker leaderboard you can host on your own website to track tournament results.
Poker Tomorrow is a great content driven site with tips for poker site webmasters as well as players.
Firbolg - Online Poker Strategy
Poker Affiliate World - If you are a poker affiliate, you’re here. Led by Jeremy Enke himself.
Compatible Poker - Great information, well presented.
Poker Players for Ron Paul - 2008 Presidential Candidate.
Strange Online Poker News - the infamous KickAssPoker Blog

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Cake Poker vs Doyles Room

Cake Poker and Doyle’s Room are both medium sized poker rooms that are relatively new to the online poker market. Doyle’s Room is a part of the Microgaming Network while Cake Poker is the flagship room of the Cake Poker Network, that has other skins Sportsbook.com Poker and Players Only. Lets take a look and see which room offers their players the most value and what makes these two small online poker rooms different.

http://www.cakepoker.com vs http://www.doylesroom.com

We will take a look at the following at each poker room.

• Software / Game Download
• Poker Players
• Traffic
• Game Selection
• Tournaments
• Bonuses
• Customer Support
• Deposit and Withdraw.

A couple of quick comments

• Both Rooms accept *USA Players>
• Neither Rooms allow player to player transfers

*Doyles Room does not accept players from Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, South Dakota, Washington, and Wisconsin.

Poker Room Download and Game Software

The software at Cake Poker is not the best software I have ever played on but it certainly isn’t the worst. The navigation through the site is pretty simple and the tables load at an average speed.

The playing platform, aka the cake poker table, certainly isn’t impressive but it is functional and reliable.

The lobby interface has a simple/basic feel to it but it does show detailed information about each table. The software doesn’t have any bugs but it also doesn’t have any great extra features.

Now at Doyle’s Room, the poker game software might be the worst out there not counting the small no-name rooms and the “bastard step child rooms” that no one is playing at anyway.

Doyles Room Poker is on the the microgaming software and it looks like it hasn’t been upgraded in years. The navigation through the site is terrible and can be very confusing. The play at the tables can be laggy at times and the graphics are very unappealing.

The only thing I like about the software is the buddy system they have. You can keep track of all your friends or fish/sharks easily, and it is a very nice feature.

Cake Poker wins the poker game software category by a long shot.

Poker Player Traffic

Cake Poker and Doyle’s are very close in this category. Currently (9 pm on 10-31 in the USA) Cake Poker has around 500 more real money players than Doyle’s Room but only because these are peak hours for Cake Poker. Overall though Doyle’s room averages around 250 more cash players than Cake.

Doyle’s Room wins this category by a narrow margin.

Fishiness Of The Players

This will be another close one. The tables at both sites are well known to be very soft and the flop percentages are comparable for both sites. They both offer super loose Hold’em tables but Doyle’s room offers loose tables in games like Omaha where as Cake Poker is very lacking. Doyle’s Room also offers some loose high stakes action and once again Cake Poker is lacking in that department as well.

Doyle’s Room wins this category also but not by too much.

Game Selection

This will be an easy one to decide. Cake Poker offers Texas Hold’em plus the high and hi-lo versions on Omaha and 7 Card Stud. Doyle’s Room offers all those games except 7 Card Stud Hi-Lo but also offers 5 Card Draw and Stud. This gives Doyle’s Room an edge but it doesn’t stop there. Cake Poker realistically only offers two games, Texas Hold’em and Omaha Hi-Lo because there are seldom any active tables for the other games. The only game Doyle’s room doesn’t have much traffic to is 7 Card Stud.

Doyle’s Room wins this category by a long shot.

Tournaments

Doyle’s Room has a wide variety of tournaments running throughout the day while Cake Poker only offers a majority of smaller tournaments with a few big ones every now and then. The tournament traffic at Doyle’s Room is also higher with more guaranteed tournaments. Pound for pound, Doyle’s Room has more to offer to a tournament player.

Doyle’s Room wins yet another one.

Cake Poker Bonus vs Doyles Room Deposit Bonus

Doyle’s Poker Room has a couple of standard first deposit bonus options and neither of them are very attractive. You will choose between a 50% match with a max of $250 or 25-35% up to $135. Using Neteller will get you the 35%/$135 but using any other deposit method will only get you 25%/$100.

You might be thinking what I was thinking when I read it for the first time. Why would anyone take a lesser bonus? The answer is simple but it’s still going to sound stupid to many of you. If you choose the 25-35% Bonus at Doyles Room, the bonus will clear quicker. For example, lets say you deposit $400 using your Visa card and therefore have a $100 bonus. You will need to earn 10,000 Action Points before you receive your bonus so its 100pts/$1.

Now lets say you choose the 50% up to $250 option. You will need 200pts/$1 of your bonus. Once again, you will not receive ANY of your bonus until you clear the whole bonus. They use this strategy to basically force players to keep depositing and playing just to earn a bonus they should have gotten a long time before.

The first deposit bonus at Cake Poker is larger and easier to clear.

At Cake Poker, you will receive a 100% match up to $500 and it is paid in increments of $10. Earn player point you earn at the tables is worth $.06. You will earn this bonus a piece at a time quite quickly, actually and your rake is calculate based on if you received cards in a hand, not if you actually contributed to the rake.

Cake Poker Bonus Code = KAP500

Cake Poker wins the Poker Bonus Category easily.

Deposit & Withdrawals

Doyle’s Room accepts deposits via Visa, Master Card, InstaCash, Neteller, Giro Pay, FirePay, Moneybookers, Solo, Delta and ePassporte. You can withdrawal via Neteller, ePassporte, Instadebit, Moneybookers and check.

Cake Poker accepts deposits via Visa, MasterCard, MoneyBookers, ePassporte and Neteller. You can cashout via MoneyBookers, ePassporte, Neteller and check.

Doyle’s Room obviously wins this category because of the wide variety of credit card and online money wallets they accept.

Doyle’s Room easily wins this category.

Customer Support

Doyle’s Room offers a very comprehensive support system that includes e-mail, live-chat and telephone support compared to Cake Poker’s e-mail only support. The support staff is friendly at both rooms but it is much quicker and convenient to contact support at Doyle’s Room.

Doyle’s Room dominates the support category.

Doyle’s Room Vs Cake Poker Summary & Results

Its obvious that Doyle’s Room certainly won more categories but are all categories equal? If I had to choose between the two rooms I would pick Cake Poker but I feel great software is extremely important, even more important than deposit bonuses, support and tournaments combined. This is obviously just a personal preference and I won’t let it affect the results, but its something to think about. Overall, they are both great medium sized rooms that offer a good playing experience.

As always, the best way to see for yourself is to download the poker software and see for yourself.

Download Cake Poker Here: http://www.cakepoker.com
Download Doyles Room Here: http://www.doylesroom.com

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This article will compare the brand new bodog poker software with that of Sportsbook.com poker.

We will aim to see which of these two poker rooms is the best choice for your online dollar and show you the differences between these two online poker rooms.

A couple of quick facts about these two online poker rooms are that both rooms are what I would call “medium sized” poker rooms in terms of total player traffic.

Neither of them are the largest sites in the world, far from it actually. The industry leaders like PokerStars and FullTilt boast much more traffic than either Bodog Poker or Sportsbook Poker, but that doesn’t mean that there are not great games to be found at both of these online poker rooms, as there is and there are reasons to play at each one.

Poker Room vs Poker Room Categories

• Software / Game Download
• Poker Players
• Traffic
• Game Selection
• Tournaments
• Bonuses
• Customer Support
• Deposit and Withdrawl

Both sites also offer casino games and sportsbook action, which is great for bringing in new fish new players.

Bodog Poker Room Software and Game Interface

Bodog Poker First - Download software at: http://www.bodoglife.com.

*at the time of this review (Halloween, 07), the new bodog poker software is in beta testing which only a limited number of users have. This comparison is of the new bodog poker beta software against Sportsbook.com Poker’s software.

Honestly Bodog Poker has never been had my favorite software.

In November of 2006 I got so frustrated at the bodog poker download that I cashed out and deleted it off of my computer, I was that frustrated. (ok, i admit i re-downloaded it and re-deposited, haha, but still, I was pissed off at the bodog software upgrade). They had just upgraded to a new poker client download.

It sucked.

The very first generation of bodog poker software was sleek, fast and I liked it. That all changed in 2006 they upgraded to a “new bodog poker software”. The ‘new bodog’ software sucked to me. It wasn’t as sleek, was a totally different feel (it felt like you were playing poker on a flash website or something, it didn’t feel normal to me.

They made a few upgrades and lured me into downloading again, and I did get used to the software and they have continually improved it.

About a week ago, actually on October 15th, 2007 I got another email announcing the Beta release of the new version of Bodog Poker that.

Here is a screenshot of the newest bodog poker table.

The New Bodog Poker software Table Screenshot. Notice the ‘playing area’ at the bottom of the screen, all the standard buttons and slider bar are available and easy to use, plus you can pre-select your actions like auto-fold etc… For comparison, here is a Sportsbook.com Poker Current Screenshot. Sportsbook.com Poker

Another thing about Bodog Poker, I play in the Kick Ass Poker League on Wednesday nights at Bodog. The thing that pisses me off time and time again during this event is that since it is a private tournament, there is NO chat unless you are not seated at the table. You can’t even chat on the other tables… totally sucks for league play. Now, this isn’t standard, but in private events and some tournaments this seems to be the case. IE, no chat unless at the table.

With that said, some of my counterparts absolutely love the the Bodog poker download. They like it so much that they don’t even play at the other online poker rooms.

The Bodog Poker Download software kind of left me feeling like my avatar was just ‘floating’ around on the table, no defined space and just kind of at the table. Again, it was like flash poker or something…

*With the new bodog poker software that is in beta testing (during the time of this writing) they have fixed this “problem” and now provide ‘defined’ table space, it is improved for sure.

This isn’t a ‘bash bodog’ article. The new bodog software is a nice upgrade to the older bodog poker software. The new Bodog Poker Software, which you can download from http://www.bodoglife.com looks like this:

Another thing is that it feels unfamiliar compared to the other sites I play a lot of poker at (stars and fulltilt). The Bodog Poker software is that it is totally unique to Bodog, no other poker sites that I play on interface with it… it feels a little bit like a flash poker room, although it is not.

One plus for bodog is that you have good options to change your playing style to suit yourself, such as changing the color of your table, using the ‘picture in picture’ option as shown above as well as true multi-table options.

Select your Table Color and PIP or Separate Windows At Bodog Poker, you can choose your color and how multiple tables are displayed. Here is a new color, instantly and you can upload a custom image for your avatar. Notice in the the ‘halo’ around the player on the right… that is how you tell who’s turn it is. I like it, very easy to follow the action.

Game play itself at the new bodog poker software is actually pretty good, much better than before.
There is also a ‘winner’ easily displayed at the end of each hand, and the chips slide to the winner.

The bodog software seemed a tad slower than what I consider ideal, but it wasn’t bad. You’ll see what I mean when you play… The chips flow to the winner a tad slow, when you are under the gun the ‘you’ve got a hand beep’ hits you before your cards appear, but it’s just minor stuff, overall the new bodog poker software it is a big huge improvement over the previous bodog poker software.

The Bodog lobby is very easy to use, functional with all the stats displayed same as sportsbook.com poker (you can see average pot, how many players seeing the flop, wait for a seat etc… A negative is that you can not search for players at Bodog Poker. Kind of lame, but not a deal breaker and you can’t search on Sportsbook, either.

Sportsbook.com Poker

Download at: http://www.sportsbook.com

I’m relatively new to Sportsbook.com Poker, as it is a relatively new online poker room, opening their doors in early 2007. The software itself is what I would call functional, no frills, and good quality. They are members on the Cake Poker network and use the Cake Poker software. It is not flashy, fancy or anything like that, but it gets the job done.

Here are some Sportsbook.com Poker screenshots.

Sportsbook.com Poker Table - Simple and easy to use. Functional. Good looking avatars (they are actual photo’s of real people. Hello Dealer. Easy to navigate lobby, standard details shown like avg pot, plys/flop seated etc..

The Sportsbook Poker software is smooth, easy to download and newbie friendly. There simply are not that many choices or customizations like you can do at Bodog. You get to choose between around 30 or so Avatars and that’s about it for your personalization options. It’s quality, functional software.

The early edge in the Sportsbook vs Bodog Poker matchup goes to: Bodog Poker

The battle between these two online poker rooms is not over yet… the early lead goes to bodog for having more customizable software. If I had not been reviewing the new bodog poker software that is in beta I would give the edge to Sportsbook.com. It’s still a close race.

Poker Player Information at Bodog and Sportsbook.com Poker

Now we are going to take a look at the other players you’ll encounter at the poker tables of each online poker rooms, as well as comparisons between what games you can play as a player there.

Traffic Numbers - as reported by sitescout, the leading authority on real money players at online poker rooms during the time of this review.

Obviously rankings are fluid but I don’t expect any major shifts in the next year or so.

Bodog - 10th ranked overall nearly 1300 RMP’s on average.
Sportsbook.com Poker Cake Network) - 13th overall with 874 RMP’s on average.

Edge: Bodog
Fishyness of Players - which room has the most fish?

Both Bodog and Sportsbook are also online casinos and sportsbooks, and they both draw players from their online casinos to the poker tables, leading to bad, fishy players. Some of the worst players online reside at both of these rooms. Good players will win money easier at both of these sites than some of the bigger sites like PokerStars and FullTiltPoker. They have more traffic but better players on average than these two poker sites.

Bodog - Well below average players.
Sportsbook.com Poker - Worse players, seriously.

Edge: Sportsbook Poker

Ring Game Selection and Limits.
Games offered are pretty equal in their offerings. Most of traffic is in the Texas Holdem (by far, but this is normal everywhere) but there is some Omaha Traffic at both sites, and a trickle of Stud traffic at Bodog.

Edge: Wash

*slightly more selection at bodog due to larger #’s of players.

Poker Tournaments - Sit-n-Go’s (SNG’s) and Multi Table Tournaments.

Bodog - one cool thing about bodog is that they offer ‘beginner’ SNG tournaments. The buyin is $2+.20 (also offer a $1+.20 5 table tourney) but the beginner tourneys pay out to 50% of the players instead of 30%. The Multi-Table Tournaments at Bodog are solid, a few guaranteed events each and every day, with up to $5,000,000 in guaranteed events each month.

There is a lot of overlay in these guaranteed events also. I’m not going to explain all of the tournaments offered at bodog, but you can read about them here.

Sportsbook.com - what I like about sportsbook as far as their tourneys go is that they also have some reasonable guaranteed events that do not meet the guarantee and are good value with overlay, similar to Bodog in this aspect actually, plus if you use a Sportsbook promo code you can max out the bonus at $1000 matched at 100%.

Sit-N-Go selection is modest, but steady and the multi-table tournaments are winnable with no huge fields.

Edge: Bodog

Poker Bonus Comparison - Bodog Poker Bonus vs Sportsbook Poker Bonus

Here is one aspect where these two rooms are totally different, and that is in their deposit bonus for new players. I like both bonuses for different reasons, and I’ll just lay it out there for you to make up your own mind.

The major difference is that one room offers an INSTANT bonus, but at a smaller amount, compared to a ‘earnable’ bonus matched at a huge amount.

Bodog Poker offers a 10% bonus instantly. Deposit $500 and you will have $550 in your account right away to play with. Essentially you could play in 10 $5 + .50 Sit-N-Go’s for “free” (well almost, you’ll have $5 bucks in rake to pay).

Sportsbook.com poker offers a 100% bonus. They will match you dollar for dollar up to a certain dollar amount, but you have to earn it by playing earning frequent player points at Sportsbook.com. For details on the Sportsbook.com Poker Bonus you can check out the review I’ve linked to there, and get the exclusive “Kick Ass Sportsbook.com Bonus”

Using Sportsbook bonus code: KICKASS you get 100% up to $1000 bonus at Sportsbook Poker- which is the best bonus I have found anywhere on the web for Sportsbook.com poker as , the standard is 100% up to $650. If you are depositing more than $650 then you need the kickass bonus at Sportsbook.com to maximize your earn. *FPP release rates detailed in the Sportsbook.com Poker Bonus review.

Edge: Sportsbook.com Poker for the size and match amount of the bonus, but you will have to play a lot of poker to earn the entire bonus, again hit the bonus review above for fpp clear rates). *Sportsbook.com Poker easily accepts MasterCard and Visa Deposits, being the easiest USA Poker site to make a deposit with. It is super easy for USA players to make a deposit at Sportsbook.com Poker.

Customer Support

Hands down bodog poker on this one, and Bodog would win this competition against any other poker site with only pokerstars coming the closest. They have live phone support and calls are answered within 3 rings from knowledgeable reps who can speak english and resolve problems (not just message takers).

I haven’t dealt with Sportsbook.com Support except over email and it was also professional, but Bodog has excelled time and time again, whenever needed.

Deposit / Withdraw Options
Sportsbook.com gets this category. They take MasterCard and Visa fast and easy, no lengthy sign ups or quadruple steps to get something done. Bodog offers similar deposit options, just call support when you are ready and trust me it will be easy. To find the deposit options at both rooms, hit the cashier… hell deposit options change often and I can’t keep up, but I’m quite certain that depositing is easy.

Withdrawls come via cheque in a few weeks from both rooms, again contact support if you need help.

Poker Room vs Poker Room Recap and Winner

• Overall Winner - Bodog Poker
• Software / Game Download - Bodog (barely)
• Poker Players - Sportsbook Poker (worst players online)
• Traffic - Bodog
• Game Selection - Bodog
• Tournaments - Bodog
• Bonuses - Sportsbook.com (use bonus code KICKASS for exclusive 100% / $1000 bonus)
• Customer Support - Bodog (best in the biz)
• Deposit and Withdrawl - Sportsbook.com Poker (Visa & Mastercard accepted)

Bodog Poker wins by a nose. The categories that bodog lost, they only lost slightly, with the exception of the bonus which is kind of hard to compare since it is so different). The categories bodog won in they won pretty strongly, except for the software. You will either love or hate the Bodog Poker Software. If you are new to online poker, you’ll probably love it. If you’ve been playing for years at PokerStars then you might not like it until you get used to it.

Hey, any poker room that can build a huge brand with bodog.com, lose their domain and switch to newbodog.com and then switch again to bodoglife.com and maintain player traffic, credit and ease of deposit and withdraw has to get the nod.

The real comparison is by downloading both sites and seeing for yourself:

http://www.bodoglife.com
http://www.sportsbook.com

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This article is a real comparison of current online poker bonuses, including details for you to invest your online poker bankroll wisely to get the best poker bonus for your situation. Keep in mind that the initial deposit bonus size and match % amount only tell a part of the story about the poker bonus. This article will detail and compare current poker bonus offers.

Compare Poker Bonuses - Best Poker Bonuses

Poker bonus money is widely available to online poker players – rooms offer these as an incentive to get you to play poker at their room. Clearing poker bonuses is an excellent way to grow your online bankroll. However not all bonuses are equal – it can pay to look beyond the ‘headline rate’ to see how good each bonus really is.

This guide will look at the details of some of the top online poker room bonuses available today and compare them on factors that matter to the player. This guide is in 3 parts. The table below will give you a quick overview of the main poker room bonuses and how they are cleared. Next details for each poker room are given, including clearance rates. Lastly we compare the rooms with each other.

Poker Bonus Money - Biggest / Largest Poker Bonus Comparison

Which online poker room offers the largest and biggest poker bonus on the planet?

1. BodogLife - $1000 Bonus.
2. Sportsbook.com - $1000 Bonus.
3. FullTiltPoker.com - $600 Bonus.
4. Doyles Room - $550 Bonus + SuperSystem I & II
5. Cake Poker - $500 Bonus
6. Mansion Poker - $500
7. PokerStars.com - $50

*all rooms match at 100% except BodogLife which does 10% automatic and no raked hands required, and DoylesRoom matches at 110%, max deposit $500 for the $550 bonus.
**all rooms require raked hands to release the bonus except Bodog (you cannot, however withdraw the 10% right away, but you can use it at the tables).

Easiest Poker Bonus to Release

1. PokerStars.com $50 - very easy and fast to release.
2. DoylesRoom $550 - not too bad, if you can stomach the sub par software
3. Other rooms release approximately the same, give or take.

Poker Room Bonus % 1st Deposit Bonus Code Notes
Poker Stars $50 100% FIRST2007 Released In Lump Sum
Full Tilt Poker $600 100% kickasspoker $20 or 10% increments
Cake Poker $500 100% KAP500 $10 Increments
Sportsbook Poker $650 100% KICKASS $10 Increments
Doyle’s Room $100 25% None Required Released In Lump Sum
Mansion Poker $500 100% kickass $10 Increments

Clearing and Earning your Poker Room Bonuses

Clearing poker room bonuses involves earning different kind of ‘points’ for either cash game play or from tournament entry fees. The points required and specifics of getting your bonus cash are detailed below:

Clearing Your Poker Stars Bonus:

While the headline rate Poker Stars sign-up bonus is at the smaller end, the PokerStars.com bonus is fast to clear for both cash and tournament players. The $50 bonus is a 100% match on your first deposit and is open to players with no previous real money deposits at this site.

The bonus code is ‘FIRST2007’.

Clearing the PokerStars bonus involves earning ‘Frequent Player Points’ (FPPs) to the value of 10 times the bonus amount.

The $50 is released in 1 lump when you reach 500 points.

The rate at which you earn FPPs is governed by the level at which you play and the game type. For games with betting at $1/$2 and lower one point is awarded for the first 40c in rake, a second when the rake reaches $2 and a third point over $5. FPPs are awarded at a rate of 5 for each $1 in tournament fees – including sit and go tournaments. It’s a very solid FPP system.

Clearing Your Full Tilt Poker Bonus:

Full Tilt Poker offers one of the larger sign-up bonuses – up to $600 as a 100% match on your first deposit with bonus code ‘kickasspoker’. This bonus is cleared by collecting Full Tilt Points (FTPs) and is released as chunks of $20 or 10% of your initial deposit, whichever is larger.

Each FPT is worth 6 cents in bonus money. These are awarded at the rate of one for each $1 in rake for cash games (up to a maximum of 3 points) and 7 for each $1 in tournament or sit and go fees. The Full Tilt Bonus is valid for 120 days starting from the initial deposit.

Clearing Your Cake Poker Bonus:

Cake Poker offers a 100% match on first deposit up to $500 for new players, the bonus code is KAP500. This bonus is released in increments of $10 as you accumulate enough Frequent Player Points (FPPs). This bonus is valid for 3 months after the ‘pending bonus’ amount is credited.

Earning FPPs at Cake Poker involves participating in raked hands or through tournament fees. 16.67 points are required for each $1 in bonus cash, each point being worth 6 cents. These are awarded at 1 per raked hand over $1 or 7 for each $1 in tournament / sit and go fees.

Clearing Your Sportsbook Poker Bonus:

The initial sign-up bonus at Sportsbook Poker is a generous 100% match on your first deposit up to $1000. You need to claim this bonus by going to the ‘Rewards’ tab then the ‘Deposit Bonus’ tab via the lobby and enter the bonus code KICKASS. You will then have 90 days to clear the bonus which is released in $10 increments.

Sportsbook poker has a similar system to many rooms – you need to collect FPPs which clear the bonus at a rate of 6c per point. Points awarded are 1 per dollar of rake (including fractions) up to a maximum of 3 per hand, and 7 per dollar in tournament or sit and go fees.

Clearing Your Doyle’s Room Poker Bonus

The bonus for new players at Doyle’s Room depends on your deposit method. The standard bonus is 25% on your first deposit up to $100. Players using Neteller get a larger bonus – 35% up to $135. The bonus is released in one lump sum once you have collected the required amount of ‘Action Points’, this does not expire and does not require a bonus code.

Action points are awarded for every hand you play where the rake is 25c or higher, the number of points depends on the stakes at which you play ranging from 0.5 at 5c / 10c, 10 points at $1 / $2 up to 40 points at $50 / $100 and above. 40 points are awarded for each $1 in tournament fees including sit and goes. To clear your bonus you must collect 100 times the bonus amount – 1000 points for the standard $100 sign-up bonus.

Clearing Your Mansion Poker Bonus

Mansion Poker offer a 100% match up to $500 for new players, the bonus code is ‘kickass’. This is released in $10 increments every time you earn 80 ‘My Player Points’ (MPPs). The bonus is valid for 90 days from the first hand you play.

MPPs are awarded for raked hands and for tournament fees. How many you earn depends the amount of rake and is awarded in fractions at the lower stakes. For example if the rake is between 10c and 19c you get 0.1 points, for $1 you get 1 point and at $3 (the maximum) you earn 3 points. 5 points are awarded for every $1 in tournament fees.

Compare Poker Bonus Money - Summary

While the overall bonus amount is important when judging the quality of the bonus, players also need to take into account how quickly they will be able to clear this bonus in their usual games.

The following list uses an average of 100 hands at $1 / $2 No Limit Holdem each with $1 in rake to show you the differences:

Of course, the headline bonus clearance rate is only one of several factors to take into account when choosing an online poker room. For details of many additional incentives, as well as an honest assessment of the pros and cons of different rooms, check out our online poker room reviews section today.

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This matchup was inspired by putting up the two largest USA friendly online poker sites against one another heads up, in a winner take all battle royal… Ok, maybe that is a bit much, but we will take a look at these two rooms and see which features make each room stand out above one another.

There is also a good poker forum thread comparing pokerstars vs fulltilt, feel free to check it out and to leave your comments about which room you like the best.

Of course, you can also visit www.pokerstars.com and www.fulltiltpoker.com to download the software yourself to test them yourself.

For another good Online poker vs Online poker matchup in the Bodog vs Sportsbook.com Poker matchup.

*hint, these two rooms are the two largest and highest quality online poker rooms, it’s going to be a good battle to see who comes out on top. We are comfortable with you playing at either of these rooms as they are secure, reliable and have excellent reputations from the online poker community.

Poker Room vs Poker Room Categories

• Software / Game Download
• Poker Players
• Traffic
• Game Selection
• Tournaments
• Bonuses
• Customer Support
• Deposit and Withdrawl

PokerStars.com and FullTiltPoker.com Software

PokerStars.com download at: http://www.pokerstars.com
FullTiltPokerdowload at: http://www.fulltiltpoker.com

Let’s start with screenshots from both online poker rooms.

The PokerStars.com Poker Table - Fully resizeable tables, easy to multi-table. Upload custom image. Responsive, fast and easy to use game interface. Good sound scheme as well, not annoying as some other sites. PokerStars.com is my personal favorite poker software. It is sleek, easy on the eyes, extremely stable, extremely user friendly, functional and with a large number of options. I really like it. The PokerStars lobby, tons of options in the ‘request’ file like look up a player, search for a tournament, get hand history as well as the standard features for the lobby like avg players per flop, hands per hour, avg pot size etc… The FullTiltPoker.com Table. Screenshot of a high stakes table, common on FullTilt Poker. This screengrab is from the “Racetrack” option with “Steel” Background. They also offer 4 other categories (reviewd below).The FullTiltPoker.com Lobby - You can also search for players, find tournaments and easy to navigate games.

PokerStars vs FullTilt Poker Software

• Both have tables that you can resize.
• Both offer smooth multi-table action
• Both accept USA Poker Players
• Both offer world class software
• Both offer Player to Player $$ transfers
• FullTilt has more customization options
• FullTilt is a Mac Friendly Poker site, - Poker Stars is not, although they are working on a Poker Stars Mac Compatible software.
• PokerStars software has a more stable reputation, although it is extremely rare for either of these rooms to be down. Imagine their hourly rake??? no way you’d let your site be down either
• Both have fair, respectable and trusted reputations from the online poker world.
• PokerStar.com allows custom image avatars, FullTiltPoker.com has a selection of graphic avatars.
• Poker Game Software winner - PokerStars.com

PokerStars.com simply sets the gold standard for the highest quality online poker software. Once you play there, you will understand.

FullTiltPoker.com is my second favorite online poker software, behind PokerStars.com and they do have more options so you can customize your online poker experience

FullTiltPoker.com offers more options for your table view. You can choose the classic view, with the larger cartoon like avatars that many people still use, and associate with FullTilt Poker.com.

With the classic view, your avatar has 4 facial expressions, from normal, to happy, to sad and to ‘what the fuck?’.

It was fun for a little while, but I switched to the racetrack view with avatars and is what I use mostly now.

Another cool feature of the Full Tilt Poker Game Download, is that you can open up the lobby and easily find out if a “Full Tilt Poker Pro” is playing. If they are, the table is highlighted in red. If you check the screenshot above you’ll see that there is a “Red” $1000/$2000 High Stakes Limit Texas Holdem game going on. Sick.

Pro’s play at PokerStars, but their tables look no different than any others in the lobby, so it is harder to find the pro’s. Also, the ‘named fulltiltpoker pro’s’ will have their real name as their avatar.

Custom Pro Avatars. Pro’s use their real name at Full Tilt. If you see Chris Ferguson at the table, it is really him. Check out these screenshots of Full Tilt Poker Pro’s like Phil Ivey vs Layne Flack.

I really can’t go wrong with recommending either of these poker softwares, so this won’t be the determining factor as to which of these mega giant online poker rooms wins the heads up poker room vs poker room battle.

Poker Players and Traffic at Full Tilt Poker vs Poker Stars

Poker Stars.com is the largest online poker room in the world in terms of real money poker players. Not only are they the largest, the 2nd place competitor whiThe day that PartyPoker.com left the USA poker market, PokerStars.com became the largest online poker site in the world.

Poker Stars is averaging over 10,000 real money players. That is almost twice their nearest competitor (FullTiltPoker and PartyPoker at a virtual dead heat for 2nd place with just over 5,000 Real money players avg each.).

FullTiltPoker.com has now moved to be in a pure dead heat for the 2nd largest online poker room in the world. At the time of this review, PokerSiteScout shows that both FullTilt and Party have 5200 real money players on average. They have the second most number of USA poker players online, and represent a huge portion of online poker players online poker site.

Combined, FullTiltPoker and PokerStars make up the vast majority of USA online poker players.

Fish Factor - How bad are the PokerStars and FullTilt Poker players?

PokerStars Players gets a 6.0 / 10 fish factor
FullTilt Players are on average 5.5 / 10 fish factor.

Honestly, there are plenty of good and bad players at both site, considering that nearly all the online ‘pro’s have accounts at both sites as to the vast majority of casual players. Once they get so big, there will always be a spot to find and make good money.

Fulltilt has slightly better players because of the ratio of the professionals that play on Full Tilt Poker.

Ok - I knew about let see about 6 or 7 “big name pro’s at PokerStars, but I’ve heard of nearly all of those guys at FullTiltPoker.com.

Alright, so that is a recap of the players at these rooms, Stars is slightly fishier in my opinion but only barely. There are plenty of bad players at both rooms. Plenty of traffic across all levels, all games.

Poker Game Selection at PokerStars.com and Full Tilt Poker

Massive game selection at both rooms. Texas Holdem, Limit and No-Limit, Omaha, Hi-Lo, Stud, HORSE, Ring Games from SNG’s, Tourneys, Satellites and Multi-Table events.

Full Tilt Poker does excel by offering RAZZ ring games, but my god why anyone would want to play Razz…. You think Holdem is Brutal?? Start playing Razz.

PokerStars Limits range from $.02/$.04 limit up to $1000/$2000 with steady traffic up through the $100/$200 levels. No Limit traffic starts at $.01/$.02 up to $200/$400, with steady traffic up to $25/$50 although a game breaks out at the highest levels every so often.

FullTiltPoker is the place to play for the highest stakes cash games online, PokerStars.com is the place to play for the biggest tournaments online anywhere.

FullTiltPoker wins the “Game Selection Category” offering a wider variety of games and traffic up to the highest levels on a regular basis.

Poker Tournaments at Poker Stars vs FullTilt Poker.

PokerStars.com has the largest weekly tournaments online. The “Sunday Million” tournament at PokerStars is their flagship weekly tournament and there is an incredible $1,000,000 guaranteed in the prize pool. They also offer warm up events with $500k and $250k guaranteed.

FullTiltPoker offers a $500k guaranteed on Sundays and nightly $50k guaranteed events called the “Fifty Fifty”. I personally like the Fifty Fifty because it is a $50 buyin and guarantees $50,000. Not bad.

PokerStars.com offers SNG’s from heads up through 180 man events. Buyins start at the $1.00+.20 up to the $2000+90. Note that the lowest stakes SNG’s have the biggest rake… if you can play at the $5+.50 level you’re only paying 10% rake, which isn’t as bad. 1500 chips, 10/20 starting blinds and 10 minute rounds, turbos half that.
FullTiltPoker.com offers SNG’s from $1+.25 up to $5000+200. Worse rake at the lowest stakes. SNG starting chips are $1500 starting chips and 15/30 starting blinds. 6 minute levels. Turbos have 3 minute rounds.

Overall Tournament Structure goes to Full Tilt Poker, because as this Full Tilt Poker Review says,

“Full Tilt Pokers blinds never double, leading to friendly blind to chip stacks in the all phases of tournaments, early, middle stages and late stages. Think about it, those pro players up above not only play at FullTiltPoker, but many of them were involved with the game design and creation, including blind structure(s). It’s very player friendly”

PokerStars vs FullTiltPoker Bonuses

These two bonuses are different as night and day.
Both match at 100% percent.
PokerStars is a $50 bonus match bonus that is easy to clear.

To earn this bonus, you will simply need to play on PokerStars and collect the number of Base FPPs equal to 10 times the bonus amount. You have six months after your first deposit to earn all the FPPs you need to cash out your bonus. *This promotion ends on December 31st, 2007.

FullTiltPoker offers a $600 bonus that is moderate to release, I think it more of the industry standard bonus for an established poker site.

At FullTiltPoker.com, Each player point is worth $.06, so you can earn up to $18 per hundred hands. The bonus amount will be automatically credited to your Bonus Account where it will be held and released to your cash account in increments of 10% of your initial deposit, or $20, whichever you earn first. So if you do a one-time deposit of $100, each $10 (10%) earned will be instantly released into your account. Deposit the full $600 and your account will get credited for each $20 of bonus earned. At three points per hand, each $20 increment can be earned in fewer than two hours of play at only one table.

PokerStars.com Bonus code = FIRST2008
FullTiltPoker.com Bonus code = KICKASSPOKER

*PokerStars.com Marketing Code also offered to lock in bonus.

Here is more detailed information on different Poker Bonus details.

PokerStars & FullTiltPoker Customer Support

Both offer email only customer support, as well as live support during game play. Both sites allow you to ‘chop’ near the end of tournaments, with live support at the table while the tournaments are underway.

Full Tilt Poker vs PokerStars.com Deposit and Withdrawl

Not a whole lot of comparisons to be made here as these two rooms have virtually the same deposit and withdraw methods including bank wire, debit cards, epassporte and pokerstars.com sometimes offers ‘e-checks’. The short answer is visit the cashier once you have an account and I’m quite certain you will be given plenty of ways to deposit. Withdrawls come via check, bankwire, epassporte and a few other options. Checks take about 2 to 3 weeks from both rooms.

PokerStars.com vs FullTiltPoker.com Final Recap

• Overall Winner - PokerStars.com
• Software / Game Download - PokerStars - the gold standard
• Poker Players - PokerStars
• Traffic - PokerStars (biggest in world)
• Game Selection - FullTiltPoker
• Tournaments - Wash - Both kick major ass
• Bonuses - FullTiltPoker (bigger)
• Customer Support - Wash
• Deposit and Withdrawl - Wash
• Both offer a Mac Friendly Download (Stars is in Beta Testing still)

Again - the best way to see which one you like the best is to simply download the software and see for yourself.

http://www.pokerstars.com
http://www.fulltiltpoker.com

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