Party Poker Vip
This is an old review.
Party Poker is still running, but it's no longer a part of my list of recommended poker rooms. This page hasn't been updated in a while, so take what you read with a pinch of historical salt.
Video poker VIP Party HD is a great classic game with a stylish clean design. Win chips, earn bonu. Since Party Poker recently upgraded their VIP program to basically mimic the one at PokerStars, both sites are pretty equal. ROUND 8 WINNER: ROUND 9 Support. PokerStars generally is regarded as having the best customer service in the industry. They are only available via email, however, they generally return emails within a few hours at most.
- Website:www.PartyPoker.com
- Established: 2001
- Network: Independent
- Multi-Tabling: 18
- Traffic:High
- Competition:Average
- Mac Compatible:No
- US Friendly:No
100% up to $500 Bonus
Party Poker overview.
I love Party Poker. Party is easily my favourite online poker room for Texas Hold'em Poker. If I want to have fun and make money, I play at Party. So yeah, that basically means I play there all the time these days.
- Home to the worst players in online poker. You won't win easier money anywhere else.
- Beautiful software and graphics.
- Reliable support and high traffic.
- Doesn't excel in any one area, but then that does not necessarily make it a bad room.
Aside from having delicious software, the best thing about Party Poker is the soft competition. The players are so clueless that I win far more money here than I would playing at any other room. The place is like a conservation area for fish. If you're not US-based and you're playing elsewhere, you're leaving money on the table.
Party Poker was actually the top online poker room for the longest time. Since they stopped accepting US players in 2006, they slipped in to the #4 spot behind PokerStars, Full Tilt and the iPoker network. But that doesn't matter, there are still more than enough players to fill up the tables 24/7, and that's all that matters.
Plus, the fact that they no longer accept US players is probably the reason why the games are so juicy. So for that, I'm thankful.
PartyPoker competition and traffic.
- The #1 poker room for soft competition.
- High traffic. #4 for traffic overall, but still an abundance of players.
There is more than enough traffic at Party, which means that you can play at whatever stakes you like and multi table at higher limits than you would be able to at smaller rooms like Bodog.
But as I keep saying, the bad players is what it's all about at Party.
Party Poker does an exceptional job of attracting casual players due to their style of advertising. There is a huge difference between the quality of competition at Full Tilt and PokerStars compared to Party.
Party Poker software.
- Very stylish and impressively easy to resize windows for multi-tabling.
- HoldemManager and PokerTracker 3 supported.
- Lobby is a little cluttered. Takes a few minutes to get used to.
Party Poker is undoubtedly a very nice looking room (the Party Casino isn't bad either). The table design is very PokerStars-esque and has the sleek feel of the Bodog tables. In addition to this, the tables resize wonderfully, with the smallest windows being as clear and crisp as the largest ones.
There are only two minor negatives that I can think of:
- The lobby is a little too busy for my liking. Takes some time to get the hang of.
- For Mac users, they only offer an in-browser alternative. A downloadable app would be nice.
But to be honest, these are just tiny quirks. In fact, I'll go ahead and call it a fair trade-off for bringing in all the terrible players for me to take advantage of.
Party Poker VIP program.
Party Poker offers an addictive VIP program, where you can collect points and trade them for real money in the store. It's just like the system used at PokerStars.
The Party Poker VIP rewards program works out to give players the equivalent of getting between 5% and 20% of your rake back, which is handy.
Party Poker bonus.
100% up to $500 Bonus
When you are signing up to Party Poker, use the Party Poker bonus codeBANKBONUS to get the optimum 100% up to $500 new player bonus.
The bonus is fairly easy to clear, but it is not as easy to clear as the bonuses at other major rooms like Full Tilt and PokerStars. Nonetheless, if you are a bonus whore, the bonus money works out to return about 25% of the rake you pay back to your account. Check the poker bonuses page to see how the Party bonus compares with others.
Party Poker bonus details.
| Bonus: | $500 |
|---|---|
| Match: | 100% |
| Time: | 120 days |
| Increments: | 10% |
| Bonus Code: | BANK500 |
| PartyPoints earned per $1 rake paid: | 2 |
|---|---|
| PartyPoints needed per $1 of bonus: | 8 |
| Total PartyPoints needed to redeem bonus: | 4,000 |
| Total rake paid to redeem bonus: | $2,000 |
| Bonusback: | 25% |
Go back to the Texas Hold'em rooms.
PokerStars allows players from around the world to join while Party Poker does not allow players from the United States on their site.
Let's break down the differences between these two popular sites to see which is best for you.
COMPARISON VIDEO
ROUND BY ROUND
ROUND1Bonuses & Promotions
PokerStars recently upgraded their bonus offer for first time players with a $600 deposit bonus. The bonus has a very long shelf life in your bonus account so you will have plenty of time to work it off before it expires. Party Poker also has a 100% bonus offer up to $500. The bonus at Party Poker is not quite as easy to unlock as the one at PokerStars but still is pretty simple to get to overall.
ROUND 1 WINNER:
ROUND2Software
Party Poker has had a few upgrades in 2009 to really improve the performance of the lobby and the table. Although the art design of the lobby at this poker room hasn't changed in five years, it's still straightforward and easy to use. PokerStars has a fantastic lobby software with no reports of lag time or crashes from the tables. There are plenty of table and card mods (modifications) available by default from the PokerStars software client (as well as 3rd party designers) and it also offers a bit better experience in the way of bet controls.
ROUND 2 WINNER:
ROUND3Traffic
According to industry reports, PokerStars is the number one poker site on the internet by almost double the second place competition. Party Poker comes in a respectable fourth place in the same reports, so the edge here quite clearly is enjoyed by PokerStars.
ROUND 3 WINNER:
ROUND4Tournaments
Party Poker has a few big tournaments a month with the return of the Party Million and the site does a good job promoting the event with tons of satellites. PokerStars, on the other hand, has the biggest weekly tournament on the internet with the Sunday Million and constantly has big guarantee tournaments running daily. For tournament players this one is not even close, especially when you consider the WCOOP and SCOOP tournament series on Stars.
ROUND 4 WINNER:
ROUND5Ring Games
The good news is that both sites have plenty of micro stakes action for beginners to get their feet wet at cash game play. There are so many fish at these levels a player should have no real problems building a nice solid bankroll. The player pool in general, and especially considering the regulars, is definitely fishier at Party Poker in the small and mid-stakes. PokerStars has what is generally described as the best small and mid-stakes players on the internet.
ROUND 5 WINNER:
ROUND6Games
Party Poker has just as good a variety of games with Texas Hold'em, Omaha, Omaha Hi/Lo and 7 Card Stud. PokerStars does offer more in terms of a variety of games including 5 Card Draw, Badugi, HORSE, HEROS, HOSE, Mixed Games, Razz, Single Draw Lowball 2-7 and Triple Draw Lowball 2-7. PokerStars does a better job incorporating these other poker games with tournaments, so they'll get the nod in this section.
ROUND 6 WINNER:
ROUND7Deposit/Withdrawal Options
Party Poker offers the ability to deposit via credit card, Neteller, Firepay and wire transfers such as Western Union. Withdrawals from Party Poker are typically done through Neteller without hassle. PokerStars does have Visa and Mastercard options, mainly for non-USA residents. There are also Western Union, Instant eCheck and Click2Pay available for anyone playing on the site.
ROUND 7 WINNER:
ROUND8VIP Program
Both sites have a pretty good VIP system based on 'points' or VPPs that take players to a certain level that allow for better rewards and a multiplier for those player points. The points are rewarded when players play at real money tables and both sites allow for those points to be used for cash bonuses. Since Party Poker recently upgraded their VIP program to basically mimic the one at PokerStars, both sites are pretty equal.
ROUND 8 WINNER:
ROUND9Support
PokerStars generally is regarded as having the best customer service in the industry. They are only available via email, however, they generally return emails within a few hours at most. They are also pretty funny, which gives their players the sense that they are dealing with real people. Party Poker does have email and telephone support but they are generally known as not being super helpful.
ROUND 9 WINNER:
Party Poker Video
PokerStarsVSParty PokerWHO WINS?
Clearly players in the USA will be playing on PokerStars since Party Poker won't have them. International players have a good choice on their hands, and those looking for the total poker experience should probably head the way of PokerStars. Those of you looking for a solid VIP program and a very fishy cash game player pool will want to check out Party Poker. Don't underestimate the extra $100 in bonus money as well as the superior customer service of PokerStars.
Party Poker Online
FINAL SCORE621