I thought one of the things that would fit right into my wheelhouse is to talk about the state of online poker, focusing mostly on which sites are doing certain things right and offering some suggestions along the way.

In case you haven’t noticed, Full Tilt Pokeris exploding. They are really making a run at the big sites like PokerStarsand PartyPoker, and they are doing it the same way those guys do it: advertising combined with great promotions. Nothing would excite me more than Full Tilt taking a place at the table. The people that work with that site are some of the best poker players and ambassadors for this game. I think it took them a while to figure out one simple fact, which is that cardrooms have sort of an unspoken rule with good players. If good players will start and fill the games on a site, it is the cardroom's responsibility to get the fish. Combined with their WSOP promotions, Full Tilt is doing this better than just about anyone at this point.

Second on my radar is Paradise Poker. Since they were bought by sportingbet.com, they have experienced a meteoric rise in popularity. They did it the same way PokerStars.com did it; they put a great tournament schedule out there, didn’t change it, and the rest took care of itself. Their Conquest tournaments and Masters Series have given their customers something to work towards while playing in some of the juiciest cash games on the internet. I would like to see their tournament structure a little better, but honestly I can see why they don’t change it; they want to give the fish a chance at a good payday, and anything that caters to the fish is good for a cardroom and ultimately good for the full timers.

Nothing needs to be said about PokerStars. With their new VIP program, they are the gold standard in the industry, and they seem to make no mistakes at all. They are a juggernaut, and it is a testament to involving their employees in a meaningful way. While PokerStars is one of the sites I am least connected with, they are well known for implementing feedback from the people that work for them.

PartyPoker has finally begun to do what everyone was concerned about in the first place. They are getting better (by a lot). They have a new system for sit and go’s, new lobby, resizeable tables, plus a new look and feel. Their tournaments are the best value on the internet, and their cash games remain some of the fishiest there are, but that isn’t what makes PartyPoker the absolute best in the industry. Recently I was in Amsterdam, and one message came across loud and clear: PartyPoker brings new people into poker. I know what you are saying, “Duh,” but it isn’t that easy. PartyPoker not only is the biggest advertiser; also, with their promotions, they try to introduce poker to EVERYONE. PartyPoker has made a deal with all of us, and that deal is simple: come play our site, and we will continue to grow poker and supply good games. Seems like a reasonable request.

Nipping at Paradise’s heals is another sportsbook, Bodog. I know the people at Bodog very well, and they think of poker in a way that is very customer friendly. Let me give you some examples. Bodog is reputed to have the best customer service online. If you have a problem, call them, and you will have an uncommon experience. Customer Service is a tricky business, because you can’t keep everyone happy. Bodog carries the torch as the leader in customer service in online poker. They have staked their claim to a base of customers with a “high” value model with their tournaments, and they have the biggest overlays on a regular basis for all sites. They have recently introduced some “deep stack tournaments” in prime time, and currently they are in a run to get 700 people to the WSOP. They are likely the best way to get a WSOP seat, and their party in Vegas is an “A” list affair.

One site that isn’t getting a lot of attention is PokerShare, and I feel this is a huge oversight. Speaking of getting to the WSOP, PokerShare adds WSOP seats to all of their WSOP satellites, and they have a promotion that is giving away over 10 WSOP seats to the top ten points earners on their site. Folks, if you play cash full time and you aren’t playing PokerShare, you are giving away your WSOP seat. There just aren’t that many people playing PokerShare at the moment, and the value is incredible. They also changed their “share model” to a model similar to PokerStars VIP program, but you also still maintain your trust in the company if they ever go public. The one huge difference between their customer appreciation program and Stars' is that they will give you cash, while PokerStars focuses more on tournament entries and merchandise. In my opinion, I’ll take the cash.

UltimateBetis going through some major transformations at the moment. Everything from their interface to offering BlackJack. I think my next installment of this section will prove to be big for them, as some of their plans start taking hold. They have some of the biggest games on the internet, and their new 50-100 Pot Limit Omaha game might be the best game out there to watch. They also got UltimateBuddy back running, which might still be the best tool of any online poker site.

I am hoping to do one of these updates at least once a month, so if you have seen something interesting that you would like me to take a look at, e-mail me at beaniepoker@hotmail.com.