Poker Essentials: Full Tilt Poker Room Review

Full Tilt Poker Review

Accepts US Players

Overall: 8.5/10

Full Tilt Poker opened for business in July 2004 and with an insistent marketing campaign, and allowing US players at the tables, has gradually grown to be one of the leading online poker rooms. Many players choose to play at Full Tilt Poker because they have great player traffic, likeable fun software, and they offer a huge variety of tournaments. I really like their original software, which is an interesting mix of professional features and cartooney graphics. Full Tilt also sponsors so many top professional players; this is probably the only site where you can regularly play with the pros. You can test your skills against the best in the game with the likes of Mike Matusow, Phil Ivey, John Juanda, Gus Hansen, and Erick Lindgren. The room’s pros and high stakes action add to the fun factor of Full Tilt, usually after I am done playing a session, I find it interesting to watch top players compete against each other for High Stakes. Overall, I think that Full Tilt Poker provides a good package for the new player with a huge deposit bonus while still offering some high stakes games and a user-friendly interface.

Player Traffic: 8.5/10

Player Traffic at Full Tilt Poker used to be pretty average and consistent, however due to their recent marketing explosions and allowing US players at their site Full Tilt’s Traffic has really expanded. During peak times there can be up to 60,000 tournament and 13,000 cash game players found at the Full Tilt Poker real money tables. There are a lot of players at Full Tilt, so there are plenty of tables to choose from. You aren't locked into deciding between Table A and Table B, so if you take a moment, you can find a table that will fit your style and level of play to allow you to maximize your winnings.

Fish Factor: 6.0/10

I don’t Know Why, but the cash games at Full Tilt Poker tend to be a lot tighter than other Poker Rooms. Even at lower limits the players at Full Tilt Poker tend to be quite a bit tighter. Although these tight players may not necessarily be good players it does make it much more difficulty to win than rooms with looser players. The flop percentages are typically less than 35%, even at the lower limits. One point that I significantly stress is the fact that tighter play doesn't necessarily mean better play. These players are a different kind of fish - the ones that you can slowplay and win a big pot from. You could also with the right timing, and in late position, steal blinds and bluff a lot more. You will encounter a lot of weak-tight players at Full Tilt who will allow you to turn in some nice profits. I should also mention that the no limit tables are noticeably softer than the limit tables. Don't be scared away by the tighter play at this site - I do well here and so can you with the right adjustments.

Software: 9.5/10

Full Tilt’s software is one of my favorite aspects of this poker room and also one of the reason why I continue playing at Full Tilt. The software at Full Tilt Poker is excellent with no discernable bugs or problems. Available for both MacIntosh and Windows platforms the software runs smoothly, quickly and is easy to navigate. It has a carton – fun like feel to it, It’s also a fun and refreshing change after playing at the same sites with the same tedious software year after year. Statistics are provided in the lobby to assist with table selection these are, average pot size, percent of players seeing the flop and hands per hour. There are a variety of player avatars that you can choose from which vary from the “Mafia Boss” to a “Pro Boxer.” You can also change their facial expressions at the click of a button. Tired of viewing the same background for hours at a time? Then change it. Full Tilt Poker offers a variety of game backgrounds to choose from that include everything from the Vegas skylights to the inside of an alpine ski lodge. Another positive is their hand history feature, which displays the entire table graphic instead of making you wade through lines of text. Game speed is also very fast, and I appreciate fast action. One thing I really like is that you can choose exactly where at the table you wish to sit. The table will re-adjust itself so that you can view the table, and your seating position from the angle that you desire. So if you are superstitious about your Poker and always want to sit in your lucky seat then you can at Full Tilt.

Whenever I try out a new online poker room for the first time it always takes me time to adjust to the new software. However with Full Tilt I can honestly say that it took me the shortest time yet to make this adjustment, and I’ve played at a lot of online poker rooms. The graphics and uncluttered user interface is great for the new online poker player.

Bonuses: 9.5/10

Full Tilt Poker has one of the best sign-up bonuses found at online poker rooms - 100% up to $600 and you can claim this bonus by visiting from this site. Every few months there are additional 50% deposit bonuses offered. Players can also earn Full Tilt Points through real money play which can be redeemed for special point’s, tournaments or nifty merchandise.

Customer Support: 9.0/10

Full Tilt Poker offers 24 hour support via e-mail only. The response time is fast, usually within half an hour, and the quality of responses is very high. I have been very impressed with their support system, which has responded to e-mails within 10-20 minutes.