where to make my first deposit?? debating between party or stars?

[canon8838]

any suggestions of where to make my first deposit, any insight would be helpful.

thanks,
canon8838

[OrcaDK]

What are you going to be playing?

[ImTilting]

Try full tilt. Ive tried both those sites. Stars is hard. Way to many bad beats at party (atleast for me because people are so loose, when 3 or more people call your AA all in, someone will outdraw) and I just think full tilt is really easy to win money at for the most part.

[HSB]

Assuming you're new to poker, your first deposit should be at Stars.

They have lower limits, better software, and infinitely better customer service. There's no reason to have something drive you away from poker that isn't the poker.

If you're not new, nevermind.

[RedWave]

If you have $500 to deposit and aren't totally new to poker go to Party, if not go to Stars. Do not go to Full Tilt! Also, make sure you find a good sign up bonus. Also, visit the Beginners forum as they have a lot of useful advice for people new to online poker.

[canon8838]

hard to say if im new to poker, i would think im fairly new. i am 18, but i play at the local card room about once a week, and i have played tons of play money online, and had a freind transfer 100 dollars on hollywood to me, after getting up some, i got away from it. I did not like hollywood. I would say i am going to start off low limits. Sorry, i should have clarified this earlier

[DayTripping]

Stars has no sign up bonus and the competition is among the toughest of any site out there. Both Party and Full Tilt are better choices. If you are going to rack up a lot of hours and plan on playing 3/6 or higher then you can take full advantage of Full Tilt's 100% up to $600 sign up bonus. If not it's hard to clear the whole bonus, but something is better than nothing.

[canon8838]

i know its not a good idea, but i would like to only put in 100, just so i can get a good feel for it. Dropping 500 would be harsh, im still in highschool. if it turns out well, i plan on depositing more, and if it doesnt go well ill just stick to my canterbury trips.

thanks,
canon8838

[RedWave]

[ QUOTE ]
i know its not a good idea, but i would like to only put in 100, just so i can get a good feel for it. Dropping 500 would be harsh, im still in highschool. if it turns out well, i plan on depositing more, and if it doesnt go well ill just stick to my canterbury trips.

thanks,
canon8838

[/ QUOTE ]

I think Party might be the best choice now, I kind of forgot they had beginners tables and that wouldn't be too bad for a roll of $100, and you would still be able to get a $25 bonus. By the way, I will be at Canterbury the next couple of days, do they get much action during the week?

[NoChance]

I would start out at Stars if you only want to start with $100. You can play micro limits there and build your roll. When you get to $500, then you can go to Party and take full advantage of the initial deposit bonus. Also, Stars has better (and cheaper) tournaments available to you. While you are at Stars and building your bankroll there, you can research affiliates and stuff like that so you can be fully prepared when you move to Party and not miss out like so many of us did when we created accounts before being fully knowledgeable.

[master_hellmuth]

Stars.

[playersare]

start at Poker Stars microlimits. virtually no rake, build good playing habits, players are not completely retarded but definitely beatable.

if you can double or triple up your $100 deposit then you can begin hitting up all the good bonuses playing 50c/$1 or higher.

if you see Lee Jones at the tables, be sure to say "Hi" and challenge him to one hand of blackjack. oh wait, that's another site.

[Jeff Oneye]

Greetings,

It's surprising to see how many Canterbury players we have on this forum. I used to be a regular player (tournaments and 6/12-8/16) and was known as "Elton John" or "JJ." I recently stopped by Canterbury and was taken aback by how busy it was. Sheesh, I saw 20 person waiting lists for some games.

Anyways, given that you're risk averse and only want to deposit $100 you might consider Party Poker. Party Poker has a special beginner's area with JUICY low limit games. A modest player should be a winner on these games. If I remember correctly, they give you 45 days to play in the beginner's area. You might consider playing .25/50 (200 big bets at $100). I might be mistaken but they also have .15/.30 limit in the beginner's area.

The nice thing about Party is you also receive a DEPOSIT BONUS as a first time sign-up. This is particularily helpful if you ultimately venture to higher limits like .5/1. Do some research here and find a decent sign-up bonus.

Ok, here is what sucks about Party. Party Poker has incompetent customer service. Their customer disservice reps are inept and non-responsive. It astounds me how often they simply don't respond to my emails. When they do respond it's usually one of those automated messages that doesn't address my specific problem. And don't bother using their telephone service as the customer services reps are either unintelligible or clueless (or both).

Another thing I can't stand about Party Poker is their software. It seems archaic in its appearance and function. Also, I have experienced frequent lags and even an occasional glitch. On a positive note, Party Poker processes their cashouts with surprising efficiency so you can eventually move your money to Poker Stars.

Pokerstars is my favorite online poker room. Pokerstars has the most responsive and competent customer support in the business. I rarely ever have problems with lags and when I do their software is very accomodating. It's easy to multi-table at Stars and their graphics are pleasant.

Pokerstars also has one of the lowest rake structures online. This will help offset one of their negatives: relatively tough opposition. A cursory examination of the tables will reveal Pokerstars has tighter games. There are fewer players (on average) seeing the flop and the pot sizes have deteoriated. For example, in 2003 the average pot size on .25/.50 limit holdem was $4 and now is typically $3. Sometimes it's tough finding $3 averages! However, their shorthanded games are generally profitable and comparable to Party Poker. I think 6-max player games attract the gamblers and "crack addicts" looking for rapid reinforcement. Also, consider the 5.50 sit and go's as the opposition is consistent with other sites (and you're paying .50 cents rake instead of $1).

To reiterate, build your bankroll at Party Poker. Make sure you get a good first-time deposit bonus. Also, make use of the 45 day beginner section. When you build your bankroll to $200 or $300 transfer it to Pokerstars for a more enjoyable poker experience. While Pokerstars has a reputation for tougher opposition, they also have a lower rake. Furthermore, there are many profitable games and tournaments if you exercise reasonable table selection. Also, they have a large selection of $1 or $1.50 sit and go's and $1-$3 tournaments. Most importantly, you won't go crazy dealing with the mouth-breathers at Party Poker.

JeffreyREBT

[cap11]

Jeffrey nailed it. I agree with everthing he said.

[mbpoker]

I suggest you deposit on both sites (50/50).

On Party you can play on the beginners tables, starting 15c/30c. Tables are fishy but the rake is very high.

On Stars you can start as low as 2c/4c without a rake. One extra advantage on Stars is that you can play cheap MTT tourneys for $1.10 or cheap S & G for $1.20.

[aheravi]

This post is in the FAQ section for beginners. Deals more with building a bankroll, rather than just finding a site, but still good info:
Building a Bankroll (http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&Board=inet&Number=1060198&fpart =&PHPSESSID=)

[ghostface]

[ QUOTE ]
Try full tilt. Ive tried both those sites. Stars is hard. Way to many bad beats at party (atleast for me because people are so loose, when 3 or more people call your AA all in, someone will outdraw) and I just think full tilt is really easy to win money at for the most part.

[/ QUOTE ]

Assuming you have a brain, dont listen to this guy. Party Poker.

[Grey]

By telling him to not listen to the moron, aren't you assuming he doesn't have a brain?

[bsheck]

No need to deposit any money on Party. You can get free money to play there. You can find the offer by clicking the Party Poker $100 free banner at the top of the page or if that doesn't show up the pokersourceonline banner will lead you to it. Then you can use your $ to deposit at Stars.

[Trouthunter]

I agree - Instant Bankroll on Party is the way to go. If you've got 100.00 to deposit, it's good for another 150 in bonus after 1000 hands. 1000 hands is easy to do, and the beginners tables at Party are easy money. If you don't like Party after that, take your bonus over to Pokerstars and knuckle down for some good old fashioned bankroll building grinding.