Ultimate Bet Review
Ultimate Bet has been around since 2001 and is well known as being the online home of pros such as Phil Hellmuth and Annie Duke. Ultimate Bet and Absolute Poker are sister sites and sit on the Cereus network. The combination of fast software and some of the best non-expiring bonuses and promotions in the business make UB a must-signup - if you don't have an account yet and have already tried Full Tilt, you must give UB a look.
SCREENSHOTS
;)
;)
POSITIVES
Player Pool / Game Selection
On average there are at least 10,000 players online at UB - in peak times this rises to over 30,000 so there are always plenty of games and plenty of fish at the lower limits. In general at microstakes the standard of play is pretty poor, although it picks up quickly at around the 100NL level at UB. All the standard poker games are available at Ultimate Bet, as well as mixed games like HORSE and HOSE. The site has some seriously micro limit games with 2c big blinds and $1 tournaments, whereas the high stakes games reach as high as $300/$600 although games at the highest limits are few and far between. Mid-stakes players are well catered for, with plenty of games running up to $5/$10.
Below is a table detailing the available games currently available on Ultimate Bet:
| Game | Lowest Limit | Highest Limit | No Limit | Limit | Pot Limit | Game Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Holdem |
$0.01/$0/02
|
$200/$400
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Always |
|
Omaha Hi
|
$0.05/$0.10
|
$300/$600
|
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Always |
|
Omaha Hi/Low
|
$0.01/$0.02
|
$300/$600
|
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Always |
|
7 Card Stud
|
$0.01/$0.02
|
$300/$600
|
No |
Yes |
No |
Always |
|
7 Card Stud H/L
|
$0.01/$0.02
|
$300/600 |
No |
Yes |
No |
Always |
|
Razz
|
$0.01/$0.02
|
$300/$600 |
no |
Yes |
No |
Always |
|
Sit N Gos |
$0.10 +$0.01 |
$5000 + $200 |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Always |
|
Tournaments |
$1 + $0.10 |
$1000 + $50 |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Always |
Fast, decent software
The software at UB is some of the fastest online - probably equal only to Full Tilt Poker in terms of speed. For regular multi-tablers this can amount to a serious increase in hands - it's rare to see much less than 100 hands per hour on UB. For players who like to track their play or use a HUD, UB works just great with Pokertracker or Holdem Manager so no problem there.
The lobby system is quick and responsive, allowing you to easily home in on the tables you want to play at, and provides an advanced filter for maximum control. The software also provides a decent buddylist system called UltimateBuddy which is helpful for tracking bad players, or your friends.
Deposit / withdraw
The cashier works on a separate website launched from the poker client called Ultimate Banking - it's incredibly comprehensive and allows you to pay in a ton of different ways:
- Debit/Credit Card
- American Express/JCB
- Western Union
- MG Money Transfer
- CLICK2PAY
- NETeller
- ClickandBuy
- Moneybookers
- Paysafecard
- Ukash
- Moneytransfers
- Bank Transfers
Cashouts are also swift and very easy
Bonuses and Rakeback
UB has one of the best deals around - 30% rakeback and a huge 111% bonus up to $1100. Take note though, it will take a long time to clear the full bonus but it never expires so you don't have to play like a maniac to take full advantage. At Ultimate Bet you can also take part in our Ultimate Bet Rake Race with $24,000 up for grabs at time of writing!
To clear the bonus you need to accrue points like in most poker rooms - these can also be spent at the Ultimate Points Store if you want to get yourself a Macbook, or a hockey shirt like Phil Hellmuth! Another cool feature of UB is that they also have points poker tables - so you can gamble your points up and convert them to cash, tournaments or spend them in the store.
Promotions
UB runs some great promotions - for example the Bad Beat Jackpot prize pool currently stands at over $295,000 as I write this review!
Support
UB offers Live Support online and Email Support. I have only had to deal with the support team once or twice whilst playing at UB and they have always seemed competent and very helpful.
NEGATIVES
Graphics
The graphics do look pretty dated now - I don't think they've changed much since I first played here in 2004. However this doesn't bother me much - the software is fast and responsive and the bonuses easily make up for it.
If you want to sign up at Ultimate Bet then click to get Ultimate Bet Rakeback
Copyright Best Rakeback 2009
