Pacific Poker Review

Summary:
This is our Pacific Poker review summary. Pacific Poker were one of the first big poker rooms and continue to offer a great selection of games and many loose opponents. Strengths include a great selection of cash-game tables, many opponents who come from the casino associated with this site and a wide range of easy deposit options.

Pacific Poker Player Base

This site lost the majority of their player base when pulling out of the US market in late 2006. However they are quickly rebuilding using aggressive marketing both online and offline and are now back in the top 10 poker rooms list. Expect up to 10,000 players online at peak times of European evenings and weekends.

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The fact that Pacific are the poker arm of the worlds largest online casino (888.com) means that many players come to the poker room from the gaming tables. This means you can expect many opponents with a ‘gambling’ approach – the games are loose and wild with money to be made by those with some poker experience.

Pacific Poker Software Client

Pacific Poker’s software is well structured, fast and very user-friendly. The large number of filtering options (which can be saved) make table selection easy and the tables have a sideways-on view, great graphics and fast access to all the important functions and areas of the site.

The lobby has a primary division by game type, the games available being Holdem, Omaha Hi, Omaha Hi-Lo, 7-Stud and 7-Stud Hi-Lo. Beneath each game type there are tabs for ring games, tournaments and jackpots. This setup is different from many poker sites, who separate tournaments and sit and goes at the highest level.

For the cash games drop down menus are then used to reduce the table list by stakes, table size and availability. A separate filter further reduces the tables to suit your preferences – these can then be saved for future visits. The tournament sections also have drop downs for filtering, along with buttons to distinguish sit and goes, multi-table tournaments, live event qualifiers and fast blinds. For players who focus on a single game type this organization makes navigating around the lobby very easy indeed.

The tables themselves are smart and fast running with a sideways-on viewpoint and good graphics. The action buttons and cards are smaller than at some sites, however they are easy to use once you get used to them. Access to layout options (including tiled or cascaded layouts) and hand history comes in the form of handy drop down menus.

Pacific Poker Cash Game Selection

Cash games are a strong area for Pacific Poker with many of the casino players heading there. This means the opposition is loose and wild – providing an ideal opportunity for players with some poker experience to make money. Only Holdem, Omaha and Stud are currently available with Fixed-Limit, Pot-Limit and No-Limit betting and Hi-Lo variations where applicable.

A wide range of buy-ins and betting limits are available. No-Limit Holdem games start at just 1c / 2c blinds and go all the way up to $25 / $50. The most popular games are at $1 / $2 and below. Fixed Limit Holdem starts at 2c / 4c and goes up to a massive $100 / $200. As the buy-in levels increase the predominance of 6-max tables increases in proportion to the full ring (10-handed) games. Heads-up cash games are also widely available at a number of buy-in levels.

The Omaha Hi cash game tables attract a reasonable number of players in both the pot-limit and fixed limit games. However the Omaha Hi-Lo, Stud and Stud Hi-Lo tables are sparsely populated outside of peak hours.

Pacific Poker Tournament Selection

The tournament schedule at Pacific Poker is not as wide as many other poker sites. These are restricted to Texas Holdem games and lower buy-in levels. Re- buy tournaments, fast blind structures, freerolls and qualifiers to external events are all available. Buy-in levels start at just 1c and most range between $1 and $30.

Sit and go tournaments are also Texas Holdem only, with both fixed limit and no-limit variations available. These range from heads-up matches, through 5 and 6 tables (the 6 player tables unusually award 3 prizes), 10 player games and multi-table sit and goes which go up to 50 players. There are also special ‘Triple Up’ 3-player sit and goes with a single prize. Buy-in levels range from 50c+20c right up to $750+$35. As with many sites the $30 and below buy-ins attract the most players.

Pacific Poker Bonuses And Promotions

Pacific Poker offer a 25% bonus on your first deposit up to $100, instead of counting raked hands the clearance requirement is to wager 20 times the bonus amount. This can be completed in either cash games or through tournaments. This bonus is made available immediately – however you will need to complete the wagering requirement before you are able to cash out.

A number of other bonuses and promotions are available including a $3,500 new depositors freeroll and a ‘players club’ where you use points collected at the tables for further rewards such as tournament entries – or simply turn them into cash. Pacific seem to have a large number of short-term promotions running almost every week. It is worth checking out their website for the latest information on these.

Pacific Poker Customer Service

Pacific Poker’s customer service is another strong area for this site. They are available 24/7 and can be contacted via e-mail, telephone or by using the live chat facility. The extremely knowledgeable staff are fast to respond to any enquiries.

Pacific Poker Banking

Another strong point for Pacific Poker are the huge number of payment methods accepted by this site. This includes many country-specific options as well as all of the standard electronic transfer methods accepted by other sites. The list of accepted deposit methods includes: Visa, MasterCard, EuroCard, Diners Club, Laser Debit Cards, Solo, Maestro, Chinese Debit Cards, Bank Transfer, e-check, Wire Transfers, Direct Bank Transfers, InstaDebit, ClickAndBuy, PayPoint, Paysafecard, UKash, Moneybookers and Neteller.

Overview / Final Thoughts

While this site lacks a little in the tournaments on offer, cash game players will benefit from the great selection of tables and large numbers of casino players who come to gamble. The software is fast, easy to use and looks great and the banking options available mean that every player should be able to find an easy deposit method. A solid choice of site for poker players of all skill levels.

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