Pacific Poker's numbers are smaller than some of he other big online poker rooms out there (about a fifth at peak times) but this leads to another benefit for certain types of players, the competition is also quite soft compared to the bigger poker sites, which is pretty good for players trying to quickly grow their bankroll.

As you might expect Texas Hold' em is by far the most popular game on the website, but Omaha, Omaha Hi-Lo, Seven-Card Stud and Seven-Card Stud Hi-Lo are also steadily growing in popularity as players begin to tire of Texas hold 'em.

Peak playing times at Pacific Poker regularly bring in between 2000-3000 players participating in cash games. These numbers are growing and have greatly been helped by speculation in the gambling community as to the softness of the average poker player there.

Without wanting to repeat what others have already said, Pacific Poker is well- known as a site with softer than average competition. This is due to the lower tournament buy-ins and jackpots, which tend to attract a certain kind of player and cause other more experiences players of poker to look elsewhere. Don't expect every opponent to be wet behind the ears though, Pacific Poker also attracts players who are there to take advantage of the softer level of play.

As far as tournaments go, small stakes tournaments are what it's all about at Pacific Poker. Tournaments at Pacific Poker are held frequently, are quite cheap to get into and are generally as soft as you would like. As mentioned above, the cheaper the buy-in, the smaller the prize. The smaller the prize, the fewer the sharks. Pacific Poker is probably one of the best online poker sites to go to for quite easy games.

The software at Pacific Poker has undergone some development recently and can now compete with that of the bigger poker sites out there. Pacific Poker uses the 888 software platform. Both available for download and install, and in Java for those who don't want to install new software or for Mac users. The software includes 3D characters, new lobby and greater degree of options.

Pacific Poker currently offer a 100% first deposit bonus up to $400. So deposit the maximum of $400 and get a whopping $400 absolutely free! After signing up you will get 25% of your bonus, the rest of the 75% is given to you once you have managed to earn 10 bonus points for every $1 of the bonus. Reload Bonuses are not massively popular at Pacific Poker but do pop up form time to time so keep your eyes open for them In addition, every $10 wagered earns you one point. For every 100 points you earn you are given back one dollar.

Deposit options on Pacific Poker are as follows: VISA, MasterCard, EuroCard, Diners Club, Solo, laser Debit Cards, Maestro, Bank transfer, Boleto, Deposito Refrenciado, European checks, E-checks, PayPoint Invoice, Wire transfers, Commerzbank OnlineBanking Web, Deutsche bank 24 Direct Debit, Dresdner bank InternetBanking, ELBA, Direct Debit, eNETS, hansabank, Neteller, InstaDebit, ClickandBuy, ACTeCASH, Moneybookers, ukash, bank transfer, PaysafeCard, EntroPay, PayPoint, Dankort debit card (Denmark), Nordea online bank account (Sweden/Finland), Paypal (Austria, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and UK).

Withdrawal options on Pacific Poker are as follows: Visa, Mastercard, Debit Cards, Neteller, Moneybookers, wire transfer (direct bank account transfer) and bank draft (cashier's check). Withdrawals are held for three days before processing.

Customer care is probably the site's weakness, with email responses being slow and more complicated queries not being handled as effectively as is possible. But generally this is a great site to be a part of right now, before it explodes and the player ratios change, making play levels generally harder. Give it a try now before they push this one into the mainstream.