Best Poker Rooms With Lots of Players

Poker Sites With the Most Players: Differences and Similarities

I've found that there are many differences between the high-traffic poker sites. Here are the most important ones:

- Some sites are network skins, and others stand alone.
- Some poker sites are US-friendly, and others are not.
- Some sites offer casino games, and others just poker.
- Some sites give great bonuses, and others skimp out.

Let's take a more in-depth look at each of these differences. Then, we'll be more able to see which poker rooms are the best choices for us.

Network Skins vs. Standalone Sites

Some of the poker sites out there are simply branches of a larger poker network. A skin will offer its own unique software, run its own promotions, and diversify in various ways; but the traffic at the skin comes from a pool of players all part of the same traffic network.

Take Lock Poker, for example. Lock is an excellent skin with great software and sick bonuses. But when you sign up at Lock, you're not playing against only Lock Poker players; you're playing against all of the customers at sites affiliated with the Merge Poker network. Lock Poker and Carbon Poker are both Merge skins, and both share the same pool of players.

A standalone site doesn't share traffic with anyone. For example Pokerstars only hosts the players that sign up through Pokerstars, and no skins have access to these players.

US-Facing Sites vs. Non-US Poker Sites

In 2006, the United States Congress passed an item of legislation called the "Safe Port Act." For all intents and purposes, this was just a normal bill. Except for one small thing: hidden deep in the bill was the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, which aimed to ban companies from processing online gaming transactions in the US.

Once the UIGEA passed, some poker rooms pulled out of the American market. Although the UIGEA doesn't make the act of playing illegal, it does make payment processing a real hassle -- and online payment processing is a huge part of a poker site's business. So some poker sites decided it just wasn't worth the hassle, and closed their doors to Americans. Party Poker and Bet365 are examples of rooms that pulled out.

If you're from the US, this is pretty important. Some of the poker sites with the most players accept Americans, and some don't. You'll obviously have to chose one of the former, as long as you're a resident of the US.

Lock Poker is one of the highest-traffic US poker rooms online. There are over 7,000 cash game players at the Lock tables, on average, at any given time; and there are around three times more playing the tournament tables, as well. What's more, Lock Poker accepts American players with open arms. It's one of the best options for Americans who want a high-traffic poker room.

BetOnline.com is another US-friendly site with a staggering amount of traffic. You can expect to find around 5,000 players at the cash game and tournament tables on average. Obviously, there are still good options for American players.

Sites With Casinos vs. Poker-Only Sites

Some of the poker sites with the most players have casinos directly attached to the poker lobby; others offer standalone casinos as separate downloads; and others don't have casinos at all.

This can actually make a huge difference in terms of opponent quality. The type of opponent who is attracted to a poker site with table games is the type of opponent you want to play against. Online roulette and blackjack players are gamblers, straight-up. And often, gamblers are quite bad at poker. So playing at a site like 888 Poker, which operates one of the most established online casinos in the business, is a good bet if you're looking for soft cash games.

Sites With Good Bonuses vs. Cheap Sites

Pretty much every poker site offers its players poker bonuses. Often these come in the form of a first deposit bonus or a reload bonuses.

Some of the poker sites with lots of players offer really great bonuses, while others offer next to nothing. It's a difference of philosophy. Some sites figure, "well, we're already big, so we don't need to give out free money." Other sites figure that rewarding players for staying active is a good business move, and so are generous with their bonuses.

I wouldn't want to give my rake to a poker site that sees me as 'just a number.' And by stiffing players on bonuses, that's essentially what these sites do -- they say, "thanks for playing, but we don't really care about you."

On the other hand, I'll be fiercely loyal to a site that appreciates my business. Bonuses are a win-win: I get some free money to pad my bankroll, and the poker site keeps me at the tables. A site that gives good bonuses is, in my opinion, probably a better place to play at than a site that skimps out. So when you're comparing poker sites with the most players, take deposit bonuses into account.