Overview: Ladbrokes Poker belongs to one of the world’s largest sports betting operations which initially launched in 1886, lending it over 100 years of experience in the gambling world. Its poker site launched in 2000 and since then has been confidently providing reliable banking, fast tables and attractive bonuses for its players.

The Competition: Not the highest volume of traffic players will ever encounter, but a respectable number of tables are always in play, with an average of 1400 players at any given time. Ladbrokes is not open to US players, however, which arguably limits its traffic slightly.

Cash Games: Variety of Texas Hold’em, Omaha, Omaha Hi/Lo (all Fixed Limit, N/L and P/L) 5 and 7 Card Stud games available. The stud games don’t tend to have much traffic, however. Ladbrokes recently added Speed Poker, a quick fold variant which allows players to instantly get another hand after they’ve folded.

Tournaments: A decent selection of tournaments (with buy-ins starting from as little as $1) are offered; $75,000 weekly Sunday tournament, the iPOPS IX tournament (which come with a $1 million jackpot), Maui €10,000 Jackpot, Rio €20,000 Jackpot, Dirty Dozen €2,000. The winner of Sunday’s €150K takes home at least €25,000 for €150 buy-in. Tournaments tend to be well-populated and fast.

Promotions: Ladbrokes lays out some tempting offers for new players; a first deposit bonus of 200% (up to £1,200) and entry to 6 weekly freerolls and tournaments. When players make their first deposit, they’re automatically granted free entry to 12 weekly freerolls. For players to receive the full bonus, they must accumulate 10 times the number of Player Points in relation to the initial deposit they made. Their VIP program is fairly standard, with freerolls of up to 8,000 VIP Status Points (SP) and Ladbrokes Points (LP) earned from every cash game and tournament fee. Once a player reaches 10,000 or more points in one month they are elevated to VIP status.

Software: Ladbrokes industry leading iPoker software is functional, speedy and reliable and handily available in both download and a no-download flash versions. Graphics are defined and the game environment features (audio/sound settings, poker options like personal avatars) are all individually customisable. The software supports up to eight tables of simultaneous play and, when used with the mini-table size option, players can view five tables at once.

Banking: Deposits may be made via credit and debit cards, and a selection of other methods (Moneybookers, Neteller, ClickandBuy, Bank Transfer, Ukash and WesternUnion). Cash-out methods include bank wire, credit/debit card, ClickandBuy, Neteller, Paypal, and Skrill. Players are able to withdraw up to €2000 from their online account each day. Payout requests are processed fast and cashouts are equally quick. Quick Deposit function allows players to make immediate deposits, directly from within the poker table environment.

Customer Service: The site’s competent and efficient customer service staff are available 24/7 through live online support, telephone and via email

Why Join?: Ladbrokes is a site for serious poker players. Its clean graphics and functional software combined with excellent promotions and fast cash-outs make it a popular choice for online poker players. The site also has a comprehensive satellite structure in place, where players can qualify for events across the UK.