32Red Poker

32Red Poker - Having played most of the leading sites based out of the United States, it became time for an overseas flavour. 32 Red Poker is one of the UK’s leading Poker sites, and is one of the busiest sites on the Prima Poker network, so it seems like a good place to start.

As soon as I loaded 32 Red’s homepage, it was obvious that this site would be a “bit different” than the stateside sites. Even the name seemed a little odd, but the homepage looked nice enough. The red theme resounds throughout, but the menu and main pages covered all the necessities. Sections for new players, and even a section specifically for US depositors made the whole process fairly easy and accessible.

It was also nice to see a page devoted to updates on the current World Series of Poker, as many sites seem to neglect players’ thirst for knowledge of the big tournaments.

Once I had scanned the peripherals, I initiated 32 Red’s software download; the download is quick, but the registration process was a bit of a run around compared to the simplicity I’m used to. As this site is on Prima’s network, a universal Prima ID is needed, but a membership to 32 Red is also required. After I got that cleared up, I hit the lobby and prepared to play a few hands against my UK rivals.

32 Red’s gameplay is pretty good, but the visuals definitely adversely affect the experience. The graphics of the table are almost non-existent, as there are no player avatars or anything, simply a name and a chip count. The gameplay is reasonable; however, it is devoid of any real standout features. The highlight of 32 Red’s gameplay would have to be the speed of the game, as it moves quicker than most sites I’ve played on.

One area where 32 Red does succeed is in their tournament selection; from the Lobby there is easy access to the multitude of tournaments 32 Red offers, and there are always Sit and Gos ready to be initiated. There is also a fair contingent of heads-up tournaments which is nice, and 32 Red’s respectably large population keeps games going fairly well.

Promotions on this site are also pretty good, as there are lots of satellites and ladder tournaments available. 32 Red also offers a few freerolls, but like many sites, they aren’t open access. The WSOP and Poker Masters satellites are nice additions.

Overall, this site may be one of the most popular in the UK, but it won’t be on my homepage anytime soon. It is a pretty good site on it’s own, but with the industry standard being raised daily, it is still a bit behind the leaders. .