BETFAIR POKER REVIEW - G-index.net

Your Complete Guide to Online Gambling

Betfair is more renowned as a betting exchange rather than a poker site. This is with merit as its core business as a betting exchange is all via its own proprietary programming whereas the technical side of the poker is seconded to the Cryptologic network. This third party has the right to use the same servers to other parties. In this case, both Betfair and William Hill (as well as Inter Poker and Caribbean Sun Poker as well as some 8 others) use the SAME server. So in effect, if you join via Betfair Poker, you will be playing against Betfair players as well as a number of other rooms.

This aside, the poker site is becoming fairly popular which is not surprising as two of the UK largest gambling institutions use the same server. During peak times, up to 8,000 active players are logged on whereas off peak, this can drop down to below 1,000, although this is getting an infrequent occurrence. Its biggest drawback really is that Betfair Poker can't accept US-based players. Don't you just love bureaucracy?

Exclusively to G-index members, up to £100 free bonus. Dependent upon the number of raked hands. Minimum deposit is £20 so you can clear the bonus with only depositing £20. You need to play 2,000 raked hands to clear the maximum bonus, but you can also get smaller bonuses if you have played less hands during the time limit.

BETFAIR POKER - FEATURES

POSITIVE FEATURES

NEGATIVE FEATURES

Loose Players (who have no clue, let alone heard of, pot odds) i.e. find right table and easy money
Prompt cashouts (sometimes even the same day to UK current accounts; normally 1, at most 2 business days)
24-hour Telephone Help Desk (very knowledgeable and helpful)
Several daily guaranteed Prize Fund multi-table tournaments
Hi Limits (up to £150/£300 at limit) where average pot is usually over £1,000
Play with different currencies (US$, £ and €)
High Financial Security being the world's largest betting exchange
Player Note function

Charge 1.5% on credit card deposits (don't they make enough money?)
NO loyalty programme
Server crashes now and again
Server often boots people from connecting to site. This has caused G-index members terrible problems when tournaments are being played.
If you play at more than one table, the screens automatically appear when it is your turn to play, which can be extremely annoying as you might be just about to press call at another table, whilst you intended to press fold but pressed call instead at the popped up table. So be very careful when making your plays when playing at more than one table!!!
Sometimes, especially off peak hours, it can be difficult to join a table at your preferred stake limits.
Limited game variety

BETFAIR POKER - POKER VARIANTS

Betfair Poker supports the following forms of poker:

Texas Hold Em
Omaha
Omaha Hi/Lo
Seven Card Stud

BETFAIR POKER - INTERFACE

Betfair Poker interface is fairly slow in responding to a command although very clear and easy to use. Sometimes when it says that there are only 4 players at a table, it is often full by the time you have tried to join that particular table. There is no general chat room available. The only way of communicating with other players is through the chat function at a table. Observers of a game can make comments although you as a player have the option to turn the chat off. The waiting list function works well which allows you to wait on a particular table or another table of the same limit (in all currencies supported).

BETFAIR POKER - PLAYER TABLES

The Betfair Poker player tables are clear and uncluttered. The Player's Name and the size of his stack are superimposed over the chair. The cards are clear and easy to see. Only problem is when you try to play two or more tables as the screens auto flicker when it is your turn. This can make you click the wrong button at a different table than you intended to. You can check from where each player is coming from by moving the cursor over the name plate; don't really know how useful that is but guess there must be a reason for it.

The chat function is very small and open to observers whose comments are in green whereas players chat is in blue. Luckily, it is possible to block observer comments as sometimes there can be some very annoying individuals watching the play.

When it is your turn to play, you have the option in player preferences to set the sound on or off. A useful function is to select the voice option which will call out "It is Your Turn". This is extremely handy if you are making a cup of tea, or not by the screen as you will have time to get back to the table to make your play.

You can write notes on various people that are present at the table and then look them up when you see them again. Any player that you have written a note on will have a white sheet of paper icon appear within the name plate.

BETFAIR POKER - RING GAMES

Betfair Poker has plenty of Texas Hold Em ring games at all times of the day. However, there are few players of the other forms of poker if any at all. Texas Hold Em is the name of the game at Betfair Poker. Betfair Poker has some of the highest limit stake tables online with a maximum of £150/£300 where average played hand is around £1,500 ($3,000). A lot of short-handed tables (max. 6 players).


POKER VARIANT	FORM	STAKE IN US$ / £ / €	MAX NO. PLAYER
Texas Hold Em	Limit	0.25/0.50 to 150/300	2, 6 or 10
Texas Hold Em	Pot Limit	0.15/0.25 to 5/10	2, 6 or 10
Texas Hold Em	No Limit	0.15/0.25 to 10/20	2, 6 or 10
Omaha	Limit	0.25/0.50 to 20/40	6 or 10
Omaha	Pot Limit	0.15/0.25 to 10/20	6 or 10
Omaha Hi Lo	Limit	0.25/0.50 to 20/40	6 or 10
Omaha Hi Lo	Pot Limit	0.15/0.25 to 5/10	6 or 10
Seven Card Stud	Limit	1/2 to 20/40	8

BETFAIR POKER - TOURNAMENTS

Betfair Poker's multi-table tournaments are reasonable whereas their Sit and Go tournaments are poor. It is difficult to get to play in a single table tournament as you can be waiting a very long time before it starts; only for the most patient. The multi-table tournaments occur approx. every 30 minutes or so. The tournament list has grown considerably in 2005 and now has a much wider range and frequency than a year ago. As with almost all online poker rooms, there are qualifiers to the big poker events.


TOURNAMENT ENTRY	ENTRY FEE	FREQUENCY + START TIME	AVE. NO. OF PLAYERS	MAX. PLAYERS
£3,000 Guaranteed No Limit Holdem	£10 + £1	Mon - Sun 15.00 EST / 20.00 GMT	N/A	N/A
$4,000 Guaranteed No Limit Holdem	$30 + $3	Mon - Sun 21.00 EST / 02.00 GMT	N/A	N/A
£10,000 Guaranteed No Limit Holdem	$20 + $2	Mon - Sun 17.00 EST / 22.00 GMT	N/A	N/A
£15,000 Guaranteed No Limit Holdem	£30 + £3	Mon - Sat 14.00 EST / 19.00 GMT	N/A	N/A
£30,000 Guaranteed No Limit Holdem	£110 + £10	Sun 15.00 EST / 20.00 GMT	N/A	N/A

BETFAIR POKER - DEPOSIT & WITHDRAWAL OPTIONS

DEPOSIT OPTIONS:
VISA, MasterCard, UK debit cards (Delta, Switch, Solo), NETeller, check, direct bank transfer, Western Union, Moneybookers.

CASH OUT OPTIONS:
NETeller, UK debit cards, Credit Card, Check, bank transfer, Moneybookers.

BETFAIR POKER - SUPPORT

There is a 24-hour telephone help desk. There is often a long wait prior to getting connected to Betfair Poker so suggest calling their Betfair Help Desk who can assist you quite well (and they answer very promptly). Betfair support staff are usually very friendly, helpful and knowledgeable. Only problem is that they are limited in what they can do as they are restricted by Cryptologic Network who provides the software.

BETFAIR POKER - LOYALTY PROGRAMME

What loyalty programme? There really is none to speak of!

BETFAIR POKER - MEMBER COMMENTS


MEMBER	DATE POSTED	COMMENTS
Eurobonus	2 Jan. 2005	There can definitely be improvements made to this site. The reason why I play here are that there are an extraordinary amount of poor players playing on this site. Pot odds? What is that? I believe in lady luck (actual comment from a player who called a $200 all in on on a gutshot). Amongst the best 24/7 Telephone Support.