888 Poker is an award-winning platform that offers excellent gameplay to millions of players across the world. Dedicated to giving users the best poker experience, it’s easy to see why we’ve rated 888 Poker so highly.
Hits
- Great range of freeroll tournaments
- Poker, sports betting and casino available
- Recommended for players new to poker
- Fast software
- Big selections of games
Misses
- Other sites have more traffic
- Tournament schedule could be better
- Somewhat lacking customer support
0-1 days
Slots, Blackjack, Roulette, Baccarat, Video Poker, Live Games, Bingo, Keno, Craps, Scratchcards
- UK Gambling Commission (UKGC)
- Malta Gaming Authority (MGA)
- Gibraltar Betting & Gaming
- Phone
- Contact Form
- Established 2001
- Languages: German, English, Spanish, French, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latvian, Dutch, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Swedish, Chinese
- 888Poker is one of our top-rated poker sites. They are fully licensed and regulated. 888 has a Certificate of Good Standing.
- Fast, Reliable Withdrawals in just 1 day – most payments are made instantaneously.
- Accepts credit cards and more for fast deposits.
888Poker Site Review
With over 10 million players from every corner of the world, 888Poker is never short of action. Following a complete overhaul of the software, 888Poker offers one of the best online poker experiences in its field.
Driving the industry forward to new heights, 888Poker has introduced webcam games, where players can opt in/out of visual play. Add this to its rapid card variant Snap Poker, 3D tables, and 888’s slick and beautiful graphics, and this is certainly one of the more visually stunning online poker sites having opted for your preferred choice of view. The forums are a welcome addition for the more vocal players. Here they can chat and debate with other users.
The software also features excellent multi-table action where up to 4 tables can be tiled at once. Considered in addition to a no-download version available for both Mac and Linux players and you begin to understand why 888Poker is thriving once again. So much so that they have also introduced 888Poker Mobile, for playing on the go. As this 888Poker review goes on to explain, this platform has the power to be all things to all players.
888Poker Software
Poker pro Kara Scott presents a brief guide to 888Poker’s software, including useful tips on how to customize your experience.
Safety & Security
888Poker has committed itself over the years to total player satisfaction this includes taking player safety very seriously. This serious approach to player safety has meant that 888Poker has never suffered any major security breaches, which has also helped it become a shareholder’s dream.
Looking at the security measures that 888Poker stands by, it is licensed by the Great Britain Gambling Commission. This – to an extent – certifies that 888Poker runs a secure and upstanding operation. 888Poker also implements a secure token system, which invokes a two-step authentication process, ensuring that every user account remains secure.
As far as fair play is concerned, 888Poker makes use of a trusted Random Number Generator (RNG) system. Operational outside of live games, it guarantees total randomness in-play, with the system being submitted to countless rounds of auditing, testing, and results examination.
Rebirth of a Poker Giant
The software features excellent multi-table action where up to 4 tables can be tiled at once. Considered in addition to a no-download version available for both Mac and Linux players and you begin to understand why 888Poker is thriving once again. So much so that they have also introduced 888Poker Mobile, for playing on the go!
Player competition at the tables is generally considered to be loose and on the lower side of the skill level. This represents a good opportunity for more experienced players to make a potential killing by choosing to play at the site’s weaker skilled tables.
Mobile
As a greater number of users demand to play poker on the move on their smartphones or tablets, sites have adapted and migrated their content accordingly. Few have made the transition as well as 888Poker, largely as it keeps things simple and sticks to the basics.
888Poker really does represent a fantastic option for any player looking to play real money poker on the move. The 888Poker mobile app is accessible on the devices including Android and iOS handsets and tablets.
The mobile app offers fluid access to 888’s full suite of casino games including the fast-fold SNAP Poker, while also allowing for competing in multi-table tournaments.
Other good features here include an easily navigable and smooth interface and the choice of avatar. It is also welcome to have the chat option allowing you to converse with other players.
On the downside, the mobile poker app does lack some of the more advanced features that more experienced players might appreciate, such as the ability to take note of other players or even search for them. It is also currently impossible to review hand histories, but this is a small complaint about an otherwise excellent mobile poker app.
Games
888Poker swings for the fences when it comes to games and for the most part it is able to hit it out of the park. Here’s a quick breakdown of what makes up the 888Poker game selection.
Ring Games
Ring games offered at 888Poker include Texas Hold’em and Omaha.
Player competition at the tables is generally considered to be loose and on the lower side of the skill level. This represents a good opportunity for more experienced players to make a potential killing by choosing to play at the site’s weaker skilled tables.
Ring games, including Texas Hold’em and Omaha, can be easily filtered in the 888Poker lobby.
Ring games, including Texas Hold’em and Omaha, can be easily filtered in the 888Poker lobby.
Sit & Go
888Poker hasn’t always been ahead of the curve when it comes Sit & Go play, but it’s certainly making mass-scale improvements. Pretty much all poker variants have a Sit & Go option, with Omaha poker fans likely to get the biggest kick out of what’s at hand. Looking at what’s being promoted, the buy-ins for Omaha Sit & Go games start at just $1, with multi-table tournaments growing up to the $20 level. It’s safe to say that Sit & Go lovers will have plenty to get stuck into at 888Poker.
Tournaments
Tournament players are spoilt for choice with an excellent selection of buy-ins, rebuys and heavy bounty games. With over 10,000 players online at peak times, 888 excels at tourneys, offering different varieties of game including their biggest regular tourney, The Whale, a deep stack which guarantees a prize pool of $200,000 every fourth Sunday, following a $530 buy-in. It’s always worth checking here for regular promotions as a lot of the tournaments offered at 888 often apply directly to these.
The tournament lobby at 888Poker shows the various types of MTT available.
The tournament lobby at 888Poker shows the various types of MTT available.
History & Background
888Poker is one of the biggest poker sites in the world right now, but its roots are relatively small-time, as it started out all the way back in 1997, long before the online poker boom gripped the world. It actually started out as a simple online casino, but by the time 2002 rolled around, it was clear that poker was in-demand, and the rebrand to Pacific Poker was put into effect.
In spite of it losing the American market, 888Poker has still seen an impressive amount of growth. Through creative marketing strategies, new game innovations, and strong levels of player retention, 888Poker has managed to maintain its spot as one of the operators at the very top of the online poker pile.
Banking
Users at 888Poker are offered a wide variety of methods with which to deposit or withdraw funds where your safety and security is paramount. Among the most popular and common options are Paypal, Visa card, Mastercard, bank or wire transfer and Bitcoin available through Neteller.
Your cash winnings are processed very quickly (3 business day average) and will be paid through the original method of deposit. In some cases this isn’t possible in which case players can opt for a choice from an extensive list of alternatives including wire transfer.
Support
888Poker gets off the wrong foot when it comes to customer service, as the whole process feels pretty lightweight. In spite of offering an extensive FAQ database, customer support is notoriously slow here, which is a real shame and lets it down somewhat. That being said the options for contacting the customer support team are vast at 888Poker as expected:
Through all these options, you’re covered 24/7, even if the overall customer support experience here proves to be rather hit or miss.
Downsides
Unfortunately, although offering an extensive round-the-clock FAQ database, customer support is notoriously slow here, which is a real shame and lets it down somewhat as does their cash withdrawal process which can reduce in sum after international currency processing.
Also, the loyalty program at 888Poker can only be described as moderate and operates purely on a points based model. This is one area where the 888Poker room (also known as 888 Poker / www.888.com Poker) could improve.
Bonuses & Promos
888Poker has the power to pack quite the punch from the very first moment. This is because when you register a new 888 Poker account through CardsChat.com, you’ll receive a great bonus you can use at the tables straight away. You really can’t say fairer than that when it comes to getting setup at the tables.
All you have to do to receive your first deposit bonus is register through any of our 888Poker links, open your account, and make your first deposit. The bonus will be credited to your account in instalments, released as you play at the tables.
For other game types, if you step over to the casino or sports betting offerings at 888, there are additional bonuses available there with different requirements.
What holds 888Poker back when it comes to bonuses and promotions is the loyalty program. It can only be described as moderate and is one area where 888Poker could improve.
A brief overview of how Club888, the loyalty program at 888Poker, works for players.
A brief overview of how Club888, the loyalty program at 888Poker, works for players.
Conclusion
888Poker has already cemented its name in the history books, having been around in one form or another since 1997. While other online poker brands have wilted over the years, 888Poker has managed to remain at the top of the heap, even in spite of its shortcomings.
Overall, 888Poker is a good option for players looking for easy action, loose competitors, and fast-paced games, but may not be the best choice for players who put high value on an online poker room’s loyalty scheme.
888 Poker