Party Poker has some terrific bonuses and promotional offers as well as some of the biggest poker tournaments that you can find. It is a secure and very well known site with fast and reliable financial transactions. There is much hype around the name of Party Poker but you will find that it is quite over-rated in comparison to some of its competitors. However overall it is an excellent site to play at.
Software
Party Poker has a good interface and uses software that is more functional in nature than innovative. You will not be left speechless by the software but you will also find no cause for complaint as it fast, efficient and very easy to use. The interface may be a little below standard for some players who tend to find it a little stiff for their liking. There is a little delay in the loading time of the site due to the graphics in the lobby but otherwise there is no other problem. Multi-gaming is possible at Party Poker but it does not support hand statistics which is a point against the site.
Traffic
Where traffic is concerned Party Poker has great numbers as it is one of the largest poker sites on the web today. At peak hours there are over 70,000 plus players of which a very good amount of them enter into cash games. When considering the numbers that the tournaments bring in, it must be said that the traffic at this site is spectacular.
Tournaments
Party Poker is best known for its tournaments. It has multi table and single table games, as well as regular and special tournaments, not to mention shootouts. Party Poker has an entire range of tournaments for all types of players and provides high stake games as well as the low buy –in tables for players who are not high rollers. This site boasts about its sit-in tournaments and undoubtedly they are among the best available as of today. There are over 20,000 avid poker players who participate simultaneously in the poker cash games. The low buy –in tables are by far the most popular with players.
Game Variety
Party Poker has a good variety of poker games for players to enjoy. These include the famous Texas Hold'em, Omaha, Omaha hi-lo, 7-stud and 7-stud hi-lo. There are no turbo games, but there are both multi-player as well as single table games available. Party Poker has free rolls for all of it games.
Competition
The competition at Party Poker can be best described as soft. Despite it being such a reputed site you will find that most of the players at Party Poker are just there to try their luck and are mostly amateurs. This site does not have big competition if that is what you are looking for. However if you want to make some fast and easy money then this site could work for you. There is some competition at the higher take games and the skill level of these players must not be discounted.
Bonuses
Party Poker has a good welcome bonus for new players on their first deposit. They are available on two separate schemes based on the amount of your initial deposit. There is both a 25% and 30 % bonus available. The 25% bonus is for deposits of $50 or more and the 30% bonus is for an amount up to $150. It is advisable to go for the latter bonus if you are making a deposit for over a $100. If you do claim the latter bonus you will be required to play at least 500 raked hands within a month of your deposit to claim it.
Support
Party Poker has a reasonable support service. They are available to their customers via two mediums namely that of e-mail and telephone support. They do not offer live chat as one would expect of such a large poker site, like some of the newer and much smaller poker sites. However their telephone support is up to standard and customers are not left waiting in queue for more than 2 to 3 minutes even during peak hours. The support staff is knowledgeable and friendly which is an added bonus. The email support however is not up to par and is very slow in comparison to other poker sites.
Deposit and Withdrawal Methods
Party Poker has a wide selection of online payment methods for deposits and withdrawals. These include Neteller, FirePay, Western Union, Citadel, e-Checks, bank draft, cashier's check, regular check, money order and credit card for deposits. Withdrawal options are comparatively lesser and include Neteller, wire transfers, e-Checks and regular check.