So say someone was starting a new poker site and was trying to get you to play there: what would be enough to make you switch, if anything?

Do you play where you think the games are softest?
Do you play where you can get the best rakeback?
Do you play where you can bonuswhore the best?
Do you play somewhere for the Frequent Player rewards?
Do you play somewhere because they have the easiest way of getting money in and out?
Do you play somewhere because you think they have the best support?

I realize that the above isn't a list of mutually exclusive things, and that the answer is going to change based on what type of player you are, what country you're from, etc. Obviously a HSNL player isn't going to play on a site where there is no action, and a Euro player is going to be able to bonus whore more than US players these days because they have more sites they are able to deposit on.

When you choose which site to play on, do you think it has most to do with how much money you can win at poker on that site, or how much stuff the site is giving you back? If it's about the money you're getting back (through rakeback, rewards, etc) would you prefer it to be variance free (like your rakeback) or would you be just as happy with a bunch of lotto tickets, effectively, that have the same EV?

On the other side of things, what do you think drives casual players to play at the sites they play at? Just whichever shows up on google? The one they saw a TV ad for on ESPN? If you were trying to get casual players to sign up on the site you play on, what would you do?

I will play where I think my overall return is the highet.

So I guess its a combination of all of the above. Also considering tilt factors as deposit/withdrawal time, software and support. etc

I'm a US player and play at FT 200nl FR.

Probably your biggest competition is going to be bodog in terms of starting a site.

For me to play on a site it needs:

A) Critical mass (plenty of tables to multi-table)
B) Ease of use (good software w/ re-sizable tables and customizable betting entry)
C) Rewards (either rake-back or soft games or a deposit bonus)

Look of software - I dont want to play at sites with ****ty software.
Rakeback or VIP programs - like 60% rakeback will get anyone to pay there.

To become a top site, you need the following, in this order:

1) Top notch software (FTP)
2) Really good advertising (FTP/Stars)
3) Top notch support (Stars/Cake)
4) A rewards program that will give you a niche in the business (Cake for beginners, plus FTP/Stars for high-volume players)

Rewards don't really matter. People will always go where the fish are, and rewards will always come second. FTP and Stars have probably the worst RB deals in the business (unless you are a 36-month iron man or supernova+), but they have the biggest pool of fish. Giving out a large RB percentage doesn't matter, cause at the end of the day fish don't even really care about rakeback.

I'm still waiting on a site that will give interest on people's money depending on the amount of volume they put in. That would be the bomb. I think Cereus does this, could be mistaken, but no self-respecting person would ever play on that site.

But software is definitely the most important. If a site popped up today that had FTP's software, they would quickly rise to being a top-5 site within 2 months, and probably sooner.

As a sidenote, I can only speak for U.S. sites.

FTP / Stars

Security is what I care about. I am not playing on some small site that can easily scam me.

Obviously those aren't the only sites that are safe to play on, but I'd rather not get myself into anything I don't want to be getting into.

1. Do you play where you think the games are softest? (I choose the games for site depending on this factor).

2. Do you play where you can get the best rakeback?

3. Do you play somewhere for the Frequent Player rewards?

4. Do you play somewhere because you think they have the best support?

5. Do you play somewhere because they have the easiest way of getting money in and out? (obviously, this is going to get a bit sketchy after June 1st).

6. Do you play where you can bonuswhore the best? (Contributed Rake gives the best rakeback, but the slowest methods for clearing bonuses. Since Rakeback is ongoing - that would be what I would look at first).

You need to have a "Real Deal" and a complex deck matrix imo.

1.Fast cash out.
2.Good support.
3.Promotions.

+1

I'm Euro and used to play wherever I could for various reasons, like good RB deal here or if I make 500mgr I get free coaching there etc ... then Eurolinx happened where I've lost big portion of my roll. Now I'm at FTP (have RB). Sticking to big ones, avoiding small like the plague.

I play at Pokerstars for many reasons:
- never had trouble with deposit/withdraw
- I don't have rakeback at Fulltilt
- plenty of tables for mass tabling
- I play just enough to make the VIP program worthwhile

I play where I feel fine. In my situation I really should play on FTP, because of RB and Bonuses. As a lowstakes player Pokerstars isn't really the best for me, but I feel fine playing there even though I do not earn so much RB.
I can't really explain why I love playing on Stars but I think the reasons are the security, support and the traffic.

Soft players.
Easy deposit/cashout.
Good support - e.g 24 hour live chat support like PKR.
Rakeback/Bonus.
Software.

software
support
tons of games
no problems with cashouts
rakeback ldo

My 2 biggest influences are
1. Traffic
2. Support

Forgot this part. Obviously, advertising and pros did it for Stars and Tilt. And that's because the new, casual player likes to believe he can DO THAT TOO. So, this place is WHERE you can win and learn. Both Stars and Tilt use this approach. Obviously, support will need to be top notch for the beginner, and software very easy to maneuver.

However, you don't have the advertising budget of Tilt and Stars (and don't know if you want to set up a separate .net site).

Freerolls - Different kinds. Make the Payouts a very small guarantee, and then add on as more players emerge. Its great way to get players started, cheaper than TV advertising.

Web and Google searches will catch eye. Obviously, press releases where the casual player might go (cardplayer, etc.?). An endorsement from a pro isn't as expensive as hiring one. And an affiliate network - helps to get the site more noticed, more google hits.

Word of mouth is important, ending up on some blogs can't hurt.

Just my thought (then attract and keep money with VIP and rakeback programs). I'm sure you though of most of this already.

i play for $$$ (duh)

like 90% of everyone else here,

so i need

volume (=traffic and decent software for multitabling)

and a very good RB deal

My top:

1.Bonus/Rewards
2.Safety
3.Traffic
4.Good software
5.Good support

1. Traffic
2. Low rake/rakeback

My choice is based upon where I believe I will make the highest $/hr.

In no particular order, this is a combination of:
a) low rake
b) rakeback/equivalents
c) volume
d) Quality of opponents

a) software
b) traffic
c) promotions

why i play at FTP basically, a/b are good enough at stars but their reward system sucks for casual players. while having soft players is nice, at the level i play now, they're all soft players

0.software
1.security
2.convenience

as far as getting newbie players

when i first
started it was because of a no deposit bonus that you have to grind X mgr to withdraw.

of course most likely is busto before rake. but once you get the idea of winning it helps to put more money on.

It's important to play at a trusted site with fast withdrawals, good amount of players and good support. Rakeback is also really necessary.