Next to player volume, the software of a poker room is probably the most important part of deciding where you play poker online. There are dozens of reputable online poker rooms on the Internet and they all have different features that one would look for when deciding which site to play. How reliable is the poker software, how fast is the poker software, how clean does it look, how easy is it to use? These are all questions to think about when you dive into the online poker world. Whether you have been playing online for years or you are starting today; this is an important thing to analyze.

The Best Poker Software

The important thing to keep in mind is that not everyone will have the same opinions on what software is the best and what software is the worst. That is the wonderful thing about online poker. There is plenty of room to make your own decision and decide for yourself what software is the best. We can always tell you what we think is the best, but does that mean you will agree? Unfortunately not–so instead, we try to guide you and help you figure out for yourself what the best software for you is.

There are a couple of things that you want to think about when it comes to online poker software. Reliability and speed are two of the most important features of the software. This is something that is fairly universal, which most of anybody would agree upon. There is not anyone out there that is going to say that they would prefer slow and unreliable software. With that in mind, you can narrow down your selection a little bit and figure out the most reliable and fast poker rooms on the net.

Features to Look for in Online Poker Software

Other than speed and reliability, you will want to think about some other things when it comes to online poker software. These are the features that would depend on an individual’s preference. An important feature that pretty much every software package offers would be statistics and hand history. Where the problem comes in is that there are a lot of different ways to handle both of these features and present them to the users. So which one do you like the best? That is something to consider. The same goes with features such as multi-table play and also the graphics will have an impact on your opinion.

There is a reason why you have the option to play at so many different online poker rooms. There is also a reason why there are a lot of players at each of them. Every single person has his or her own preferences and opinion. It is just important that you base yours around a real analysis of the playability of the poker room. Do not play somewhere because someone else told you to. Play at a poker room because it is the absolute best fit for your online poker needs.

Editor’s Personal Favorite

Aced.com is a relatively new poker room, but their player base is expanding rapidly. This is mainly due to their creative use of the poker software that gives the player tons of control over the game.

Outstanding Features:

Run It Twice:
Just like in cash games, you are allowed to run the deal twice if it is a heads up, all-in situation where both players agree. Each outcome splits the pot. Let’s say for instance two players are all in with the turn and river to come. Two different trials will be dealt, meaning two different turns and rivers will be played. If player 1 wins the first outcome and player 2 wins the second, they split the pot. If one player wins both, that player takes the entire pot. Running it twice reduces the variance, but it does not change the odds of the hand.

Show 1-card:
This feature allows you to show 1-card when you fold. This is allowed only if you are last to act. You are also still allowed to show both cards if you wish instead. This can be used in many ways, such as maintaining table image. If you have a weak Ace and you lead off and bet strong with a pair of aces on the flop, only to get re-raised. You can fold and show only your Ace. This shows the player who raised that you were not bluffing at the pot, but that player does not know exactly how strong or weak your hand really was. You can use this feature in many ways to keep your opponents guessing.

Bad Beat Jackpot:
Aced.com is one of the few online poker rooms that offer a bad beat jackpot. Many players who have played at live casinos are familiar with bad beat jackpots. They are a huge attraction as it gives the players a chance to be rewarded handsomely for suffering a true bad beat. Aced.com jackpots have been known to grow to over $1 million. How do they work? If a player is beat with a qualifying hand, then the ‘loosing’ hand is awarded 35% of the jackpot. The ‘winning’ hand is awarded 17.5% of the jackpot and the players seated at the table split the remaining 17.5% of the bad beat jackpot. 20% seeds the next jackpot and 10% is returned to Aced. One of the things that makes the bad beat jackpot so great is that you can win just by sitting at the table!

Tags: best poker software, poker software

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 19th, 2009 at 7:24 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.