Coral Poker Review

Coral is a very well-known gambling company, particularly in the United Kingdom where they operate a large chain of bookmaking shops. In recent years, their online gambling operations have improved significantly, and they now offer a top-quality range of betting and gaming products.

One such product is their online poker room. This is on the iPoker network which means a large player pool and lots of games from which to choose. We rate Coral’s poker room very highly for a number of reasons, and we have no hesitation in recommending it to our readers.

On this page, you will find a detailed review of Coral poker. If you would like to find out more about everything else Coral has to offer, please see the following page - Full Coral Review.

Getting Started

Before you start playing, you will need to open an account and deposit funds. Opening an account is easy enough: you complete a form with a few personal details and the process for depositing is straightforward. All you have to do is choose your preferred deposit method from all the available options and provide the relevant information.

Deposits will be instantly added to your account, and there are no fees involved.

Sign Up Bonus & Promotions

If you are looking for a big sign-up bonus, you won’t be disappointed at Coral. Your first deposit will be matched 100% up to £1,200. Not many poker bonuses come bigger than this, and it’s relatively easy to clear. The bonus will be released into your account in £5 increments once you start playing for real money, and you have 90 days to clear it in full.

There are usually several other promotions running at Coral poker in addition to the sign-up bonus. They provide plenty of opportunities for earning extra bonuses and rewards. As they are regularly updated, it’s a good idea to check the offers page from time to time to see what’s going on.

In addition to regular promotions, there is also a loyalty scheme. This awards points every time you play cash games or tournaments, and these in turn can be redeemed for cash rewards. You start out at VIP level 1 and can work your way up to higher levels by earning more points. At higher levels, you get more cash for your points.

Game Variety

As is the case at all poker sites, Texas Hold’em is very much the featured game here. There are lots of other games on offer as well, including Omaha, Razz, Seven Card Stud, and Five Card Draw. These are all available in cash game and tournament format; and you’ll find no limit, pot limit, and fixed limit variations.

It’s fair to say this makes for an impressive selection of games, and there is also a great range of stakes. This ensures that all players are catered to, regardless of budget.

If you’re looking to try something a bit different, you may well enjoy the speed poker games. This is a relatively new format of poker which plays a lot faster than normal. You can choose to fold your hand as soon as it is dealt if you don’t like it, and you will then be moved instantly to a new table. This format has proved to be very popular and is certainly great fun to play.

Quality of Software

Coral uses the same software as all the other poker rooms on the iPoker network, customized in line with their brand image. Not everyone loves the iPoker software, but we think it’s top quality. It looks good, runs smoothly, and is stable. There are several useful features and it’s easy to multi table.

There is an instant play option available at Coral, where you can access the games through your browser; but we recommend downloading the full client. There aren’t a lot of differences really, but performance is noticeably better with the downloaded software. Mobile poker is also available, albeit in a limited format. The selection of games is much smaller, and it’s currently only compatible with iPhones and iPads.

Traffic & Opposition

A major benefit of the iPoker network is the traffic. It can be very frustrating to log on to a poker room and not see any games running, but that isn’t a problem at Coral. There are always players online so you can usually find a game at any time of the day or night.

With so many players, it is natural that some of the opposition you meet will be skilled. The good news is that there are plenty of recreational players here too, so there’s definitely money to be made. Good table selection is important if you want the best chance of winning, and it’s not likely you’ll always be running into top players.

Summary

The generous sign-up bonus at Coral is reason enough to give this poker room a try. It is far from the only reason, however, as there are a lot of positives here. The software is good, and there’s a great selection of games and enough traffic to ensure you always find a game. The loyalty scheme means you’ll be well rewarded, and it isn’t too difficult to make a profit if you are a reasonably good player.