Overview: 888 Poker is the flagship site of the world’s largest online casino, 888.com. Based in Gibraltar, it is regulated by the UK Gambling Commission and has over 5 million registered members worldwide since its official launch in 1997.

The Competition: The site’s traffic averages a respectable 2300 at any given time. While there are a fair amount of cash games going on, the site is noticeably lacking in the high stakes department, and better suits those players favouring a low-to-mid stakes game. Competition at the tables is generally considered to be slightly soft, which is a positive for recreational players. For the more experienced player, this potentially creates a winning opportunity by allowing them to focus their superior poker skills on the weaker tables.

Cash Games: The usual variety of No Limit and Pot Limit Texas Hold’em, 7 Card Stud, Omaha Hi, Omaha Hi/Lo, as well as Snap Poker. Games come with a wide range of buy-ins so almost all players will easily find a game suited to their wallet.

Tournaments: 888 Poker offers an array of Single and Multi-Table tournaments. Daily Goldfish, Blowfish, Catfish and Swordfish are all No Limit Texas Hold’em tournaments, with $1/5/12/30 buy-in respectively. There’s a choice of Mega Series, Highrollers Series, Heads Up, Satellite, Free Tournaments, and an impressive $100,000 Sunday Tournament.

Promotions: They offer £20 free to all new players, no deposit necessary. There is also a Welcome Bonus of 100%, up to $400. 888 has a range of Daily Deals (such as $100 freeplay each day for different promotions) and Reward Points to purchase prizes, merchandise or convert to cash. Their 10-tier VIP scheme awards bonus dollars for your play (i.e. For every $10 you wager, you earn one point. For every 100 points, you earn a free dollar). As you play you collect both Status Points and Reward Points. While the VIP system may sound promising, it is actually somewhat disappointing unless you are a very regular player who has the time to amass significant amounts of points.

*Valid for 1st deposit only • Bonus equals 100% of player’s first deposit, up to $400 • The bonus will be granted in $10 chunks subject to wagering restrictions of 100 Bonus Points per chunk • Bonus wins are capped at $400 • Withdrawal restrictions apply • Bonus expires in 90 days • Deposit balance is available for withdrawal at any time. General Withdrawal restrictions T&C’s apply

Software: The site’s software has had a recent overhaul entirely.  While it previously had been a bit tired and simple, the site’s software is now speedy, polished and reliable. It is packed with new and impressive features such as auto top-up, preferred seating, 3D table graphics and improved multi-tabling abilities, as well as many more. Players now have the choice of avatar and a chat option allowing you to converse with other players. Certified by McAfee, TRUSTe, GameCare & ICRA. A no-download version available for both Mac and Linux players.

Banking: The variety of payment methods is welcoming, with 20 different options available to players. Cashouts have been known to be slightly on the slow side however, often taking up to seven days.

Customer Service: 888 Poker’s customer service is available 24/7 and offers assistance in 11 languages by phone, email and live online chat. The only detrimental factor would be the overly long time they tend to take when answering emails.

Why Join?: 888 Poker would be an excellent option for recreational players, but more experienced online poker players may find the games too soft for their skill level. Despite this, the site still offers plenty of good opportunities for players of a higher standard to enjoy a fairly profitable poker experience. The software is particularly impressive and should attract a decent amount of traffic.