Choosing the right poker site.
There are a huge number of poker sites out there offering different bonuses. The CoronaVirus pandemic has forced a lot of people to stay at home and a lot of the poker sites are taking advantage of this by offering bonuses to players.
However, new players should understand some of the bonuses are standard and sometimes big bonuses are there to lure you to play but you may not be getting the best deal.
Fly by night companies could also create sites that offer huge bonuses just to lure you to deposit money. Be careful.
Point system Versus Rakeback
The point system and Rakeback are both the same bonus. the only difference is that point system is tiered where the more you play the higher your rank goes and bonus you receive.
The biggest poker site in the world is Pokerstars. They do not offer any Rakeback. What they offer is a point system where the more you play the better you can earn rewards.
The point system of Pokerstars is not the most generous of the bonuses offered by poker sites. roughly it may be more or less equivalent to 30% in Rakeback.
As we are living in a post-truth era. There are agents that would promote Rakeback as the new system and more effective. Pokerstars is still number 1 in terms of traffic and volume. Rakeback and point systems are both good systems.
Rakeback are offered by other companies as bonuses. The normal ranges are from 30-50%. although some sites even offer up to 200%
Pros and Cons
Although both systems have the basic concept where to reward players with something of value the more they play. High Rakeback should never be the reason for accepting to play on a site.
In the case of Pokerstars, their point system may be relatively cheaper. however, they make it up with a lot of tournaments like the recently concluded Anniversary tournament which was 12.5 million USD Guaranteed for a relatively cheap price. As they do not give a huge Rakeback equivalent. They are able to create better programs.
Poker is a very unique game where the house only deals with the cards and it is a player versus player scenario.
Apps where you can make home games are quite abundant. A lot of agents offer huge Rakeback. We would stress to be very careful with these apps.
If a club owner offers a huge Rakeback. be very careful and check their game out. We have visited many of these clubs and unions and found a lot of them are practicing less than honest practices.
Understand that club owners and poker sites are still businesses with a cost. without being able to maintain the cost then they will not be able to sustain their game.
1. House stakes
A house will usually have house players. as poker needs a minimum number of players for a game to start. We know of a new club of an app that has more than 70% house stake.
A house stake is where a player is stake by the house. In essence, they play like house players however a house stake is where the owners of the club also have a share of the winnings.
No matter how good of a player you are. when you are the only target. then you are not really in a good position.
2. Bots
Bots do exist, bots are programs that will play base on a certain pattern. instead of hiring house players, some club owners use bots.
One of the biggest differences between club owners of apps and poker sites is that poker sites will be held liable if they make such practices. With clubs and unions. the developer of the app has limited responsibility.
Some sites like J88 poker are very strict with these types of programs. They have a live team that monitors games. Although there are various detections programs. J88 is still quite active in monitoring such sites to ensure “Fairplay” and will withhold any suspicious activity.
With home game Apps. there are quite a number of measures you can check to see how legit is the home game. Hence we recommend players who want to play Upoker to check this group out.
As home games apps are already booming. Digital Poker Asia is an independent group and is not connected with Pokercast Asia. however, they were helpful in assisting us with learning about this new trend.
Here are some of the guidelines we use
1. Who are the Owners of the club?
Finding out who are the owners of the club is vital. Whether the owner or owners are reputable. Ask your friends about them. Their history can sometimes speak volumes.
2. How many players do you know personally that plays in that club?
Many players do their own homework as well. if you know some of the players. the best way is to talk to them as well.
3. What are there policies against collusion and bots?
Policies are still set by clubs. understanding their policies and how strict they are in implementing them is also a vital factor. what good are the rules if they are not implemented?
We welcome other groups to share their experiences and ideas. In these times of crisis where everyone’s mobility is limited. we are grateful for any support like information regarding other tips and advice.
