Absolute Poker Review
A Detailed Review of Absolute Poker
WARNING: In October of 2007 there was a huge scandal with Absolute Poker where it was found that some insider cheating was occuring on the site. Though Absolute Poker’s management has announced that they are doing everything in their efforts to prevent these types of security breaches from happening again, we will suggest you take this into consideration before signing up at their site.
Absolute Poker has been in the industry since 2003, and is one of the few reputable rooms offering US players not only somewhere to play but payment solutions so they can fund/withdraw from their accounts. They boast some amazing tournaments including seats to live events and their own signature games with qualifiers running on a daily basis. One of the biggest features currently in place is the “Absolute Bad Beat Jackpot” with prize pools that easily reach over $100,000.
Absolute Poker Bonus Code
Sometimes referred to as a referral code, or promotional code, Absolute provides players with one of the top offers online mainly because it is easier than most too clear. All new players will receive a 100% match up to $500 which is cleared by playing in any real money game or tournament. The bonus is cleared in increments of $5 for every 30 points you collect. Points are awarded based on every raked hand at a rate of 1/$1 in rake. Blackjack players receive a 60% match up to $230 with a rollover of 12x the bonus awarded. You will also qualify for the VIP program which rewards players with additional bonuses and tournament tickets. Last but not least, the room recently started a bad beat jackpot which has been one of the most successful ones date. The jackpot is won on a fairly frequent basis and reaches into the six figures on most occasions.
For more information, check out our Absolute Poker Bonus Code page.
Ring Games/Competition
The majority of AP’s players can be found at the ring games with peak traffic volumes exceeding 2200 players online. They include your standard games such as Texas Holdem, Omaha, Omaha Hi Li, 7 Card Stud and 7 card Stud Hi Lo in either heads up or 6 player tables. Most of the attention is focused primarily on Holdem with some active games in Omaha pot limit up to the $2/$4 tables. Absolute Poker offers stakes starting at $0.05/$0.10 up to $75/$150 with enough traffic to run multiple tables at the $10/$20 NL and $30/$60 FL. The competition for the most part is standard to most rooms of this size, however you will find more opponents who are playing for their bonus here since it is so easy to clear. This means that the micro games will have a tighter impression than most other sites. AP takes a 5% rake from each pot up to the maximum of $3 with a no flop no drop rule in place.
Tournaments
Tournaments are very popular here and spread right across the board from your re-buys and freezeouts to the “Featured Promotions” that Absolute has supported such as the Absolute Dream Package. All of the games played at the ring tables are supported in tournament format with huge guarantees available on weekends. In total the weekend line up consists of over $325,000 in combined tournaments, and you can buy in directly or qualify your way through for a few dollars. The buyins start as low as $1 and usually run up to a couple hundred for the large events. Rarely will you see an overlay in any of the tournaments since AP attracts over 10,000 tournament players during peak hours. The Sit and Go tournaments are offered in full and shorthanded tables along with heads up. For the most part they do fill quickly and you shouldn’t have to wait for a game to start.
Software
Absolute Poker upgraded their software again which in my opinion has brought this room right up to the industry standards in regards to speed, graphics and support more features that allow you control in your game. You can choose from three different table views including a full view, top view and quarter view with top quality and clean graphics. If you like customizing the feel of your poker software, absolute poker allows you to use a skin over their basic client. The tables provide you with all your vital stats that you would expect along with an instant replay feature, new betting options, easy window sizing tool and faster dealing at the tables. The lobby is laid out with a simple design with all your options clearly marked. The lobby also provides your table stats such as viewed flop percentage, hands played per hour (120+/hr) along with average pot size. The bad beat jackpot games are highlighted in red and the prize pool is always available in the lobby provided in real time stats. Overall this room has done a great job with the recent upgrade. AP is fully licensed and regulated by the Kahnawake Gaming Commission with a certified and tested RNG by TST (Technical Systems Testing).
No Download Poker
Absolute Poker recently launched a no download version of their poker client which allows you to play over the web using java in your web browser of choice (ie. Firefox or Internet Explorer). So if you want to play poker at Absolute on your Mac or Linux based computer, or just don’t want to download the full version, you will not have any issues!
Support
The support team here is one of the better programs since they have taken each area and divided it into departments allowing for a quicker response time and you will be dealing with a rep. that is trained for your questions. All enquires are submitted by email only and you can expect a relatively quick response time.
Deposit Methods
Deposit methods include; NETeller, Visa/MasterCard, Debit cards (Solo, Switch, Visa Electron, Maestro, Delta), ePassporte, Instadebit, electronic check, Click2Pay, FirePay, Moneybookers, bank transfer and CentralCoin.
Absolute Poker may not be for everyone. If there were somethings that you did not like in this review, be sure to read some of our other poker site reviews:
Full Tilt Poker Review
Pokerstars Review
Titan Poker Review
