Reading Online Poker Reviews 2

In part 1, we laid it out for you on what online poker reviewers when evaluating an online poker room.

In part 1, we also had an in-depth discussion of software and graphics, game variation and limits, and traffic. This concluding article will explore the information contained in the rest of the sections of a typical online poker review.

Competition

In an online poker review, you will find the measurement of skill prevalent in the various poker games (Texas Hold’em, etc.), types (ring games), betting structures (limit poker) and stakes.

Fish pertains to a player who is not very good. They make frequent bad bets and can be intimidated easily. A good poker player can beat a fish constantly and with ease.

Now, a shark refers to skillful players that devour fish.

Bonuses

This section of an online poker review will discuss the type of signup bonus you’ll receive, which is usually a percentage of your first deposit, and any other bonuses offered at the online poker site.

A few common bonuses are as follows:

Bad Beat Bonus – If you lose a hand bearing a value higher than a certain amount (usually four Qs), you win the biggest chunk of a bonus that is shared between all the players that posted blinds in that particular round.

Magic Hand Bonus – Each round or hand in an online poker game is assigned a number. In this type of bonus, the online poker room selects a random number, say, every 500,000th hand, and gives each player who posted blinds on that particular hand a share of the bonus—the largest share going to the winning hand.

High Hand Bonus – This type of bonus is given to a poker player that gets the highest ranking hand above a minimum hand in a set period of time, without folding.

Progressive Bonuses or Jackpots – These bonuses start at a specific amount and increases each day without a winner claiming the bonus. The amount is reset to its starting level after a winner has claimed it.

Rake

This is the commission the online poker site takes for each hand played. The average rake is 5% of the pot, and it may be up to but not exceeding $3. There are online poker sites that take smaller cuts from smaller pots or low stakes games.

It should be noteworthy that some online poker sites have a marvelous “No Flop/No Drop” policy, which states that if a player doesn’t stay in to see the flop, no rake is taken.

Customer Service

This part of the online poker review indicates the information on how to reach the online poker site’s customer support (toll-free voice support, email, chat), including its operating hours (preferably 24/7), and most importantly, the quality of service, the politeness and quickness of response.

Promotions

Just like bonuses but being granted a section in an online poker review, promotions are extraordinary, time-dependent events that generally give out special prizes that include huge jackpots, trips, cars, and free tickets in World Poker Tour (WPT) and World Series of Poker (WSP) events.

Deposits and Cashouts

In an online poker review, you’ll find a couple of things in this section: first, the payment methods accepted in making deposits and Cashouts such as PayPal, credit cards, NETeller, etc. And second, the timeliness, dependability and security involved in the processing of the online poker site’s transactions.

Ease of Use

This section discusses the usability and the ability of the site’s software interface to easily work with its users. Moreover, you will find out how the lobby is structured and all the information essential in playing poker at the site including the following:

Hands per hour – This is an indicator of how quick the game moves and could be a measuring instrument of the experience level of the poker players.

Average pot – This shows how aggressive the players are betting and how much you can expect to win or lose each hand.

Flop percentages – Tells of the average number of players staying at the table to see the flop. This also tells of how loose they’re playing.

With this very useful, two-part guide to reading online poker reviews, you should be playing at the perfect online poker room for you right this very moment!