About
Sky Poker, which is the poker division of Sky Betting & Gaming, has long been considered to be amongst the leading choices for poker players from the UK.
Whilst this brand is recognised worldwide, it is unfortunately particularly restrictive when it comes to accepting players from other countries. Currently, only players from: United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, Gibraltar, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands are eligible to play at Sky Poker, but this list may be expanded in the future.
However, if you are a resident of one of the aforementioned countries, you can expect a top-quality product featuring a decent selection of traditional cash games, tournaments and Sit & Go’s.
Like many other smaller online poker sites, Sky Poker’s primary focus is on Texas Hold’em. There are also a number of Omaha and Omaha Hi/Lo games available, but that’s where your choice in variety currently ends. This is by no means a negative, as although many of the larger online poker rooms offer other variants, the less traditional games tend to have fewer players at the tables so it can be difficult to find a game.
If you’re new to poker, or just want to pick up a few extra tips to improve your game, the Sky Poker Academy can help you out. There’s plenty of information regarding: the ranking of hands, certain player types you can expect to come across and a helpful poker dictionary where you can find all of the poker terminology.
How To Sign Up?
If you like the look of Sky Poker and have decided to sign up for an account, you’re only a matter of minutes away from the action. The registration process is a simple one and can be done on the Sky Poker website or via the downloadable client.
If you sign up via the website, the registration button is located in the top left-hand corner of the home page. After clicking it, all you have to do is enter the usual personal information, such as: name, date of birth, address and email.
You will then be prompted to create a unique user ID and password, so ensure that they’re something memorable but secure!
After doing this, make sure that the promotional code ‘POKER’ is in the Free Offers & Promotions box to grab your £10 in free tournament tokens, plus deposit and stake £10 to receive another £40 in tournament Tokens.
You may also be required to verify your account, as per Sky Poker’s licensing conditions under the UK Gambling Commission. This can be done by providing additional documentation, such as: a passport, driver’s license or proof of address. You can do this quickly and conveniently via their NetVerify®️ service, or alternatively by email.
There we have it, you’re now ready to start building your chip stack. What’s more, your new account can be used to access all of the other Sky Betting & Gaming products!
SkyPoker Games
As we’ve previously touched upon, there are currently only 3 variants of poker which you can play at Sky Poker, Texas Hold’em, Omaha and Omaha Hi/Lo. You needn’t worry about finding a game, however. Due to this limitation, there are plenty of opponents to play against across a wide range of stakes and game types.
If you’re a poker player that likes to come and go as you please, then the abundant cash games would be the perfect fit. Grab your chip stack, take a seat and battle it out at the 6 man tables where skill, intuition and a bit of luck will help you along the way to becoming the big stack bully.
If Sit & Go is more your style, there are plenty of options available and you can choose from a wide range of buy-ins, which range from £0.28 to £220. Alternatively, if you just want to dive straight into the action, you can filter the games by how many players are needed at the table to begin playing.
There are also plenty of tournaments with guaranteed prize pools at Sky Poker, which run all day and night. So if you’re a player who prefers a more disciplined approach to poker, register to put your talents to the ultimate test against other like-minded players. You can also earn entry into larger events, where the stakes are raised and the prizes are considerably increased, by playing in one of the many satellite tournaments.
Texas Hold’em
Texas Hold’em is unquestionably the most popular poker game the world over. At Sky Poker these are the tables where you’ll find the majority of players located. Cash games and Sit & Go tournaments both seat a maximum of 6 players so the tables are consistently filled.
What you will typically find, however, is that most of the action in located at the lower stakes tables.
Blinds at the Hold’em cash games range from a minimum of £0.02/£0.04 up to a maximum of £10/£20. So whatever your bankroll, there will be a game perfectly suited to you.
Sit & Go tournament buy-ins start at £0.28 and scale upwards to a maximum of £220.
Omaha
Omaha is definitely much more of a niche poker variant, but still extremely popular with many players. This version is similar to Hold’em in many ways, but there are a few key differences.
What you will notice is that instead of receiving 2 hole cards, as you would in Texas Hold’em, you actually receive 4. Again there are 5 community cards for all players to use, but you can only form your best hand using 2 of your hole cards and exactly 3 of the 5 community cards.
The Omaha tables at Sky Poker seat a maximum of 6 players in both cash games and Sit & Go’s, but there are special occasions where up to 9 can play.
Omaha cash game stakes start as low as £0.02/£0.04 and reach a maximum of £5/£10. The Sit & Go buy-ins begin at £0.55 and rise to £55.
Omaha Hi/Lo
This is the final poker variant you’ll find at Sky Poker. Unfortunately, if you’re a fan of this game, you’ll be hard-pressed to find many other players at the tables.
This is partly due to the dominance of Hold’em, but also perhaps due to the fact not many players understand exactly how this variant is played.
Nonetheless, if you’re adamant you want to play Omaha Hi/Lo and manage to find some opponents, you can expect the cash game stakes to start at £0.02/£0.04 and capping at £0.10/£0.20.
Buy-ins for the Omaha Hi/Lo Sit & Go tournaments begin at £0.55 and reach a maximum of £31.50.
Sky Poker Rewards Programme
Like many other online poker sites, there is a loyalty scheme in place over at Sky Poker – Sky Poker Rewards. In a familiar fashion, you will earn poker points when playing games with real money.
As soon as you sign up to play at Sky Poker you will be automatically opted into this loyalty programme, without the need for a promotional code. The second you take your seat at the tables, you’ll begin to accumulate these Poker Points and progress through the 6 different loyalty levels. These offers increased cash exchange rates and entry to Freerolls throughout the week.
Regardless of which poker variant you play, these points are awarded at set rates.
For cash games, you will receive 6 Poker Points every time you contribute £1 in cash rake. This may seem confusing at first, but in essence, it rewards players who contribute more action at the tables. So, the more hands you play, the more points you will receive.
Sit & Go’s and tournaments award 10 Poker Points for every £1 you spend on entry fees.
One major difference in the Sky Poker Rewards scheme, compared to the many others, is the fact that it resets on the Monday of every week. Depending on how many points you have accumulated and which loyalty level you have reached, every Monday your points will be converted to bonus cash.
Take a look at the table below to see exactly what each rewards level offers.
Weekly Sky Poker Reward |
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Rewards Badge | Poker Points | Bonus | Benefits |
Blue | 50 – 99 | – | £1K FR Mon – Fri |
Steel | 100 – 499 | £2.30 token | £1K FR Mon – Fri |
Bronze | 500 – 990 | 1.0p per point | £1K FR Mon – Fri |
Silver | 1,000 – 1,499 | 1.25p per point | £1K FR Mon – Fri |
Gold | 1,500 – 1,999 | 1.5p per point | £1K FR Mon – Fri |
Platinum | 2,000 + | 2.0p per point | £1K FR Mon – Fri |
Maximum Win
Excluding the set prize tournaments available at Sky Poker, the maximum win you can achieve is entirely dependant on each individual hand and at which stakes you play at.
Obviously, when playing at higher stakes there will typically be bigger pots to play for.
One feature that Sky Poker does have, that can help you to determine at which table to take a seat, is a running calculation of the average pot size per table.
This does not mean that the highest stakes result in the largest pots however, you may find certain No Limit games offer bigger pots at smaller stakes. This helpful information
Bet Limits
Game | Min/Max Limit |
Texas Hold’em Cash Game | Min: £0.02/£0.04
Max: £10/£20 |
Texas Hold’em Sit & Go | Min: £0.28
Max: £220 |
Omaha Cash Game | Min: £0.02/£0.04
Max: £5/£10 |
Omaha Sit & Go | Min: £0.55
Max: £55 |
Omaha Hi/Lo Cash Game | Min: £0.02/£0.04
Max: £0.10/£0.20 |
Omaha Hi/Lo Sit & Go | Min: £0.55
Max: £31.50 |
SkyPoker on Mobile
If you like to game on the go and want to be dealt into a few hands during your daily commute, you can certainly do so with Sky Poker.
The Sky Poker mobile app is available for download on both iOS and Android devices. After downloading, you can use the same login information on mobile as you would on the Sky Poker website or downloadable client.
All of the same exciting cash games, Sit & Go’s and tournaments can be played from your handheld device, and no quality has been lost during translation to the smaller screen.
One thing we should mention if you’re choosing to go mobile, make sure your battery is fully charged as a loss in connection may result in you being kicked from the tables.
Xpert Review and Rating
Although we would have liked to have seen a few more poker variants on offer at Sky Poker, the traditional games that they do have, offer plenty of choice. With a wide range of different stakes to choose between, cash games, Sit & Go’s and multiple tournaments running around the clock there’s always something to keep all types of poker player entertained.
Whether you’re playing via the website, downloadable client or on one of the mobile apps, the interface is extremely user-friendly and easy to navigate.
The addition of the quickplay option, which allows you to filter games by multiple requirements, is a very nice feature and enables you to find the perfect game with extreme ease.
One thing which we would like to see improved is the rewards programme. Whilst it does offer a number of benefits, the weekly refresh system seems a touch outdated in today’s market. Tier-based progression, where once you’ve achieved a certain level it is maintained, is much more commonly found.
We do believe that Sky Poker is a worthy addition to the online poker scene, but yet at the standard where it can rival some of the bigger poker rooms. Maybe in future it will, but only time will tell.