BetOnline USA Poker
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BetOnline Poker Introduction
BetOnline Poker is one of the leading US-friendly online poker rooms. Originally just an online bookmaker, BetOnline’s foray into online poker gave players another credible option in the competitive online poker market. This review will show you how to get started with BetOnline Poker, before looking at its games, features, user interface and promotions.
Getting Started
Registering with BetOnline and joining the action is quick and easy. Go to BetOnline poker and click ‘Download for PC’ or ‘Download for Mac’ in order to download the poker client. Once this is installed, open it and click ‘Create Account’ in the BetOnline Lobby, which will redirect you to the BetOnline account creation page. Alternatively, if you already have an account, you can simply log in from lobby. To deposit funds into your account, click the red ‘Cashier’ button in the top right of the lobby. Now you’re ready to start playing!
BetOnline Poker offers a number of enticing promotions to new and existing players. Like real-life casinos, BetOnline Poker currently offers a Bad Beat Jackpot of $100,000 to be split amongst you and your table mates if you lose a hand after tabling quad jacks or better. A 100% first deposit bonus is also currently available with the promo code NEWBOL. Freerolls run daily, with new player freerolls featuring sizable guaranteed prize pools, such as Sunday’s $5,000 New Player Freeroll. On top of these promotions, BetOnline features a VIP rewards program that offers increasing rewards to loyal players.
Poker Games
BetOnline Poker offers a range of poker games in a variety of formats. No-limit Hold’em multi-table tournaments run frequently and often boast large guaranteed prize pools of up to $100,000. Buy-ins range from under $1 to over $100 and player fields are often in the hundreds. Satellites are offered to large tournaments. Tournaments are usually played in a freeze-out, bounty or rebuy and add-on structure and rarely drag on, with the larger tournaments usually running for between four and five hours. If you are looking for a quicker game, Sit & Go’s are constantly running with buy-ins from 5c up with the number of players varying from two to eighteen.
If you are looking for immediate action, cash games run from 1c/2c up to $5/$10 in No-limit Hold’em, Pot-limit Omaha and Pot-limit Omaha Hi-Lo and can be played full ring (a maximum of nine players) or 6-max. These games are action-heavy with a high percentage of players seeing a flop each hand. However, the lack of ‘fast’ cash games like PokerStars’ ‘Zoom’ games may deter volume grinders. Other game types are also offered, such as Seven-Card Stud, Americana and 32-Card Draw; however, these games tend to run less frequently than the more popular games. Alternatively, if you are looking to hone your skills before wagering any money, BetOnline Poker also offers play money cash games and play money tournaments.
Features & Graphics
The BetOnline Lobby is easy to use; navigating your way to your favourite game will take only a few seconds. Across the top of the lobby are tabs allowing you to pick between cash games, tournaments and Sit & Go’s, as well as different game types and buy-in amounts. If you ever feel like switching things up, there are also tabs for sports betting, horses and the casino. Games are displayed in a list, ordered by start time for tournaments or stake for cash games. If you are keen to join a cash game that is already full, you can join a waiting list to be seated when a seat becomes available. As well as the stake and number of players, this list features useful additional information such as average pot size, players per flop and hands per hour. Aesthetically, it is well-designed, featuring a modern interface with a slick red, white and silver color palate.
The in-game graphics utilize a similar modern look as the lobby with minimal visual clutter. The default cards have a simple design and are easily distinguishable. If they are not to your taste, however, they can be customized in the in-game options menu. The symbols on the cards can be enlarged and the two-color deck can be switched out for a four-color deck to minimize confusion. The table theme can also be customized, allowing you to change the color of the background and the table felt, and you can pick your own avatar to represent you at the table. Animations and sound effects can also be changed. If you are an avid poker grinder, or simply do not like having to move your mouse every time you would like to make an action, BetOnline Poker features fully-customizable hotkeys, a feature that is notably lacking from many other poker clients.
Final Verdict
BetOnline Poker is an well-rounded poker client which offers a polished and enjoyable poker experience. While it may not be able stand up to international sites like PokerStars in terms of game diversity and traffic, players from the US would be hard-pressed to find a better poker client. With moderate traffic, fast and reliable withdrawals, a well-designed user interface and a responsive customer support network, BetOnline Poker is a solid choice of client for poker players.
The BetOnline Lobby is easy to use; navigating your way to your favourite game will take only a few seconds. Across the top of the lobby are tabs allowing you to pick between cash games, tournaments and Sit & Go’s, as well as different game types and buy-in amounts. If you ever feel like switching things up, there are also tabs for sports betting, horses and the casino. Games are displayed in a list, ordered by start time for tournaments or stake for cash games. If you are keen to join a cash game that is already full, you can join a waiting list to be seated when a seat becomes available. As well as the stake and number of players, this list features useful additional information such as average pot size, players per flop and hands per hour. Aesthetically, it is well-designed, featuring a modern interface with a slick red, white and silver color palate.
The in-game graphics utilize a similar modern look as the lobby with minimal visual clutter. The default cards have a simple design and are easily distinguishable. If they are not to your taste, however, they can be customized in the in-game options menu. The symbols on the cards can be enlarged and the two-color deck can be switched out for a four-color deck to minimize confusion. The table theme can also be customized, allowing you to change the color of the background and the table felt, and you can pick your own avatar to represent you at the table. Animations and sound effects can also be changed. If you are an avid poker grinder, or simply do not like having to move your mouse every time you would like to make an action, BetOnline Poker features fully-customizable hotkeys, a feature that is notably lacking from many other poker clients.
Final Verdict
BetOnline Poker is an well-rounded poker client which offers a polished and enjoyable poker experience. While it may not be able stand up to international sites like PokerStars in terms of game diversity and traffic, players from the US would be hard-pressed to find a better poker client. With moderate traffic, fast and reliable withdrawals, a well-designed user interface and a responsive customer support network, BetOnline Poker is a solid choice of client for poker players.
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