Online Casino Conditions - PokerRoom Review

PokerRoom.com is owned and operated by the Ongame Group, which through their subsidiary company, SafePay Int. SRL, also owns several other distinct online gaming sites - CasinoRoom, HoldemPoker, Holywood Poker and CasinoRoom.com. Ongame is a widely recognized name in the online gambling industry, and is in the business of developing and marketing online betting software through Ongame Studios. Ongame also has a strong presence in the Australia-based PokerNetwork. A trusted name as well, Ongame is headquartered in Sweden, and brings in annual revenue nearing $1 Billion U.S. More information about Ongame can be found at www.ongame.com, while SafePay can be looked up at www.safepay.co.cr or phoned at +506-204-7090. SafePay is located at Edificio E., Segundo Nivel, Parque Empresarial Forum, Santa Ana, Costa Rica.

As for PokerRoom.com, it is a member of the Global Gambling Guidance Group and was the first online poker room to receive the eCOGRA Play it Safe Seal and become an eCOGRA certified site. This means that PokerRoom.com has and continues to comply with eCOGRA's strict standards of game fairness and ethics, which include, providing fair poker games, operating in an honest and responsible manner, and providing safe financial deposits and efficient and timely payouts of winnings. PokerRoom.com is licensed through the highly touted Kahnawake Gaming Commission - a Canada based, leading authority of online gaming regulation and licensee approval. To really get a scope of how comprehensive this poker room is, players are encouraged to visit the PokerRoom.com website. It is loaded with content, and has one of the most in-depth FAQ's section of any internet betting site currently in operation.

Software & Games

Software Platform - In addition to software developed by Ongame, PokerRoom.com also uses software applications developed by Net Entertainment, who boasts over thirty different licensees. Having won several awards, including Poker Site of the Year for 2005 and 2006 at the UK Gambling Awards, as well as Top Poker Software in 2005, by the readers of Gambling Online Magazine, it is safe to say that PokerRoom.com's software platform is cutting edge and poker player friendly. Aside from the gaming applications, PokerRoom.com also has a gigantic forum called POKAH! which let's players create their own player profile pages, chat with other players, and make the overall experience of online poker a more fun and friendly one. Players can also use a search tool that lets them check to see if their friends are logged into the software as well. As for graphics, they resemble the latest in 3D video gaming technology, with some of the toughest, most realistic looking avatars at the online poker tables. Software features at the players disposal include playing at multiple tables at a single time, playing special Raise/Fold tables, participating in Lobby chat, three different playing speeds, forming and playing at private tables, all-in probabilities (a little statistical help after going all-in), playing with different betting structures, and having the power to vote out abusive players.

PokerRoom.com is available in download and Flash modes, and can be played on Mac's and mobile phones. The no-download version is available for Windows operating systems, Linux and Mac, while the download version is strictly available for Windows 98, 2000, XP and Me. Previous versions of Windows, including NT are not compatible with the software download. Using Internet Explorer 5.1.7, the no-download version has proven to work with Mac OS 9.2.2, while it has shown mixed results with the Mac OS9 and Mac OS8. As for mobile phones, poker and blackjack can be played in the "Play Money" mode, although real-money action is promised to come soon (it may be there already). Playing from mobile phones syncs players into all of the action taking place online and from other mobile players. Whichever method one decides to use, their is an informative tutorial walkthrough that describes spells out all one needs to know about navigating and downloading the software.

Games - Texas Hold'em games are available in limit games of $0.25-$0.50, $0.50-$1, $1-$2, $3-$6, $5-$10, $10-20 and $25-$50. No Limit and Pot Limit games are available for most of the buy-ins as well. Besides other poker games like Omaha, 7 Card Stud, and 5 Card Draw, PokerRoom offers access to online blackjack, as well as several casino games through their sister site, CasinoRoom.com. Other games available for real money gambling include roulette, baccarat, craps, video poker, and slot machines with progressive jackpots starting at $300,000 to name a few. All members of PokerRoom.com have access to CasinoRoom.com, and only need to use their original username and password to log into both sites. As for tournaments, there are more than enough to keep a full-time player busy, and guarantee weekly jackpots ranging from $4,000 to $50,000.

Buy-ins - The buy-in is the amount of chips that a player will be required to have in their possession when joining a table. Minimum buy-ins for limit poker games, are equated by multiplying the big blind - which is the value of the minimum bet - by 10. There are no maximum buy-ins for this type of game. Pot Limit and No Limit games are governed slightly differently, and have both minimum and maximum buy-ins imposed on them. The most a player can bring in chips to a Pot Limit or No Limit table is whatever the name of that table is. For a $200 No Limit game, no player can join the table with more than $200 in their purse. The minimum buy-in is equivalent to 20% of the maximum buy-in. In this example, that would imply that every player at least have $40 in chips to join the $200 table.

Poker School

A direct link from the PokerRoom.com homepage takes players to a free PokerSchool, which has everything from Flash tutorials (learn to play Texas Hold'em in minutes) to simplified game rule instructions and specific strategy. Using the Expected Value Statistics feature, players can learn for themselves which pocket cards are the best to play and can view their past hand histories in order to improve upon them. The Poker School also offers helpful tips and articles, many of which are written by poker pros, like Steve Badger and Tom McEvoy. Articles are rated by viewers, which gives them a helpful percentage value. Players can even submit their own articles for approval to be published. Anecdotes, bad beats and strategy tips round out the categories of helpful articles written by players with a lot of valuable experience. Newbies to online poker will learn online poker lingo, hand rankings (if need be) and online poker etiquette.

Betting Structures, Rake & Tournament Fees

PokerRoom.com has a rake structure based on big blinds. The Rake Schedules for all games are shown in the following charts:

RAKE STRUCTURE FOR LIMIT POKER GAMES
PLAYERS	Less than 4 Big Blinds	Less than 8 Big Blinds	Greater than 4 Big Blinds	Greater than 8 Big Blinds	4 through 12 Big Blinds	Greater than 12 Big Blinds
Heads-up		.1 Big Blind or Max of $.50		.25 Big Blind or Max of $1
3-4	.1 Big Blind or Max of $.50		.4 Big Blind or Max of $2
5-10	.1 Big Blind or Max of $.50				.4 Big Blind or Max of $2	1 Big Blind or Max of $3

RAKE STRUCTURE FOR NO LIMIT & POT LIMIT POKER GAMES
PLAYERS	Less than 4 Big Blinds	Less than 8 Big Blinds	4 through 12 Big Blinds	8 through 32 Big Blinds	12 through 32 Big Blinds	Greater than 12 Big Blinds	Greater than 32 Big Blinds
Heads-up		.1 Big Blind or Max of $.50		.25 Big Blind or Max of $1			1 Big Blind or Max of $1
3-4	.1 Big Blind or Max of $.50		.4 Big Blind or Max of $2			1 Big Blind or Max of $2
5-10	.1 Big Blind or Max of $.50		.4 Big Blind or Max of $2		1 Big Blind or Max of $3		2 Big Blind or Max of $3

$25 MAX BUY-IN & ABOVE NO LIMIT AND POT LIMIT GAMES
# OF PLAYERS	RAKE PER POT	MIN	MAX
2 to 3	$0.05 for each $1.0 in Pot	$0.05	$1.00
4 to 5	$0.05 for each $1.0 in Pot	$0.05	$2.00
6 to 10	$0.05 for each $1.0 in Pot	$0.05	$3.00

The Betting Structures for Limit games is the minimum stake for the first two betting rounds and the maximum stake for the last two betting rounds. A maximum combination of 4 bets and raises can be done in a single round, which would amount to a bet, raise, re-raise and cap. For No Limit games, a bet or raise must be at least the higher value of either the minimum stake or last bet, and there are no limits to the number of raises each round. Pot Limit games are governed in the same manner, except that a bet or raise may be no higher than the value of the pot plus all bets at the table.

The Tournament Entry Fees are imposed according the buy-in for the tournament in question, which is generally no more than 10% the buy-in amount. PokerRoom.com has many tournaments to choose from, and all are posted in the poker lobby with specs that list the entry fees and buy-ins (if any). Sit and Go tournaments are for every player and accommodate a wide range of bankrolls. At the time of this review, several Sit & Go's were available for play, including a $5+0.50 with a $30 buy-in and $3 entry fee, a $50+4 with a $100 buy-in and $8 entry fee, and a $200+15 with a $500 buy-in and $25 entry fee. Typically, all tournaments will start players off around with 1,500 in chips. Guaranteed prize pools can range from $4,000 to $50,000.

Promotions

Special promotions, loyalty bonuses and promotional tournaments are a normal find at PokerRoom.com. The most opted for promo, of course, is the first time deposit bonus, which normally gives players 20% extra their initial deposit amount, up to $100 Free. Sometimes this amount is more, depending on the particular promotion campaign. Reload bonuses are consistently given to players who have made deposits in the past, and can be taken advantage of by simply subscribing to PokerRoom.com's newsletter. Refer-a-Friend bonuses are also permanent fixture here, which give $24 free to referrals and $50 free to referees. All bonuses cannot be cashed out until players have accrued a designated amount of Player Points, which are earned with every raked hand played. For the first time deposit bonus, 7 player points cash out each $1 of the bonus amount. For the reload bonuses, 10 player points cash out every $1 of the bonus. For the refer-a-friend bonus, both the referred player and the one making the referral must earn 150 Player Points before cashing out the bonus. Special promotions include World Series of Poker qualifiers, races, Ongame sponsored tournaments, free spots to weekly welcome series tournaments, "Winner Takes All" daily tournaments, rebuys, and Poker Pro for a Year (valued at $250,000).

Cashier

PokerRoom.com's management is in the business of facilitating and securitizing online financial transactions, which they have successfully done for many years. Using a variety of services such as NETeller, MoneyBookers, FirePay, InstaCash, Click2Pay, Debit and Credit Card, EWallet Xpress, ePassporte, 900Pay, and cash transfers, players can access funds with what most suits their needs. NETeller and MoneyBookers are preferred by the cashier and are quite simple to set up. All methods are explained in detail on the website, providing direct links to necessary sites for opening accounts. After registering with the poker room, players must go to the "My Account" page and upgrade to a real-money account. There are no fees for making deposits into a real money account, but there are some deposit limits, depending on the deposit method used. FirePay, MasterCard and Visa deposits are limited to $1,000 a day and $2,500 a week, while NETeller and Moneybookers have no deposit limits. All credit card statements are billed with IFUND POKERNETWORK (for Canadian and American players), or POKERROOM.COM (for UK players).

Security

PokerRoom.com uses Thawte Secure Socket Layer Certificates to encrypt all data that is transferred to and from their gaming servers. Thawte is bar-none, the industry leader in providing the most advanced online security. Players can view the security certificate via the homepage of PokerRoom.com's website, which states that it is up-to-date and active. Another factor that makes PokerRoom.com a trusted place to play poker with real money is that it is regulated by the Kahnawake Commission, and has been certified by eCommerce and Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance (eCOGRA) as the first online poker room to meet the stringent guidelines that befall a Safe online gaming site. PokerRoom.com follows a responsible gaming policy that protects against underage and problem gambling, and also safeguards players with anti-collusion and unfair software protocols. What this means is that PokerRoom.com uses sophisticated software to detect if players are colluding to take advantage of other players. If that is found to be the case, those players found guilty will be banned, while those who were taken advantage of will be fully reimbursed. An extension to the anti-collusion system is an IP address checker that insures only one player per computer/internet connection is taking part in ring games. All games are monitored to insure there is no use of poker bots or cheating software systems.

Disconnection Policy

Although they do not happen often, disconnections are a possibility that all players need to be ready for. If this is to happen, the player will automatically be counted as all-in, and their cards will still be played in the final showdown. The software system detects if players have lost connection or not, and so will automatically fold those who have simply not acted in time. As opposed to other poker rooms that often let players abuse their disconnection policy, PokerRoom.com's is one of the most fair and efficient. In cases of tournament action, players will still be in the tournament, but will simply need to re-log into the software, which is the case for all disconnections. The only time PokerRoom.com will be held responsible for disconnections is in the unlikely case of a server crash.

Customer Service

Several customer support options are available at PokerRoom.com. The website itself, provides one of the most comprehensive Frequently Asked Questions section to all members and prospective members. Players also have the option of submitting an email via an internal mail server on the website. Regular emails can be sent to support @ pokerroom.com, while inquiries to the cashier can be sent to cashier @ pokerroom.com. While logged into the software, players have immediate access to a support team that has proven itself capable of giving individual attention to all players. With as much information and tutorials that PokerRoom.com has on their site, it is unlikely players will need to contact customer support to being with.

Visit PokerRoom.com for more information.

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