With PartyPoker taking the overall prize from ThePokerResource.net, it's no doubt that they would have the highest score in one of our biggest category. The overall arrangement and design of their site is practical,
maneuverable, and without too much clutter considering they are by far the busiest site.
Perhaps their increasingly large number of users can be blamed for their lagging customer support response time? However, their customer support/service is still solid, and their responsiveness really isn’t any slower than other sites, but they did used to be faster. Also, they still seem to keep the site maintained and running well. They have an abundance of the usual deposit/withdrawal options, as well as their very own iGM-Pay option for U.S. customers. You can read a little bit more about iGM-Pay in the PartyPoker review section, but it basically allows for immediate deposit of funds from your checking account via the Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) system. Along with instant deposit benefits, iGM-Pay also provides for the quickest withdrawals (in my experience, two business days from initiating the withdrawal until the funds were in my bank account!).
Ease and speed of deposit/withdrawal services should be a big deal for both players and the poker sites. It should be clear what players can expect, and therefore something that customers will not have to worry about or constantly follow up on. Of course, it’s no coincidence that deposits are generally easier and quicker across the board. But it is only right for customers to demand and expect the same kind of service for withdrawals. PartyPoker offers this kind of responsive withdrawal service, as mentioned above. Paradise Poker is among the fastest for withdrawals via FirePay (often same-day confirmation of FirePay transfer from Paradise), with PokerRoom and PokerStars close behind (FirePay withdrawals confirmed completed within one day). And even though Pacific Poker advertises fast withdrawals, it still took about three business days before the transfer was confirmed in FirePay (which is average at best compared to the other sites we've reviewed). Both HoldemPoker and EuroPoker are PokerRoom skin sites, with each specializing in slightly different services: HoldemPoker focuses on a broad player base with action for beginners and regulars alike; while EuroPoker has multilingual versions for Spanish, German, Russian and Polish players. PokerStars also has multilingual versions of their site, as well as MultiPoker, which is also renowned for fast cashier services for European players.
For the overall site/services category, Noble Poker is a newcomer worth discussing here. They have a great overall look and feel that shows promise. Even their bell letting you know it's your turn is nice...effective, yet not annoying. However, game play doesn't seem to flow very well playing at more than one table at time. Also, if you're in a tournament, you can't pull up the tournament info page without freezing the rest of the site up. So you can't keep a tournament info page up and peruse other action on the site.
Both Ultimate Bet and Green Tie Poker are twin sites, utilizing the same software with the same players, paralleled amenities, but have slightly different graphics. They're popular sites, and I've spent some time on both, but they haven't changed much since I first played on Ultimate Bet last year. One main issue is the table view. I like to mostly look down on a table, with positions/points of view changing slightly due to the seating arrangement around the table. But no matter where you sit down on a table at Ultimate Bet and Green Tie, your perspective always moves to the bottom of the screen. (I will attempt to show an example of this in the Ultimate Bet/Green Tie section.) It may not seem like a big deal, but it takes away a lot from the online game for me...mostly for the fact that you always end up on the bottom/middle of each screen, making it difficult to position and view multiple games on your screen. They do have a great mini-view for Hold'em, which turns the table into a graphic strip with all of the players lined up in a row. However, they have yet to apply the mini-view for 7-Card Stud games, which I play often. I was informed last year that they would soon have the mini-view option available for Stud games, but I still have yet to see any such changes.
Bodog Poker is also a respectable newcomer worth checking out. They've invested quite a bit of money to market the site. Offer an array of poker games, casino games, and even a full sportsbook, which are neatly run in separate sections of the site. The site looks fresh, yet simple at the same time. And as vague as that critique may seem, it is indicative of one of Bodog's few standout qualities: Bodog is a new, young poker site with an attractive look, and yet the overall site and services are just average. |
