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Site
Rating (6.7/10):
Empire Poker is one of the larger online poker rooms, boasting solid traffic and many tables. Empire is a skin of the IglobalMedia Network, which runs the player database for PartyPoker. As such, Empire and Party look very similar, sharing the same software and almost identical graphics.
In early October Party Poker moved to a new platform, taking about 80% of the player base. Empire Poker was still left with above average traffic (besting many other networks), but it was a fraction of what it had been. Empire responded by offering daily tournaments (with rebuys and add-ons) with guaranteed prize pools (one particular $20 tournament I played in had 89 people playing for an 8K prize pool) and promotions revolving around sending players to big buy-in live tournaments, such as the WPT and WSOP.
Software
/ Graphics (6.5/10):
The Empire software is
pretty good, which is hardly surprising, given that it is a carbon copy of PartyPoker. In fact, the only differences are the logo and colours. Empire Poker is user-friendly and well organized. All games can easily be found, and the software is very stable. There is built-in live support, as well as find-a-player and find-a-table tools. The software also supports lots of chat, as any real money player can chat at any table, even if they aren’t part of the game.
Cursing is bleeped out, keeping the site family-friendly. On the downside, there is no lobby chat function, which is a feature many online players enjoy.
Empire Poker graphics aren’t great, but they are functional. From a practical standpoint, they get the job done, and players can easily play up to four tables. You can view the average pot size of the previous 20 hands, as well as basic playing statistics and detailed blind level information. However, your folded hands aren’t recorded, which is an inconvenience when you can’t remember what you held or if you hit the flop. Another problem I have is that the cards are flopped way too quickly when players are all in. Many times I have been all in with a big pair, only to lose to a runner-runner flush or straight. The cards come out so fast that I often have to scroll back to find out what the hell
happened.
Bonuses
/ Promotions (6.5/10):
Empire Poker has decent and varied promotions. There is a 20% first deposit bonus up to $100, which is earned based on raked hands played. Empire counts hands where the player isn’t even involved, so clearing the bonus in one session is not difficult at all. There are also frequent deposit bonuses offered, usually in the neighbourhood of 20%. Like most sites, Empire offers the standard refer-a-friend offer - $50 for the referrer and $25 for the friend.
Empire also offers incredibly profitable guaranteed tournaments. These tournaments are routinely under capacity, which means Empire kicks in substantial percentages of the prize pool. Yum-yum. Furthermore, Empire offers daily and monthly cash freerolls, ranging in value from $200 to $500 a piece. Some bigger monthly VIP freerolls are reserved for big stake and frequent players.
Player
Skill (7/10):
Due to its affiliation with
Party Poker, Empire Poker is known for having some of the softest players on the net. Indeed, most of the players on Empire won’t think twice about pushing all their chips in with any Ace or gutshot draw. Lately, the guaranteed tournaments (with their juiced prize pools) have attracted the attention of some skilled tournament players, so the skill level on Empire ranges from good to bad on any given day. To make money on Empire, watch the play for a few minutes and then jump in. The observant player is the winning player.
Number
Of Players (6.5/10):
During peak hours for December 2005, Empire Poker’s traffic was somewhere between 3000-3500 real money players. Traffic for sit-and-go tournaments, as well as 7-Card Stud and Omaha, are still high. The $20 sit-and-go tournaments I frequent always fill up quickly, at all hours of the day and night. Since Empire and Party no longer share players, the traffic for the higher stake ring games has been spread a little thin of late. Most serious ring players play on Party.
Cashouts
/ Customer Support (7/10):
Befitting a site that is a skin of
Party Poker, Empire’s customer support is first rate. Empire offers phone and email support, as well as 24-hour live support via the lobby. Many customers have complained that the support staff is unknowledgeable and unfriendly, but I have personally never encountered any problems with Empire’s staff. A few bad apples don’t spoil the bunch.
Deposit options: VISA, MasterCard, NETeller, FirePay, ePassporte, Citadel, eChecks, bank draft, cashier's check, money order, inter-account transfers.
Cash out options: Check, EChecks, NETeller and wire transfer.
Empire
Poker Pros & Cons:
Pros:
- Live 24-hour support
- Soft Competition
- Table/player search capability
- Good promotions, especially the guaranteed prize pool tournaments
- Good game selection
- Lots of freerolls
- Player profiling software
- Good table statistics – blind levels, stacks etc.
- Very manageable download – only 2.09mb
Cons:
- Software graphics are boring and dull, player avatars
could use an update
- Lack of in-depth statistic functions
- No lobby information on view flop percentages etc.
- Slightly higher than average rakes
- Limited players for higher stake ring games
- Sit-and-go stacks are only 800 chips, limiting the skill players
Empire
Poker Site Review Conclusion:
The main benefit of Empire Poker is the guaranteed tournaments with the small fields. These are great value for the skilled tournament player. Indeed, I have been very close to making a big score in these tournaments on a number of occasions. Other than that, Empire is like the little brother of PartyPoker. You’re
probably better off with the real thing, especially since Empire and Party no longer share players. It is my belief Empire Poker will be hard pressed to maintain traffic in the ever-expanding online poker universe. There are too many other, better-populated sites for the online player.
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