Choosing an online poker room and making it your favorite to play in every day is not easy. We can find many options on the web, however, not all of them offer us what we need or protect us as they should. And we see more and more complaints on the web through forums, social networks and comments in publications about users who have had bad experiences with some poker rooms. Our goal in this article is to help you learn how to choose a place where you can play poker peacefully and have an honest gaming experience.
Therefore, in this article we present you 5 essential keys that you should take into account to choose the best online poker room. Pay attention to our recommendations before you start playing poker with your computer.
Make sure the game is regulated
When playing online the most important thing is that the game gives you confidence. You are going to bet your money online -without even seeing the players’ faces-, therefore, you need that the money you are going to deposit is in a safe place and that you can withdraw it when you need it without complications. In addition, the poker room must guarantee you a totally impartial algorithm when dealing the cards, prohibit the use of external applications and ensure that the games are carried out without any bad intentions. Not all betting rooms can guarantee this, however, if you choose a room with the seal of the Dirección General de Ordenación de Juego (DGOJ), you will have more peace of mind and security. Gaming rooms must have this license granted by the Spanish government in order to be trusted. Normally the logo usually appears below or in the upper bar.
Be wary of offers
Not everything that glitters is gold. This is something you should always keep in mind when looking for a new poker room to join. While it is true that many of them offer sign-up bonuses, such as deposit bonuses, reload bonuses or loyalty bonuses, not all of them meet the same conditions. It is possible that when it comes to withdrawing the money you will have more complications than you imagined at the beginning, therefore, what you have to do -before making any money deposit- is to read the fine print. Also, pay special attention to the rakeback.
We have talked about this concept several times in our blog. The rakeback is a percentage of the commission or rake that the poker room charges for each hand played that, at least, has reached the flop and that it returns to the players depending on their VIP system. In the end, it is another type of offers that you should always look at with a magnifying glass, especially because the latter is related to more frauds than the others, specifically in the case of unregulated operators licensed in Spain. If a poker room offers you rakeback, look at the confidence it transmits (if it is regulated, the domain, the opinions, the prestige…).
The prestige of the poker room
In relation to the previous point, the prestige of a poker room has to do with its trust and popularity. One of the indicators that can help you to know if a poker room is reliable, for example, is whether it is listed on the stock exchange. However, the poker room should also have a customer service telephone number or other means of contact so that, in case of need, you can contact the operators and solve your problem. In addition, keep in mind that the poker rooms with great prestige have a larger number of players, which will give you the option of being able to play practically whenever you want. They also develop applications for your smartphone or tablet.
Casinos, poker rooms and schools
Casinos, poker rooms and schools are not the same. When we talk about starting to play in a poker room you should completely forget about casinos. Yes, it is true that an online casino can have poker rooms, however, the features they offer are not the same as those in a poker room, in addition, the options are usually much more limited. But not only that, the problem will also be the number of players, which will be much smaller, which means that you will have to wait a long time between games.
In the case of poker schools, these consist of web projects of affiliates of the rooms. That is, people who act as commercial mediators between a poker room and the final client -or player, in this case-. The way in which affiliates work is different from the way a bookmaker does it, therefore, it is important that you document how each one of them works and how they work. Our recommendation is to trust only those that have years of experience in the industry and visibility in the most important online poker portals.
Variety of games and other issues
Last but not least is the variety of games available. There are many types of poker and each player has his favorite or plays in several of them. Why opt for a poker room that offers only one type of poker if you can opt for another one with more types of games? Now, in addition to the variety of games, also take into account that the room offers the option of live poker and that there are multiple tournaments so that you can play simultaneously and without getting bored. Finally, pay attention to whether the poker room has an app -and that it is of high quality-. This way you will be able to play poker anywhere. The interface of the software for browsers must also be adequate, to avoid getting stuck and other unwanted actions that can make you lose a lot of money.
