Last updated: April 2026 — James Whitfield, Galaxybath
At Galaxybath, every review you read on galaxybath.co.uk is the result of genuine, hands-on testing carried out by site owner and lead reviewer James Whitfield. We do not publish reviews based on operator-supplied information, press releases, or second-hand accounts. Before any online poker site receives a rating on this website, James has personally created an account, deposited real money, played real games, tested the support team, and requested a withdrawal. What you read here reflects a real player's experience, not a marketing exercise.
This page explains exactly how that process works, what criteria we assess, how much weight each factor carries in the final score, and how we protect the independence of our ratings in 2026 and beyond.
Before signing up, James verifies the operator's licensing credentials directly with the issuing authority. For UK players, this means checking the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) register to confirm the licence is active, in good standing, and covers real-money poker. Sites that cannot pass this first check are not reviewed further.
James registers a real account using standard UK player details and documents, experiencing the KYC (Know Your Customer) process exactly as any new player would. He notes how long verification takes, how clear the instructions are, and whether the process is unnecessarily complicated.
A real deposit is made using a range of available payment methods. Where a welcome bonus or poker-specific promotion is available, James claims it and reads every line of the terms and conditions. Wagering requirements, time limits, and game restrictions are recorded precisely.
James plays across the available poker formats — including Texas Hold'em cash games, Sit & Go tournaments, and multi-table tournaments where available — on both desktop and mobile. Software performance, player traffic at the tables, and the overall experience are all evaluated during live play.
The support team is contacted via every available channel (live chat, email, phone where applicable) with both simple and complex queries. Response times, accuracy of answers, and the professionalism of agents are all documented.
A withdrawal is requested and the full process is timed and assessed, from submission to funds arriving in the account. Any delays, additional verification requests, or friction points are noted.
Once all data has been gathered, James applies the weighted scoring framework below and writes the full review. Every score awarded is traceable back to a specific, documented experience.
Each site is scored out of 10 in six core categories. A weighted final score is then calculated as shown in the table below.
| Rating Category | Weighting | What We Assess |
|---|---|---|
| Licensing and Safety | 25% | UKGC licence status, responsible gambling tools, SSL encryption, fair play certification, data protection practices |
| Bonuses and Promotions | 20% | Welcome bonus value, wagering requirements, poker-specific promotions, fairness of terms and conditions |
| Game Selection | 20% | Poker variants available, cash game traffic, tournament schedule, software quality, table stakes range |
| Payment Methods | 15% | Deposit and withdrawal options, processing speeds, minimum and maximum limits, fees |
| Customer Support | 10% | Availability hours, response times, quality of answers, number of contact channels |
| Mobile Experience | 10% | Dedicated app availability, mobile browser performance, game availability on mobile, ease of navigation |
All Galaxybath ratings are presented on a 1 to 10 scale, where the final number is the weighted composite of the six categories above. Here is how to interpret each range:
Independence is the foundation of everything we do at Galaxybath. Here is how we protect that independence:
James Whitfield is the founder and sole author of Galaxybath. He has been playing online poker in the UK since the early days of the industry and brings practical, table-level knowledge to every review he writes. His background as a real-money player means he evaluates poker sites from the perspective of someone who genuinely cares about software reliability, game traffic, and fair bonus terms — not simply from a checklist of features. Every rating on galaxybath.co.uk carries his name because he stands behind it personally.
If you have questions about how we rate a specific site, why a particular score was awarded, or how our review process works, you are welcome to get in touch directly through the contact page