Top 3 Biggest Poker Sites in 2023
The biggest poker sites are often the best places to play online poker because they have the most cash game traffic, the largest guaranteed tournaments, and potentially lucrative promotions. At smaller rooms, it can be difficult to find any games other than No-Limit Texas Hold'em, and there may not even be many of those games running when you decide to play.
At the biggest online poker sites, you can play limit or no limit holdem, Omaha Hi or Omaha Hi/Lo, Stud or Stud Hi-Lo, and a variety of mixed games and draw games. You simply can’t find all of these other games at smaller online poker sites because they do not have the traffic to support such a wide variety of poker variants and formats. The rooms with the most players also have bigger poker tournaments, which will mean bigger prize pools to play for. The three biggest online poker rooms are GGPoker, PokerStars, 888poker.
GGPoker - The World's Biggest Online Poker Site
GGPoker initially launched in 2014 and primarily focused on the Asian online poker markets. However, since expanding into Europe in 2017, GGPoker has gone from strength to strength and now boasts the most cash game traffic in addition to the biggest and richest online poker tournaments.
Although GGPoker only offers No-Limit Hold'em, Pot-Limit Omaha, 5 Card Pot-Limit Omaha, and Short Deck Hold'em, it has thousands of cash game tables and multi-table tournaments in those formats.
GGPoker specializes in running huge tournaments, including the weekly $10,000 buy-in Super MILLION$. The site is also partnered with the World Series of Poker (WSOP), which means you can win coveted WSOP bracelets from the comfort of your home. The 2020 WSOP Online Main Event paid out $27,559,500, which remains a world record for an online poker tournament prize pool; $3.9 million of that huge sum went to the eventual champion.
The GGPoker software is outstanding, as you would expect from an online poker giant. It's colorful, slick, and comes with a built-in "smart HUD" to give you an indication of how loose or tight you and your opponents are playing. The welcome bonus is substantial too, offering new depositing players a 100% up to $600 welcome bonus.
Promotions are plentiful, too, with several million dollars up for grabs, and that is before including the Fis Buffet loyalty program. The VIP scheme is quite complicated, but it is possible to earn up to 60% cashback in the right circumstances.
In addition to the global site, GGPoker Ontario is available for residents of the Canadian province Ontario.
PokerStars – Second Biggest Online Poker Site
PokerStars launched in September 2001 and instantly became the place to play online poker for millions of players. PokerStars is renowned for having great software, good customer service, impressive security, and frequent bonuses and promotions.
The software at PokerStars.com is widely considered to be the best in the business because it is easy to navigate, it doesn’t crash, and it has cool options such as custom avatars and customizable tables, cards, and backgrounds. Everything about the PokerStars software just works. As soon as you try it for yourself, you will know what we mean.
There is no online poker site that can match PokerStars' variety of cash games and tournament variants and formats. You can find games such as H.O.R.S.E., 8-Game, 2-7 Single Draw, 2-7 Triple Draw, and more alongside the usual Hold'em, Omaha, and Stud variants. Indeed, during PokerStars' major festivals, including the Spring Championship Of Online Poker (SCOOP), and World Championship Of Online Poker (WCOOP), massive tournaments across all poker variants you can think of run around the clock.
PokerStars is also the owner of the ever-popular European Poker Tour (EPT), and is the only place you can win EPT tickets and packages online.
PokerStars may no longer be the biggest online poker site in terms of traffic, but it remains the best for tens of thousands of players around the world.
In 2023, PokerStars launched the Power Path promotion, which makes it possible to win some incredible prizes for as little as $0.50.
PokerStars also operates in the United States an Ontario in Canada. PokerStars Michigan, PokerStars New Jersey, and PokerStars Pennsylvania offer an incredible product to Americans, while Ontarians can battle it out at PokerStars Ontario.
888poker – Third Largest Poker Site
888poker is another online poker site that has withstood the test of time, having launched in 2002. 888poker has a reputation for having the softest cash games of all the major online poker sites because it attracts recreational players in droves. Not only do the software and promotions appeal to poker's newcomers but the 888 Casino is massive and often feeds players through to the poker client.
Although 888poker only offers No-Limit Hold'em and Pot-Limit Omaha, it does both games exceptionally well. Most cash game traffic is concentrated in games with buy-ins at the lower end of the scale, while the majority of the site's multi-table tournaments are considered low-to-mid-stakes.
888poker is where you want to head if you love mystery bounty tournaments because nobody has embraced that format like 888poker has. Dozens of mystery bounty events take place daily, with a $109 buy-in $100,000 Mystery Bounty Main Event running every Sunday; it has a $10,000 jackpot mystery bounty for one lucky players.
888poker LIVE is the online poker site's live tournament series. Of course, you can win your way into 888poker LIVE Main Events online at 888poker, often for a single cent.
888poker also operates in New Jersey and Ontario.