Best poker sites UK in 2024 - has anything dethroned PokerStars or are we just pretending?

[tom_slots]

Why not just play live poker? Grosvenor casinos spread decent games, players are definitely softer, and no HUD warriors grinding 12 tables of optimal GTO strategy.

Yes, hourly volume is lower, but winrates are often 3-4x higher. £1/£2 live plays like £0.05/£0.10 online used to.

[james_uk]

@tom_slots Live poker has its own issues though. Travel time, limited hours, having to deal with actual humans who don't shower regularly...

Plus, try explaining to your missus why you're heading to the casino again. "It's not gambling love, it's applied mathematics" only works so many times.

[sarah_g]

Back to the original question - I think Stars is like Microsoft Windows. Not necessarily the best, but too entrenched to dethrone easily.

New players download Stars because it's "the poker site". Pros stay because that's where the action is. Classic network effect moat.

[poker_pete_uk]

@sarah_g Perfect analogy! And like Windows, Stars has gotten bloated and complacent. Remember when their biggest worry was Party Poker competition? Now they're virtually unchallenged and acting like it.

£15 withdrawal fees, slower cashouts, reduced VIP benefits... they know we'll stay because where else can we go?

[casino_dan]

Withdrawal fees are criminal. £15 to access your own money? That's 3 buy-ins at NL5.

888 does free withdrawals over £10, partypoker is free over £20. Stars charging regardless of amount feels like pure greed. Death by a thousand cuts.

[mike_bet]

Here's some game theory on market dynamics:

Let P(s) = probability of site 's' being chosen by new player
Let V(s,t) = value function for existing player on site 's' at time 't'

Market share evolution: dM(s)/dt = α×P(s) - β×(1-V(s,t))

Where α = new player acquisition rate, β = churn coefficient

For PokerStars: P(stars) ≈ 0.65 due to brand recognition
But V(stars,2024) is declining due to rake increases and tougher games

The model suggests Stars maintains dominance short-term through acquisition (high α×P) but faces long-term erosion as V(stars) decreases relative to competitors.

Equilibrium point occurs when: α×0.65 = β×(V(888) - V(stars))

We're approaching this inflection point faster than most realize.

[betting_pro]

@mike_bet Brilliant analysis! The value function degradation is accelerating. When Stars introduced Spin & Go lottery tournaments, they prioritized short-term revenue over long-term ecosystem health.

Classic case of optimizing for the wrong metrics. Extracting maximum value from existing players rather than growing the overall pie.

[ukgambler99]

This thread has gone full academic! But seriously, @mike_bet's math explains why I've been feeling increasingly frustrated with Stars despite them still being "objectively" the best.

Maybe 2024 is the year to seriously diversify across multiple sites. Eggs in baskets and all that.

[lucy_wins]

Multi-site approach is definitely the way. I'm now splitting time 40% Stars (tournaments), 35% 888 (cash games), 25% others for variety.

Keeps things fresh and you're not completely screwed if one site has technical issues during a big session.

[poker_pete_uk]

Thanks everyone for the detailed responses! Think the consensus is Stars remains king but the gap is narrowing. The mathematical analysis from @mike_bet especially was eye-opening.

Might be time to properly test 888 and partypoker for a few months. Will report back with findings - assuming I don't go broke in the process!