Euro Poker

Since the 2006 legislation which criminalized financial transactions between banks and gambling operators there have been some significant changes in the biggest online poker sites list. Today that list is dominated by one site, with several others competing for the 2nf to 4th positions. Once we get lower down the list the traffic volumes tail of dramatically – with the 10th largest online poker room having less than 7% of the biggest site.

First of all here is the list as of late October 2010. Following this I will outline the major changes and some of the competition for spots on the list.

#1 Pokerstars 180,000

#2 Full Tilt Poker 85,000

#3 Party Poker 70,000

#4 iPoker Network 67,500

#5 Everest Poker 23,500

#6 OnGame Network 22,000

#8 Boss / IPN 17.250

#7 Cereus Network 17,000

#8 Microgaming Network 12,000

#9 Cake Poker Network 11,500

#10 Pacific Poker 10,000

The number one site, Pokerstars.com have a huge lead on their rivals, with more than twice as many real money players compared to even their closest rivals. Strong brand offerings such as the ‘Sunday Million’ keep this site ahead. Allowing US players after some of the previous major sites were forced to drop out of this market have Pokerstars the initial boost they needed. Investing in the best software online and having a well regarded player reward program has kept their players extremely loyal.

While the next 3 sites are closer together in player numbers, only Full Tilt Poker allow US players at their tables. Pro names including some of the biggest TV poker stars, and a great selection of cash games and tournaments, have seen this site rise dramatically in the rankings since their 2004 debut.

Party Poker and the iPoker Network are swapping 3rd and 4th place often as these two European giants battle it out. Both sites have expanded into Central and Eastern Europe, Russia and South America in a bid to make up for lost players after leaving the US. It is interesting to note that Party regained player peaks of 2006 (prior to leaving the USA) in 2010.

As we go down to 5th on the list we find Everest Poker – the site who famously marketed outside of the US even before the UIGEA legislation. Having a head-start in markets as diverse as Norway and Japan left this site in a strong global position.

No less than 5 different networks make up the next slots. Pooling players and sharing software back-ends, while maintaining brand identities has allowed this sites to grow as smaller sites join their ranks. Most networks are made up of brands owned by different sites, though we should note that the Cereus Network is made up of UB.com and Absolute Poker who are both owned by the same company.

The final entry on our list of the biggest online poker sites is Pacific Poker. This former high-flier were devastated by the US legislation and have only recently begun to reclaim some of their former glory. With new 3-d software and marketing incentives, we expect Pacific to be climbing the rankings in 2011.

For the latest updates on all the poker networks and stand alone poker sites, visit the Poker Bonus Network today!

2006 saw the ‘Unlawful Internet Gaming Enforcement Act’ (UIGEA) attached to some must-pass security legislation and signed into law. This act prohibited some financial transactions to offshore gambling sites and effectively criminalized online poker sites. While it did not make playing at such sites illegal, many of the biggest brands left the US market in the months that followed, including Party Poker, The iPoker Network and Everest Poker. Here we let you know there these much-loved and missed brands are today – more than 4 years after the legislation passed.

Party Poker: Once the biggest of all online poker rooms, Party took a huge hit when the act was passed and their stock market listed status lead them to pull out of the US. In the meantime their owners have paid $300 million to ensure that they are not prosecuted for any gambling activity. This site have expanded greatly in Europe and South America and are now seeing player numbers which match their pre-2006 levels. They are the 3rd largest poker site online and, though the software has been completely upgraded – are still as soft (in terms of games) as ever.

Titan Poker: As the leading site on a the iPoker Network, Titan also pulled out of the US when the legislation were passed. This site have actually grown considerably in the last few years, going from a mid-sized also-ran to the 4th largest site online. What is surprising is that they have done this with little spending on media or sponsorships compared with some of their rivals. Look out for this site when poker is eventually approved for US players.

Everest Poker: A unique site, Everest deliberately targeted international markets before the UIGEA was passed. While all the other rooms focused on the US, this one was able to grow a big player base from countries as diverse as Norway and Japan. The head start in international marketing looks to have made a big difference. Everest Poker are now the 5th biggest poker site and – despite rather ‘old school’ software – are growing still.

OnGame Network: This network of sites used to be bigger, and has had a patchy history since leaving the US. In 2006 the main room on this network was ‘PokerRoom’, this brand stopped accepting new players after being purchased by the BWin group, with the BWin brand being the major player now. Betfair recently migrated to the OnGame network – giving a nice boost. There are many smaller brand names contributing to this network, though recent software glitches have done little to improve their reputation.

For up to date information on all the poker networks – including those which are still US friendly, visit The Poker Bonus Network today!

Ladbrokes is a brilliant UK and international internet play a poker site with a wide choice of tournaments and games to play in, and they are well known in both the UK and Europe; the Ladbrokes poker site offers multiple language support and because European players play at ladbrokes you will find they have much more players to play a poker game against than other sites. The massive amount of players is just one reason why people play a poker game with Ladbrokes. Once registered its really easy to play poker now for fun. There is a new game starting every few minutes and you can always find a sit and go game to join in with. They also have a one of the widest ranges of table limits on the internet with something budgeted to suit every ones level and standard of play.

Everyone likes playing Holdem, it’s the game most people know from the television and Ladbrokes Poker has this card game and more, other than Texas Holdem poker you can play Omaha poker and 7 card stud games. Take your pick from a fantastic choice of tables like the sit and go games and the single or multi table tournaments. You can also find private and practice tables to play at if you are new to the game or just wanting to learn.

There is a speedy option to play poker for free at Ladbrokes on the fun money tables by using the new instant play flash version or downloading the software which has many more customizable options. Signing up with Ladbrokes poker is quick and simple so you can be playing poker within a few minutes. You can always find someone to play Holdem poker against as Ladbrokes have thousands of other players online at peak times.

When you play a poker at Ladbrokes for real cash you will get a 1st time sign up bonus 100% when depositing. Players who play for real money also get the chance to enter some of Ladbrokes special poker events such as some large European poker tournaments with huge prize pools. Tournaments are loads of fun to play in and Ladbrokes have loads of no-limit and limit poker games available to play, they also have daily freerolls for its real money players. Finally players can earn player points as you play which can be exchanged for tickets to some freeroll tournaments the regularly run.

If you like to play a poker game online then check out this review site to read about such as the first rate site Ladbrokes poker and more. You can also read articles and more.

In article we will outline current situaion in online poker world. No doubt that compared to 2 or 3 years ago online poker is in decline. The USA Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act was the start of the decline as many US citizens were unable to continue playing online. Many poker sites and networks have either closed down or merge with other networks. Some poker networks though have prospered due the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act with the Ipoker network being a prime example. Many smaller European poker sites soon realised that they could not survive without their American players and switched from dying networks to Ipoker. Ipoker has grown in the last couple of years from one of the smaller networks to the 3rd biggest network with an average of just under 10,000 cash players at peak European time. Paradise Poker which was one of the biggest online poker site and use to attract tens of thousands of cash players each day is now part of the Boss network with several other poker sites which only attract 3400 cash players at peak time. Party Poker’s traffic has also fallen dramatically and they only attract 8000 at peak times.

The future does not look bright for the small poker networks. Poker though I’m sure is here to stay and although we are sure to lose more sites during 2009 we will be left with a few networks packed with players for years to come. There is no doubt that we will see many mergers and aquisitions in upcoming year.