888 Poker

888 Holdings were one of the true pioneers of online gambling, their original site - casino-on-net -first appeared online in 1997. The company have remained as one of the industry leaders ever since, with the company branching out into sports betting, bingo and poker and today the 888 poker network is the second largest online. This review covers the global 888 Poker site. You will now find sites in 3 US states which are powered by 888 Poker software and run in conjunction with local casinos.

888 Poker Pros & Cons

One of the biggest advantages to playing at 888 poker is the ‘perfect’ combination of good traffic levels and loose play. This means you’ll virtually always be able to find a table to play at and when you sit down the play can be more ‘fishy’ than usual. You can add to this the no-deposit bonus offered to all new players as well as the impressive double your money welcome bonus, which will certainly set players off on the right foot. The instant play (no download required) option is a winner too. You can also play 888 Poker games on mobile phones and tablets.

The only small criticism you could level at 888 Poker is the fact that the customer services options are not easy to find, as they aim to push you in the direction of the help pages instead.

Playing Legal Poker at 888.com

You can’t reach the main 888 Poker site from within the US. The parent company pulled out following the UIGEA legislation in 2006. Recent changes in regulations from individual states have seen the 888 Poker platform return to the US. Currently this is limited to just three states – New Jersey, Delaware and Nevada. 888 Poker are the largest software provider for those three licensed states.

Outside the US, 888 Poker is popular worldwide, with a large player base in Europe.

In terms of player traffic, 888 Poker is the second largest online poker site, with only PokerStars seeing higher traffic levels. At peak times, you can find as many as 3,000 players or more on the cash tables, while with many times this number if you include tournament play too. The poker itself seems to be aimed at attracting recreational players, with fast paced variants of the game such as Snap (their lightning fast cash games) and Blast (jackpot tournaments) popular with much of the player base.

888 Poker Bonuses and Promotions

New players at 888 Poker will enjoy a no deposit bonus of €88 Bonus (or £20 in the UK) simply by registering and downloading the software. Then, on top of this, they offer a ‘double your money’ first deposit bonus of up €400 Bonus. This bonus is released in chunks of $10, so even if you fail to clear the whole amount within the allotted 90 days, you’ll still be able to claim some bonus cash. A number of other benefits will also head your way after that initial deposit. Firstly, you’ll gain 7 tickets to the $ / € / £ 400 first depositor’s freeroll, as well as a pair of tickets to the $1,000 depositor’s freeroll and a single ticket to the first depositors challenge tournament.

Existing players will enjoy the ‘challenge’ based rewards program where completing any of these challenges will see you move up a level and collect a bunch of gold tokens which can be redeemed for prizes. You can also spin a bonus wheel each time you log on. This awards Blast poker tickets, tournament entries and other prizes.

888 Poker Deposits and Withdrawals

As you might expect from a global company such as 888 Poker, the deposit options are wide ranging and can change from country to country. Visa credit and debit cards are available worldwide, as are MasterCard deposits. PayPal, Skrill and Neteller are all available too. Other methods include ApplePay, EntroPay, iDebit, WebMoney and both wire and bank transfers. Check the website to see which other options are available within your jurisdiction.

To make a withdrawal, head to the cashier, click on ‘withdrawal’, submit your chosen amount and then choose from the available withdrawal methods on a drop-down list. In many cases, withdrawals will be offered to the same method you used to make your deposit.

888 Poker Game Selection

At 888 Poker you’ll find a good mix of games available. You have the standard cash game section, where table selection can be made quick and easy by using the ‘beginners’ or ‘quick seat’ tabs. Holdem, Omaha and Stud are the three poker variations, with low stakes holdem tables the busiest. As well as cash games you also have the sit and go and tournament section. You’ll find a range of games that will suit all players, including games of different speeds, table sizes and buy-ins. Tournament players will especially enjoy the satellite events, where seats at the World Series of Poker can be won. Look out for the tournament events under the name ‘Super XL Series’, these feature 10 day online events with big guaranteed prize tournaments.

‘Snap’ is the high paced cash game at 888 Poker where players will find themselves in a pool with other players - and be seated at a new table the instant they hit fold or the previous hand ends. This game is said to be around four times the speed of standard cash games. ‘Blast’ is the jackpot sit and go variant at 888 Poker, where players will buy-in to a 4-player hyper turbo tournament (with 2 minute levels), but won’t know the size of the pay out until it is revealed at the start. The maximum prize at these tables is 10,000x the size of your buy-in.

888 Poker History

In 1997 two pairs of Israeli brothers, Ron and Shay Ben-Yitzhak and Aaron and Avi Shaked, founded Virtual Holdings Limited, who would launch the Casino-on-net virtual casino, one of the very first real money casinos found online. Poker came along in 2002, when ‘Pacific Poker’ was launched – it was rebranded as 888 poker in 2005, the Pacific Poker brand would coexist alongside it.

888 Poker would leave the US market in 2006 after the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act was passed, although would continue to thrive in the rest of the world, becoming the second largest poker site. In 2013, the site would return to the US. While a number of rival sites have been beset by problems over the years, especially around the time of ‘Black Friday’, 888 Poker has remained scandal-free and have established a healthy reputation within the industry.