Poker Networks

The media has hyped the growth of internet poker, claiming there are over 100 poker sites one can choose from. While this is technically correct, the truth of the matter is that there are a few poker networks that often encompass dozens of sites.

Think of it this way: suppose there are a 100 hamburger places in your area, 20 Burger Kings and 80 McDonald's. While it is technically correct you have 100 hamburger places to choose amongst, you really have just two options: McDonald's and Burger King.

This is the same concept behind poker networks. Many sites will create multiple skins, similar to multiple franchises, in order to reach out to more and more players. Sometimes these poker networks are wholly owned by the same company and it's just a marketing ploy, other times different casinos share a poker room, in order to build a larger overall poker room. After all, you need players to attract players, so sometimes different companies will have the same poker software in order to increase both companies' market share. The software is virtually the same across a poker network, with minor differences in appearance (such as different colors).

Below is an explanation of the networks, as well as my personal thoughts about them. I am not including stand-alone sites such as Pacific Poker or PokerStars, so still please read the full reviews list to learn about the different poker sites.