The Quick Summary

PokerRoom is the top room of the popular OnGame Network, and it is known for being the 5th most popular room for ring games, with a special focus on 6-seater Hold'em tables. They unfortunately do not accept US players as per OnGame policy, but for all others it offers good software and a generally nice poker environment. PokerRoom is licensed in Gibraltar and also by the Kahnawake Commission.

PokerRoom also has an established community of poker players called Pokah, with poker news, poker strategy and a forum.

Popularity: 8 of 10 – Good

OnGame is a large network, so traffic tends to be good at PokerRoom: as of July 2008 there were up to 9,000 ring-game players and 45,000 tournament players at peak hours. PokerRoom also has a good game variety, offering the most popular games such as Hold'em, Omaha Hi and Hi/Lo and Seven Card Stud Hi and Hi/Lo in all limits, along with Blackjack for those inclined to a gamble every now and then. Most of the traffic is concentrated in the Hold'em tables, and peak hours follow the European schedule rather than the American one.

Security: 8.5 of 10 – Good

PokerRoom takes its security seriously: they are licensed both in Europe (Gibraltar) and Canada (Kahnawake,) and they are eCOGRA certified for fairness of games and financial transparency.
Data transfers are protected using Thawte SSL certificates to encrypt all data coming and going from the site, which includes personal information, hole cards, hand histories and the like.
Poker Room's site includes an extensive section outlining their 'fair Play" policies, including anti-collusion measures, IP checking, multi-account investigations and advice for players to keep their accounts safe.

Player Competition: 6.5 of 10 – Average

The level of play is average at PokerRoom: while there are fish in the lower levels - some of them attracted by PokerRoom's sister, CasinoRoom - play gets definitely tighter and tougher at stakes above $2/$5, since from mid-stakes on there are grinders trying to cash in on PokerRoom's bonuses with very tight play.

Site Software: 8 of 10 – Good

PokerRoom's software is super flexible, with a downloadable version for PC and an online Java version that is ideal for Mac users or those who just want a quick game from another computer.
The graphics are clear and crisp, and the software runs smoothly on both the download and no-download versions. PokerRoom has several unique features, such as displaying the odds when players go all-in.
We deducted some marks for multitabling capacity - PokerRoom only allows 4 tables at a time, and has no resizing or miniview options at the time of writing.

Customer Support 9 of 10 – Very Good

PokerRoom offers several support options: email, live chat and even phone for users from certain countries (Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Norway, The Netherlands, USA, United Kingdom, New Zealand & Sweden.) Responses are fast, polite and accurate.

Company Ethics: 8.5 of 10 – Good

A relatively old room (it was established in 1999,) PokerRoom has had time to develop a unique personality and offer something special to its customers. These features include the "Pokah" community and forum, the sister site CasinoRoom, sports betting facilities and the chance to play with the Team PokerRoom, which is made of PokerRoom players who qualify through their poker play to go to the best and biggest live tournaments around the world as representatives of PokerRoom.
The score has been lowered because of the rake, which is higher than average.

Site Promotions: 7 of 10 – Average

The promos at PokerRoom are attractive, but not out of the ordinary: a 100% sign-up bonus up to $100, a $50 referral bonus, and a three-tier loyalty rewards program for frequent players.

Overall Review: 7.85 of 10 – Good

You can do worse than PokerRoom: it is a large room with several attractive software features, excellent security and good added perks such as a poker community and the Team PokerRoom. Mac users are especially advised to give it a try for its no-download software, but heavy multitablers may not find it ideal.

Final Result: We give PokerRoom a final overall score of 7.85 out of 10.