Sky Poker - Review

Sky poker is a funky poker room that offers a unique experience for poker fans, pioneering increased interaction. Owned and operated by BSKYB, Sky Poker is a must for every Texas Hold Em fan that's looking for a little extra. Registration is quick and simple and there's no download required so you can literally be dealt your first hand in minutes!

When you log in for the first time, you can expect a clean, crisp interface with excellent graphics and ease of use.

Perhaps the most unique aspect of Sky Poker as opposed to regular poker sites is the regular televised tournaments that are broadcasted in real time and means Sky Poker players can be the star of the show from the comfort of their home.

There are some excellent features during Sky Poker game play such as the 'notes' feature which allows you to put a little annotation that relates to an individual player – this could be a warning for future reference! There is also a detailed stats section for you to study and see where you can improve your game.

If you're a first time or novice player, then Sky Poker caters for you with the Hot-o-meter which gives advice on the best way in which you can play your two hole cards. Browse through the site and check the tutorials and you'll be well on your way to becoming a Sky Poker master!

Sky Poker operates on a flash based poker client, meaning you can play instantly without having to download any software. Registration is simple, and the process of getting started is much quicker in comparison to playing at other card rooms.

The lobby has a very simple, user friendly design making it easy to navigate around. The table graphics have recently been improved, and visually they are simple and easy on the eye. Players can select from a range of avatars as well, which adds that bit of personality to proceedings.

There is a 'notes' feature available, a useful tool if you come up against a 'shark' and want to make sure you avoid them in later games. Alternatively you could come across plenty of 'fish' and add notes to them too for future reference! There is also a 'hand history' function as well as a 'stats' section so you can see how often you play, bet and fold. One other area worthy of note is all the games are played in £s.

Sky Poker has some nice features aimed with the novice player in mind, making it a great first site for new time players to use. There's a 'Hot-o-Meter' which gives advice as to how to play your two hole cards (although aspects such as position and betting aren’t taken into account). Additionally there are a number of poker tutorial videos on the Sky Poker website, catering for newcomers to the game to more advanced players.

Overall Sky Poker have created a good alternative to the standard online poker room, and have delivered their offering in an easy to use and eye catching manner. What it lacks for in variety of games, it makes up for with its interactive element, where you can watch all the action from your tournament unfold live on Sky Poker channel 865.

Sky Poker is one of the fastest growing UK poker site. They don't accept US Players; however still obtain over 7,000 unique users per day. This high figure is down to some excellent guarantee tournaments and perhaps more importantly, their TV channel, with the draw of being on TV a key factor in attracting players.

The traffic is predominantly tournament players, although there are plenty of cash games running throughout the day. During non peak hours, there are cash games ranging from microstakes up to £2.50/£5. At peak times, there are a multitude of tables at high stakes available. There are also lots of multi table tournaments and satellites running throughout the day.

Sky Poker also enables players to register and play by pressing the red button on their remote, and around a third of their players use this format. This ease of use consequently means Sky Poker has a higher percentage of beginners than most other sites.