Whether you are playing real money poker in a brick-and-mortar casino or online, you should always ensure that the room is reputable and is playing by the rules. Here’s our guide to the top attributes help you find the most reputable online real money poker rooms and make sure the experience is as positive as possible.
Facility Quality
When logging on to a poker app, it will be obvious what the quality of the software is like. Does it work seamlessly or lag? Does it have additional features that allow you to look at the other players’ win records? If it feels like it belongs in the 1990s, it might be worth logging out and trying another site.
By comparison, when you enter a real-world poker room, is the table in good condition or is it ripped? Are the cards tatty? Is the seating comfortable? All these attributes are normal requirements and are massive red flags if they’re not up to standard.
Brand Reputation
This one comes before you even log on or step in the door at a casino. If an online operator has been trading for years, then there’s a good chance that they are abiding by the law as they’ve not been shut down. Of course, doing a small amount of research will go a long way to find out the customer reviews are saying.
I.e. if you’re new in town and haven’t heard of a local casino, it’s best to make sure it’s not got a reputation for fleecing players.
Player Traffic
In theory, you can play poker by yourself but you probably won’t make much money. Therefore making sure that a poker room has enough people in it (and by extension the casino is well attended) to populate the table is essential. Online tables also need this as playing with AI just isn’t as good.
There are multiple sites that monitor player traffic on different platforms. Having a rich portfolio of people visiting the site will ensure that you get to play with lots of different people executing a multitude of different strategies.
Decent Customer Service
Whether you have a question about the poker variation, stake, or a general query about the facilities any poker room worth its salt should be able to answer patrons’ questions. In a real-world setting, this might be visible by game hosts or other staff who appear friendly and attentive.
On the online variation, a decent customer service page with various mediums to get in touch with a representative should be present. If a business shies away from talking to its customers then it’s a major red flag and you should think twice about giving them your money.
Clear and Concise Information
One of the most important attributes of a casino operation is that information is clearly conveyed. Whether it’s the information about payment transactions (deposit or withdrawal) or the rules of a poker variation being played, this should be crystal clear.
Nobody wants to pitch up to a table, get halfway through a hand, and find out you’re playing Pineapple Hold’em instead of the regular Texas variation. In a casino, the games should be clearly labeled and visible before you take your seat at the table. Equally, online they should be as easy to find before clicking to enter a room.
Also, when it comes to sensitive actions like putting in money and taking it out, nobody likes ambiguity. If an establishment makes it an ordeal just to understand how you can take out your winnings then be sure to move on. After all, there are some vendors which hide terrible withdrawal limits meaning if you win big you can only take out portions of your money on a pre-determined schedule.
Atmosphere
Ok, measuring the atmospheric qualities can be very difficult as it is not tangible. However, at any poker room, you should be able to gauge whether you’re walking into a high-stakes game, a casual table, or a match between some aggressive players. Making sure that the room suits your style of play is a necessity. It’s much harder to do this online as you can’t see the other players in the flesh but you should be able to make an educated guess after a few hands.
