There are so many poker sites to choose from it’s hard to know where to begin. Do you pick the sites with the best tournaments? The best reliability? The best offers? I’ll be going through the best I could find and help you make an informed decision.
Top 10 UK Poker Sites
1. PokerStars
PokerStars
- Industry leader
- Great custom leagues
First-time depositors only. Min. deposit £10 with code ‘STARS400’. No withdrawal during bonus period. Terms apply.
One of the biggest and most well-established poker sites has everything you’d expect from an industry leader.
Starting with the basics. They have the standard tournaments and cash games for the traditional player, like myself. Once you’ve signed up it’s easy to navigate through the different areas and begin playing almost immediately.
For the non-traditional players, you also have games such as Spin & Go which sees you play up against a smaller group of players. Buy-ins are lower and games are far quicker. It’s easy to get carried away in this section so be sure to budget for the pace.
One aspect of PokerStars which I enjoyed was the custom leagues. In this section, it’s possible to invite friends and play online together. However, the data is still limited and needs to be exported as a separate file rather than showing it in an online profile.
2. GG Poker
GGPoker
- Amazing selection of games
- More worldwide players than other sites
18+ Matched Bonus & £40 Free Play for new players only. Min deposit £10. Free Play given in tickets over 6 days. Full T&Cs Apply. GambleAware.org. Please Play Responsibly.
I have to admit that GG Poker was a new site for me, but having one of the highest worldwide users and being an award winner in the Poker Listings operator rewards a few years back, it’s a good thing I tried it out. You can use the GG Poker bonus code which is GGMBS when signing up, and it’s an eye-catching offer for new customers to hopefully take advantage of.
To start, GG Poker has a wide variety of games and tournaments for all types of players. This includes the game Spin & Gold, which once had a $2m prize pool for a single tournament, the winner taking home a tidy $1m jackpot. There’s also the Battle Royale Spin & Go. An hour-long battle between 30 players. The timespan for me was a great feature on this as some larger tournaments can last for hours if you’re doing well.
My favourite part of GG Poker was the Smart Hud. Having used PokerStars for many years and becoming quite frustrated with the lack of data, the Smart Hud is a breath of fresh air. Not only is there data to delve into and find out about your playing skills, you can also focus your attention on opponents. It displays tournament winnings, something I always struggled to find on other sites and offers an impressive tool that reveals a player’s tendency to go all-in.
Despite being relatively new in comparison to the older bookmakers, GG Poker is a site that I’ll be using more and certainly recommend it for players looking to tweak their game.
3. bet365 Poker
bet365 Poker
- Great for beginners
- 24/7 customer support
18+. €365 bonus is redeemed in instalments based on Status Points earned. Tickets and prize wheel spins expire after seven days. Time limits, exclusions and T&Cs apply. For more information about this offer please visit the website. Registration required.
I have no doubt you know who bet365 are, so I don’t need to explain how big they are in the world of betting. But this reputation helps it in the poker industry too. They can be trusted, most of the time, to have a site that works with a reliable withdrawal process and a customer service team on hand to help out. If you put your money in, you know that no one is going to take it and run. Unless you’re taking a chance on a 2-7 against a pair of aces of course.
It’s listed as one of the best mainly due to its style and approach for newer players and the inclusion of beginner tables. Something I’ve not seen on many other sites. Available for players who have been registered for 90 days or less, these small stake games have a max of $1/$2 and can stop beginner tilt causing players to lose their money too soon. But there are downsides. The beginner tables aren’t always busy enough to get a real understanding of the game. Plus, players who sign up under different accounts, or have been playing for years and have only just created an account, wouldn’t be classed as beginners and yet, can still play the tables.
There’s also the issue of rake, with bet365 consistently offering a high percentage. For example, for 5NL ($0.02/$0.05) bet365 is the highest of all the UK poker sites with 8.33%.
Overall though, bet365 poker is a site worth considering if you’re new to the game and need a place to practice before moving on to the more professional tables and world tournaments.
4. William Hill Poker
Another established site with a good reputation, William Hill covers a lot of bases. I’ve read in some places that it’s an ideal level for beginners, and while it does have a great poker school with tips on tournaments and head to head, it also promotes a lot of different games. Rather than just sticking to the classic Texas Hold’em.
For example, they don’t only offer the Twister Sit & Go, but also have Age of Gods Twister and Wild Twister. While I’m not a regular player of these new styles, it can help to speed up poker when you start to feel dragged down by long tournaments. In Age of Gods the blind increases every two minutes and jackpots are unique for every player. This can make your winnings far larger than if you’re playing regular tables where you often need two or three screens open to make a decent return.
If you’re a fan of the twister style games then William Hill also has a great offer for new customers.
5. Unibet Poker
Unibet Poker
- Browser based playing
- Best rake % in online poker
18+. T&Cs apply. New Customers Only. £20 extra = one cash game ticket of €8 and 4 x UK Tour tournament tickets of €4. £500 Playthrough bonus = €600. Both bonuses are activated upon first deposit from the poker client. Tickets expire after 35 days and the playthrough bonus after 60. £1 GBP = €1.1875. Selected games only. GambleAware.org.
Another big gun in the world of online betting and poker, Unibet offers some of the best options for all types of players, whether you’re a newbie or experienced. They have everything you’d expect from a top poker site, with the bonus that, unlike William Hill, you don’t need to download an app and can play in your browser. This is great, as I already have too many apps and don’t always have room for more.
But the main reason Unibet is in our top ten is their rake benefits. If you’re unaware of what rake is, it’s the percentage fee taken from each game so that the site can make money for providing the service. And Unibet offers some of the lowest in the industry with a consistently low percentage of around 3/4%.
With a combination of great rake percentages, a tidy user interface and a loyalty system, Unibet is one of my favourites. There have been questions in their forum on whether Unibet Poker is rigged. But for me, this is purely down to tilt. There is no reason that Unibet, or any other site, would rig a game as they make their money from the rake, not from anyone player winning or losing.
6. Ladbrokes Poker
Ladbrokes finds its way onto our list as the steady eddie of the bunch. There’s nothing here that stands out from the others but they do a bit of everything and they do it well. But that’s not to say they won’t improve. Having revamped their layout they now boast Table 3.0, which includes:
- Bigger table & player avatars
- Improved table graphics & animations
- Expansive in-the-money (ITM) indicator with detailed mouse overview
- Improved hand strength display
- Rabbit Hunt improvements
- Updated rank dialogues with improved design
The Ladbrokes poker rake is also fairly standard at a rate of around 5%. If a pot reaches $0.20 then $0.01 will be collected by the operator. Again, while this isn’t the best rake in the industry, it’s also not the worst.
If you’re looking for safe and reliable then Ladbrokes has you covered. Find out more on our page dedicated to the Ladbrokes sign up offers.
7. Party Poker
As far as online poker goes, Party Poker has seen it all. Having started in 2001 they saw a huge chunk of players leave as the US imposed laws on online poker. But they survived and have grown their audience again to be one of the top sites for worldwide players.
One of the advantages, for me, is their anonymous cash games. If you’re unfamiliar with why, some players like to use poker software for tracking opponents. The majority of these players will be professional and use the software to gain the upper hand. If you’re more of a recreational player and like cash games, Party Poker is a great place to spend your time. However, if you like poker software, then this might not be the one for you. It should also be pointed out that tournaments are not anonymous.
They also partypokerTV, something that not all poker brands have. A section of the site that uses Twitch and Youtube to show coverage of both live and pre-recorded games. Watching these is a must if you’re new to poker as following the moves from pro players can really help your game.
Similar to Ladbrokes, Party Poker does a lot well but falls just short of the top poker sites on our list. They’re a good option, with plenty of players but if you’re looking to move from recreational to professional, then sites like PokerStars will be a better option.
8. Paddy Power Poker
With so many sites competing in a market with limited options, the site to pick often comes down to the offers. That includes both new and existing customer offers. And Paddy Power does it well. At the time of writing, their offer includes £50 in tournament tickets when you bet £20. T&Cs included.
But that’s not the only thing in their favour. Being a huge brand you’re guaranteed a reliable experience with good customer service. Their poker networks are run by iPoker, offering a 100% random number generator and they offer regular players rewards in rakeback and freerolls.
There’s nothing here that pushes Paddy Power to the top of the pack, but if you use their sportsbook and want to stay with your trusted brand, there’s nothing here that should push you to look elsewhere.
9. Betfair Poker
Betfair Poker
- Good loyalty scheme
- Great offers for new players
Valid for 30 days from registration. Opt in & earn 25 or 50 Status Points to get €20 or €40 in free tickets. Tickets have 30-day expiry. T&Cs apply
Last on our list is Betfair. A fairly new brand in terms of their poker rooms, which puts them at a slight disadvantage. At times there are fewer players than expected. But, because of this, they’re trying to entice more people in and that means better bonuses and rewards.
Their new customer offer will often change, but they also have great loyalty bonuses. Each month they give loyalty points to the regular players and for gold members, a 35% cashback. Be sure to opt-in when you start playing to be included and earn a little extra from playing your normal cash games and tournaments.
But, loyalty schemes and points aren’t particularly new. Most poker sites have them and despite Betfair’s being good, it doesn’t make me want to stick with them over the biggest sites. They have everything you need, great tournaments, cash games and as mentioned, great bonuses, but for me, PokerStars and GGPoker are where I’ll keep playing.
10. Sky Poker
Sky Poker
- Great community & poker forums
- Live events
18+. New Customers Only. £10 Tournament Token Is Equal to 2 X £2.20 Tokens & 2 X £3.30 Tokens. Minimum Deposit And Staking Requirement Of £10 Applies To The Deposit Offer. The £40 Bonus Is Awarded As Four Separate Tournament Tokens. The Value Of These Are 4 X £11. Tokens credited within 72 hours. Tournament Tokens Non- Withdrawable. Eligibility Restrictions Apply. Further T&Cs Apply. GambleAware.org
Sky Poker are another operator that are worthy of a mention within our top-ten. Their site is slightly dated in some areas compared to some of the other operators within our top-ten best poker sites, but they’re still a well-respected operator in the betting industry, and their poker coverage is strong.
They have plenty of tournaments, Sit & Go games, and cash games available to their customers throughout the year, whilst also having a useful ‘Academy’, which is used to teach beginners the basics of poker, which can be a tricky game to understand if you’re new to the betting scene.
Best UK Poker Betting Offers
Best Poker Sites for Tournaments
The best poker site for tournaments is PokerStars, though GG Poker comes a close second. Both have a huge player base and can regularly fill the seats at all hours of the day. That includes the tournaments consisting of hundreds, if not thousands of players at a time. The tournaments with these volumes of players provide a good way to play for low stakes and high prizes. Though my tip is to play two or three at once, as they can become quite slow.
In fairness, most of the sites we’ve listed will provide similar tournaments, especially if you’re like me and prefer to stick with the basics. But those that have the majority of players from a specific region may go quiet after a certain time.
Best Poker Sites for Beginners
The best poker site for beginners is 888Poker. They have offers with no deposit requirements, the freeroll festival and a chance to play with mates. That’s without highlighting the fun user interface and a How to Play section with in-depth information.
Now, it should be mentioned that some players like to play poker with fake money before trying the real thing. But I don’t recommend this approach. When playing poker with no stakes, the game isn’t the same. Players will go all in every hand and often hit their cards on a flop despite having nothing. If you’re a beginner and want to experience the real thing, jump in headfirst and play for money. Though keep your stakes low while you’re learning the game and move up in stages.
Best Poker App
The best poker app is GG Poker because of its industry-leading technology and slick design.
With regards to apps on phones. I will admit that I’m not a huge fan of playing poker on my phone. For me, I need to focus, and using my phone is often for the train or sitting on the couch while the TV is on. If I play poker this way, I’ll lose.
However, almost all poker sites expect you to download their app whether it’s for your phone or laptop. The GG Poker app was easy to download and it wasn’t long before I was playing. I haven’t used it for long, but first impressions are good. Some other apps need constant updates, which can become a little annoying.
If you’re looking for a free to play game then the best app is the World Series of Poker. While I don’t play free games, I can see the appeal. On the WSOP app, you can play for their bracelet and it has a big user base so there’s always an opportunity to play.
How we Picked our List of Best Poker Sites
Picking the best poker sites wasn’t an easy task and there are a lot of different factors to consider. As you probably know, having read the above, we picked looking at the size of the user base, the rake, user interface and the volume of tournaments. And on the surface, most of the best sites have the basics covered and provide a decent service. But when it comes to parting with your money, a reliable and well-known site is always a good choice. Especially if you already have a favoured brand you’ve used for making sports bets.
There are many different online poker sites that you can choose from, and each bettor will have their own preference as to what they look out for. However, our team of betting experts would recommend the likes of PokerStars, GG Poker, and bet365 Poker as some of the best poker betting sites.
Yes. You’ll be pleased to know that bet365 Poker is available to bet365 customers. There’s even a dedicated mobile app to this area of their site, and so you won’t be disappointed with what they have to offer you when it comes to poker.
Yes. You’re able to play online poker in the UK providing that you’re 18 or older.