Ultimate Bet

40% bonus up to $200
 

Ultimate Bet has grown into one of the largest online poker rooms in the last two years, mainly due to their poker celebrity endorsement and great promotions. This is one of the most feature-rich poker rooms with lots of useful function such as a mini table view (to make it easier playing multiple tables) and the ability to customize your own look. Ultimate bet is around the 3rd to 4th biggest at the moment.  The variety of games is excellent with many very high limit games. The celebrity endorsement has worked well to raise the profile of Ultimate Bet with many big time pros like Phil Helmuth and Annie Duke carrying the torch.  Latest stats reported in March 2005:  Real money players: 2700-3300 ring game players and 3000 to 4000 tournament players at peak hours. Ultimate bet has emerged as a leader in the online poker industry.

Not being part of any network, Ultimate Bet owns their own software platform and it sports a slick look with many great features. Bells and whistles are one thing but reliability is what counts and Ultimate Bet is just that. We love the mini view feature where you can "stack up" multiple tables and see them all at the same time. The stats function is great and offers you some good insights into your play, if you`re the analytical type. Other nice features include a buddy tracking systems that will keep track of where your friends (or foes!) are playing. All in all this is one of the better software platforms in the poker game.
 

• Refer A Friend. Refer your friends to Ultimate Bet for up to $100 in referral bonus for and up to $50 for your friends.
• WSOP Super Satellites.

• $120,000 guaranteed Super Sundays

• Ultimate Players Club. Earn Ultimate Points which can be converted into prizes like a Harley Davidson or even $10,000 in cash.

• Ultimate Points are awarded for each raked hand or tournament. Extra points are awarded players who start up new games. Points can be used for entries to tournaments or merchandise purchases.

• Annie Duke freerolls most Sundays, guaranteed with her own money.

Rake at Ultimate Bet:
Rake is not taken from play where there has been no flop. Rake is a maximum of 5% on all games. Rake ranges between 50c and $3 Pot-Limit and No-Limit games, depending on how many players are in the game. All in all rake seems fair.

Traffic:
Ultimate Bet has great traffic at peak times where player numbers reach between 11,000-15,500 (Aug, 2006).

Game Limits and Games that you can play at Ultimate Bet:
The game selection is good, including Hold`Em, Omaha Hi and Omaha Hi-Lo, 7 Card Stud Hi and Hi-Lo, Lowball and Crazy Pineapple. Hold`Em includes no limit and pot limit games. You can also play one one one in most games. An interesting variation are the kill games where the winner of two large pots in a row has to post a forced blind - twice that of the big blind. Another interesting game is the elimination games where a bounty is awarded to a player who eliminates the a pre determined bounty player.

Deposits / Withdrawals:
All major mainstream deposit methods like credit cards, Neteller, Citadel, Firepay and bank wire

"Soft" Competition / Looseness:
Due to it`s variety of game types and spread of table limits, Ultimate Bet attracts many novice players. The celebrity endorsement also raises the Ultimate Bet profile, drawing new players to the site. Enough said.

Cons:

• No live or phone support
• Sit and go tournament volume could be better

Player Service:
Service is slick, fast and to the point. There is no phone or live support which may disappoint some.

Loyalty Program:
Bonus credits are converted to real money at the rate of $1 for every 10 Ultimate-Points you earn. You earn points by playing raked ring game tables.