Pacific Poker

Hits

• Known for loose and juicy Hold'em
• Great graphics and search functions
• New no-download software to accommodate Mac and Linux users
• Offers massive guaranteed tournaments and satellites to live events
• Supports completely automated import of Hold'em tournament and ring-game data to Poker Tracker (hand grabber software required)

Misses

• Does not yet run mixed or draw games
• Moderate to low volume in games other than Hold'em
• Does not accept U.S. players

FULL REVIEW - Pacific Poker (8.24)

Due to U.S. legislation preventing credit card companies from collecting payments for wagers made by U.S. residents, Pacific Poker has determined to suspend all real-money gaming business in the United States.

Pacific Poker is part of the 888 Holdings group, the company behind the world's largest online casino, Casino-on-Net. As you can imagine, this means many wild casino customers can be found at the poker tables. Combined with lots of regular promotions, a lot of Texas Hold'em players come to Pacific Poker for juicy high-action tables and good bonuses.

The No-Limit and Pot-Limit cash games are strongly recommended for players looking to make a profit. At Pacific Poker's Limit Hold'em games, the viewed-flop percentages in full ring games are often in the high 50s and 60s - sometimes even up in the 70s! The No-Limit games are also among the juiciest and loosest online. Special promotions offered by the site include money-added tournaments, satellites to live events and regular freerolls.

The upgraded Pacific Poker software offers players a lot: great graphics and functionality, improved search functions and layout, nice looking 3-D avatars, integrated casino and bingo play, an always-visible cashier and improved multi-tabling abilities - up to four tables can now be tiled or cascaded at one time. Another very nice function that stands out from other poker sites is the graphic replay of hands - a useful tool for reviewing your play.

Pacific Poker has also introduced a no-download client, allowing Mac and Linux users to enjoy the Pacific Poker experience. The new software is very sleek and competent and offers most of the functionality of the download version, although some 3D functionality and a few cosmetic features have been left out to keep the client light and quick.

All variations of Texas Hold'em, Omaha, Omaha Hi-Lo, Seven-Card Stud and Seven-Card Stud Hi-Lo are available at Pacific Poker. The games vary between No-Limit, Pot-Limit and Fixed-Limit. Full-table games, shorthanded and heads-up tables are all available. Real-money player statistics as of September 2008 show 2,000 ring-game players at peak hours, and 8,000 tournament players at peak hours.

Overall, Pacific Poker runs some of the loosest games online, using software that plays well and is relatively fast. The software is updated frequently to ensure safety and stability, with almost no downtime as a result. PokerListings highly recommends Pacific Poker to Hold'em players wanting to take advantage of loose and juicy games.