Established and secure poker site. - A household name in the UK, Ladbrokes (or Laddies) was established in 1886, although their online poker site only went online in 2002. Part of the Microgaming Network (Prima Poker), they share many similarities with the network but have their own clientele, separate games and many features and promotions which make them appear more like an independent network.

The Ladbrokes software is user friendly and stable with a few little added extras. Their Fold & Show facility enables you to do exactly that, fold your hand but still show your cards. You can play casino games, blackjack or roulette direct from you poker table, plus your Ladbrokes poker account will give you access to their other services such as bingo, sportsbetting, financial betting, specials (bet on anything from elections to TV programs), lottos and a wide selection of casino games.

NEW - Ladbrokes 3D Poker. You now have the choice to play on the traditional Ladbrokes software or download and play in the new 3D poker room. Download the new Ladbrokes 3D software from their homepage and the fun begins. It takes a while to download - the website says 25 mins but we've had speeds from 15mins to 50mins reported to us - but it's well worth the wait (see our Ladbrokes 3D poker review). Designed by Playwize, a well respected name well known for its state of the art video games, the graphics and options are outstanding. If you fancy something a bit different then it is definitely worth a look.

Tournaments. Ladbrokes have a full and varied tournament schedule. Not only are there plenty of standard guaranteed multi-table tournaments at all buy-in levels, they have a few unique twists on the traditional tournament structure. Their Crapshoot and 2nd Chance Express tournaments give you 100 chips and 1 min blinds - never was your starting position so important! Not to deny you your weekly big money tournament Ladbrokes have satellites from just $2.20 running all week for the weekly $100k on Sundays at 7pm GMT (2pm ET)

Ladbrokes have an wide Sit and Go selection for you to choose from. They are well known for a providing a good selection of varying blind and starting chip stack options particularly extended or deep stack options. You can also play their own version of Prima Rounders, the Treble Chance Ladbrokes Ladders - finish in the top 3 for 4 sit and go's in a row and win prizes from $200 - $500.

There is another freeroll coming up for Sit N Go players (who often feel overlooked for their cash game or tournie playing buddies) on June 1st at 8pm UK (3.00pm New York). To qualify to play in this $20,000 Sit and Go winners freeroll you have to win between 4 and 6 consecutive games at the 6 seat jackpot tables which can be found 24/7 in the Sit n Go lobby. The run of wins are defined as follows, if the buy in is $23+ then you need 4 wins, if $11.50 you need 5 wins and with a $5.75 buy in you need 6 wins to qualify. Reading between the lines I think that Ladbrokes fully intend for this to become a monthly contest, with prize money being carried forward if not won, for their loyal sit n go players. In April just 2 players qualified to compete for the prize pool and shared the $20,000 prize. If Sit n Go’s are your thing make sure you’re in with a chance this month!

Qualifiers are now running for the biggest event in the poker calendar, the WSOP 2008 Main Event being held on 3rd to the 16th July. For as little as $11 + $1 entry to a qualifier you can join Team Ladbrokes in Las Vegas, there’s one seat guaranteed at the weekly finals on Wednesdays at 7.45pm GMT (2.45pm ET). You can buy in direct to the weekly finals for $1,000 +$90 or into the daily finals for $100 + $9. The prize packages consist of $10,000 buy in to the main event, accommodation in the Rio Hotel (where the event is being held), $2,500 spending money, exclusive use of Ladbrokes Players Lounge and a fantastic welcome party at the famous Voodoo Lounge. Last year Ladbrokes gave over 100 players the ultimate Las Vegas experience at the WSOP - will you be one of them this year? Can’t get away in July? No worries, win a Ladbrokes WSOP package and you can choose to play in any of the below tournaments instead with a prize package worth $14,000.

• EPT Copenhagen - February 19th - 23rd 2008 - qualifiers ended.
• Irish Open, Dublin, March 19th - 24th 2008 - qualifiers ended.
• EPT Grand Final, Monte Carlo - April 12th - 14th 2008 - qualifiers ended.
• WSOP Main Event 2008, Las Vegas, 3rd - 16th July 2008
• Poker Million VII - London, 23rd to 31st July - 2 wins required.

So, remember, when you are playing in a Laddies WSOP Tournament that the choice of venue is yours, you choose where you will be playing for Team Ladbrokes. *These WSOP tournies replace the Poker Team Ticket (PTT).

Ladbrokes WSOP VIP Weekly Rake Race, another chance to get to Vegas! Be among the top 100 point earning players at the following levels, $0.25 – $0.50 and $0.50 – $1.00, $1.00 - $2.00 and $2.00 - $4.00 and above, and you will get an invite to a weekly freezeout tournament held on Tuesdays at 8pm UK (3pm New York) until June 17th. The $10 buy ins will be distributed amongst the runners up but the 1st prize will be an added $14,000 Ladbrokes WSOP package. Good old Laddies are also giving out double points at weekends – bonus!

Join Ladbrokes for Europe’s biggest live televised poker event, back for a seventh year, the Poker Million VII. The prize packages are worth $21,000 consisting of $20,000 buy in and $1,000 Hospitality, the heats will be held in London on 23rd to 31st July. The semi finals and finals will be held over 3 days starting on 9th December 2008 in London where there will be $1,000,000 up for grabs as the first prize and $500,000 added prize money at the final. The parties that accompany this event(s) are legendary. You can get to London to be part of the Poker Million VII for as Little $1 in the daily satellites, there is a whole range leading to the daily final held Monday to Saturday at 8.15pm GMT (3.15pm ET) or, buy in direct for $160 + $10. Sunday are weekly final night at 7.15 pm (2.15pm ET) where you can buy-in direct for $1,500 + $100. The above tournaments are being offered on a 'whilst seats last' basis, and no one knows for how long there will be seats on offer. There will also be offline Satellites throughout Europe so watch out for details of a offline game near you.

Cash Games. With plenty of tables available at the low to medium stakes levels, texas holdem, as usual, is the game of choice at Ladbrokes. There's not much action at high stakes but I have seen tables running at $50 / $100 but not consistently or out of peak hours. Ladbrokes have their own bad beat jackpot tables, the jackpot is yours if you get beaten with a full house (minimum aces full of 10's) or better.

Promotions.

If you're thinking about joining Ladbrokes, then now's the time to do it. As a special promotion you can claim up to 30% cashback:

• Accumulate over 25,000 player points and receive - 30% CASHBACK
• Accumulate between 10,000 and 24,999 player points and receive - 25% CASHBACK
• Accumulate between 5,000 and 9,999 player points and receive - 20% CASHBACK

Claim forms available on the Ladbroke website and in the Ladbrokes poker lobby.

Competition. The competition at Ladbrokes is around average to soft.

Ladbrokes Poker Bonus details. Ladbrokes are offering a 100% bonus up to $500 plus entry into an exclusive $1,000 freeroll for all new sign ups. To claim your bonus, download the Ladbrokes software here, there is no bonus code required. To qualify for this bonus you must collect 30 times (x30) your deposit in player points, e.g. deposit $500 and you will need to collect 15,000 player points to redeem the bonus. In fixed limit cash games you will earn 25pp (player points) for every $1 rake you generate, for no limit or pot limit games you receive 20pp (player points) every $1 in rake. You have 30 days to collect your bonus. If you have not collected the full amount of players points required to claim 100% of the bonus, you can claim a 50% bonus if you have enough points. Please note, any points you spend on freerolls or other promotions will be deducted from your player point balance for the purpose of redeeming the welcome bonus. Also, you will not earn any player points for playing in sit and go's or multitable tournaments.

Ladbrokes also regularly offer cashback and reload bonuses, check their website for full range promotions currently on offer.

Refer a friend. $50 for you, $25 for your friend.