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March 12th, 2010 |
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March 12th, 2010 |
Poker Room Review:
Paradise Poker has been around. They have always been alive and well, now they have also started kicking again. Paradise was one of the revolutionaries and went online in 1999. They weren’t first but they were first to make it big. They remained the biggest site until Party Poker surpassed them after which they were firmly fixed in the top group until the effects of the UIGEA hit them. Paradise Poker decided to move away from the US market and this effected them more then others. The sollution to the drop in traffic was to join forces with a smaller network, the Boss/IPN network. Together they have a decent player base and Paradise Poker is still recognized for bringing some of the highest quality poker services online.
Paradise Poker can function as a main or a complementary poker room. It is not a poker room for the player who is only interested in easy-to-beat games and great bonuses. A less experienced player who still wants to play in higher limit games would make a bad choice with Paradise too. That said Paradise is a solid choice, the gaming is problem free and enjoyable. For those who do not find the gaming experience to be breathtaking - just good - taking advantage of the reload bonuses and frequenting the guaranteed money tournaments at the "original" is a doable option.
The big traffic is a bit more concentrated to the tournament area than the ring game area, despite this the total volume makes sure the cash game traffic is more than decent. The supply of games is terrific. Although most players enjoy Texas Hold'em - fixed limit and without the rigid betting structure - many vary with not only Omaha and 7-Card Stud but also with Five-Card Stud and various Draw games. Crazy Pineapple which was a fun part of Paradise Poker is not offered anymore. Otherwise the comprimises made to merge Paradise with the Boss network have turned out well. The stakes range between micro limits of $0.02/$0.04 and higher limits of £50/£100. Super high limits are not available.
Whether this makes Paradise Poker a site for low stakes player or not is a matter of debate. True, the games are available for the low to middle stakes player, in abundance too. However Paradise Poker has had a reputation of having some of the tougher games out there. Generally this is not good for the player with limited resources. Post the poker boom, any reputation of tough to beat games has to enter the volume of new fish into the equation. Now the precense of sharks has been further diluted with the merger with Boss network. The short handed games are played with 5 seat tables. This makes the action even faster and such games are hard to find elsewhere.
The tournament area at Paradise Poker is very popular and has a lot of tradition. Guaranteed tournaments, WSOP and WPT satellites are well established. Paradise Poker also introduced and continues to run a million dollar freeroll. The first prize is actually $1,000,000 (2nd prize is $10,000). Maybe it seems easier to win the WSOP than the million, but its buy-in is not on the house. Concerning tournament traffic, Paradise Poker is safely positioned in the top 3.
If it were to be stated that the software was flawless then no room would be left improvement, and there is. The areas that need improvement concern note taking and lobby statistics. It is unnecessarily difficult to spot who you have notes on and the lobby stats are not updated perfectly. If you dig you will find there are also occasional complaints that the software causes lag and problems with the waiting list if the computer doesn’t support all plug-ins. These are minor details in the big picture though. Paradise Poker has continuously smoothed any rougher edges. The Paradise software is no longer the software everyone else measures up to but it is a prototype of a clean, fast and reliable platform.
Of course considerations to personal taste should not be left out. The interface is elementary, for example there are no avatars. The pot size is not automatically displayed numerically. It is shown with chips, and numbers only once the cursor is run over it. That the short handed tables at ParadisePoker are 5-handed is another matter of personal taste, the originality which leads to more choices rewards points regardless. The statistics function is easy to use and above average with cumulative stats. Table play is smooth. Therefore this review is finally satisfied with stating that the software is aesthetically pleasing and really user friendly.
Table (click to enlarge)
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Lobby (click to enlarge)
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In part the reputation for tough games is only a reputation, nevertheless the viewed flop percentage rarely goes above 40% at full mid stakes games. The main reason for the strong games is that the player base is more experienced than average. When Party Poker and others ran big campaigns, Paradise Poker was less successfully in recruiting new players. New players have now, through different initiatives, started to find their way to Paradise Poker and the mix of players is getting better. Depending on the limits, Paradise Poker’s games should now be described as somewhat tougher than average. Also consider that with the size of the site it is easy to find a suitable table. As the volume of players is increasing (with a great leap following the cooperation with the Boss network) the games are at the same time becoming looser and passive. It has not had a considerable effect on short(5)- handed tables with stakes of $5/$10 and higher yet, they are still tough. While on the subject, that such a large part of Paradise's clientele has chosen to stay at the site, says something.
The promotions are OK but not this poker room’s greatest feature. The signup bonus is decent and other attributes are intriguing.
The initial deposit merits a 25% bonus up to max $50; to get the maximum a $200 deposit is needed. For every 100 raked hands that you are dealt cards, you receive $10. After 500 raked hand the whole bonus is cleared. Paradise Poker’s bonus is averagely or moderately easy to clear. Although hands need to be raked at least $0.25 to count, the raked hands system is beneficial for low-stakes players. That is Paradise Poker offers a small but straightforward, incrementally paid bonus that never expires and is stackable with other bonuses.
It is also possible to clear the bonus by playing single- and multi table tournaments. In SNG’s 1 point is awarded for every dollar paid in fee. In 1-on-1 challenges points are given also when the fee is less than a dollar. In MTT:s points awarded equal 10% of the value of the buy-in; an entry to a $15 buy-in multi-table tournament yields 1.5 points.
The other intriguing attributes foremost refer to a number of sponsored tournaments packages to happening and exotic destinations. The range is from WSOP and WPT seats "down to" a million dollar freeroll. In between there are the Annual Conquest of Paradise Island at the Bahamas and guaranteed prize sums in regular online tournaments. Paradise Poker has also launched a Players Club which main activity is running daily, weekly and monthly cash tournaments for Players Club point buy-ins; the prize pool range between $1,000 for the daily and $25,000 for the monthly tournament.
There are also a bad beat and landmark hand number jackpots as well as more frequently occurring comps as redeposit bonuses. Reload bonuses are usually offered once every other month and the last year they have typically ranged between 15 – 25% up to $100. The reload bonuses are cleared in the same way as the first deposit bonus but sometimes they are accompanied with a supplementary twist such as: pick the team who wins the Super Bowl and get a seat in a special freeroll.
The rake follows the standard but no rake at all is taken at the micro limits, and the caps are set quite low for lower limits and short handed games. Since the intervals at which rake is taken are tight on the low limit tables the overall grade is still slightly below average. They should however be commended on having a separate rake schedule for 1-on-1 games with a $.50 cap. For more info study the complete rake schedule.
Paradise Poker is definitely secure. Whether you refer to financial security or data integrity, Paradise Poker is always ahead of the game. The service is great, there is no phone support but their experienced personal has the fastest e-mail response just as they say. Relatively uncomplicated questions are often answered within five minutes and more complex issues that may arise are handled with clear cut communication. The banking does not reach the same level excellence. Cashout speed is average and only the main alternatives are available to make a deposit. Checks can not be used to deposit but for some withdrawals. That said the professionalism and clarity of the customer support extends to the cashier’s section too.
