Party Poker Review:

partypoker is one of the biggest names in online poker, with a track record spanning back as far as its launch in 2001. Over the next five years, partypoker would go on to become the world’s biggest poker room, with some 80,000 players logged in and playing at peak times.

In 2011, their parent company PartyGaming merged with sports betting giants bwin, to create bwin.party Digital Entertainment – one of the world’s largest gambling brands. Today, partypoker remains one of the handful of poker sites at the top of the pile.

With that kind of pedigree, it’s unsurprising that partypoker remains a leading choice, both for new poker players, and for those looking to move on to bigger money tables. But does the experience in reality live up to its billing?

A good range of payment methods are supported on both the deposit and withdrawal sides, including PayPal, for maximum convenience. Payment processing times will vary depending on your withdrawal method, the amount of your withdrawal, and whether you have cleared the ID verification required for withdrawal. In the vast majority of cases, you should be expecting to have received cleared payment within 7 days, and often much sooner.

New players can take advantage of a welcome offer with specific terms, including a minimum deposit requirement. The offer is available to new customers only, and it’s important to review the terms and conditions before signing up.

The promotion is tied to loyalty points earned over a set period, with progress tracked in your account. While the offer may have some complexity, it provides a solid incentive for new players.

Mobile players are well catered to at partypoker, with apps available for both Android and iOS device users. The apps capture the essence of the desktop experience, offering a similar collection of poker tables and other games in a well-designed, intuitive app version of the partypoker site. Players can enjoy full access to Texas Hold’em Cash Games, as well as the ability to play faster, thanks to their ‘fastforward’ feature – perfect if you’re trying to squeeze in a few hands on the fly. Both real money and play-money tables are available in the apps too, so you can brush up on your skills before heading to the money tables.

The mobile experience is strong throughout, and stands as another good reason to choose partypoker over comparable poker rooms. The app is quick to load and doesn’t lag either, and it’s good to know you can enjoy consistency and stability while you play.

If there is a limitation here, it’s the comparatively smaller selection of games available through the app, with none of the sit and gos or the tournaments you’ll find on the desktop version. This is one area partypoker could improve, for players hoping to move beyond the most basic cash games on the app.

In terms of retention, the VIP Scheme does some of the legwork – players want to scale the VIP tiers, and access the best bonuses from their points balance. But partypoker goes above and beyond with further retention promotions to keep players involved. These vary throughout the year, but generally offer players the chance to win prizes, double points and other bonuses. For details on the latest promotions, you can check the ‘Promotions’ tab to see what’s available at any given time.

The recurring Happy Hour promotion allows you to double your VIP points on any games played during the qualifying window, while the ‘Under The Gun’ promotion is great for picking up invites for big money freerolls. There’s also the option to Refer a Friend, and you’ll both pick up a bonus for the recommendation, as well as the other various promotions that crop up throughout the year.