888 Poker Casino
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888 Poker is a major player in the world of online gambling, and they’ve been providing customers with a quality experience for well over a decade. For those who’ve never used their services, I hope this 888 Poker review can help shed some light on what they have to offer.
It offers big jackpot games for those chasing the dream, popular classics to appeal to all players, and an assortment of video poker and casino poker games. 888’s casino has 130 slot games, ranging from the fairytale classic, Jack and the Beanstalk and branded games such as South Park and Nightmare on Elm Street, to famous jackpot slots such as Millionaire Genie, with a jackpot that regularly reaches into the millions. Excellence in gaming is what we're about. When you play with us, you enjoy a top-notch experience. 888 has been awarded by the world’s leading authorities in online gaming, winning numerous accolades. Land on Casino FreePlay and you'll get to choose between an awesome range of top-notch casino games. Try out Multihand Blackjack, play European Roulette or try one of our popular slot. A new poker software coming your way. In addition to this, 888 will also launch its new software, Poker 8. The Poker 8 software was initially deployed in Europe in 2020. But given how popular multi-tabling is. 888 Poker is operated by 888 Holdings, which has been a publicly traded company on the London Stock Exchange since 2005. 888 also offers a variety of gaming products for its customers, including casino.
Based on the island nation of Gibraltar and publicly traded on the London Stock Exchange since 2007, 888Poker is one of the premier names in virtual gaming. I’ve been enjoying their services since 2010, so I feel like I’m qualified to provide a thorough and unbiased opinion on their strengths and weaknesses.
Keep in mind, however, that everyone’s experience is going to be different. I’ve talked with hundreds of 888 players over the years, and their opinions on the site ranged from admiration to hatred. The only way to make an accurate judgement is to actually sign up and play. Anything else is just speculation.
Company History
888Poker was created in 2002, giving players the opportunity to compete for real money in games such as Omaha, Seven-card Stud, and Texas Hold’em. Founded by majority owner Avi Shaked, the organization also includes co-owners Ron Ben-Yitzhak and Shay Ben-Yitzhak.
Despite continual growth since their debut, the company was forced to withdraw from the U.S. market after the 2006 passage of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act. Less than a decade later, however, they would return to markets in Nevada, Delaware, and New Jersey thanks to more gambling-friendly legislation at the state level.
By 2013, 888Poker was the second most popular poker room on the Internet. This has allowed them to sign a number of endorsement deals with athletes and poker pros, including JC Tran, Joe McKeehen, George St. Pierre, and Luis Suarez. In an odd turn of events, Suarez had his contract terminated less than two months after signing due to a controversial biting incident during the FIFA World Cup.
Software Quality
If you’re looking for stable poker software that offers a quality experience, 888 Poker is a good place to start. I’ve never encountered any lag time during games, and tracking software such as Holdem Manager is also supported.
There are plenty of settings to choose from to customize your experience, and recommended features include a hand replayer, favorite seat, chat restrictions, and the option of topping off a stack during both pot limit and no limit games.
888Poker software is available for both Mac and PC users. If you’re part of the growing movement of players who prefer a mobile gaming experience, you should be delighted to know that the 888Poker mobile app is compatible with the iPad, iPhone, and anything powered by Android. The mobile app doesn’t offer as many features as some of the competition, but it still allows for multi-table tournaments, cash games, and sit & go events.
Player Traffic
According to their website, 888Poker has 10 million registered members, which makes it the fastest growing brand in the industry. According to one website that keeps track of such things, the site averages about 2,000 players at any given time. During peak hours, however, that number rises to more than 3,000.
If you’re familiar with PokerStars, you’ll notice that the above numbers are well short of the industry leader. That doesn’t diminish what this site has to offer, however, and a pool of a few thousand players is still more than sufficient for anyone.
Banking Options
This is an area where 888 Poker excels, as they offer a dizzying array of options when it comes to funding your account or requesting a withdrawal.
If you’re looking for an option that allows both deposits and withdrawals, there are currently 15 different selections to choose from. These range from globally accepted options like VISA and MasterCard to more localized possibilities such as eps and Moneta.
There are another 24 options that can be used for deposits but not withdrawals. Once again, these include methods accepted around the world, like Diners Club credit cards, as well as regional options such as Giropay and SEB Pank.
The final option is to receive a cheque in the mail. If you choose this old school method of payment, expect it to arrive via a courier service such as UPS or FedEx.
The only negative aspect involves the exchange rate, as 888 Poker has long been accused of manipulating this to their benefit. For example, a player who deposits money may receive one type of exchange rate that gives them a few extra dollars. When it’s time to withdraw, however, a different exchange rate is used to cut down on the player’s overall winnings.
Deposit Bonus
888 Poker currently offers two bonuses for players who fund an account, and both kick in when you make your first deposit. One of these promotions offers a pair of tickets to their twice-weekly $1,000 Depositors Free Tournament, allowing you to play for a share of $2,000 without having to risk a single cent. By making an additional deposit each week, you’ll continue to receive these complimentary tickets.
There’s also a welcome package for first-time players. This includes a 100% matching bonus up to $400, seven tickets to $500 First Depositors’ Free Tournaments, and a single ticket to the First Depositors’ Challenge Tournament (held every Friday).
The bonus money is released in $10 increments each time you collect 100 status points by playing in real money games. I’d prefer the amount to be higher, but you can thank the practice of bonus whoring for the casino’s rather cautious approach.
If you’d like to receive free money without risking anything, there’s also an $88 reward just for signing up. All you have to do is download the software and register, and the money is deposited straight into your account. The $88 is subject, of course, to wagering requirements, just like any other casino.
While these bonuses are better than nothing, they’re not exactly blazing a bold new path through the gambling frontier. And no matter how much “free” money they promise, keep in mind that you’ll always wind up risking more before you’re able to collect it.
Game Selection
The selection of games at 888 Poker is a mixture of the traditional and the cutting edge. First up are the normal options, including Texas Hold’em, Omaha, Omaha Hi Lo, and 7 Card Stud. If you’re looking for something different, you can also try your luck at live webcam games or the ultra-fast SNAP (which assigns you to a new table each time you fold).
As for tournament types, 888 has the following: Sit & Go, Multi-table, Heads Up, Free Tournaments, Deep Stacks, and Satellites. Their tournament schedule is excellent, offering a wide variety of games for players of all bankroll sizes. For example, new players may want to try The Goldfish and its $1 buy-in, while high rollers can take on The Whale, with its $600 buy-in and $150,000 guaranteed prize.
Customer Service
The customer service department at 888 Poker can be reached via online form, email, live chat, or telephone. The live chat function is mainly available for deposit issues, so don’t expect the person on the other end to be helpful with much else. The online form and email are traditional options, but I’ve found the average wait time to be longer than with other leading poker sites.
That leaves the telephone option, but it remains a mixed bag. I’ve called several times over the years to speak directly with a customer service representative, and my experiences have ranged from pleasant to satisfactory to awful. Some employees are more motivated or better trained than others, and it’s just a matter of luck as to which one you end up with.
I would chalk this up to the usual variation you experience when dealing with strangers, but 888 Poker has managed to acquire a reputation for poor customer service over the years. While it’s not the worst that I’ve encountered, it certainly leaves room for improvement.
Conclusion
If you’re an experienced poker player who loves to feast on rookies, then 888Poker is the place to be. Their player pool is filled with fish throughout the day, and these range from dedicated novices to hopeless idiots. It’s also a fine place for beginners to earn their stripes, just as long as you can avoid bleeding too much in the shark-infested waters.
This review was made by: LegitGamblingSites.com Rating: 3.6 out of 5
888 Poker is one of the premier online gambling juggernauts in the industry today. The company was launched pre- “poker boom” as Pacific Poker back in 2002 and was re-branded into 888 a few years later. They now operate the second largest online poker room in the world, trailing only Pokerstars in terms of real money ring game players.
888 Poker is operated by 888 Holdings, which has been a publicly traded company on the London Stock Exchange since 2005. 888 also offers a variety of gaming products for its customers, including casino, bingo and sports betting offerings. The site is fully regulated by the Gibraltar Regulatory Authority and was a founding member of eCogra, which is an independent testing agency that is an advocate for fair gaming and player protection.
888 New Player Bonuses and More
There are two bonuses new players can take advantage of at 888 Poker. The site offers an initial 100% match bonus up to $400 that is one of the more simpler bonuses to clear at any online poker room. 888 also offers a free $88 bonus that new players can take advantage of upon sign up. This review will go into detail about both, along with the VIP program 888 Poker currently offers it’s customers, as well as games offered, table stakes for cash games and tournaments and so much more!
100% Match Bonus up to $400
On top of the FREE $88 you’ll receive upon sign up, 888 Poker also offers a 100% match bonus up to $400 when you decide to make your first deposit. The bonus is unlocked in $10 increments, which is earned every time you hit 100 “Status Points.” These points are earned simply by playing in any real money ring game, sit and go or multi-table tournament. It’s important to note that your new player bonus expires after 90 days from the day of your 1st deposit.
$88 FREE Bonus
By downloading the 888 Poker software today you’ll be instantly eligible for $88 FREE. While the offer seems to be enticing on paper, the fine print actually promotes this bonus as a “package,” with $2 in real money being credited to the player’s account upon sign up and email confirmation, along with $6 in tournament tickets for use in the poker room (six $1 buy-in tournaments) and then an $80 pending bonus.
The $80 pending bonus is released into your player account in $8 installments, with the bonus increments comprising of the aforementioned $2 in real cash and $6 in MTT tickets. Each $8 bonus payment is triggered when you earn 250 Status Points. You can check the progress of this bonus via the lobby under “My Rewards” page.
Software
The software being utilized at 888 Poker is privately developed by the company; however, since they offer a variety of games (especially those in the casino), the company uses multiple software providers to ensure its customers have a broad selection of gaming products to enjoy. Their poker platform is one of the very best around the globe and is available in a “Download” and “No Download” version. The No Download software can be opened up instantly via your internet browser and is also Mac-compatible.
Poker Games, Sit and Go’s and MTT’s Offered
888 Poker’s most popular games are of course Texas Holdem and Omaha. As one could imagine, No Limit Texas Holdem is where a majority of the real money cash game traffic is at, followed by Limit Holdem, Pot Limit Omaha, Limit Omaha Hi/Lo and Stud Hi and Hi/Lo (although Stud games rarely run at 888 due to the lack of interest it seems). These games start as low as $.02/$.04 to as high as $75/$150.
888 Poker also offers round the clock Sit and Go action, with a wide array of buyin amounts for those. Sit and Go’s are available in heads up, 6-handed and 9-handed form. The site also offers “Double or Nothing” games where the top 5 finishers in a 10-entrant pool earn double their buy-in amount back. Sit and go’s can also be filtered for Turbo or Super Turbo formats.
MTT schedules vary at 888, but for the most part there’s normally some type of multi-table tournament going on throughout the day. Guaranteed money tournaments, deep stack events, satellites, rebuys & add-ons and heads up MTT’s are usually always on the docket and have buyins ranging from absolutely free all the way up to 4-figures.
888 Poker Casino Login
You can of course see the full schedule of sit and go’s and MTT’s by opening up the 888 lobby.
Banking Options
New players looking to fund their 888 Poker account have a wide array of deposit options available to them. The cashier normally processes deposits in less than 1 to 2 minutes and from there your funds will be available for use on the site.
Depositing at 888 Poker
There are literally 40+ different deposit methods that can be utilized at 888. It’s important to note that some of these deposit methods can be country-specific and may not be the same as another method in an another area of the world.
For those looking at more “universal” deposit options the following are normally accepted from ANY country that allows 888 Poker in their jurisdiction:
VISA credit and debit cards
MasterCard
Bank Transfer (can take up to several days to process)
Skrill (formerly MoneyBookers)
Neteller
Ukash
Diners International credit card
Instadebit
ClickandBuy
CashUp prepaid cards
Entropay Virtual Visa
Note: Minimum and maxium deposit limits are available at the 888 website upon sign up.
Withdrawing at 888 Poker
In most cases, players are normally able to cash out via the same method they used to deposit. However, depending on the country in which you reside those options are subject to change and availability. For complete withdrawal information please refer to the 888 website or cashier.
Players looking to withdrawal will have to submit ID validation in the form of a driver’s license, passport or utility bill. This is done in order to prevent fraud and is a minor inconvenience in the grand scheme of things.
Cashouts are handled by logging into your account and simply submitting a withdrawal request. Depending on your locale and withdrawal method, cashouts are normally processed and completed within 2 to 28 days. Below is an average wait time for the more popular cashout methods:
888 Poker Casino
1 to 2 days: Neteller, PayPal (region-specific), Webmoney, Skrill, Click and Buy
2 to 3 days: Entropay
3 to 7 days: Bank wires, Maestro Debit and VISA (dependent on your home country)
Bank drafts and check withdrawal timeframes also vary based on your location. UK residents normally only have to wait a maximum of a week for cashouts via this method, while other European residents have to wait anywhere from 7 to 15 days. For players located outside of Europe the timeframe to receive your check or bank draft is anywhere from 3 to 4 weeks.
Customer Service
You can reach customer support directly at 888 Poker by clicking on the following URL:
http://888-external-en.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/496/prod/4
From there you can simply choose your country and call any of the toll-free phone numbers listed on the page. This will get you assistance a lot faster than by going the traditional email route.
If you need to contact support via email you can send an inquiry to support@888.com.