Summary
Playgate Poker is a member of the ipoker network which uses Playtech’s software. The software enables up to three games to be played simultaneously and there are about 1100-1300 players at tables at peak times and 2200 – 2500 at the tournaments. Playgate Poker has a Poker school to help those less experienced players. This features hand rankings, a poker dictionary and gaming tips, along with Texas Hold’em game rules. The games here are loose and most of the action takes place at the lower stake tables, though it should still be fairly easy to get a return on your investment.

Games
Playgate Poker offers Texas Hold’em, Omaha, Omaha Hi/Lo, Blackjack, 3-card poker, Aces and faces, and Deuces wild. There are both limit and no limit games with the majority of play on the lower stake tables. There are also a wide range of tournaments daily, including freeroll tournaments, which have a higher volume than the ring games.

Navigation
The home page is nothing special but it is clear and easy to navigate, making it easy to find everything. The lobby graphics are clear showing the game, stakes, players, wait, flop percentage, hands played, and average pot. The table graphics are clear, with large, easy to read cards, and Playgate is the first site to offer dual viewing mode, which allows you to switch between bird’s eye view and 3D side view.
Playgate Poker has a Buddy list function, allowing you to find other players, and there are also the options of checking out the game history in real time and making player notes. So when you come across a player you’ve played against before so can look up any observations you made last time.

Bonuses/Promotions
Playgate Poker has a new player bonus of 50% up to $300. The bonus however has to be earned through your contributions to raked hands, which earn you ipoints. Points are awarded according to the value of the rake per hand. You have 3 months to earn your points, for each hand you will be awarded between 1 and 8 points, and for every $1 spent in tournament fees you will be awarded 20 points. Playgate Poker operates a tiered system, which enables you to earn points quicker. Players start off on the Silver level and can be upgraded to the Gold then Platinum levels once their monthly bonus points reach a certain level (for Gold an average of 3500 points a month must be obtained, and 7500 points to reach the Platinum level). The higher up you get the more points you will receive for the same raked hands.
Playgate Poker also has a top hand bonus and regularly offers promotions with reload bonuses and tournaments.

Rake
Playgate Poker has a standard rake of 5% up to a maximum of $3, except for $1/$2 limit tables where the maximum is $1. Tables with only 2-3 players pay a maximum of $1, and those with only 4-5 players pay a maximum of $2.

Deposits/Withdrawals
Deposits can be made with credit cards, Neteller, Citadel, Firepay, Moneybookers, Instacash/debit, Ecocard, UseMyBank, CentralCoin, Click2Pay, EwalletXpress, PaySafeCard, 900Pay, bank draft or wire transfer. Withdrawals can be made using CentralCoin, Click2Pay, Neteller, Firepay, Moneybookers, Instadebit, wire transfer, or bank draft.

Customer Service
Playgate Poker has a disconnection protection policy, 24/7 phone, email and fax and also live support.