Online Poker Room Review: Absolute Poker
Absolute Poker has been on a tear as of late, both in expanding their player base as well as their stable of site pros. Every night, over 15,000 players flock to Absolute's wide selection of cash games and tournaments. And if they're lucky, they might just get the chance to test their skills against top professionals and WSOP champions such as Mark Seif, Brandon Cantu, Sean McCabe, Casey Kastle, Lacey Jones and Card Player's 2006 Player of the Year Michael "the Grinder" Mizrachi. On any given night you might find Sean McCabe check-raising you in a $25-50 limit hold'em game or Mark Seif demonstrating the art of the pressure raise in a no-limit tournament. And, if your game is sharp enough, you just might get to play the 2005 double-bracelet winner heads-up for a cool grand.
Each week, Absolute's tournament leader board winner is invited to participate in the exclusive "Mark Seif Shootout." Beat Seif headsup and you'll pocket $1,000. Players will also find Seif as well as many of Absolute's other resident pros in their $200+16, $100,000 guaranteed tournament which runs on Saturday afternoons. Better yet, each participating pro has a bounty on his or her head in this tournament. Knock out one, and win double your tournament buy-in.
Though most other online poker sites do offer a slightly larger starting stack in their big weekly tournaments (say, 2000 or 2500 chips instead of 1500), Absolute gives players even more room to maneuver with a 5000 chip starting stack. Satellites for players at every level are available for the $100K, including freeroll qualifiers which run five times a day.
Over a million dollars a month are awarded in Absolute's "guaranteed" tournaments. From a $5 NLHE freezeout that guarantees a $1500 prize pool to the $30 NLHE rebuy that guarantees $11,000, there is a choice for every bankroll. Sick of hold'em? Omaha 8/b, pot-limit Omaha, stud, stud 8/b, and razz multi-table tournaments are running all day and night. Absolute also spreads multiple daily rebuy tournaments, but with a cool twist not found on other sites.
Though players start with the typical 1500 chips, are allowed to rebuy throughout the first hour, and can take an add-on at the end of the rebuy period, Absolute offers a double add-on of 4000 chips as well as the typical single add-on of 2000. Deep stacks can also be found in Absolute's "super stack" tourneys, that offer 2500 chips to start, even at low buy-in levels.
Dreaming of playing in the World Series of Poker this summer? You can start your satellite quest early on Absolute, where Main Event qualifiers are already running. Players can directly buy in to Absolute's $100+8 NLHE satellites, which award $11,000 WSOP main event packages, or they can grind up that buy-in through sub-qualifiers with bargain basement prices. For only $1, a player can earn a seat into a $10 qualifier, which in turn awards seats to the $108 tourneys. What if you want to play poker on TV but without the stress of a $10K buy-in? Satellites to the nationally televised "Ultimate Poker Challenge" (currently underway at Binion's in downtown Las Vegas) are also running on Absolute. Winners of these satellites come away with buy-ins to three different Ultimate Poker Challenge events- two $330 buy-in events and a $660 buy-in event. Multi-table and sitn- go UPC qualifiers start at only $2.75.
Game stuck in a rut? Want to learn from some of the world's best? The WPT Boot Camp could be the answer you're looking for, and Absolute is running satellite tournaments that pay out camp prize packages. A $13 satellite could send you well on your way toward learning from poker's greatest players.
Absolute has also implemented an excellent VIP program that rewards their frequent players. A player can achieve one of three different levels (VIP, Platinum, or Elite) based on how many player points he or she accrues in a month. Absolute VIPs enjoy special freeroll tournaments, receive invites to VIP parties and events, earn their player points up to three times faster and gain access to Absolute's exclusive VIP store where they can use their points to purchase anything from tournament buy-ins to laptop computers, to a trip for 2 to Costa Rica.
Absolute Poker still welcomes U.S. players despite the passage of the anti-gambling legislation- in fact, their traffic has grown significantly ever since. Especially given their early-bird WSOP satellites, there has never been a better time to give the games at Absolute a try. You might just bust a bracelet winner in the process.
by Nicole Gordon filed under Card Rooms [Originally appeared in the January 22, 2007 issue of Poker Player]
Each week, Absolute's tournament leader board winner is invited to participate in the exclusive "Mark Seif Shootout." Beat Seif headsup and you'll pocket $1,000. Players will also find Seif as well as many of Absolute's other resident pros in their $200+16, $100,000 guaranteed tournament which runs on Saturday afternoons. Better yet, each participating pro has a bounty on his or her head in this tournament. Knock out one, and win double your tournament buy-in.
Though most other online poker sites do offer a slightly larger starting stack in their big weekly tournaments (say, 2000 or 2500 chips instead of 1500), Absolute gives players even more room to maneuver with a 5000 chip starting stack. Satellites for players at every level are available for the $100K, including freeroll qualifiers which run five times a day.
Over a million dollars a month are awarded in Absolute's "guaranteed" tournaments. From a $5 NLHE freezeout that guarantees a $1500 prize pool to the $30 NLHE rebuy that guarantees $11,000, there is a choice for every bankroll. Sick of hold'em? Omaha 8/b, pot-limit Omaha, stud, stud 8/b, and razz multi-table tournaments are running all day and night. Absolute also spreads multiple daily rebuy tournaments, but with a cool twist not found on other sites.
Though players start with the typical 1500 chips, are allowed to rebuy throughout the first hour, and can take an add-on at the end of the rebuy period, Absolute offers a double add-on of 4000 chips as well as the typical single add-on of 2000. Deep stacks can also be found in Absolute's "super stack" tourneys, that offer 2500 chips to start, even at low buy-in levels.
Dreaming of playing in the World Series of Poker this summer? You can start your satellite quest early on Absolute, where Main Event qualifiers are already running. Players can directly buy in to Absolute's $100+8 NLHE satellites, which award $11,000 WSOP main event packages, or they can grind up that buy-in through sub-qualifiers with bargain basement prices. For only $1, a player can earn a seat into a $10 qualifier, which in turn awards seats to the $108 tourneys. What if you want to play poker on TV but without the stress of a $10K buy-in? Satellites to the nationally televised "Ultimate Poker Challenge" (currently underway at Binion's in downtown Las Vegas) are also running on Absolute. Winners of these satellites come away with buy-ins to three different Ultimate Poker Challenge events- two $330 buy-in events and a $660 buy-in event. Multi-table and sitn- go UPC qualifiers start at only $2.75.
Game stuck in a rut? Want to learn from some of the world's best? The WPT Boot Camp could be the answer you're looking for, and Absolute is running satellite tournaments that pay out camp prize packages. A $13 satellite could send you well on your way toward learning from poker's greatest players.
Absolute has also implemented an excellent VIP program that rewards their frequent players. A player can achieve one of three different levels (VIP, Platinum, or Elite) based on how many player points he or she accrues in a month. Absolute VIPs enjoy special freeroll tournaments, receive invites to VIP parties and events, earn their player points up to three times faster and gain access to Absolute's exclusive VIP store where they can use their points to purchase anything from tournament buy-ins to laptop computers, to a trip for 2 to Costa Rica.
Absolute Poker still welcomes U.S. players despite the passage of the anti-gambling legislation- in fact, their traffic has grown significantly ever since. Especially given their early-bird WSOP satellites, there has never been a better time to give the games at Absolute a try. You might just bust a bracelet winner in the process.
by Nicole Gordon filed under Card Rooms [Originally appeared in the January 22, 2007 issue of Poker Player]
Labels: Review Absolute Poker
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