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Best Poker Networks of 2009

Bluff Europe Magazine's best poker network recommendations.

IPoker

About the network

The daddy of all poker networks, iPoker is older and wiser than all others. If you've been around in the industry as long as iPoker has, you have to be doing something right. Playtech’s innovative poker software coupled with some of the biggest progressive jackpots might have something to do with it.Titan, VC Poker, Bet365, Boyle Poker, Paddy Power, Blue Square....mon dieu, the list goes on forever. They even got Tony G to bring his poker room on board, and we know he's not one to take poor service quietly.

About the software

What to say? You can be the man who looks like a dapper Frenchman in seat one, a busty blonde in mid position, or the 1930's Chicago gangster in the ten-seat. Avatars which bristle with personality, along with fast-paced action and big buttons to make you don't do one of those horrid mis-clicks. Just keep an eye on that dealer – she's a bit too fast for our liking.

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Boss Media – International Poker Network

About the network

We all know Swedish poker players are crazy fools, right? How about the ones who spend their time running poker networks for their fellow Europeans to gamble away on, though? Well, IPN have got all of the bases covered, offering poker in more languages and currencies than just about anyone else around. Oh, and if you can't stand waiting around to download the software, you can even play it in Flash. That's nice of them, isn't it!Most of our Bluff Europe freerolls have been on the network recently – resounding endorsement if ever it were heard. Rooms on board include Poker Heaven, Diamond Bet, Poker.co.uk and Virgin Poker.

About the software

The main thing which IPN has over its competitors is the fact it's so European. You can play in euros, Turkish lira, British pounds... or American dollars if that's not tickling your fancy. You've also got support and set-up in multiple languages. The design itself is simple enough. You might want the buttons to be a bit bigger if you're a multi-tabler, but if you're someone who likes to bed in on one table for the long cold winter's night, you'll be just fine with IPN.

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The OnGame Network

About the network

One of Europe’s biggest networks, Ongame is operated by BWin, and is the home of big brands like PokerRoom.com, as well as high street bookmakers like Coral. In fact, a lot of sites on the Ongame network are sportsbooks first and foremost, and this supplies a steady stream of bad players for us sophisticated types to devour.

About the software

The system was first launched in 1999 and has since been honed to perfection; it now services over 16 million players registered across the various Ongame Network partner sites, so there’s always a game to be had, no matter what your particular penchant is. OnGame will soon be revamping its software with the new P5 engine, so the playing experience will soon get even sharper.

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Cereus

About the network

Owned by Tokwiro Enterprises, which owns both UltimateBet and Absolute Poker, there are no other poker rooms on the network at the moment. Why would you want to share your brand new network so quickly after its birth, anyway? Enjoy it for yourself now, but don't be too surprised if others join them in the coming months.

About the software

Expecting everyone to scrutinise this network more than any other out there means the platform was built from scratch, with enhanced security, bigger guarantees, massive jackpots and more features than either of the previous Ultimate Bet or Absolute interfaces. It's sparkly new and has all the trimmings. No matter if you preferred the Ultimate Bet 'in your chair' table view or the overhead of Absolute – CEREUS offers both, along with the option to fold and show some of those nitty passes you keep making. It's like being Phil Hellmuth all over again. All we need now is a 'honey, they called my raise with Q-10,” button and we're laughing.(All urges to get a John McEnroe joke in were resisted.)

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Places to Play:

Merge

About the network

Do you like your poker rooms to look slinky? We like the word slinky, but we prefer poker rooms which live up to the billing, which is why Merge is well worth checking out. They offer a light, airy looking setup while making sure stability is not compromised. That, and you can resize your tables, making it a delight for the multi-tablers out there. Poker rooms which have succumbed to the Merge charms include Carbon Poker, TexasHoldem.com, Poker Nordica and Spin32 Poker. We've played on Carbon a bit of late, and it is a mix of good looking software and horrendous poker play, especially post flop. Happy days indeed.

About the software

Merge have made sure they've got the basics down pat. The lobby has all the information you could hope for, while the table play is simple. Clear designs along with large index cards mean you can't blame the software for any mistakes you might make. Oh, and the best bit? You can rabbit your cards. Just don't blame us if you go on super-monkey-tilt after you fold a hand that got there, alright?

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Cake Poker

About the network

This poker network can be found amongst the top 2 US-friendly ranked networks in the industry. This primarily can be attributed to their liquidity, integrity and commitment to all network partners. The Cake Poker Network stands by its philosophy; Offer world class solutions to world class partners.Cake Poker can be found in the top 10 for both 24 hour peak players online, as well as the seven day average. In addition to this, they have an industry leading rewards program, offering all players Gold Chips and Gold Cards. What does this mean to you and me? Well, we’re not going to be left waiting for a game, and all our game play will be generously rewarded.

About the software

Cake offers photo-realistic tables and players, providing a closer feeling to being in a real game. Their web-shareable hand-history allows their players to create links to any hand on the network and send it to their friends. In addition to this, all players in the network are protected from any long-term player tracking, thanks to their ability to change their screen name on the site every 7 days – an industry exclusive benefit to players.

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