SkyPoker Review

Overall 78 Ease of Competition 97 Customer Service 94 Software 68

(Click photo to enlarge.)

Please note: SkyPoker does not accept real-money players from the United States.

Overview
SkyPoker runs on a no-download Flash-based client. Players can participate in live televised tournaments that are broadcast each day on Sky satellite channel 865.

Games at Sky Poker are played in pound sterling but deposits can be made in seven different currencies. Since Sky Poker is on a standalone network, their player base is small when compared to other online poker rooms. They are plenty large enough for smaller stakes players, but others will find it tough to get action beyond £1/£2 at most points throughout the day. Texas Hold'em is the only poker variant offered on this site.

Bonus
Players can get a bonus of as much as £500 by creating an account at SkyPoker. The size of bonus one receives depends on the number of poker points they accumulate in their first 30 days. There is no minimum deposit required to have a chance at the full £500 bonus. One must earn 7,500 poker points within their first 30 days to receive the full £500. But most players should get at least something. For example, if you earn at least 375 points, your bonus at the conclusion of your first 30 days will be £25. This is a fantastic bonus due to its size and the fact that no minimum deposit is required in order to be eligible to receive the whole thing.

Promotions
SkyPoker is currently running a Cash for Points promotion where players earn a set bonus at different point levels. The bonuses range from £5.00 all the way up to £2000.00.

Tournaments
A lot of the tournaments on this site have an emphasis on rapid gameplay. For the reason, it is not a very good place for serious tournament players who like deep structures. The focus for SkyPoker's tournaments is on gimmicky and quick events. They offer one-table sit-'n'-gos with 12 players and a variety of different speed tournaments.

Each night (except Thursdays) at 9pm, Sky Poker hosts 'The Open' on channel 856. This is the center piece of their online tournament schedule that includes commentary from professionals and celebrity guests live in studio.

Software
Sky Poker does not have a software client that needs to be downloaded. All games are played in a browser window through a secured connection in a Flash-based format. Their interface is pretty bland and straightforward, though it can take a few moments for the lobby and tables to load sometimes. All games on this site are played using Texas Hold'em rules.

Competition Level
The nature of this poker room does not lend itself to attracting many sharks. A lot of the players on this network were lured in at the opportunity to have their game broadcast on television. The games are all quite easy since they are mostly played for small stakes and the tournaments are also quite soft since the structures are not good enough to appeal to sharky players.

Customer Service
The customer service at SkyPoker is awesome because it is outsourced to a large firm. This is probably something that more smaller online poker rooms should consider doing. Their email response is very fast.

Ring Games Offered
Texas Hold'em

Fixed Limits: £0.10-£0.20 to £2-£4
NL & PL Blinds: £0.02-£0.04 to £100-£200

Tournaments Offered
Texas Hold'em

Single-Table: £0.30 to £210
Multi-Table: £0.60 to £55

Minimum Deposit
$10