Absolute Poker
Absolute Poker merged with Ultimate Bet in late 2008 to form the new Cereus Network, making it one of the largest poker rooms in the world. Post merger players were introduced to better and faster software, improved site security, and a significantly expanded player base. Players can also easily transfer funds between their Absolute Poker and Ultimate Bet player accounts, to play at either poker room.
Amazingly, the site has survived one of the biggest cheating scandals in the poker gaming industry. Involving a major breach in security, greedy insider employees, fake “superuser” accounts and players being cheated out of large sums of money, the poker room was condemned by the poker community for its failure to protect its players.
Since the scandal, the management at Absolute Poker has worked hard to regain the trust of its players. Those affected by the scandal were recompensated, site security was overhauled and upped, and the casino has gone above and beyond to protect its players from any future attacks. We felt it relevant to provide this information, so players can make a fully informed decision as to where they want to play.
Absolute Poker has continued to provide its players with the generous bonuses and promotional offers it has long been known for. First time deposits are eligible for a 100% match bonus up to $500, plenty of weekly reload bonuses and players can earn credit for referring their friends.
One of the most positive effects of Absolute Poker’s merger with Ultimate Bet was the complete overhaul of their poker software. The new software lacks the annoying glitches found in the old client, with fast smooth game play and superior graphics that are sharp and easy on the eye. While the game client doesn’t offer as many customization options as some of the larger sites, there are a few worth noting such as the advanced hand and game statistics, multi-table functionality, and a “private tournament” option where you can play with just your friends.
Game variety is pretty good with all variations of Texas Hold'em, Omaha, and Seven-Card Stud on offer, Razz, and even mixed games like H.O.R.S.E. and H.O.S.E. Not surprisingly, most of the action is to be found at the Texas Hold'em tables, with the other games are seeing steady growth in popularity with the merged player base. Exciting tournament action can also be found at Absolute Poker with plenty of regularly scheduled “Feature” tournaments, Sit-and-Go’s, Freerolls, and even Private tournaments.
Player traffic averages roughly 2,000 cash game players and 10,000 tournament players during peak hours. The competition at Absolute Poker had the reputation as some of the softest you’ll find on the net, but with the recent merger has seen player competition, especially at the mid-higher limit tables tighten up noticeably.
Customer service at Absolute Poker is only available via e-mail and is just okay, we say this mainly due to the inconsistency of its response times. Sometimes queries will be responded to within 10-15 minutes, at other times it can take up to a day to get a response. While this is not terrible by any standard, it definitely pales in comparison to some of the impressive customer service we’ve seen elsewhere.
We believe that Absolute Poker does truly value its players and has done everything it can to resolve its security issues, we can not provide 100% assurance that the security issues at Absolute Poker have been completely resolved and is as bullet proof as they claim. Thus, it is up to you to weigh all the information we provide you and decide for yourself if Absolute Poker is the place for you.
