Why did you start the Best Poker Sites website?
I used to run a small network of poker sites, but I sold them all earlier this year. I had plans to leave the poker industry entirely, but I decided to do one more site.

What would make the Best Poker Sites website a success?
I would consider the site a success if I could get a loyal following of readers at our poker news blog, build out the strategy section a little bit more, and add to/refine the poker toplists section, so that every sort of online poker player can receive good advice on where to play.

What has been the biggest surprise since you started the website?
I had forgotten how long it takes for a new poker site to start receiving significant traffic from Google. All of my old sites were fairly well established and received a fair amount of traffic, but the first six months with this site were discouraging as I felt like I was adding useful, unique content, but nobody was reading it. The past two months have been a lot better.

Do you play a lot of online poker? What is your game? Stakes?
When I was younger I was pretty hardcore into the $10-$50 SNGs at PokerStars as well as the $20 180-mans, but now I am a little busier so I play mostly recreationally. When I do play I usually get a couple hundred hands of Rush Poker in before I get back to work.

Have you tried any of the training sites or read any books to improve your game?
When I first started I read a TON of books… Super System I/II, Mike Caro’s Tells book, a lot of the Slansky books, as well as a lot of the books that the pros wrote (or just put their name on) that weren’t so great. As far as the training sites go, I have accounts at most of them as I have reviewed a lot of sites, and they really are helpful even if you are just a casual player.

What poker websites do you frequent the most?
I do a “Weekly Roundup” every Friday on the news blog, so I spend a lot of time throughout the week reading sites like PokerNews.com, PokerListings.com, and PokerNewsDaily.com so I can find interesting stories to highlight. Besides those I like to follow the PocketFives forum and check up on the CardPlayer POY rankings from time to time.

Do you have a favorite poker pro? Or one you despise?
I’m sure a lot of people would answer this the same way, but I really like Phil Ivey. I’ve always enjoyed watching teams/individuals who completely dominate their sport, and it’s fun to follow his results. I don’t really despise any pros, but I guess I’d say any of those guys who played the WSOP Ladies’ Event this year – I thought that was pretty low.

What online poker site offers the best bonus and/or rakeback at this time?
If you are looking for upgraded sign-up/reload bonuses I would definitely check out PokerListings, as they almost always offer something that is above and beyond sites’ normal bonuses. Most poker rooms cap rakeback at a certain percentage, so almost all of the rakeback sites offer the same deal. However, if you’re a high-volume rakeback guy I would check out the bigger rakeback sites like RaketheRake.com because they will always offer “rake races” in addition to the maximum allowed rakeback percentage.

What advice can you give to a beginning player trying out an online site? What advice/steps can you give a beginner trying to maintain and build a bankroll?
I would advise them to stick to one of the two major sites (Stars or FTP) and start slow. A lot of new players who have won a few bucks at a home game like to deposit a couple hundred dollars and figure they’re about to start printing money, but more likely than not they end up redepositing in a few days.

Even if you are winning at your local casinos, I would start playing online at half the stakes you normally play live. If you need more action you can always multi-table.

Do you have anything else you would like to share with us? Random or not.
Not really, you asked some great questions. Keep up the good work, your site is looking good!

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