Summary of 888 Poker Room

Those who enjoy a speedy, uncluttered mode of play could not ask for more than what is offered at 888poker.com. Fast to download and set up, you can be playing at the tables in a matter of minutes. Finding the table for you is made even faster with the 'Quickseat' option, and there are hundreds of options to choose from. The lobby interface is clear-cut and refreshingly simple, play is extremely fast-paced, and aesthetic enhancements are kept to an absolute minimum (even the face-cards are graphically very basic). Yet this means that movements on screen, from items such as cards and chips are extremely smooth, which makes for very enjoyable, if simple, play.

Promotions and Bonus Information

888 Poker are offering new users a free £5 bonus when they sign up, no strings attached and no deposit needed. Naturally their hope is that players will fritter it right back into their hands at the cash tables, but one or two lucky individuals may be able to take their complimentary fiver and turn it into £50 (or perhaps more?). If you are part of a poker-playing syndicate, then there is also a cash bonus for introducing a friend. Once they start playing 'real poker' (I'm working on the assumption that this refers to cash games only) you will be given a complimentary $50, while your buddy will receive $25 and the chance to receive a 100% welcome bonus with his first deposit, good for up to $400. The sign up bonus is released in $10 increments, with $10 being awarded for every 100 poker points earned.

Poker Traffic

While not enjoying the screen upon screen of tables found in other online rooms, 888poker has enough to keep players of all levels and abilities satisfied. The lack of mass volume of playable tables is in fact not necessarily as bad thing, as with a narrower choice means a more finely honed selection for the user, who does not have to trawl long to find the right one for them. Tables are also often helpfully named after locations, so you can be sure of chatting with players in your area. During peak hours you can expect to see around 2000 players at cash tables, and around 7000 participating in the tournaments.

Software and Graphics

The software and graphics are both very modest, but this is more than made up for in the speed and flow of game play. For those players who are less-than-impressed with the concept of 3-D poker and complex avatars, the website offers a simple yet effective engine which opts for practicality over ornamentation. With the application focusing on simplicity and speed instead of intricate visuals, lags are non-existent, and you can have as many windows open on the desktop as you like without any interference or break in play. This means players can gamble to their hearts content while listening to music, watching a movie, chatting to friends or surfing the net without fear of interruption or crashes. The only drawback is that the application window is not re-sizeable, which means if you are playing while performing other tasks it will dominate most of your screen, and is automatically brought to the fore when you are required to perform an action. 888 are on an independent player network, so the player base is not shared with any other online rooms.

Game Variety

Several poker variants are offered, including Hold'em No-limit, Hold'em Pot-limit, Hold'em limit, Omaha Hi/Lo, Stud Hi/Lo, Sit & Go and Tournaments. Players also have the option to participate in cash games (by selecting 'Money Play') or hone their skills in free-play mode (by selecting 'Practice Play'). The Lobby also provides links to other 888 betting options, such as 888Blackjack, 888Sports, 888Bingo and 888Casino.

Tournaments and Free rolls

As well as fast-paced gameplay, 888poker offers a healthy selection of freeroll games for players to try and earn a bit of complimentary cash along with other fantastic prizes. You can play your way to the Irish Poker Open through a daily satellite freeroll game which takes place weekdays at 17:35 GMT, with Qualifier games happening on Sundays at 20:05 GMT. The prize is a $7200 package to the IPO 2011 which includes a seat at the Main Event, hotel costs, spending money, invitation to an exclusive 888poker VIP event and other goodies, including a Sony Blog Camera. The 'Turn Days into Cash' offer means that the more you play on 888poker, the more you stand to win. Play 2 days a week & you will receive entry to a weekly $500 Freeroll on Saturday night at 19:00 GMT, play for 4 and you will have access to a weekly $4000 freeroll Saturday at 20:00 GMT, 6 days and you earn a place in the fortnightly Saturday $10, 000 freeroll. Cash Tournament buy-ins at 888poker range from 8 cents to $300. Also every Thursday players can attempt to beat Team888 pro Leo Margets for $10+$1, and claim the $1000 bounty on her head in the 'A Por Ela' bounty-hunter tournaments. You may not be smothered in luxurious graphics, but there is enough choice to keep even the most serious poker addict satisfied.