PokerStars is the largest poker site in the world. It offers a particularly good variety of games, including many super high-limit events and some of the rarer mixed games. The room sponsors many of the world’s most famous poker players, including WSOP Main Event winners Chris Moneymaker, Joseph Hachem and Greg Raymer. Canadian prodigy Daniel Negreanu also signed on to represent the site in 2007. The site is home to players of all skill levels from many countries around the world, and thus boasts a massive and diverse player pool. Sign up through a PokerListings link and get an exclusive $100 bonus at 200% deposit match.

With a nice look and quality feel, the PokerStars software is among the best in the world. It offers players innovative functions, lightning-fast game play and great multi-table options. It's also fully customizable and very stable. Players can upload their own images for use as avatars and can change the table size of all the poker games. There are three styles of card graphics to choose from, and 11 themes for the overall appearance. Tables can also be cascaded and tiled, and all visual and audio options can be turned on and off.

Overall, PokerStars boasts top-notch software with a great look and feel. Even as the world’s largest poker site, it's still growing quickly and it already offers the best volume of guaranteed tournaments and live poker event qualifiers in the world. Real-money player statistics as of May 2008 show 22,500 ring-game players and 155,000 tournament players at peak hours.

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(Note: this poker room does not allow U.S. players).

Hollywood Poker is part of the Ongame network, one of the largest poker networks in the world. The player base is widespread but mainly European, and because the network is so big, it offers up a fairly good balance of both soft and tough games. Sign up through a PokerListings link and get an exclusive $750 bonus at 1,000% deposit match.

Both Hollywood Poker and the Ongame network are growing quickly, and offer plenty of guaranteed tournaments and satellites. Hollywood Poker itself is endorsed by many big name celebrities - most prominently acting icon James Woods, who can be found at the tables frequently. There are lots of special promotions as well, including regular money-added tournaments, Top Set and Quad Aces payouts and Celebrity Invitational tournaments. The weekly Celebrity Classic is always a favorite as well, paying out over $200k in celebrity bounties already in 2007.

The Hollywood Poker software comes in both a download and no-download version, and the download version offers great 3D-graphics, featuring nice looking avatars and many pleasing functions. The software is stable, clean and in line with the better software on the market.

Real-money player statistics as of May 2008 show 9,000 ring-game players and 45,000 tournament players at peak hours.

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PlayersOnly Poker is one of the newest additions to the poker world, opening for play in late 2006. The site is backed by Sportsbook.com and resides on the Cake Poker Network, meaning they only accept U.S. players and, more importantly, U.S. credit card deposits. PlayersOnly Poker offers good game variety, good graphics and playability and is growing quickly, although most of the action is still found at the lower limits. Sign up through a PokerListings link and get an exclusive $1,000 bonus at 125% deposit match.

The PlayersOnly Poker software offers great playability with clean and appealing graphics, although tables can be a little cluttered with information. The software runs quickly and reliably and updates take a minimal amount of time. Even though the higher-stakes games and tournaments still leave something to be desired, the games are super loose and quite a lucrative opportunity for a poker player with skill and experience. Aside from the nice sign-up bonus, players also get a good loyalty program, WSOP giveaways and some quality freerolls. Real-money player statistics as of May 2008 show 1,700 ring-game players and 6,000 tournament players at peak hours.

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(Note: this poker room does not allow U.S. players).

Poker players looking for juicy, high-action Texas Hold’em tables and frequent promotions often find themselves at longtime industry favorite Pacific Poker. One of the first quality poker sites in the industry, and for several years a market leader, Pacific Poker has seen a drop in traffic but remains an excellent site for Hold'em games. In May 2007, the poker room upgraded its software, adding numerous functions and improving their graphics to top-of-the-line quality. Sign up through a PokerListings link and get an exclusive $475 bonus at 125% deposit match.

The Pacific Poker software offers great functionality, clutter-free tables and high reliability. The graphics are superb, and you'll also find some of the best search functions ever invented. One in particular allows players to view their previous hands in a unique-action replay interface, showing exactly how the hand played out.

Pacific Poker is definitely growing again, and making up ground lost with the passing of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act. Aside from its innovative software, Pacific Poker is also known for hosting really good tournaments, including many exclusive freerolls. Real-money player statistics as of May 2008 show 2,000 ring-game players and 8,000 tournament players at peak hours.

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