Cake Poker is a relatively new room to the industry launching back in early 2006. Since this time they have developed a strong player base by offering one of the best player reward promotions in the industry. Players will receive a competitive sign up bonus, find some of the loosest tables and qualify for live events through the multiple satellites the room offers. Currently Cake Poker is providing players the chance to enter into one of the largest freerolls online. The “Million Dollar Series” is a series of $100,000 freerolls held each month for 10 months. Cake Poker accepts US players.
The Cake Poker bonus is a 100% match up to $500 and you can also expect to receive monthly reload offers which are stackable. Cake Poker does provide one of the most unique incentive programs to date. They have implemented the Cake Gold Chips and Cake Gold Cards. These two programs give multiple rewards such as extra tournaments with prize pools starting at a couple thousand to the ability to redeem them for cash value. Cake Poker hosts daily Gold Card Lotteries which means you can cash your Gold Cards in for free money or collect them as a series for a top prize of $52,000. Players are awarded the Gold Cards through ring games only once the table has accumulated enough rake during game play. When this happens the RNG will randomly award one Gold Card to a player at the table. The Gold Chips are awarded by collecting enough frequent player points.
The competition in this room is still minimal at best. Since they are still new they have attracted plenty of beginners which means you should have no troubles being able to make a profit at most levels of the game. The average viewed flop percentage can easily peak above the 55% mark in most games.
We found the ring game selection to be about standard for this room with Texas Holdem and Omaha available. The lobby will show 7 Card Stud, but as of to date they have yet to provide any games for this version. Each of the games is available in No Limit, Pot limit, and Fixed Limit with stakes starting at the $0.05/$0.10 climbing up to $50/$100 although most games can be found at the $5/$10 No limit. The vast majority of the players are seen at the Texas Holdem tables. Overall, they do hold enough traffic to keep the tables hopping throughout the day, but they do not at this time have any high limit games running. Not yet at least.
The tournament lineup is quite impressive for such a new room. They have made sure to equip the schedule with all formats players look for including; freezeouts, re-buys, and guaranteed payments with the largest game found on weekends. This game has a guaranteed $50,000 prize pool and you can get in on the action for a couple of dollars in one of the daily qualifiers. Cake Poker provides some highly unique tournament promotions including the most recent, “Million Dollar Series”, which gives you a shot to get into a $100,000 freeroll. Each month for the next ten months you can win your way in through the qualifiers and satellites. The winner in this big event will be walking away with a guaranteed $75,000 cash. Satellites to live events for the WSOP and Aussie Millions are available.
The software is developed by Cake Gaming and offers the standard functions you would expect. One thing slightly different with this room is they do not allow third party software for data mining because they feel this gives one player an advantage over another. You will also be able to change your screen name once every 7 days. As far the actual performance – it runs smoothly with very little delay even during peak hours. All your statistics are located in the lobby including viewed flop percentage, hands per hour and chip stack. The table stats are found within the chat box and can be somewhat difficult to get used to. They do allow you to save your hand histories and you can also import these to your hard drive. Cake Poker updates frequently with very little downtime. They don’t offer anything over the top but the room is fully functionally and includes the basics that you would expect to see.
Support is available 24/7 through email and live chat. Cake’s support team is responsive and knowledgeable about all aspects of the room. You really shouldn’t have any problems with them and they are quite quick handling email enquiries.
Deposit methods include; NeTeller, EPassport, Visa and MasterCard, and Moneybookers.
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Doyle’s Room is powered by Microgaming and is owned and endorsed by a living legend in the game – Doyle Brunson. They recently re-entered the US market and have seen a steady increase since doing this. Players will find a wide range of tournaments and active cash games at various limits. Doyle’s Room has always had an impeccable reputation for fair gaming and financial security. The company is owned by DRPN (Doyle’s Room Poker Network) and fully licensed Curacao, Netherlands Antilles.
New players can expect to receive a great first deposit sign up bonus for Doyle’s. The top bonus offered as of right now is a 50% match up to $250 with monthly. On top of this if you use Neteller, you will receive an additional 25% match on your deposit. All of your bonuses will be released based on comp points accumulated through real money ring games and tournaments. One of the biggest benefits is these comp point can also be redeemed for cash.
Since the move over to Microgaming, Doyle’s Room has been able to sustain a large amount of traffic that is typically steady throughout the day. This means you can expect a wide variation of skilled players from the typical loose player in the micro games, to the more skilled in the higher limits. On average the low limit games represent a 55% viewed flop percentage with this significantly reduced at the $5/$10 level and above.
The ring games offer your standard variations with each structured for their respective limits. The current line-up available at Doyle’s Room consists of Holdem, Omaha, Omaha Hi-Lo, Seven-Card Stud, Five-Card Stud and Five-Card Draw. The stakes start as low as $0.02/$0.05 and can climb as high as $200/$400 although Doyle’s Room doesn’t have enough traffic to keep the high stake tables as active as other rooms. The traffic generally peaks at 3,500 real money players and the majority of the focus is geared towards Texas Holdem and Omaha. Doyle’s Room takes a 5% rake with a cap fixed at $3 per pot with table prorated based on players and stakes.
One of the main attractions in the tournament schedule is the “Bounty Series” which gives you a shot at playing with not only Doyle Brunson but his son as well. These games will attract plenty of players and provide for some solid competition. You will also be able to qualify or satellite your way into live events such as the Main Event of the WSOP, or EPT. Other tournaments available include; freeze-outs, double stacked, turbo, guaranteed payments, and re-buys, which is the main focus of most games here. The buyins are structured for all bankrolls with the lowest game available for $1 and climbing as high as a couple hundred for the featured events.
Doyle’s Room is on the Microgaming Network who has been an industry leader in software for both on line casinos and poker rooms for the last few years. Some of the strong points that can be seen in the software is the incredible speed. You will never experience any lags or delays and the platform is completely stable and reliable. The lobby provides the vital statistics you would expect to see such as viewed flop percentage, hands per hour, average chip stack, and average pot size. Multi-tabling is available in both cascading tiles and mini view pitons and switching between methods should not interfere with your game. The graphics are very clear and the overall layout is easy to navigate. The only downside we found was at the tables – your options for betting and folding is arranged different than most rooms so it will take you a bit to get accustomed to these.
Support is available through email, live chat and phone daily. The wait times are minimal and you can expect to receive a response usually within 30-60 minutes. If you do need information about any of the room’s features and options, you can usually find it on the DoylesRoom.com website.
Doyle’s Room accepts US players and provides payment options to make sure everyone can deposit. The current methods available include; VeriSign, Visa/MasterCard, Neteller, ePassport, Click2Pay, Moneybookers, Instadebit, Cash Transfer.
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Although they are not one of the most widely known rooms in online poker, InterPoker was first introduced to the market in 2001 and is owned by OIGEA N.V with licenses in Malta. Since their initial launch they have provided consistent bonuses and promotions while developing a fairly strong player base. The room was awarded some top awards from Online Gambling Magazine and in 2006 they received recognitions for “Top Poker Site” and another award for “2006 Best Poker Tournaments”. They are currently running a huge promotion gearing up for the 2008 WSOP Main Event.
Inter Poker provides players with an easy to clear sign up bonus which currently is a 100% match up to $100. This bonus has a rollover of 5x the bonus amount in raked hands. As an example if you were trying to clear a $50 bonus you will need to play at least 250 hands with the rake equalling at least $1. You will receive frequent reload offers up to $500. Other promotions the room offers is the popular Bad beat Jackpot, and a player rewards program.
If you are looking for loose games than the micro tables is where you will find the majority of beginners. InterPoker also supplies a casino and some of that traffic makes their way into the poker room. Te viewed flop percentage at these tables can range from 50%-65% whereas the mid-stakes shows on average 40%.
InterPoker supports the standard varieties in game selection such as; Texas Holdem, Omaha, Omaha Hi Lo, and 7 Card Stud. The room is still not huge in traffic but is able to sustain enough to keep most tables active and with stakes beginning at $0.05/$0.10 up to $50/$100 with all of the games available in Euros or Pounds they continually grow. On average you can expect 3,500 real money players during peak hours with the majority of them seated at the Holdem tables. InterPoker takes a 5% rake from each pot with a maximum set at $3 per hand. The do support the no flop no drop rule which means, if no flop is seen the room does not take any rake.
This room is defiantly geared towards tournament players and provides just as many packages and promotions as the best of them. Currently InterPoker is hosting a massive $300,000 freeroll which is not providing your typical cash prize pool but instead they are sending 25 players to the 2008 Main Event. You can buy into the satellites for as little as 10MPP’s with a Freeroll Finale held weekly. All of the InterPoker tournaments consist of Omaha and Holdem formats with freeze-outs, guaranteed payments and re-buys available. The buyins allow for even beginners to play with the lowest game starting at $2 right up to a few hundred. Guaranteed tournaments are available within a few hours of each other and provide some great prize pools with the odd overlay. The room supports Sit N Go tournaments in Texas Holdem only and during peak hours you shouldn’t have long of a wait time.
InterPoker is backed by one of the strongest software providers in online poker. The platform they currently us is Cryptologic which has two strong benefits. You will always have players online since there are multiple skins using this network and you will never have to worry about lags or delays in your game since speed is never an issue with this room. The graphics don’t offer anything fancy or over the top but they are easy on the eyes. The lobby supports vital statistics such as viewed flop percentage, hands per hour, average pot size, and chip stack of your opponents. InterPoker provides players the ability to play in multiple currencies including Dollars, Euros and Pounds. The lobby allows for some custom game options such as opting for specific chat features, adding a dealer voice, and four colour decks. Game stats are available at the tables and through the hand history request feature and InterPoker supports the use of Poker Tracker. Multi-tabling is very easy here with a Pro table button allowing you to automatically reduce the table size so your screen will adjust to fitting four tables. Although they don’t offer anything new or over the top, InterPoker still supports the staples you would expect in a room.
If you need to contact support, InterPoker offers both phone and email which is available daily. The response time can be anywhere from 30 minutes to a couple of hours depending on the time of day with phone support wait times being the greatest. Most of the company’s information can be found on their website.
Deposit methods available include; Credit Card, NETeller, FirePay, Money Order, EPC, Regular Check, Certified Check, Wire Transfer, EPC, TeleBuy and Basic 900pay.
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Absolute Poker offers one of the easiest bonuses to clear in comparison to most online rooms. This is why they are one of the favorites among bonus players and as a benefit you will immediately qualify for their special VIP program for depositing players. They recently added a bad beat jackpot into the mix which since its release just under a year ago has awarded over $6.5 million to AP players. Other benefits of this room include; steady traffic at all hours of the day, great software platform and huge guaranteed tournaments along with seats to live events. Absolute Poker accepts US players and now provides an instant play.
Currently Absolute offers all new players a 100% match up top $500 on top of consistent reload bonuses. This bonus will be added to your players account in increments of $5 once you have earned the required amount of FPP’s. The Absolute VIP program provides you with extra tournaments, faster comps and free cash offers depending on the level you are currently at in the program.
The competition in this room differs between most online rooms mainly because AP has gained quite a few players whose main purpose is to clear their bonus. The average viewed flop percent can range from 45% to 55% depending on the tables you choose to play at however you will find quite a few low limit games that are considerable tighter than normal.
The ring games are all played in shorthanded tables meaning six players instead of nine. The selection of games ranges between Texas Holdem, Omaha, Omaha Hi Lo, 7 Card Stud, 7 Card Stud Hi Li, and 5 Card Draw. Each of these games ranges in stakes from $0.05/$0.10 up to $50/$100. The majority of attention is catered to the Texas Holdem games and since Absolute Poker added the “Bad Beat Jackpot” you will rarely find a table running that doesn’t include this. All of the tables that qualify for the jackpot are highlighted in red. Absolute Poker takes a fixed rake set at 5% of each pot with a maximum take of 4# per pot. They do support the no flop no drop rule.
The tournaments available are well structured and highly populated. On average you can expect over 7,000 real money tournament players. The games spread between all of the limits AP offers and you will find a large amount of daily guaranteed and freezeouts. The weekend lineup is one of the room’s main attractions with guaranteed tournaments totaling $325,000 combined. AP provides players with seats to live events along with their own popular “Featured Games” like the Absolute Dream Package. The Sit n Go tournaments are also structured for 6 player tables and do provide a wide range of buyins. That being said unless you are playing during peak hours you will need to wait a bit for a game to begin.
The software just went through a huge upgrade which has brought AP up to the same standards in quality as the other top online rooms. With the current update they now provide more user control features and capabilities than before, as seen through the selection of table views, faster card dealing and 4 colored decks. The lobby is simple and offers and easy to use navigation along with all your vital statistics such as viewed flop percentage, hands per hour and average pot size. Multi-tabling is available with a seamless resize tool. You will be able to play up to four tables at once with no interruptions to your game. The speed here is no longer an issue and the software itself is stable and reliable. You shouldn’t experience any lags or delays.
Support is only available through email and provides multiple departments meaning your emails will be handled by a trained and qualified person. Response time is decent with most enquires handled within the hour.
Payment methods include; NETeller, Visa/MasterCard, Debit cards (Solo, Switch, Visa Electron, Maestro, Delta), ePassporte, Instadebit, electronic check, Click2Pay, FirePay, Moneybookers, bank transfer and
CentralCoin.
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Bodog Poker is part of one of the world’s most successful online gaming companies who has been in business since 1994. The group is owned by Calvin Ayre and fully licensed by the Kahnawake Gaming Commission. They have developed a very sleek and fully functional software platform and most recently upped their original bonus offer from 10% cash bonus to a 110%. You will also find some great value tournaments to live events along with daily guaranteed. Tournament players can also enter a leaderboard challenge where you can win the shot to play with one of the professional players on staff with such names as - Josh Arieh, Evelyn NG and David Williams. Bodog Poker allows players from the US and offers multiple currencies as an option for game play.
The bonus at Bodog has just increased from the standard 10% cash offer they have been using for years to a 110% bonus. This bonus provides you the 10% instant cash up front and you get to work towards clearing the additional 100% up to $500 through regular game play. Your bonus will be awarded to your player account once you meet the required amount of comp points.
If you in search for a room full of beginners and novice players you will find this at Bodog. Since the room is attached to the other areas of Bodog gaming such as the Bodog Casino and Sportsbook, many of the players venture into the poker room which accounts for the majority of soft tables. Most players should not have an issue making a profit from these tables since the average viewed flop percentage can peak at 55%.
The game selection features Texas Holdem, Omaha, Omaha Hi Lo, Seven Card Stud, Seven Card Stud Hi Lo and Five Card Stud. Since this room still accepts US players the player base is steady through most of the hours with Bodog attracting over 3,000 real money players. The stakes range from $0.05/$0.10 and climb as high as $50/$100 although at this time there are not many high stake tables actively in play. Bodog takes a 5% rake with a cap set at $3 per pot.
One of Bodog’s main features is the weekly $100,000 guaranteed tournament which usually boasts a huge overlay. This is above and beyond the impressive schedule of daily guarantees along with satellites and qualifiers to live events like the WSOP or Aussie Millions. Bodog Poker provides players the opportunity to play with their own line up of elite players by competing in the Bodog leaderboard challenge. Top players will earn a seat to play a heads up match with one of the pros from team Bodog with a guaranteed prize of $1000.
Bodog recently went through a software upgrade which has allowed them to provide more custom features to players. The graphics are very sleek and clean with a simple user face. The lobby supplies all of your important statistics such as hands per hour, average pot size and viewed flop percentages. If you like to multi-table, you will have no problems with this function here with up to three games available simultaneously. This can be done through a resize tool along with full view and mini view functions. One of the new features that have been implemented is the ability to control the speed of your dealer. This is a great custom control for both beginners and the more experienced player. Overall, Bodog offers a top of the line package with speed, stability and great graphics.
Support is always excellent here with email, live chat and phone support offered daily 24/7. You will never experience any major delays in having your questions or concerns handled.
Deposit methods include; Credit cards, checks, NETeller, FirePay, myCitadel, MoneyBookers and CentralCoin.