Absolute Poker Review

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Overall Score 6.3 of 10 (Good) Popularity 7 Security 9 Competition 3 Software 4 Support 5 Ethics 7 Promotions 9 Visit Absolute Poker Deposit Bonus: 100% up to $500 plus $10 cash free! Bonus Code: CHIP10

The Quick Summary

Absolute Poker is one of the largest poker rooms that still allows US players. They are the main site on their own network, but there are several skins such as Big Chip Poker and Goal Poker that add players to the mix. Absolute Poker has a large 100% up to $750 initial deposit bonus, as well as many reloads every month. The non-stop reload bonuses tends to attract very tight players who are there to clear bonuses instead of gamble. This is a stark contrast to some of the fishier sites with very loose players, and can prove challenging to some playing styles.

Popularity: 7 of 10 - Good

Absolute regularly has around 10,000 players online, and there is usually good table selection for anything except the highest limits. The less common games such as Omaha, 7 Card Stud, and Razz do not get as much traffic, but you will see the same thing at any other poker site. There are many tournaments every day with buy-ins starting from $1 and going all the way up to the weekly $100k guaranteed with a $200+16 buyin. AP has over 20 freerolls every day with a variety of prizes, and while they are not significant it is still a good way to hone your tournament skills against 2,000 other people. AP also offers micro-limit tables as low as $.02/.04 and NL as low as $.05/.10, great for people starting to learn who don't want to risk a lot of money but still get experience.

Security: 9 of 10 - Excellent

Absolute uses SSL certified by Thawte as well as a 256 bit encryption for data going to and from their poker servers. Their software uses its own security certificates to authenticate their servers when connecting. AP also tracks and monitors any collusion. Their Random Number Generator was inspected and certified by Technical Testing Systems, Inc. They are also licensed by the Kahnawake Gaming Commision.

Player Competition: 3 of 10 - Poor

AP has constant reload bonuses with very high limits, so many of the players are very tight-aggressive players mainly interested in just clearing their almost never ending bonus accounts. The level of competition in the tournaments is fairly poor, so it's fairly easy to do well in SNGs and MTTs on Absolute. For ring games be prepared to adjust your playing style to compensate for the rocks at the table.

Site Software: 4 of 10 - OK

Although constantly being updated, the interface at Absolute is less than satisfactory. It takes up a lot of resources on your computer, and lock-ups are not uncommon. The main lobby is fairly intuitive to navigate, but often the listing of games does not refresh. This can make it very difficult to get into a SNG, as they are often already full by the time you are able to open the table. In tournament lobbies the status will sometimes not update without a complete restart of the software, an annoying feature to say the least.

Once you are actually at a table the playing interface is pretty good. Players can have custom avatars, so you can recognize people with whom you play regularly. The note taking features are present and sufficient, while not elaborate. Hand histories are available instantly, and AP is compatible with Poker Tracker.

Absolute's software is skinable, and they have over 20 skins available to download so that you can choose how you want the software to look. If you are feeling creative you can even make your own skin using their provided instructions. They do have a 4 color deck option if you prefer that, and have customizable hot keys available if you do not like using a mouse.

Customer Support: 5 of 10 - OK

Absolute only offers customer support through email, but their response time is quick and their support team is available 24/7. A wider variety of contact options would be convenient. Cash outs are processed quickly and inter-account transfers are very easy, with a low minimum of $10 and no fees.

Company Ethics: 7 of 10 - Good

Absolute Poker is represented by poker pros Mark Seif and Michael 'the Grinder' Mizrachi. Their customer support representatives are helpful and friendly. Any complaints by players are dealt with promptly and fairly.

Site Promotions: 9 of 10 - Excellent

Absolute had a very generous initial deposit bonus of 100% up to $750. They also have very regular reload bonuses so it's easy to keep your bonus account filled to overflowing.

Overall Review: 6.3 of 10 - Good

Despite its shortcomings, Absolute Poker is an overall solid poker room that offers some good competition and non-stop bonuses. If they could improve their lobby software and find a way to attract more fishy players, they could easily become one of the best poker rooms online.

Official Website: www.absolutepoker.com