What's the best room to start building a bankroll?

sebastianrm

sebastianrm

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Hey, everyone!

I've been wanting to start playing online for real money for a couple of days now and I'm very conflicted about what's the best option to make my first deposit so I can start grinding to build a bankroll.

The biggest options I've gathered for me from reading forums and asking people are:

-pokerstars: obviously the biggest site out there, with the best software and lots of options for tournaments and games. But, since I'm a beginner, some people have told me that I'm probably gonna get eaten alive there, due to the amount of regs that play there and also they've warned me about the high rake they charge. I wanna play in PS so bad cause I love that room, the look, the software, the apparently high level of competence, the good customer support, etc., but maybe that's not enough reason for a beginner like me if I actually want to win some money there, so...

-888poker: it's been set on the top of several poker websites lists as the #1 and best poker room of at least of this year, 2019, and I can see it's a very well respected and solid room, with lots of players recommending it and guaranteeing it has a very soft competence on tournaments and cash games. I was about to deposit here but I still have doubts about its withdrawals and I got very upset because I couldn't reclaim the $88 free bonus that needs no-deposit hahaha. But, seriously, I'm not very sure cause of their Withdrawal and Bonus policies, their low traffic (that I realize will be a problem with any other room that it's not PS), their not very appealing interface and apparent lack of support for their players. Anyway, I'm still more between this room and the next one:

-partypoker: when I asked people from my country if they thought 888poker was a good option to start playing for real money, they told me that I should opt more for partypoker, because of its low rake, great rakeback program, good promotions, cause it's gaining a lot of momentum, they're growing and they're on the rise, and cause apparently 888 doesn't have "enough cash game" (I think that means 888 doesn't have a lot of traffic on its cash games, I'm not sure). I did notice this year how PP started to grow a lot again and started to gain back a lot of respect from the community, but I don't know how good they are in terms of traffic and fighting against bots playing on their room. Idk, these ppl from my country really sold me this room and I'm one step close to make my first deposit there, but I wanna read first what you think of this site.

-BetOnline and ignition: as you may have noticed by now, I don't live on the US and I can access to the big poker rooms out there. How ever, I'm really interested on playing on a place where competition is soft and where I have more chances of making some more money by playing. Btw, I consider myself a "solid beginner", if you will; I've been studying a lot and playing a little bit of live, and I'm thinking my next step it's getting the experience that the online scene offers (lots of volume, notetaking, analyzing a lot more easier my hand history, etc.). So, this is why I'm considering just a bit to play on this last two rooms, cause I've heard they have an incredibly soft player base that can be very profitable. However, I've also heard they have a very crappy interface and software, and that the people who play there are such maniacs that it can backfire to the people that play solid, with lots of runner runner situations that can leave you broke in a very frustrating way.

So, I know this has been way too long and that I've made a kinda review in the dark of this rooms :laugh: but I'm doing this so you can tell me how wrong or how right or what I'm not even considering in my conception of this sites. You don't know how much I will appreciate your help on this matter and I will be forever thanked to you.

TL;DR: I want to start playing for real money online, but I don't know where I should make my first deposit and start doing it. The best options I've gathered for myself by doing a research were: PokerStars, 888poker, partypoker and maybe BetOnline or Ignition. I would love to read your opinions about this rooms and to know whats your favorite room to play online and why.

Btw, my primordial interest for now are cash games, so I can start building a bankroll and get more experience, and occasionally play tournaments. Until I have a solid bankroll I will play more and more tournaments.

Thanks a lot for reading, see ya at the tables! :D
 
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AlbieTross

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My personal favorite is America's Cardroom because they have the best variety of tournament options, however my best winning experiences have been with Ignition, but I also regard Bet Online and ACR highly as well. Honestly it's up to you because all of the sites you listed are reputable.
 
sebastianrm

sebastianrm

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My personal favorite is America's Cardroom because they have the best variety of tournament options, however my best winning experiences have been with Ignition, but I also regard Bet Online and ACR highly as well. Honestly it's up to you because all of the sites you listed are reputable.

Yeah, I've read that ACR it's a great option too, but since I don't have that much experience and my focus now are cash games, I don't think I will jump there any time soon, cause I've heard competition on cash games on that room is tough and I'm kinda running away from that hahaha.

Thanks a lot for your reply!
 
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digdug0037

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options

I like playing at ACR but that's my preference. I would buy in at the minimum and play both small cash games and maybe some low dollar sit and go games. Then maybe some micro tourneys just to see how well you like the site. I would not over do it starting out until you feel comfortable.
 
sebastianrm

sebastianrm

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I like playing at ACR but that's my preference. I would buy in at the minimum and play both small cash games and maybe some low dollar sit and go games. Then maybe some micro tourneys just to see how well you like the site. I would not over do it starting out until you feel comfortable.

That seems pretty reasonable. Maybe I will give it a try like that. Thanks!
 
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vittopio

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I join previous speakers! ACR best room, and not only for the beginning player's guide!
 
sebastianrm

sebastianrm

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I join previous speakers! ACR best room, and not only for the beginning player's guide!

Wow! Didn't expect so much rooting for ACR tbh! That's great, I guess that means it's a very good site. So you think a beginner like me could survive the microstakes? What was your first deposit there?
 
rj_montana

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I think that 888 is the best option for you and party a close second. 888 has the best freerolls, promotions and giveaways, and a decent player reward program. I've had absolutely no problems depositing or withdrawing.

If you intend to grind cash games, player traffic should be less of a concern for you. If you intend to get into STT/MTT, you should open a pokerstars account too. I have nothing nice to say about PS except the volume of traffic. After about 9/10pm ET it's the only website that keeps the STTs firing at a good rate.
 
sebastianrm

sebastianrm

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I think that 888 is the best option for you and party a close second. 888 has the best freerolls, promotions and giveaways, and a decent player reward program. I've had absolutely no problems depositing or withdrawing.

If you intend to grind cash games, player traffic should be less of a concern for you. If you intend to get into STT/MTT, you should open a pokerstars account too. I have nothing nice to say about PS except the volume of traffic. After about 9/10pm ET it's the only website that keeps the STTs firing at a good rate.

That's great to know about 888, thanks for the recommendation! And yeah, actually one of the biggest reasons I would play on PS is for their MTTs and SNGs. I really love MTT SNGs and I find their offer for those great. I think I'll give them a try after I grind some cash games on 888.
 
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freestocks

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I play at ACR cause I'm in USA. If you can play pokerstars and partypker. Aren't they more reliable?
 
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vittopio

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party poker is not a bad room but unfortunately they left the Crimea! But apart from poker stars very strong players offers no advantages !! Their whole system of loyalty does not normally play!
 
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fundiver199

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The rake on PokerStars is only high for tournaments, where they charge 20% more than other sites. For cash games their rake is actually lower, especially 2NL and 5NL, where a beginner should start.

PokerStars rake these limits lower than the higher limits, where on 888 Poker its actually the other way around. So for 2NL and 5NL cash games, I would recommend Stars. Stars is also a great place to start grinding tournaments, because the have the multi table SnGs, that you talk about. The 45, 90 and 180 mans, and these are also fairly raked.

888 Poker has much better promotions and reward program though, and the tournaments are great, when you have a bankroll of around 300$ or more. If you are only bankrolled to play 1$ tournaments, only a few of these run per day, so you are not going to get any meaningfull volume.

As for the "toughness" of the sites, there are plenty of fish on both sites at the lower limits, so dont worry about it. Its not like, everyone playing 5NL or 1$ SnGs on Stars is the next Phil Ivey, although some might be in their own mind :D
 
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619Leafs

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I like 888 for reasons like special freerolls and promotional tournaments.
 
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amparo44

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I started playing ACR and pokerstars and it was easier to earn my first money at ACR.
 
shane4050

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I have actually just cashed out my first 50 on acr built up over freerolls from them and cardchat over the last few months. requested it last night and was in my eco account this morning so for me i have to say acr or 888 as my variance on stars is all over the place
 
AizenFalck

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I started at Poker stars, but if we are talking about more coupons for freeroll tournaments, the best is 888, I believe they still offer you like 10 tickets to start playing and you can make a bankroll of about $50 if you play well ;)
 
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Darth_Moola

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I started with $0 and worked up through CC freerolls and other freerolls. I think ACR has tons of freeroll options, so I would assume other bigger sites would also have nice options. It's a grind, but I think any site with a good freeroll schedule is bound to have good chances for you to win.
 
Evan Jarvis

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Wow! Didn't expect so much rooting for ACR tbh! That's great, I guess that means it's a very good site. So you think a beginner like me could survive the microstakes? What was your first deposit there?


Even if you live outside the USA ACR is an amazing site to start on. They are very beginner friendly and always have tournaments all the way up to $2600 so you can grow there easy.

888 is the other really soft poker room to play on, great place to build a bankroll but a little limited on action when you get to the higher stakes.

Here's a program you'll probably enjoy, it gives you daily training to level up your game
http://gripsed.com/pgms (and it's a completely free program as well)

In my experience when I started out it was worth putting $20 on a variety of sites so you can get the feel for them. Even if some people love a site, you might not, but when you play the software for yourself you can find out which one you feel most comfortable at.

That page also has video reviews of how to get the most out of the first deposit bonuses at the sites and the softest games to play, so hope you will find lots of value in it! :burnout:

Good luck on the tables, welcome to the wonderful world of online poker!
 
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machud

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icgition and bovada

I use to have both sites downloaded and was doing good cleaned my computer and now can,t download either anyone else having trouble
 
shane4050

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I use to have both sites downloaded and was doing good cleaned my computer and now can,t download either anyone else having trouble

no trouble here, trying cleaning your cookies etc and doing a fresh reinstall
 
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Psycho

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I am definitely an ACR guy. The people are just so friendly and they are really trying to do great things for the players.
 
najisami

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After PS, ACR became my favorite site since 2009 and I did really good with them. But after they renovated their software last may, I couldn't run their client anymore no matter what I tried. I even upgraded my whole OS from windows 7 to 8, to 10 lite and now 10 pro. Their tech support gave me a few ideas that didn't solve the issue and now they are simply IGNORING my emails ! So if you are thinking about depositing there, you better start small and see how it goes.
 
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Richardszabo

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I read the comments and everyone recommends Americas Cardroom. I think it's the best place to build a bankroll. However, if you do not want to deposit in any poker room and you do not want to play ACR, I recommend Redstar Poker.
 
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