First of all one needs to understand that Empire Poker is a "skin" of Party Poker. What does that mean? If Party Poker was a bricks-and-mortar card room it would have two entrances. The first door would say Party Poker and you'd enter the normal way. The second door, however, would read Empire Poker on the front, and the doorway would have a different design. Once you went inside though it is the same card room. These two sites combine their traffic to increase the number of ring games and tournaments they can hold. The software, the random card shuffle, and the players are the same. The graphics and the look and feel are different. The two companies are also separately owned and managed. They offer different bonuses and promotions, and if you're an Empire Poker player and have a complaint or query you would take it up with Empire Poker's support staff.
The Pros of Empire Poker should be self-explanatory. If you have an account at Party Poker you can still open an account with Empire Poker and receive their welcome bonus of 20% up to $100. The traffic is the largest in the world, which means a lot of good action, and their software platform is stable and secure.
The Cons are the same gripes that we have about Party Poker, namely that the rakes are high for small games, there aren't as many fish swimming around as was once the case, and the graphics are not the best in the industry. Still, these are minor complaints. Empire Poker is one poker room that you should join if you're serious about playing online poker.
