Knockout Poker Tournaments

Desktop Website

It’s tricky to talk about the website because 888 actually have a different website for each product. This is brilliant in a lot of ways because it means that everything you are looking at will be relevant to you and you won’t have to navigate through anything you’re not interested in.

For those of you who like to bet on sports and play online games or poker, there are quick links neatly tucked away at the top of every site to the other products; so for example if you were on the casino site there would be links to the sports site and the poker site.

Let’s cover the sports site first.

On the whole the website is plain and simple to use, especially when you take into account the scale of information and betting opportunities it needs to present. When you initially log in things are a little unclear, not in terms of menu structure but in terms of what is right in front of you; the design looks good but the eye takes a few moments to land.

However, once you start delving into the menu things become much clearer. A few basic options are available like A-Z of sports, anything that is currently in play, and Special Offers, so you start on solid ground and from there you can whittle down your options until you find what you are looking for.

The list of sports somewhat annoyingly pokes out and takes over the page when you are using it, but once you open a category the interface is exceptional and only gets better the further you go. There are a lot of options to play with enabling you to zone in on specific markets or bet types, most of which is done with columns and collapsible menus, as well as some useful information pertaining to the event you are currently looking at. The whole system works left to right so you can go back a stage without having to start over each time you want to look at a new game from the same league, for example.

The search bar is also highly functional, allowing punters to search for specific players, teams, leagues etc, while odds can be switched on any page. The betslip is hidden away and only takes up screen space if you need it, even then it can be minimised.

By it’s very nature the casino site is far simpler than the sportsbook but the general idea is still the same, with the menu on the left and a search bar at the top.

There are only a few broad categories here though, and with so many games it can cause problems in searching through them if you are looking for something new. Saying that, newly released games are listed in their own little section, but new to you and new to everyone are not the same thing.

There are a few other ways to filter the games but you still tend to end up with a list that is very long. The basics of each game such as staking upper and lower limits, paylines, features etc, display when you hover over them though which is really quite useful (and pretty cool too).

What we loved is that the games take up the majority of the screen space. Everything else has been pushed to the extremities in order for the game tiles to fill the screen, in essence giving the player as much of the good stuff as possible and keeping the more procedural but necessary bits like your account and the cashier accessible but out of the way.

Both sites are obviously high end, they feels professional and clean but still have life and energy to them (no doubt aided by the bright orange and bright green colour schemes), and operationally they are spot on. Money has clearly been spent here, and the result is a lean and responsive product with many working parts that operate in perfect harmony, and to run their products on different but linked websites shows just how capable this brand is.

How many poker chips do you start with?

This depends on whether you’re playing a tournament game or a cash game. In a tournament game, every player receives the same amount of starting chips – though there may be options to ‘top-up’ or buy back in at certain points. With cash games, you get the chips that directly represent the value you’ve bought in for, which may be more or less than your opponents. Many tables will have a minimum or maximum buy-in, however.

The dealer

Whether you’re playing physical poker at home, at a bricks-and-mortar casino, or an online casino the role of the dealer determines the order in which the blinds are put up and players make their bets. The game usually unfolds in a clockwise direction starting with the dealer.

In both physical and online casinos the dealer is generally not one of the players so a token denotes which player is nominally the dealer for each hand. This then rotates clockwise from one hand to the next.

Fold, watch and play

You may opt to fold or ‘SNAP fold’ and continue watching the hand play out, by either clicking on the Fold watch and play button or by holding down the Shift key whilst clicking on ‘fold’ or ‘SNAP fold’.

By choosing to ‘Fold watch and play’, a new screen will appear. In this screen you can watch the rest of the hand in ‘observer mode.’ In the original screen you’ll be moved to a new table, so you can continue to play.

Please note that it’s only possible to observe one hand at a time.

The “Fold watch and play” option is enabled for SNAP ring games only.

What would your advice be to someone who plays online poker but wants to improve?

Keep working on your game every day.

Read, watch, study.

There are so many streams out there now with great players providing fantastic content and you have to stay on top of it.

The Quick 8-Step Guide to Learning Omaha Hi Poker

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Omaha Hi, or Pot Limit Omaha (PLO), is a game of big hands and even bigger draws. The pot limit betting structure means that crushing pre-flop all-ins are impossible – but that doesn't make it any less exciting. In fact, this is one genre that teaches newbies all about forming the different types of poker hands.

Each player is dealt 4 starting cards, making it easier to make (and chase) more draws. And, it's quite common to see three flushes shown down on the river – all in the same suit!

earn how to play Omaha Hi with this interactive poker guide:

If you haven't tried this poker genre, 888poker has an easy 8-Step poker rules guide to show you how to play Omaha.

Should I play at 888 Poker?

You will have a difficult time to come up with reasons not to play at 888 Poker. They are currently ranked the second highest online poker site regarding player traffic and boast with years of industry experience with no major scandals behind their name. The site offers some of the softest cash games in the industry and provides an arsenal of exciting bonus offers and promotions to keep you coming back for more. Furthermore, they have an excellent range of cash games on multiple poker variants and include a sensational range of tournaments, Sit & Go’s, and freerolls. Their unique Snap poker and BLAST poker offerings is a must for any serious online poker player who enjoys fast-paced action. In addition, you can take advantage of their innovative mobile app offered on both Android and iOS devices, and supports up to 47 different payment methods to easily fund your online poker account. The poker software is stable and extremely reliable, and if you ever experience a problem, you can get in touch with their stellar support centre through multiple contact channels. Overall, you can’t go wrong with 888 Poker, especially if you are someone that loves a great range of cash games.

Support

888 Poker has a fantastic customer service centre that can be reached through several contact channels when you have a simple query or a request on your online poker account. Their support desk is available twenty-four hours a day and seven days a week and are extremely helpful, friendly, and well trained. The first contact channel is telephone support. 888 Poker is one of the rare online poker rooms that still offer support via telephone. You will notice that most other online poker sites don’t even publish a telephone number to reach them as they purely rely on emails and live chat. However, 888 Poker not only provides a telephone number, but they have also dedicated lines for each major country. This includes Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Ireland, New Zealand, Norway, Russia, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom.

Secondly, you can reach their stellar support centre through emails. The usual turn around time on emails is around 24 hours. We, therefore, tested the email turn around time at 888 Poker and were surprised to see a reply within 12 hours, half the time it takes other poker rooms to respond to a query. Sending an email can be accomplished on the site, allowing you to choose which department your email is addressed to. 888 Poker also offers live chat. The live chat option is only available when you have trouble making a deposit. Live chat representatives will eagerly await a response when your deposit has declined or when you are looking for an alternative deposit method to fund your account.

What really makes 888 Poker unique when it comes to support is their sensational poker guides posted on their site. You will find everything from poker strategy to how to make a deposit. This basically eliminates the need to contact support, unless you have a major issue on your account that cannot be resolved by yourself. In addition, they also have an informative FAQ section that covers the most popular questions that arise when registering a new account. This is extremely helpful when you need a quick answer without the need to wait for support to answer your email or having to pick up the phone to call their support desk.

Can you play poker with two people?

Yes! This is known as ‘heads-up poker’, and is used for a specific game with two players, or a situation where two players remain at the final table of a tournament. There’s no reason why you can’t enjoy the poker playing experience with only one other player. Find out more about  heads-up poker and how you can make the most of a ‘two-handed’ game.

FAQ

888 Poker not only offers a well-rounded customer service centre to online poker players but also includes a very informative FAQ section that covers everything from How to Play Poker to their unique Loyalty program. Apart from the FAQ section, players can also browse through their helpful guides on how poker is played and how each poker variant works before you join a cash table. In addition, you will also find 888 Poker’s eMagazine, keeping online poker players informed on the latest developments at 888 Poker, the latest winners at the WSOP, and even more poker guides to improve on your existing skills. You will also find guides to help you make a deposit as well as how to make a successful withdrawal, and all requirements that need to be met before a withdrawal request can be accepted.

WILD CARD GAMES: LOWER PAYS

Obviously, having wild cards that can be any card possible means there are more paying hands. More paying hands means that pays for those winning hands is lower than in Jacks or Better category games. In fact, some of the lower paying hands such as two pair and high pair are eliminated from the pay tables.

CATEGORY 4:MULTIPLE PLAY VIDEO POKER

So far we have only learned about single play video poker games. You bet your credits, you push the deal button and one hand is dealt. You decide which cards of that hand you want to hold and press another button. New cards are dealt to replace the discards. You are now ready to play the next hand. These games are called single play games because you play one hand at a time.Single play games are not the only kind of video poker games that are available. Scattered throughout the casino floor are video poker games where you can play three, five, 10, 50 and even 100 games at one time. These games are called multiple play or multi-play for that reason. When you play a multiple play game you bet enough credits for all the lines (plays) you wish to play at once. When you hit the deal button, the exact same hand is dealt to every line you have in play. That can be up to 100 repeats of the exact same hand. The cards you choose to hold are held in all of the lines you are playing. When you hit the Draw button each line has the discards replaced by cards from a different (virtual) deck having the originally dealt five cards missing from it.

When you click on the Rebuy button

the rebuy dialog will appear. You will then be given 60 seconds to confirm the rebuy.

How does playing ‘live’ differ to playing online?

The main thing is patience.

Online you are often playing many games at once and even if you are ‘1 tabling’ it is much faster than live poker.

A lot of people find it hard to adjust to this and end up playing every hand live which is a recipe for disaster.

Customer Service

888poker provides an extensive FAQ database that if you cannot sort your problem, has a button that opens a secure contact form that is emailed to their excellent customer support team.

BLAST Tournament

Players participating in a BLAST tournament must not discuss or reach any type of agreement with regards to the distribution of the prize pool between themselves.

If the prize pool displayed for a BLAST tournament differs in the tournament lobby, within the tournament table and the amount presented following the prize pool draw, the prize pool displayed in the tournament table shall govern.

Following the hand in which the countdown clock reaches zero, all subsequent hand(s) will be played “all-in” by the players until there is a single winner.

Customer Support

There is 24/7 support available at 888, which is fantastic news, although the phone line is only open 9am to midnight. Still, at least they have one, and it’s free to call.

E-mails should get a quick response if our experience is anything to go by, and the live chat is quick to connect if you can find it. We did find the chat operator to be a bit on the dim side we have to say, but we got there in the end.

They don’t make it easy to find live chat. We used a search engine initially but if you enter the cashier and linger then the live chat option should eventually pop up. They lose marks for this, it’s just annoying and is not a customer focused approach.

The FAQ, on the other hand, is a fantastic tool that is put together well and genuinely useful, with many articles linking to others that are similar to help you on your way. Chances are, whatever your query it will have been answered in there.