There are two kinds of online poker players in this world - those who have heard of PokerRoom and those that haven't. If you haven't then the chances are high that you are either new to the game or you've already found a site that's so good you haven't felt the need to look around for alternatives. I say this because, if you had looked for alternatives, PokerRoom would have come high on your list of suitable candidates.

PokerRoom is part of the Ongame group of companies, which was founded in 1999 by professional poker players Oskar Hörnell and Claes Lidell. PokerRoom itself was launched in October of that year, and has since earned itself a number of accolades, including being named "Poker Site Of The Year" by Inside Edge magazine in 2005. No wonder, then, their October 2005 figures boast 6 million registered players.

You can play with pretend money for practice, or with real money for profit. Opening an account to play with real money is more time consuming than with many other sites, and involves security steps such as waiting for an activation code to arrive by e-mail and having to provide proof of your identification with a valid passport or driving licence. Whilst some people might find these stringent measures a tad annoying, this approach has made the site unsurpassed in terms of security. As for the possibility of cheating, PokerRoom have gone to town with just as much gusto to make sure that it's as unlikely as humanly possible. Not surprising when you consider the site was founded by professional players who were probably just as keen to protect their own cash as we are ours.

The site offers a choice of playing via your Java-enabled browser or via downloaded software. The former option is good if you just want a quick game, but the downloaded version is packed with extra features, including the ability to check your stats, make notes about opponents and have the odds of you winning calculated in real time. For the serious online player, this makes the download option a no-brainer.

One of the best things about this site is the graphical gaming environment. Some online poker sites give the impression that you're playing on one of those lame television consoles we used to moan about in the late seventies, but PokerRoom have obviously invested an awful lot of time and talent to ensure that you aren't disappointed with their offering. The rooms are very nicely presented, and each player is assigned an avatar that would look at home in an X-Box 360 game. Maybe one day a site will let us design our own 3D virtual personas, but until that time comes, PokerRoom's graphics are the next best thing.

Games

Poker is the main thing that attracts visitors to this site, and there are plenty of versions to keep the aficionado happy, including Texas Hold'em, Seven Card Stud, Omaha, 5 Card Draw and Chinese Poker. There are also plenty of tournaments to get involved in, and some of these include WPT qualifiers.

But there's more to PokerRoom than just poker. Fans of casino games are also well catered for with a link to ww.CasinoRoom.com which offers roulette, blackjack, craps and slots using the same account.

Money

Money can be paid into your account with a credit or debit card, via a NETeller e-wallet or - for residents in the US and Canada - via the InstaCASH system. First time players receive a 20% deposit bonus, up to a maximum of $100 and, like the rest of the site, the depositing and withdrawal of money is as secure as it gets.

Contact

Customer support is offered via an easy to navigate on-screen interface, a live chat facility or by e-mailing support@pokerroom.com directly.

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