Best Low Stakes Poker Sites

The vast majority of online poker players can be found at the low stakes tables. Some poker sites are better at catering to the needs of low stakes players than others though. Just having plenty of small stakes traffic is not enough in my opinion. The best low stakes poker sites tend to be the most popular poker rooms online. These rooms see the big picture and know that small stakes players are the life’s blood of an online poker room. If you prefer to play at the low stakes tables and are looking for the poker site that provides the best low stakes action and rewards low stakes players as they should be than there are several factors you will want to look at.

- Rake policy
- Low stakes action (traffic & competition)
- Promotions and bonuses
- Low stakes friendly loyalty program


Good Low Stake Poker Sites

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In this article I will provide a list of the top three low stakes poker sites for each factor. Just telling you that a poker room has a rake policy that is fair towards small stakes players would be meaningless though. With that in mind I will explain why each room ranks where it does. This article will help you choose the room that is best suited to your needs. Here is an general guide to what constitutes “low stakes” in online poker.

- Micro stakes – $.01/$.02 – $.05/$.10
- Small stakes – $.10/$.25 – $.50/$1.00

So low stakes poker has two different sub categories: micro stakes and small stakes. Anything under $1/2 will be considered low stakes for the purposes of this article.

Best Poker Site Rake Policies For Low Stakes Players

Rake is the commission that a poker site takes out of each pot. Most poker sites will take up to 5% of the pot in rake. Rake for sit’n'go’s and tournaments consists of a small fee. A $10+ $1 tournament has a $10 buy-in plus a $1 tournament fee or rake. Ring table rake schedules vary greatly from room to room. There are a lot of factors the poker site looks at when determining how much rake to take out. These factors include the stakes, betting format, number of players in the hand and the size of the pot. I have reviewed the rake policies at the top online poker sites and have figured out which ones are the best for low stakes players.

Sportsbook Poker – This room has the best overall rake policy for small stakes players. At micro stakes tables they will take $.01 for every $.20 in the pot out for rake. At small stakes tables they will take $.05 out for every $1 in the pot. The maximum amount taken out will depend on the number of players at the table but it will generally range from $.50-$1 at fixed limit tables and $.75-$3 for pot or no limit tables.

Full Tilt Poker – FTP has a comparable rake policy but it is not quite as low stakes friendly as Absolute Poker’s when it comes to pot and no limit micro stakes tables. They will take $.01 out for every $.15 in the pot. Apart from that and some minor differences in the rake caps, Full Tilt Poker uses the same rake schedule as Absolute Poker.

Party Poker – The rake schedule at Party Poker is also comparable to Absolute Poker’s with the exception of micro stakes fixed limit games. They will take out $.01 for every $.10 in the pot at FL tables with $0.02/$0.04 to $0.05/$0.10 stakes.

Poker Sites With The Best Low Stakes Action

When I say “action” I am referring to the overall traffic and the skill level of the competition. These two tend to go hand in hand. The poker sites with the highest low stakes traffic will have more tables with high flop percentages to choose from. There are other factors to look at though. Some poker sites attract more inexperienced poker players than others. I have found that poker rooms that host a lot of freerolls will have more inexperienced players at the low stakes tables. Here are the top low stakes poker sites in regards to low stakes traffic and the average skill level of the competition.

Full Tilt Poker – This poker room has around 300-400% more low stakes poker traffic than their closest competitor Party Poker. They are at the top of this list through sheer numbers alone. You have thousands of low stakes tables to choose from so finding soft competition is very easy. Inexperienced poker players flock to Full Tilt Poker in droves and most end up at the low limit tables.

Party Poker – Party Poker is the third largest poker room and is a household name around the world. Apart from the reliable low stakes traffic, Party Poker is a great site for small stakes players because of the high percentage of new online poker players that start out there.

Absolute Poker – This medium sized poker room is well known for their loose low limit tables. Freerolls and small stakes friendly promotions are commonplace at Absolute Poker. This brings many “noob” online poker players to their low stakes tables.

Poker Sites With Low Stakes Friendly Promotions And Bonuses

Most poker sites virtually exclude low limit players from most promotions. Some poker rooms just do not have the budget to truly reward the bulk of their players and others are managed poorly. Low stakes players are an integral part of any poker room ecosystem. A few poker rooms are especially good at taking care of these players. These rooms are among the most popular and are in it for the long haul. Bonuses are not as important as people make them out to be in most cases but they are vital to many low limit players. Small stakes friendly bonuses will be awarded in small increments that are determined by the size of the bonus. The worst bonuses for low limit players require the entire bonus to be cleared before it is released. The actual requirements are also important. Some poker sites have easy to clear bonuses and others make it quite difficult. Here is a list of poker sites that have the best promotions and bonuses for low stakes players:

Absolute Poker – This poker site is home to a wide variety of +EV promotions for small stakes players. Absolute Poker also has a very rewarding bonus program. You will receive a 150% bonus up to $1,000 and a ticket to a $1,000 tournament that only first time depositors can play in. Low limit players can turn a small deposit into a decent bankroll through these two promotions alone. After you have cleared your first bonus you will receive regular re-load bonuses on future deposits. They also run daily freerolls and will even give you a $50 bonus if you accumulate 10,000,000 play money chips. This enables low limit players to build up a bankroll from nothing when money is tight. You know a poker room is great for small stakes enthusiasts when they even reward play money players. Other beneficial promotions at Absolute Poker include the Badbeat Jackpot, Royal Flush Jackpot and their sit’n'go tournament leaderboard. Sitngo leaderboards typically favor medium to high stakes players but not at Absolute Poker. Their leaderbord is broken up into three categories; Diamond (micro stakes), Heart (small stakes) and Spade (medium-high stakes).

888 Poker – This poker room offers an extensive package of incentives to new small stakes players. The first benefit is a 100% bonus up to $400 that will be credited in $10 installments. You will also receive seven tickets to their daily $500 tournaments which only new depositing players can compete in. Last but not least is the $50,000 new depositor challenge. These three promotions are perfect for low limit players because they give you the chance to turn a small deposit into thousands of dollars.

Party Poker – Party Poker’s first deposit bonus is a 100% match up to $/£/€100. This is a small bonus compared to most but low limit players usually make an initial deposit of $20-$100 so a larger bonus is meaningless. This bonus is issued in 10% increments which is very friendly to low limit players. Party Poker is home to one of the best promotions for small stakes players in the world, the Bankroll Builder. This promo consists of daily, weekly and monthly freerolls that only new players can take advantage of. The $100 daily freerolls run three times per day and each awards the top 50 players with a ticket to the weekly $2,500 freeroll. This freeroll runs every Saturday and awards 200 tickets to the $10,000 monthly final which runs on the last Saturday of the month. That adds up to $30,000 up for grabs every month and only new players are allowed.

The Best Loyalty Programs For Low Stakes Players

A solid poker room gives much of the rake they take out of each pot back to the players. Bonuses and freerolls only account for a small part of this money. It is the loyalty or VIP programs that really give back to players. Some programs use a simple in/out format and are usually not that rewarding. Others have multiple tiers and a wide range of benefits. These are the best loyalty programs for the average small stakes poker player. You do not want to be grouped with micro stakes players if you play at the small stakes tables. Likewise you do not want to be expected to earn the same number of frequent player points as medium and high stakes players. This is why multi-tiered VIP programs are so good at providing players with incentives that are on par with their level of play.

Absolute Poker – Absolute Poker has a 5 tier loyalty program that goes well beyond what most poker sites offer. You will start out at the Bronze status and quickly work your way up. The next level is Silver and the main benefit for this level is the AbsolutePoints (AP’s) multiplier. You’ll earn AP’s twice as fast and will only have to earn 50 AP’s per month to maintain this level. Low limit players will easily be able to maintain the Gold VIP level which only requires 500 Status Points per month. Gold status players will earn AbsolutePoints three times faster than Bronze level players. What can you do with all of these points? You can spend them at the Rewards Store, use them to buy into special tournaments and trade them in for cash. Gold members can buy a $50 cash credit every month. This loyalty program is so rewarding that it could turn a losing month into a profitable one. Small stakes players that tend to play a lot will easily make it to the Platinum level which has a 2,500 Status Point requirement. The benefits for this level include earning AP’s 400% faster, 10% off Rewards Store purchases and the ability to buy a $250 cash credit every month using your AP’s. Each of the five VIP levels comes with exclusive freerolls and bonus offers.

Party Poker – Party Poker has a 6 tier VIP program that offers something no other program does, cash back. You can receive up to 40% of your rake back though this program. Each level offers cash credits ranging from $10 to $15,000 as well as the ability to buy bonuses that range from $100 to $20,000. Low limit players tend to be either Silver or Gold level members. The Silver VIP level requires 1,500 points per month and the benefits include $50 in cash and a $100 bonus. Gold level players need to earn 4,000 points per month and will receive $200 in cash and a $350 bonus.

PKR Poker – PKR is the world’s top 3D poker site and has a 6 tier loyalty program. Every level has it’s own special freerolls. Silver status players will receive regular re-load bonus offers, invitations to money added tournaments, $3,000 monthly freerolls, five tickets to the $1,000 premium freerolls, birthday gifts, entry into special prize draws and one ticket to the Masters Stage 2 qualifier which is valued at $9 just by itself. I’m can only touch on a few of the benefits for a single VIP level here. A complete overview of their loyalty program would take several pages. All I will say is that it offers a lot of value to low stakes players.