Poker and Gambling

It’s easy to find a poker site or a poker tournament online–they’re everywhere. But finding a good place to play can be tough. There are literally thousands of poker sites to choose from, most of them offering everything from table games to online poker tournaments. If you’re serious about online poker and gambling, picking the right site and the right tournament is crucial to your game.

#1 Site for Tournament Play- PokerStars.com

PokerStars.com is the second best poker site on the net overall (PartyPoker.com gets the top honor) and the absolute best tournament site online. If you haven’t checked them out yet, it’s worth giving the site a try.

PokerStars.com is the market leader in online poker tournaments. Home to the last three World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event winners (Chris Moneymaker- 2003, Greg Raymer- 2004, and Joseph Hachem- 2005), PokerStars.com brings in thousands of new players on a daily basis and offers a nice range of competition.

At PokerStars.com, you’ll find that the software is top-notch and always runs fast and smooth. Plus, players get a great overview of their standing in tournaments as they’re playing. Statistics functions also set this site’s software apart from others. Players no longer have to track their own game data; PokerStars.com does it for them.

Here are a few other things that make PokerStars.com a great place to play:

• Tournament Software. PokerStars.com is well known for their online tournament play and the tournament software that they employ sufficiently handles all of the traffic that comes through. You won’t ever have any platform problems and you’ll enjoy the special tournament features, such as an even balance of tables throughout tournament play.
• PokerStars Blog. Poker star Brad “Otis” Willis serves as the chief blogger and offers top-quality playing advice and poker news to site visitors.
• Game Variety. PokersStars.com features the best game variety on the web, offering good action and good volume. Major games include different versions of Omaha, 7-Card Stud, and Holdem. You can also find micro-limit games starting as low as $0.01/$0.02.
• Soft Competition. You’ll have no problems finding players at all different skill levels here. A good player can do very well exploiting tight games. You’ll also encounter a nice selection of inexperienced players who barely know the difference between a full house and a flush.
• Rakes. Great rakes. You’ll find that the rakes are especially good at micro-limit tables and high stakes games.
• Statistic Trackers. The trackers here are better than average. Not only can you get notes on other players, you can also see your own playing statistics and get good lobby info that includes flop percentages and more.
• Fun Pictures. PokerStars.com lets you see your competitor’s poker face, by allowing players to upload actual pictures of themselves– much more personal than blinking lights and text boxes. Not a major feature, but it does add a measure of fun and a level of hilarity to the game that you can’t find on every site.
• Tournament Variety. You’ll find quite a few different special event tournaments here. There is also no shortage of satellite tournaments. PokerStars.com offers satellites for most major “land” tournaments, such as the World Series of Poker, the Professional World Poker Tour, and the World Poker Tour. By far, this site offers the best tournament play currently available on the Internet, providing everything from sit-and-go tournaments to fixed schedule play.
• Tournament Traffic. PokerStars.com plays host to the world’s largest online poker tournaments and consistently has more tournament traffic than any other online poker site.
• Prize Pools. The tournament prizes vary on PokerStars.com. You can win anything from straight cash to “Tournament Dollars” to entry into another poker tournament. With special events constantly being scheduled and daily tournaments, there is plenty of money to be made on the site.
• Loyalty Bonuses. If you’re a regular player, you can take advantage of the many loyal player bonuses and programs that are offered by PokerStars.com, such as Frequent Player Points (FPPs).
• VIP Club. If you’re a real frequent player on the site, you can join the VIP Club, which offers a variety of player benefits, such as tournament entries and extra FPPs.
• Re-deposit Bonuses. There are plenty of promotions here, including re-deposit bonuses where you can get a 20-25% match on deposits up to $600.
• Easy Deposits/Quick Payout. There are many different deposit and payout options available. Payout time is usually 8 hours with NETeller.
• Security. You can definitely feel secure when playing at PokerStars.com. The security system is extremely advanced and exceeds the systems used by most sites. PokerStars.com also has a no tolerance policy when it comes to cheaters. In addition to having software that detects unusual patters, the site also has manual investigators that can help to protect you from colluders and any other player who has less than honest intentions.
• Support. There is no live telephone support, but the email support here is excellent. Available 24/7, the support crew can offer advice and resolve any customer service issue that you may have.