Best New Poker Sites for May 2012
New poker sites open for business all the time on the internet. There are many reasons to join a new poker site, but it’s important that you go about it the smart way. New online poker rooms have not been tested over the long term, so you have to choose new poker sites carefully.
Your best bet in finding a quality new poker site is to look for established gaming companies that have recently opened a poker room. For example, several online sportsbooks have decided to expand into online poker recently. This way, you get the benefit of an established company backing your poker room.
Poker rooms that have opened out of the blue with no history whatsoever are more hit and miss. They are usually safe places to play, but you do have to take a bit of a leap of faith with brand new poker rooms. For that reason, we like to stick with established companies that already have a track record for safety.
According to our research, the following poker sites can be considered the best new poker rooms:
Bovada Poker Poker
Bovada Poker is a spin-off brand that Bodog Poker created after deciding to leave the US market. Bovda Poker now serves USA players in place of Bodog. This new poker site is run by the same people that run Bodog, which means you can expect to be paid every time without fail. Bovada Poker already has a strong player base and is currently offering all new players a $1000 welcome bonus.
Special Offer:
- 100% up to $1000 Free Cash
- Use Bovada Poker Referral Number: 2463653 when registering.
RPM Poker
RPM Poker went live in 2008 and although it is somewhat new, it has had enough time to establish a strong reputation. This is a nice combination because despite the newness of the poker room, we know a lot about the company behind it. RPM Poker is a trusted website that has served many poker players since going live. The poker room has so far proven itself to be a safe place to play real money poker.
Special Offer:
- 150% up to $750 Free Cash
- Use RPM Poker Bonus Code: RPMPOKER when registering.
Lock Poker
Lock Poker was established in 2008 as a member of the Merge Gaming Network. Although Lock Poker is relatively new, the Merge Gaming Network has a few more years’ worth of experience. We have always been impressed with the professional approach that Merge Gaming has taken to online poker. So far, Lock Poker has shown a willingness to treat players well and to offer prompt withdrawals.
Special Offer:
- 150% up to $750 Free Cash
- Use Lock Poker Bonus Code: LOCK150 when registering.
Choosing New Poker Sites
You may have noticed that the “new” poker sites on this page are all a few years old. These are all new poker sites relatively speaking, but they aren’t brand-spanking-new. We don’t think it’s a good idea to play on poker sites that were opened last week because there are just too many unknowns with poker rooms that are that new.
Before we recommend a poker room, we like to know who runs it, how well that poker site processes withdrawals and what other players have said about that room. If we give a poker room a couple years to establish itself, we can find out how well that poker site operates and if it’s a safe place to play. At that point, you can consider it a safe and new poker site.
Most new poker sites open with the intention of offering a legitimate service to their players, but there’s always a little risk when you play at poker sites that have opened very recently. It doesn’t take a whole lot to throw up a website and ask people to sign up to play poker. If you’re willing to just give it a few years, you’ll be in a much better position to play poker for real money.
If you stumble across a brand new poker site that you really want to try, you should at least do a little research before you sign up and deposit. You can ask about the poker site at poker discussion forums and search Google for reviews of that poker site. Any information that you can dig up will help you make a more informed decision.
Why play at new poker sites?
New poker sites offer advantages over older, more established poker sites. For one, new poker sites are willing to throw a lot of money at new players. The one thing a new poker site needs more than anything else is a healthy player base. Active tables make a poker site more attractive, it keeps the players happy and it makes money. New poker sites are often willing to give new players huge signup bonuses and competitive promotions.
New poker sites also offer the advantage of soft competition. Poker sharks do not switch to new poker sites as easily as new players. Experienced poker players get used to the sites they play at and feel comfortable playing where they play. Casual poker players with less experience are more willing to give a new poker room a chance.
Some new poker sites come up with innovative features to distinguish themselves from the crowd. Poker features such as show one hole card and rabbit hunting were first developed by new poker sites that wanted to find new ways to compete against the big boys. If you join a new poker site, you can be the first person to try those kinds of new features.
