Best Irish Poker Sites
With a number of tightly regulated, publicly traded gambling houses battling for their business, Irish online poker players are in an enviable position. As opposed to their cousins in America, who have an ever-shrinking list of options, players from Ireland have the problem of too many choices when it comes to finding a quality online poker site.
To help shrink that list to a more manageable size, we're going to tackle the topic of online poker options for players from Ireland, identify what characteristics place one room above another and then reveal our picks for the top poker sites online for players from the Emerald Isle.
Irish Players Accepted at Almost All Internet Poker Sites
There are a few online poker sites that don't take players from Ireland, but these are almost all regionally-restricted rooms such as Svenska Spel or PokerStars.fr. Other than those minor exceptions, online poker players from Ireland have access to what is possibly the broadest range of Internet-based poker offerings for any country in the world.
What Sets One Room Apart From Others for Irish Online Poker Players?
While they won't get much sympathy from players in countries like France or Italy, Irish poker players do face a unique problem: Too many rooms to choose from. At some point, having access to an overwhelming number of online poker options makes it difficult to choose any single one. With that difficulty in mind, here are a few easy ways to identify rooms that should have special appeal to online poker players residing in Ireland.
Access to Local Tournaments & Events: It seems as if a new poker tour is adding a stop in Ireland nearly ever other week. Irish players should prefer rooms that offer affordable and varied satellites to these live events, including the Irish Poker Classic, the Irish Winter Festival and dozens of others. Some rooms even sponsor their own annual events in the country, a bonus for players that enjoy both online and live poker play.
Currency Support: Online poker games are still conducted primarily in dollars at many rooms. For players that prefer to have their online poker experience handled entirely in euros, you'll want to seek out rooms that let you deposit, play and withdraw without ever having to convert currencies.
Safety and Security: One of the advantages of being able to choose nearly any online poker room is that you can afford to be very, very picky when it comes to safety, security and reputation. Players from Ireland should accept nothing less than sterling grades on all of the preceding counts at the online poker room they eventually choose to call home.
Picking the Top Online Poker Sites for Irish Players
As we've reiterated throughout this article, it's tough to choose just one top option for Irish online poker fans. However, we have managed to narrow the list down to a trifecta of rooms, any (or all) of which will provide you with an excellent online poker experience.
First pick on on list is the homegrown Paddy Power Poker. Part of the iPoker Network, Paddy gives players a door into the second largest online poker room in the business and is the official sponsor of the Irish Open - the longest-running tournament series in all of Europe. Paddy also has an unblemished reputation for player safety and security, meaning the room hits all three of the marks laid out above.
Next up is a room not used to coming in second: PokerStars. With a similar mix of attractive qualities, Stars makes a fine choice for Irish poker players. While Paddy has the Irish Open, PokerStars is the title sponsor of the UKIPT (UK and Ireland Poker Tour) and offers a long list of online satellites at compelling price points to the various events. Like Paddy, Stars has a strong reputation for protecting players at the tables and for responsibly handling player funds.
The final entrant on our countdown of the top online rooms for the Irish: 888 Poker. 888 is arguably the fastest-growing poker room in Ireland, winning fans via quality promotions and involvement in the local tournament circuit. Unlike Stars, 888 also offers players the full standard set of online wagering options, including bingo, sports and casino games in addition to their bustling online poker room.
