[Gildwulf]

I haven't read through the whole thread, but here are the most important things to me as a poker player when evaluating a site. I know there isn't much you can do about some of these, but just so you can get a perspective about what semi-pros are looking for:

1. softness of games-not much you can do about this except spend millions of dollars on advertising and spamming

2. fast software that is easy on the eyes- NO 3D. Honestly, noone cares about life-like avatars and people saying 'bet' and 'raise' if it plays 20 hands/hr. If I wanted realistic I would go to a B&M; I am here to make money and the most money will be made at the fastest sites.

3. bonuses/rakeback/incentive scheme- You are entering the market at a very bad time. The competition is basically huge sites with 25-30% rakeback and lots of fish, 100% rakeback sites with a few fish, and a ton of sites in between. You are going to have to stand out in some way. The only way I can see a new site happening is doing something like WSEX or a LOT of hype and advertising. I would say minimum 30% rakeback for everyone to start off so you can attract people away from Party and Stars (Supernova is earning mid20s I think).

4. Fast and reliable customer service/cashouts- I may not have problems often, but when I do I want someone who a) can speak English, b) will respond to my question directly and not with a form letter, and c) perform cashouts reliably. If you are going to be skimming money off of players through the rake, at least make them feel at home like Stars.

Other thoughts:

Resizable tables- this is becoming the industry standard now and I think for people on laptops this is a necessity. If I am on the road and want to 4-table, I will play at the sites with resizable tables, no question.

Competition- Honestly, the only way I see a new company breaking in at this point is by bringing something new to the table (i.e. WSEX). If you can make software that is faster than UB with minimal glitz, I can see you breaking in to the market.