888poker is owned and operated by 888 Holdings plc, an LSE-listed public company. It is fully licensed and regulated to offer real money online poker games to players, courtesy of the United Kingdom Gambling Commission (UKGC), the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA), and the Ireland Revenue Commissioners (IRC). UK operations of 888poker are managed by 888 UK Ltd which is incorporated in Gibraltar. 888poker has been going strong since inception in 2002.

As part of the illustrious 888 Group of companies, players at this online poker room can use their username/password to enjoy online casino at 888casino, games at 888games, online bingo games at 888bingo, and online sports betting at 888sport. As a stand-alone poker room, this one has won many awards over the years, including the EGR Award for Winner of Socially Responsible Operator of The Year for three years on the trot. At the time of writing, 888poker boasted some 10 million+ players worldwide competing at scores of real-money and play-money tables.

What’s it like to play poker at 888poker?

   

Players can get started on PC, Mac, or mobile at the click of a button. The 888poker platform takes a couple of minutes to download and install. The zipped file (888poker.zip) is 218 MB and you can open it with your browser, or save the file to your desktop.  Be advised that you may be required to whitelist it with ad blockers or antivirus software to allow the program to download. This downloadable platform is powerful, compact, and feature rich.

Once you’ve downloaded and installed it, you will be required to create an account with your registration information. The registration process takes a couple of moments to complete, and once you’re signed up, your information will be verified to secure your account. The speed of your Internet connection determines how quickly you get set up. 888poker supports 3G, 4G, and Wi-Fi connectivity, so there are no problems as long as you have a stable connection. The online poker games have been optimized for mobile gameplay, and they maximize screen real estate on your Android or iOS devices.

Once you’ve registered, you qualify for a $10 free, or currency equivalent, deposit bonus by using the following promotional code: 888BONUS. This bonus can be used to play real-money poker games online. The minimum withdrawal amount is $10 and any unused bonus will be removed after the expiration date. As for games, 888poker is fully stocked with a range of attractions, including the ever-popular Texas Hold’em, 7 Card Stud Poker, and Omaha Hi-Lo. 

There are no limit games, fixed limit games, and pot limit games available for players. Expect lots of fish at low stakes games, where you can play from as little as $0.01 real money poker games all the way up to $1000. Depending on your playing preference, you can participate in cash games, SNGs (Sit & Go’s), or MTTs (Multi-Table Tournaments) at your leisure. Various other 888poker exclusives are available such as the fast fold poker game a.k.a. SNAP. With this, you don’t need to wait for lengthy periods of time between hands – a new game starts up as soon as an old one finishes.

What tournaments are available at 888poker?

There are lots of exclusive tourneys for players at this online poker. These include the SNGs, heads up tournaments, MTTs, and satellite tournaments. The most common types of tournaments are the SNGs with 2 – 360 players participating, and 6/9 players per table. In Sit & Go tournaments, it’s usually the top three players who get paid, with the winner claiming most of the poker pot. As for specifics, there are Big Fish tournaments running around the clock with No Limit Hold ’em poker games.

You can participate in low stakes buy-in games like $1 with guaranteed payouts of $1000 (The Goldfish), or raise the stakes to a $12 buy-in and guaranteed payouts of $5000 (The Catfish), or perhaps even the $55 buy-in with a guaranteed prize pool of $10,000 (The Monsoon). If you are looking for a mega-money tournament, the Mega Deep is just what the doctor ordered. This one has a buy-in of $215 and a guaranteed prize pool of $100,000. These are just a sampling of the most popular tournaments at this online poker room. The Big Fish Series tournaments have payouts in the tens of thousands, although you should expect buy-ins of $5.50 upwards.

Whether you’re a casual player or a pro, there are enough tournament types to keep you glued to your screen. Some of them like free tournaments allow you to play with no money down. Then there are the double or nothing tournaments, heads up poker tournaments, and turbo poker games. Satellites are great for players looking to make their way to the big leagues at the WSOP in Las Vegas, Nevada. Simply finish in the money and you could find yourself seated at a high-stakes poker tournament like Chris Moneymaker did when he won the 2003 WSOP (for a buy-in of just $39) and scooped up $2.5 million for his hard work.

What’s the quality of customer support at 888poker?

For starters, it’s good to know that the customer service reps at this online poker room speak your language. Multiple languages are supported, including English, Portuguese, Russian, French, Suomi, Japanese, Chinese, Swedish, and German. You can set your preferences to your home country for added convenience. Customer service representatives are available via the online help function which redirects you to 888.com. At the 888poker Support Center, you will find a variety of help topics including the following:

  • Poker Games
  • Technical Issues
  • My Account and Login
  • Registration Information
  • Deposits and Withdrawals
  • Bonuses and Promotional Offers

You can also complete the online contact form by providing your email address, a subject, and a description of your question, query, or concern. Overall, the customer service representatives at this online poker room do a fine job. Player satisfaction is always high on the agenda at 888poker, and it shows with the professionalism you are afforded at this poker room.

Poker skills training, poker education, and poker resources

Poker players know that there’s more to this game than meets the eye. The mathematics of poker run deep. Players can benefit from the comprehensive poker guides, poker articles, poker strategies, and poker plays presented under the ‘How to Play’ category tab. Scores of in-depth guides are presented with best-practice methodology, heavily-researched topics on poker psychology, and a smorgasbord of poker tools, resources, and calculators. All of this is designed to help you become a better poker player. Rules of play for each of the poker games presented at 888poker are available, as are software manuals with instructions on how to join tables, how to register, and how to install the software. This online poker room has done a fine job of educating its players about the game.

Pros and Cons

888poker is an established online poker room with global operations. There are some 10 million+ registered players competing for mega-money poker pots. Since it is owned and operated by 888 Holdings plc, under the umbrella of the 888 Group of companies, it is a reputable online poker. There is some healthy competition and sizeable numbers of players competing, but not enough to deter you from playing poker. Customer support is great, but the absence of a live chat feature can slow things down a little. Since online poker rooms may not make much money from players (only the rake) the customer support is limited. Overall, thumbs up for a world-class poker room.