UK poker players - what stakes are you playing and on which site?
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Alright lads, curious to see what stakes everyone's grinding these days and where you're putting in volume. I've been splitting time between PokerStars and 888 mostly, playing £0.25/£0.50 cash games and the occasional £22 MTT.
The traffic on Stars is obviously unbeatable but the rake feels brutal at micro stakes. 888 has been surprisingly soft lately, especially in the evenings. What about you lot?
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Stars all the way mate. Been grinding £1/£2 6-max for about 8 months now. Yeah the rake stings but the volume is there 24/7. Plus their tournament series are mental - just cashed in a £109 bounty builder for £847 last week.
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@poker_pete_uk Have you tried Unibet? Their software is a bit clunky but honestly some of the softest games I've found. Been crushing £0.10/£0.25 there for months. The player pool is way more recreational.
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For anyone interested in bankroll management at these stakes, here's the mathematical relationship between stake level and required bankroll using the Kelly Criterion:
f* = (bp - q) / b
Where f* is the fraction of bankroll to wager, b is the odds received, p is probability of winning, and q is probability of losing. For cash games with 5bb/100 winrate and 80bb/100 standard deviation, you need approximately 25-30 buy-ins minimum. So £0.25/£0.50 requires roughly £625-£750 bankroll to avoid risk of ruin exceeding 5%.
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@james_uk Cheers for the maths but most of us learned bankroll management the hard way lol. Lost about £2k on William Hill poker before I figured out proper BR requirements.
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@ukgambler99 Haven't given Unibet a proper go actually. Is the traffic decent during peak hours? And what's withdrawal like - still waiting 3-5 days or have they improved?
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@poker_pete_uk Traffic's solid from about 7-11pm. Peak hours you'll get 6-8 cash tables running at micros. Withdrew £340 last month and it hit my Monzo in under 48 hours, so definitely improved from the old days.
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Been experimenting across multiple sites lately. Here's my honest comparison:
Site Traffic Software Rake Fish Ratio Withdrawal Time PokerStars Excellent Great High Medium 24-48hrs 888 Poker Good Average Medium High 48-72hrs Unibet Fair Poor Low Very High 24-48hrs William Hill Poor Awful Medium High 72hrs+ Paddy Power Fair Average High Medium 48hrs -
@mike_bet That's actually a brilliant breakdown. Surprised you rated Stars fish ratio as only medium though - maybe at higher stakes? The £0.05/£0.10 games are absolutely crawling with recreational players.
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Anyone else think the best uk online poker sites have become way too reg-heavy? Remember when you could just sit at any table and print money? Now it's all HUDs and solvers and theory. Takes the fun out of it.
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@casinofan_gb Evolution of the game mate. Either adapt or get left behind. Though I do miss the Wild West days of online poker sometimes. These days you need to study more than play.
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Bit off topic but has anyone noticed PokerStars casino bonuses are way better than their poker promotions? Just cleared a £500 bonus on their slots. Makes me wonder if poker's becoming the afterthought.
For optimal bonus clearance on mixed games, the expected value calculation is:
EV = (Bonus Amount × Clearance Probability) - (Wagering Requirement × House Edge × Bet Size × Number of Bets)Where Clearance Probability = e^(-λt) for Poisson distribution with λ = busto rate and t = time to clear. Most UK sites have λ ≈ 0.15 for competent players, meaning roughly 86% clearance rate on reasonable bonuses.
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@tom_slots Stars definitely prioritizing casino over poker these days. Revenue per user is probably 3x higher on slots than grinding micros. Can't blame them from a business perspective.
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Quick update for anyone considering the switch - just had my best month on Unibet. Up £680 in February playing £0.25/£0.50. The Sunday majors are tiny fields but overlay constantly.
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@ukgambler99 That's mental profit for those stakes! What's your bb/100 over what sample size? Always skeptical of short-term results but £680 is proper money at 50nl.
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The philosophical question remains - are we actually skilled players extracting value from weaker opponents, or just gamblers with better self-control? Sometimes after a bad session I genuinely can't tell the difference.
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@mike_bet That's the eternal poker question isn't it? I think if you're profitable over 100k+ hands then skill's definitely involved. But the variance can make you question everything.
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Total beginner here - which would you say is the best poker site uk for someone just starting? Don't want to get absolutely destroyed but also want proper competition to improve.
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@newbie_casino Honestly mate, start with the play money games on 888 or Unibet first. Learn the software and basic strategy before risking real cash. When you're ready, £0.02/£0.05 on any major site.
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@newbie_casino And for the love of all that's holy, learn proper bankroll management from day one. Don't be like the rest of us who learned it by going broke multiple times.