Online poker has been around for a long time now and dozens of poker sites have opened and closed their doors over that time. If you are a poker player looking for the best place to play, this full rundown of the best and biggest poker networks out there will surely come in as a handy tool.

We took a look at all the poker networks available on the modern market and tested them out to give you, the player, the ultimate assessment of which poker networks you should be playing at. Our detailed list of the best poker networks tells you:

• Which poker networks have the most players
• Which poker networks have the softest games and weakest players
• How you can benefit from joining various poker networks.

We assessed the quality of players and the availability of poker games on each of the networks. After extensive analysis, we were able to give you more information on which poker sites are the most player friendly and where you should play if you are an amateur as well as if you are an inspiring pro looking to start up his or her career.

1. Pokerstars

Founded In: 2001
Owner: Stars Group/Amaya
Target Market: Europe and ROW
Available to US Players: NO

Founded in 2001, Pokerstars is by far the biggest and most active of all poker networks. At Pokerstars, you will find thousands of opponents playing across all stakes and game types at all times of day. Whether you are looking to play poker tournaments, cash games or sit and goes, this poker network will not let you down.

The only real dilemma we had while testing Pokerstars is whether the site is better for tournament or cash game players since the offering of both game formats is absolutely impressive. Tournaments at Pokerstars run from freerolls to massive high roller events.

Players of all stakes and skill levels can join the tournament action at any time and they will find the appropriate game for themselves. The incredible number of satellite tournaments is also very important, since lower stakes players can use satellites as a way to join bigger and more valuable tournaments.

Pokerstars is also a site famous for its offering of sit and go tournaments, which are offered in many different formats. Ranging from 6 man to 180 man sngs and from $0.10 to $300, sit and go players usually play almost exclusively at Pokerstars.

In terms of cash games, Pokerstars is again one of the best poker networks as it offers a massive player pool full of recreational and amateur players who saw the site on TV and are ready to throw their money away. Still, Pokerstars cash game tables are no pushover and as you move up the stakes you will surely run into some stiff competition as well.

Overall speaking, Pokerstars remains the number one poker networks despite being somewhat hurt by the new ownership that has moved away from the model of serving professional players and more in the direction of helping amateur players get more value and entertainment. Pokerstars is also the number one place to go if you want to but your head with the pros as the likes of Daniel Negreanu and many other top professionals regularly play on Pokerstars.

• Biggest and best poker network in the world
• Available in all major jurisdictions except the USA
• Hosts the biggest online poker tournaments
• Employs popular poker players as Team Pokerstars members

2. Winamax

Founded In: 1999
Owner: WINAMAX
Target Market: France and Europe
Available to US Players: NO

This French poker site is quite interesting since it is the only place that allows French players to play against players from the rest of Europe. French players are not accepted on any of the international sites out there, but sites with French license can easily accept players from all other countries of the Europe.

Winamax owners decided to take advantage of this and created one of the best and biggest poker networks in Europe. Winamax is a site notorious for low level of player quality compared to other European sites. This is in big part thanks to local French players who are mostly not very proficient at the game and play it in a more gamblish style than most.

The traffic at Winamax is impressive when compared to most other sites aside of Pokerstars. Winamax tournaments are among the biggest and juiciest in the online poker world while cash games are also on fire especially during European peak times.

In terms of different games offered across the networks, Texas Hold’em and Pot Limit Omaha take up the vast majority of all the action, while tables for other games exist but remain empty for the majority of the time.

Winamax offers a unique proprietary poker platform that can match some of the best in the industry in quality and does very well in terms of serving different types of players. Tournament and cash game players as well as amateurs and experienced players will all enjoy joining Winamax and testing their luck and their skills against the French speaking players.

• French poker network that accepts international players
• Hosts big field tournaments with massive guarantees
• Some of the softest games on all European sites

3. 888 Poker

Founded In: 2002
Owner: 888 Holdings
Target Market: Europe and ROW
Available to US Players: NO

888 Poker is an international poker network licensed by the government of Gibraltar and offering games since 2002. The site has always maintained a very solid reputation in the industry and was never involved with any scandals that many other sites suffered from. This reputation has helped them to become the official sponsors of World Series of Poker, the world’s biggest poker stage.

Action at 888 Poker is incredible. The site takes players from most parts of the world and while US players cannot join the action on the international site, those based in Nevada, Delaware and New Jersey can play on dedicated poker sites for US players.

888 Poker was always known as a generous poker network and they continue to offer plenty in terms of no deposit and deposit bonuses to their players. Aside from these and other promotions, 888 also offers one of the biggest player pools that is active at nearly all hours of day and night.

888 Poker offers a wide choice of poker tournaments and plenty of action at the cash game tables for Texas Hold’em and Omaha players. The quality of 888 Poker’s software is on par with that of Pokerstars and while there are a few minor things that could be improved, it is safe to say that the software is smooth, fast and very reliable.

• Major international online gambling brand
• Host online casino and sportsbook as well
• Big field of fairly soft games at a major poker site

4. Party Poker

Founded In: 2001
Owner: GVC Holdings
Target Market: Europe and ROW
Available to US Players: NO

Party Poker was one of the first poker sites that offered poker to general public on the internet as it was first launched back in 2001. Before the UIGEA was passed in the United States, Party Poker was the number one poker site in the world but it decided to ban American players from playing at this point and lost the throne to Pokerstars.

Despite that, Party Poker always remained one of the top poker providers in the world and once it merged with the popular bookmaker/poker site BWIN it only grew larger. Today, Party Poker network is one of the most lucrative poker networks to play at, mostly thanks to its large pool of fishy players.

Action at Party Poker network is fast and furious and there are cash game and tournament tables running around the clock. The players who play at Party Poker are often not as high quality as those playing on smaller sites or even on other major poker networks and Party Poker is often considered to be the “fishiest” site around.

Party’s rewards program is another notable thing, as players playing at Party Poker can enjoy up to 40% in rakeback, which is something that was quite common back in the day but is not found very often at modern poker site.

Party Poker also completely remade their software, turning it into a very high quality piece of programming and offering smooth and reliable service to players from all parts of the world. Joining Party Poker is definitely a good idea since the site offers a ton of promotions and an exclusive rewards program that easily beats most others.

• Hosts Party Poker and BWIN Poker in a united player pool
• High end poker software provides a high quality gameplay experience
• Big poker tournament series around the year with millions in guaranteed prize pools

5. iPoker

Founded In: 1999
Owner: Playtech
Target Market: Europe and ROW
Available to US Players: NO

Owned by the online gaming giant Playtech, iPoker is the biggest poker network in terms of sites that make it up. If you are looking to join the games at iPoker, you will be able to do so by signing up with nearly two dozen different poker sites such as Bet365, Betfair, Ladbrokes and William Hill.

All of these poker sites are merged into a single network which means that players play at the same tables and can compete against each other regardless of the actual skin they choose.

This convergence of many different poker sites has made iPoker one of the biggest and most interesting poker networks for the players. For starters, players can use the fact that many different sites are involved with the networks by claiming bonuses and promotions at multiple poker sites, thus increasing their overall profits.

Furthermore, players have a chance to choose their skin and play at the site they feel most comfortable with while still playing in the same games. Like most other sites, iPoker sites do not accept players from the USA just yet due to American laws.

Regardless of that fact, the action at iPoker is quite solid with players from many European and countries of the rest of the world all joining together and playing some of the most versatile and far reaching poker games out there.

• One of the first European poker networks
• Major UK sites such as Betfair, Ladbrokes and William Hill are part of iPoker
• Mostly cash game action with reasonably good games

6. Bovada/Pai Wong Luo

Founded In: 2011
Owner: Calvin Ayre
Target Market: USA and Latin America
Available to US Players: YES

Bovada Poker, also known as Pai Wong Luo is an interesting poker network with a rich and turbulent history. It all started back in poker’s glory days when Bodog Poker was one of the primary poker providers in the world and the USA. As times changed, Bodoh Poker distanced itself from the US market but Bovada Poker bought out their player database and launched in 2011.

After some turbulence, Bovada Poker shut down and then launched again in 2017 and today it stands as one of the top US facing poker sites.

The amazing thing about Bovada is that it is a poker network that caters to US and Asian players alike, which means players from both continents can find action around the clock. Bovada Poker offers a much better software than most US facing poker sites while also generating lots of traffic and action at all times.

Avid poker fans can also benefit from a great range of poker specific promotions and thanks to the invention of Bitcoin, US players can now enjoy playing online poker without much fear of how they will deposit and cash out their winnings, since Bovada Poker network is 100% Bitcoin friendly.

While Bovada Poker may not provide the kind of action that US players had back at Pokerstars and Full Tilt Poker before the Black Friday, the site certainly offers one of the best and highest quality poker experiences for American players in the modern poker era.

• Major poker network that accepts US players
• Also host numerous Asian players
• Accepts Bitcoin as a method of payment, allowing anonymous deposits and cashouts

7. GG Poker

Founded In: 2014
Owner: GGNetwork
Target Market: Asia and ROW
Available to US Players: NO

Poker is certainly a global phenomenon and in recent years the Asian market has been a significantly increasing one. With more and more Chinese and other Asian players getting interested in poker , poker networks such as GG Poker have been thriving.

GG Poker is not only a poker network with plenty of traffic but also one that has implemented tons of novelties and features that were never before tested in the online poker world. For instance, players at GG Poker network can sell pieces of their tournament action in the lobby of each tournament they want to play, they can see other players’ basic stats within the software itself (third party software is banned) and can enjoy numerous other features, some of which are purely cosmetic while others are actually useful.

When it comes to the GG Poker software, it is state of the art. The software looks cool and modern and runs fast on all types of devices. Compared to the best competitors in the industry such as Pokerstars, Party Poker or 888 Poker, GG Poker puts up a great fight in terms of design, game speed and graphics quality.

In terms of traffic, GG Poker is not as loaded with players as some of these other sites, but at most times of day it still has more traffic than the majority of other poker sites and networks, including iPoker. The site presents players with an opportunity to choose between tournaments and cash games and in both cases it provides more than enough games for any player.

The tournament lobby is loaded with all types of tournaments. Daily guarantees run around the clock, rebuy tournaments are available at peak times and several major daily “Main Events” with various buyins are available with big guarantees. While tournaments are not as massive as those on Pokerstars, they are much more easily defeated since the quality of play is questionable at best.

Cash game tables are just as loaded with Asian gamblers as tournaments, and any competent player has a very fair chance to beat them at a significant win rate. Add special promotions and bonuses that GG Poker network offers on a regular basis to this and players from most countries of the world may have just found themselves the optimal new poker site.

• Pools players from Asian and ROW together
• Does not accept American players
• Software loaded with special features unavailable at other poker sites

8. IDN Poker

Founded In: 2014
Owner: IDNPlay
Target Market: Asia
Available to US Players: NO

Another major Asian poker network, IDN Poker is actually the world’s second biggest poker network behind Pokerstars. Are you wondering why you haven’t heard of it? It’s very simple; IDN Poker is reserved for Asian players only and European players cannot play there since they cannot provide bank information from one of the banks listed at IDN Poker’s site.

However, this is exactly what makes IDN Poker the best place to play poker by far. Since European players for the most part are not able to play there and American players are banned from playing on most poker networks, IDN Poker’s games are as soft as they come and can likely be compared to what poker used to look like some 20 years ago.

IDN Poker is action packed, with thousands of Asian gamblers from China, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand and other Asian countries are gambling it up at Texas Hold’em, Omaha and Capsa Susun tables. The site offers tournaments and cash games alike and some of the lower stakes tables actually offer lower blind levels than any other site on the planet.

The biggest problem that Western players face with IDN Poker is how to play there and the answer is that you really can’t unless you live in Asia for one reason or another. If you do live in Asia, we highly suggest joining IDN Poker and quitting all other poker sites for the duration of your stay on the continent, since you will not find better games and more action at any other site, guaranteed.

• Second largest poker network only behind Pokerstars
• Only accepts players from select Asian countries
• Also offers Capsa Susun, exclusive Asian casino game

9. Microgaming

Founded In: 1999
Owner: Microgaming
Target Market: Europe and ROW
Available to US Players: NO

Microgaming Poker Network has been around for a long time, but in 2018 it introduced its new “Prima” project, which saw it give all its poker sites a new facelift. Using Prima software, Microgaming poker sites tried to regain some of their former glory, but the unfortunate fact is that Microgaming Poker Network is simply not what is used to be.

MPN is still a respectable poker network in its own right and for amateur players it may be sufficient. Microgaming sites now feature a very player friendly experience which allows players to quickly switch between poker and casino games and enjoy poker games with lots of animations, cool graphics and customizable options.

Yet, the traffic of Microgaming sites is not what it used to be, which is why the more serious poker players are no longer playing there for the most part. This might be an exact reason for you to join MPN now since the games there are fishier than they ever were in the past.

Yet, you should consider this carefully as you may end up waiting for action for extended periods of time and potentially never get the action you are looking for thanks to extreme lack of players at some stakes and during some hours of the day.

• Owned by the massive Microgaming gambling network
• Hosts many popular European sites
• Diminishing traffic but still some interesting games at low to medium stakes