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March 11th, 2010 |
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March 11th, 2010 |
Poker Room Review:
Poker Ocean offers weaker than average competition and monthly reload bonuses. Poker Ocean strives to be the next big wave within the iPoker Network. The first wave is the $200 signup bonus and the surge is the $100 at a 100% match reload bonus which rolls in every month. The software fairly well translates the feel and thrills of poker to an online environment. Poker Ocean also surfs on the stability of the iPoker Network which is backed by Playtech a dominant in the casino world. Albeit it is not the largest network, a constant influx of fresh gamblers assures that this Poker Ocean is good fishing waters.
The selection of games at Poker Ocean is limited but of high quality. The iPoker Network have succeeded in quickly building a strong network. However the great potential is not yet lived up to in full. The big drawback is that the volume of players – of which a greater part is found in the tournament area – is still rather low. The choices of tables are still OK, especially if you are playing mainly during American daylight hours.
The game variety with Omaha as High and Hi/Lo in limit and pot-limit and Texas Hold'em in no-limit as well is sub-average, but OK considering the volume of players. The betting limits have a good range from true micro-limit games of $0.01/$0.02 up to $50/$100. The low to middle stake Texas Hold'em tables sees the most action. Stud, 7 Card Stud Hi, has been introduced with play money status.
The tournaments are appreciated by the players on the iPoker Network, the regular tournament schedule is shared by the rooms in the network. The traffic at the tournament lobby took off before the cash game section. Naturally the most frequently run tournaments are NL Hold’em. Be that as it may, the tournament area at Poker Ocean can be considered complete. The variants – re-buy, freeze out, guaranteed prize pools, satellites, and turbo – are all there. Here the whole spectrum is available from $1 + $0.10 re-buy tournaments to a $200 + $15 freezeout tournament with a guaranteed prize pool of $100,000. The latter is at the moment the highest stakes offered on a monthly basis. The choices are less regarding Omaha Hi. Omaha Hi/Lo just became available at all.
The sit'n'gos are good. There are regular sit'n'gos and specially structured ones where progressive jackpots are attached. Choose between 6-table, 10-table or 2*6-table ones and buy ins between $2 + $0.35 and $50 +$7 and you will be awarded a prize between $2,000 and $100,000 after you have won 4 to 6 in a row. Sure, perhaps you noticed the slightly larger fee and it is tough to battle it out for the tenth of a million dollar at the end of the rainbow. That is not the only objective though. There are prizes along the way. Generally there is a nice balance between risk and reward, in an easy going atmosphere.
Poker Ocean aims at balancing a relaxed beach feel with genuine poker game play. Such a seemingly contradictory feat can only be pulled off successfully by Playtech, a highly respected software manufacturer in the whole online gaming industry. Upon second thought the goals are not that diverse, at least not on the Internet. The common denominator is a smooth gaming experience. Getting software to communicate the feel and thrills of poker in an online environment is an extraordinary task. Poker Ocean does a good job trying and has ended up with a friendly interface.
Each player gets to choose their own avatar. If all the sound options are used, the characters announce their actions with their unique voice. The cards in the chat box but most importantly in the hand history – even if there is no 4-colored deck – make the game play easy to track. The hand histories are available directly after a hand has been played and are delightfully easy to observe. To save the hand histories however you have to e-mail Poker Ocean support.
The lobby does not deliver any surprises, in a negative or positive direction. The tables can be filtered by stakes, heads-up play and so forth. Buddy list and player search are satisfactory. At the table sand between the toes does not come in the way of action buttons, chat or notes.
One major reason to play at Poker Ocean is the easy to beat games. The games on the iPoker Network are softer than average. While both the fixed limit and the no limit games are good, the no limit games are the best. The games are not crazy soft, but they are definitely good. A safe bet is that they will stay this way. The leaders in the online casino world stand behind the iPoker Network. The players that they recruit on their casino sites enjoy staying around. The viewed flop percentage at Poker Ocean lies in the 40-ies or the 50-ies. Generally the games are passive, somewhat on the opposite side of the spectrum, a few games are wild. Take a pick!
The signup bonus is adequate, $200 is a good amount of money. The 50% match part is doable, to get the maximum bonus a $400 deposit is needed. The conversion rate is 1000 Poker Ocean Points per $10 in bonus. The Poker Ocean Points are the player points which all promotions circle around.
The points are awarded based on the rake. For each raked hand in which a player participates where the rake reaches $0.25, 1 point is awarded. When the rake taken from a pot rises, so does gradually the number of points to each player at the table. When the rake is higher than $2, 8 points are awarded. This makes the bonuses at Poker Ocean moderately strenuous to moderately easy to clear depending on the limits played. Some time has to be spent at the low-limit tables to clear the bonus. In the mean time the bonus is paid out incrementally and very easy to track.
Poker Ocean does not send its players adrift when the first deposit bonus has been cleared. Poker Ocean offers every player a monthly redeposit bonus of $100 at a $100 match. The details are the same for this bonus as for the signup bonus. Both bonuses expire after 60 days.
The promotions are simple and good. There are freerolls, added money tournaments and a $75 refer a friend program. You know what you are going to get at Poker Ocean. Poker Ocean is the kind of poker room where you relish having a reload bonus.
PokerOcean has a better than average rake. The basic rake structure is similar to most other online poker rooms. There is 5% target value for the commission up to a certain size of the pot. More than $3 is never taken out of the pot, except for $50/$100 fixed limit games with more than 3 players. The “No flop, No drop” policy means there is no charge if the hand ends before the flop. The reason iPoker and Poker Ocean has a better than average rake policy is that they more frequently deviate from these general principals.
5% or more is not raked as often as at many competitors. Since the rake at PokerOcean has been talked up, the deviations are to the players benefit. There are no petty 1 cent dips into the pot at the small limits. Up to stakes of $1/$2, the fixed limit tables are capped at $1. For higher stakes players, the max rake reduction for shorthanded play is more important. At fixed limit and no and pot-limit games alike: all tables with 2-3 players have a maximum rake of $1 and all tables with 4-5 players have a maximum rake of $2. Apart from the $50/$100 table mentioned above. According to the complete rake table, healthy $10 intervals are utilized from the $2/$4 limit.
Poker Ocean is a new poker room but it is owned by a very credible gambling company, Casino Partners, who has a lot of experience in running different successful online gambling institutions, including other poker rooms. The iPoker Network, of which Poker Ocean is the newest addition, is a very stable network. Finally Playtech who operates the iPoker Network, has a spotless record in the gambling world. As new poker rooms go, it is hard to find a safer place. The financial security is good.
Poker Ocean has a very good customer support and general service. First the standard e-mail support is good. The big plus is that Poker Ocean shares an exemplary 24/7 telephone and chat help with the other rooms in the iPoker Network. By doing this they make sure there is always someone there to help you and that in a manner you feel comfortable with.
Banking is smooth. There are many deposit options. The cashout speed is average. Bonuses are added immediately and there is no need for any bonus codes.
