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May 12th, 2008 |
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May 12th, 2008 |
Poker Room Review:
UltimateBet has taken the long road to success. Not in the sense that they have walked a long and winding road, no rather that they have set far reaching goals. They are not shy about promotions but the large traffic has mainly been attracted by the pure, yet broad, gaming experience. The good gaming experience is sped on by high-profile poker celebrities as Phil Hellmuth, Annie Duke and Freddie Deeb who are endorsing the site. Who knows better than the professionals how poker becomes fun?
UltimateBet is really part of the Excapsa network but Ultimate used to be and is still so dominant that it is treated as a stand-alone cardroom. If your main criterion is not easy-to-beat games, then Ultimate Bet performs well as a main poker room, with their top score in games offered, software, and service.
The game variety is outstanding. Pineapple and Tripple Draw games are hard to find elsewhere. Likewise or impossible for: halfpot-limit games, "kill" games, and games with a gradually increasing betting structure. UltimateBet is the only poker room that offers Royal Hold’em. Furthermore the players have also found these games. The action is not as concentrated to limit and no-limit Texas Hold'em as is the case with most rooms. UltimateBet has also managed to produce good traffic at micro-limits and high-limits simultaneously. The range of $0.01/$0.02 up to $80/$160 is unprecedented, actually those super-high stakes games alone makes UltimateBet unique. The traffic is good overall but more concentrated to American daytime and evenings than most other rooms. The total volume of players makes the off peak hours decent in traffic too. Still a predominant American player base makes game selection at European hours narrower.
UltimateBet runs a very good tournament section. They used to be the biggest tournament site online before PokerStars raced past them. The quality of the tournaments is still just as good. UltimateBet has run their own stop on the WPT, the UltimateBet Aruba Classic. On Sundays there is a $200,000 guaranteed. UltimateBet are not only good at big tournaments, perhaps their strongest point is the variety. Many of the cash games are also included in the tournament schedule, same goes for the sit’n’gos. Entries into tournaments can be made with direct buy-in with cash, satellites, through UltimatePoints and also by a tournament entry chip (TEC). The TEC is a well developed system to get into bigger tournaments cheaper. Akin to cash game selection the most voluminous tournaments run at American evenings.
Playing at UltimateBet.com is a delight. The high-end software has a nice interface. Although some find it a bit dry, missing avatars, most enjoy the functionality. The software is reliable and very quick; it has run smoothly all through the traffic increase the site has seen. Irritating disconnection or lags are very uncommon.
The tables are always rotated (there is no choice) so that you sit in the middle up front. Another detail which sucks you into the game is the semi-3D view. Five different backdrops including the default view of Aruba and Las Vegas are graphically neatly carried out. Two special features are the ‘Bet Pot’ button on the pot-limit tables and the ‘Fold and Show’ button. Some advanced players feel the first button gives the weaker players an unfair advantage. Others do not get the idea behind the second button. Any way you look upon it, there is added functionality. For the sake of multitabling the buttons are a touch too small and closely situated. When playing really many tables on a small screen, UltimateBet's tables are available in an unparalleled mini view with retained functionality. If other reasons do not qualify then providing mini views of the tables labels UltimateBet as innovators amongst the poker rooms.
The lobby can be a bit overwhelming at first but after a while all the information becomes addictive and the logic behind the formation becomes clear. You do however have to open a table to see a player's stack size. And while at a table you can not view your correct overall balance. The handling of hand histories has gotten a lot of criticism over the years but is much smoother yet not effortless today. Both the note taking system and the statistics functions are comprehensive.
Table (click to enlarge)
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Lobby (click to enlarge)
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The major drawback with UltimateBet.com is in kind words a lot of advantages! Too many good players enjoy playing under the aforementioned circumstances. This makes the games tougher to beat. Compared to other big sites the effect is not as deterring, but there are certainly looser sites out there. The games tend to get tighter and somewhat more aggressive at lower stakes than at other poker rooms. For all that, in numbers, the full ring games at lower limits have a viewed flop percentage ranging from the 30-ies to the 40-ies.
The size of the signup bonus is a massive $650. Further more the bonus is matched 100% against your deposit. A $650 deposit gives you a $650 bonus. Then the bonus dollars will be converted at a rate of $1 for every 10 UltimatePoints. The bonus is actually paid out continuously cent by cent. At the ring games, the points are rewarded as follows: With a rake between $1 and $3, 1 point is awarded. A rake in the interval $0.50 - $0.95, yields 1/2 a point. While a rake in the intervals $0.25 - $0.45 and $0.05-$0.20 yields 1/4 and 1/10 point respectively.
UltimateBet also stimulates game-promoting action. The first person to sit down at a table gets their points multiplied with a factor 1.5, while the second person has an added value of 25% on their points for the remainder of the session. The time at the table also counts. For each totaled hour, 1 point is given out. A number of special events also merit UltimatePoints, but more importantly each dollar in entry fees in tournaments results in 6 points. All in all Ultimate Bet offers a good palette for earning points that depending on your habits makes it moderately easy to hard, clearing the bonus. No bonuses ever expire at UltimateBet.
The Ultimate Points are also usable for tournament entries and a variety of merchandise. Though it will be pretty tough to collect enough points for the Harley-Davidson, tournaments and ring games played with UltimatePoints as stakes make it possible.
Special freerolls with added twists such as poker star endorsement/participation and "tournament entry chip" prizes have good value and are fun. The refer-a-friend program is great, with $100 per friend. Reload bonuses are also better than average, for example 50% up to $100. Remember that bonuses never expire and are stackable.
The rake at Ultimate Bet is not in line with the rest of the industry. The 0 – 5% rake is the same range as elsewhere. So is the goal of a 5% rake if the pots are not too large, the rake is capped at $3. Another common denominator is the “no-flop – no drop” policy of not taking any rake unless there is a second betting round.
The deviations are both positive and negative. According to the complete rake table the intervals at which Ultimate Bet collects the rake are rather tight intervals. When the drops are mote frequent the effective rake gets higher, more 5 than 0%. While many other poker rooms take $.25 per $5 also at lower fixed limits, UltimateBet are too flexible for the players good and takes $.01/$.20 on their lowest limits. The flexibility is good when it comes to caps. The maximum rake at low limit games is generally lower at Ultimate Bet, same for short handed at all limits. For example: heads-up games are never raked more than $.50.
The fees for the tournaments are 10% of the buy-in. Tournaments with a $1 buy in does not have a fee however and the $100 tournaments are discounted to a $9 fee. Heads-up play is favored again with a 5% fee.
Perhaps it is the poker professionals endorsing the site who make their livelihood on the game that has pointed out that fast cash-outs and support is appreciated? In any case banking is smooth and support is quick and competent. Still UltimateBet only provides email support. Telephone contact or a live floor person is missing and could be expected from a site of this size. UltiamteBet is financially secure as a leading room with famous backers.
