Full Tilt vs PokerStars: Which is Right For You?

One question that frequently comes up amongst online poker players is “Full Tilt vs PokerStars: what is the best site to play at?” Although there are many options across the internet, these are really the only two major sites that any in the know poker player gives serious consideration to. I have been using both sites for many years now, and I like them both. However, I have noticed that there are a few differences. Here are some of my impressions.

The first thing you’ll notice about Full Tilt vs PokerStars is the graphics. Many of the poker sites out there, like PokerStars, have semi boring, formal graphics, but the Full Tilt graphics are better. You have a large choice of many attractive avatars, and a wide variety of background images. I personally enjoy playing with the beach theme background. This gives the entire playing experience a different vibe, which can’t be overstated when talking about poker. Your mental state is extremely important.

Another difference between Full Tilt vs PokerStars is the number and quality of players. Most of the time, there are more than 100,000 poker players on Full Tilt and about 250,000 on PokerStars. This means that you’ll usually be able to find the exact game you’re looking for with minimal waiting time on either site. PokerStars has more players, but I haven’t found there to be any benefit to having more players after a certain threshold is reached. Furthermore, the quality of players at Full Tilt vs PokerStars is different. From personal experience I have found that the players at Full Tilt Poker are overall weaker.

Why does it matter if the quality of players is different? Because the worse players that you play against, the better your chances of winning and making profits. There is nothing better than making money playing a game that you love. You can make money at either site but I have found it easier to make money at Full Tilt vs PokerStars.

I think the main reason for this is their advertising. If you watch even a minimal amount of television, you have no doubt seen advertisements for Full Tilt Poker. These advertisements are what attract new players (fish) to Full Tilt. The more fish you play against, the more you’ll win.

If you’ve seen these commercials, you’ve probably also noticed how many poker professionals endorse Full Tilt. Full Tilt has a roster of professional poker players that is unmatched by any other site, including PokerStars. The Full Tilt interface allows you to instantly see which tables the pros are playing at so that you can watch them  and possibly learn from their play. You can even chat with them. Maybe they’ll give you an invaluable tip that will help your game.

Available Games:

Full Tilt and Pokerstars have a wide variety of games, both in terms of game type and stakes. The games they offer are the usual suspects such as:

Texas Holdem – Limit, No Limit, and Pot Limit
Omaha Hi/Lo – Limit, No Limit, and Pot Limit
Omaha Hi – Limit, No Limit, and Pot Limit
Stud Hi/Lo
Stud Hi
Razz
and more..

They also have a wide variety of mixed games, in which the type of poker rotates. Full Tilt has an innovative new game called Rush Poker. This is a game in which you are dealt into a new hand at a new table as soon as you fold your hand. It is perfect for the action junkie in you. This is the fastest poker game on the internet, and you can only play it at Full Tilt. Make sure you read my [Rush Poker Strategy] before you head over to Full Tilt to play. Rush poker is a truly unique poker experience that PokerStars doesn’t offer.

Both sites allow you to easily sort and sift through all these games to find the exact one you want, and the stakes start as low as $.01/$.02. It’s pretty much impossible to play for less money than that, which means you could get a lot of poker experience by only risking a dollar or two! If low stakes aren’t your cup of tea, then you’d better head to Full Tilt, because they have the biggest cash games on the net. In addition to the cash games, Both sites offer tournament and Sit-n-Go (single table tournament) format games. The Sit-n-Gos generally fill up almost immediately so you never have to wait long to get in the action.

Both sites have excellent customer service and respond to emails in a reasonable amount of time. As a test I emailed the same question to both sites. I received a reply from Pokerstars in 42 minutes and from Full Tilt in 48.

In the battle of Full Tilt vs PokerStars, it is very close. Full Tilt has bigger games, Rush Poker, better graphics, and the real item that tips it big time for me.. worse players. As far as bonuses go, Full Tilt has offered a 100% match bonus of up to $600 since its inception. PokerStars only offered a 100% match bonus of $50 until recently. If you ask me if it is Full Tilt vs PokerStars? I still play on both sites but the winner is Full Tilt.

If you don’t have an account yet why not give it a try and see for yourself. Use our Full Tilt Poker bonus code: 3456 for the 100% match bonus up to $600 offer.

The biggest stars of poker are playing the ultimate bluffing game with the U.S. government. At stake is the future of online poker and $30 billion of betting. Click the picture to read the full story at FORBES.COM

March 2010 issue of Forbes Magazine.

Pokerdailynews reports that Clonie Gowen’s lawsuit against Full Tilt Poker was dismissed on February 10th, 2010. Does anyone really believe she is such a draw that she is worth 1% of FTP? Gimme a break.

Here is the story:

http://www.pokernewsdaily.com/clonie-gowenfull-tilt-poker-civil-suit-dismissed-8327/

and here in the only positive thing about Clonie that I have to say

Rush Poker is an interesting new spin for our beloved game from Full Tilt Poker. Basically it is the same as a regular poker game; except that as soon as you fold your hand, you are immediately dealt into a new hand, at a new table, with all new opponents.

What this means is that the speed of poker is greatly increased. It is a “rush”. This might is good if you are a winning player, because it means that you will get to see many more hands per hour. What is more important, however, is to focus in on the unique aspects of this game and make some strategic adjustments.

It’s Virtually Anonymous

This is a plus and a minus. If you are good at getting a handle and reading your opponents then your advantage is almost wiped out in Rush Poker. On the other hand they will not get a read on you either.

Every hand that you play, you are against a table of new opponents. They have no idea how you play, and you have no idea how they play. What this means is that you generally want to play a solid plain vanilla poker game. It doesn’t matter if you’ve folded your last 30 hands in a row; when you open with AA, no one will know how tight you’re playing and won’t fear your bet any more than they would fear anyone else’s. No one can use hand tracking software to determine your playing style.

You won’t be able to tell the sharks from the fish, but most of your money will as usual likely come from the fish who play sub-optimally. They’ll play cards out of position, overpay to draw cards, and call even when they’re beat. Pay close attention to your position!

Some Important Considerations

It’s important to remember that players have the option of folding even before the action gets to them. If they are dealt a poor hand it is unlikely that they are going to sit through a round of betting just to try to make a move to try to win the pot. If you raise from early position and the small blind or a late position player calls, watch out. They probably have something.

It may make sense to call a raise in late position if someone right in front of you raised as many are doing this with no cards to pick up the blinds. It depends, but that late position player will often just click the fold button so they can get the next hand immediately dealt to him.

This doesn’t apply to the big blind. The big blind doesn’t have the option to instant-fold because he already has a stake in the hand.

The Strategy

So far, I have said that the best strategy in this game is to play tight fundamental poker and to raise in late position with a wider range to pick up the blinds. While this strategy is good and will allow you to win small amounts somewhat consistently, there may be a few adjustments you make to increase your profit even more.

From playing a few thousand hands at these tables, it seems as if the vast majority of players play like a very tight nit. This means that you are able to loosen up your raising hands preflop. (NOT your calling hands, except for obvious steal attempts). If your raise gets called, you should be able to get away from your hand as the typical player in Rush Poker will have a real hand in this spot. The nice thing about blind stealing in Rush Poker is you get a new table of players every hand. So you don’t have to worry about the other players getting sick and tired of your constant stealing and calling or raising you.

Rush Poker is a unique and innovative game that those folks over at Full Tilt have developed. It may not be for everyone. I would say it benefits the Full Tilt Poker site the most since the more hands that are played the more of a rake they collect. That said, if you are an online poker fan, this is one game you definitely need to at least check out.