US Friendly

Unfortunately Party Poker no longer takes U.S. customers. They used to until the United States passed the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act that restricted online gambling in the U.S.

Party Poker has continued to work with the United States and is likely to be one of the first poker rooms to re-enter the U.S. market when the U.S. decides to regulate online poker and open up the market again.

Game Selection, Limits and Rakes

Party Poker spreads the most popular games that players are looking for - Texas Hold'em, Omaha and Seven-Card Stud. They provide No-Limit, Limit and Pot-Limit varieties as well as Hi/Lo versions for Omaha and Stud.

The games are somewhat concentrated on the No-Limit Hold'em games ins the small and middle limits, but Party Poker provides a variety of stakes from low to high for players.

Party Poker's rake doesn't favor the low-limit games where it can run as high as 10%. In those lower level games, the rake can be as much as 50¢ when the pot reaches $5. At the higher stakes, however, Party Poker has a very favorable rate. For tournaments, the value is better for higher buy-in games rather than low buy-in games.

Tournaments

Party Poker offers a variety of the regular tournaments offered by most poker sites, but it has a few that are unique. It's signature tournament is the Party Poker Million which is actually played out live ever year on a cruise ship in the Mediterranean. Players can win their way into that tournament via satellites on Party Poker.

Players can also win their way to other live tournaments through Party Poker qualifiers. The site has sent players to the World Series of Poker and hosts televised events in the U.K. that players can win a seat in.

Party Poker also offers HellKat tournaments which are time based rather than playing having to get down to a final winner. In this case, the tournaments have a set period of time to play out, and they're perfect for people who don't have an unlimited amount of time to play in a tournament.

Party Poker also offers a $300,000 guaranteed tournament every Sunday and has more than $50,000 a month in free tournaments. Some of the tournaments are also country and region specific.

Rewards

Party Poker has a Party Points system that rewards players for their loyalty. The more regularly you play on the site, the more points you can earn to move up in levels of their VIP program. You earn points whenever you play on the site which can be redeemed for tournament entries, cash and special promotions depending on what level you are.

The site also tracks a weekly and monthly tournament leaderboard that rewards the top ranked players each week and month. Those players earn seats in free tournaments that give away up to $5,000.

Traffic

Party Poker may no longer accept U.S. customers but it still has the most consistent traffic 24/7. The peak times are during the European peak hours, but Party Poker's ring-game action is very solid and consistently has the second and third most traffic of any online poker site.

Software

Party Poker's software is designed first and foremost for ease of use. It has a simple layout and quick loading times. As the software has been upgraded over the years, Party Poker has worked to retain a stable and clean interface while still being able to add in new features.

In fact, Party Poker was the first site to incorporate resizable tables that allow players to multi-table more easily, and it offers a tournament deal making interface allowing players to make a deal when tournaments are getting down to the wire.

Party Poker's software also has a "Play Anywhere" version that works within a browser for play on any type of operating system.

Support

Party Poker has one of the best customer support systems with 24/7 service both through e-mail and the telephone. You can reach customer support via info@partypoker.com and a toll free telephone support number for your region, or the default number of +1 866-848-7537 (charges will apply).

Support is offered in 12 languages and the support staff is considered courteous and helpful.

Pros

• Party Poker has lots of soft competition at the tables
• Software offers play in several languages
• Supports all major poker software like Poker Tracker and Calculatem
• Ability to set up private tables with real or play money stakes
• Large player base makes it easy to find a game at the stakes you want

Cons

• Doesn't allow U.S. players
• Very basic statistics and analysis
• No micro buy-in tournaments or micro stakes ring games

««  Play Now  »»