Absolute Poker

Absolute Poker Highlights
U.S. Players	No
Poker Network	CEREUS Poker Network
VIP Club	Yes
Bonus	100% up to $500
Referral Code	AP500
Bonus Difficulty	7/10
Multi-Tabling	14
No Limit Stakes	$0.01 - $0.02 up to $200 - $400
Limit Stakes	$0.02 - $0.04 up to $500- $1,000
SNG Stakes	$0.10 + $0.01 up to $5,000 + $100
Minimum Deposit Amount	$10
Compatibility	Windows XP+, Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger)+ Download
Supported Languages	English, Deutsch, Svenska
Pros	There’s plenty of good action at low and micro stakes NLHE and FLHE at Absolute Poker. Low stakes PLO tables are active during primetime. The software is clean, crisp, and plays quickly.
Cons	For mid and high stakes players there is very little action. Very little action outside of Hold’em and Omaha even during prime time. While there are plenty of SnG tourneys, they are slow to fill. Very limited freeroll action.

Absolute Poker, also known as AP, is one of the members of the new CEREUS Network along with Ultimate Bet. Absolute Poker is one of the more highly frequented poker sites. They have a large variety of games and stakes, a solid deposit bonus, and ever-improving customer support.

AP’s recent merger with the CEREUS network is a great sign for those looking to play poker online. Previously, the CEREUS network had made a commitment to American poker online despite past legislation which attempted to shut the game down. Their affiliation at the time with notable poker professionals Annie Duke and Phil Hellmuth further strengthened their position on American Online Poker. However, along with sites like the CEREUS Network, FullTilt, and PokerStars, they chose to leave the American market after the indictments against poker rooms and their processors on April 15, 2011.

Players who have not previously deposited at Absolute Poker should take full advantage of their 150% up to $500 initial deposit bonus. In order to receive the maximum possible bonus be sure to use the referral code FTRAP when signing up. As an added bonus you will also become eligible to play in two monthly added events totaling $500 in free money. To clear the bonus you must earn a certain number of “Status Points” by playing real money cash games, tournaments, and/or SNGs. Your bonus will be released into your account in $5 increments as soon as you earn 100 Status Points. You only have 60 days to earn as much of your bonus as possible so make sure you’re ready to play some poker once you deposit.

After downloading and installing the AP Software you will be brought to their Main Lobby. Here you will be able to navigate throughout all of their games and stakes. For cash game players there is plenty of action from the micro-stakes up to their mid-stakes Limit/NL Hold’em and Pot-Limit Omaha games. Other games such as Omaha Hi/Lo, Stud, Stud Hi/Lo, and Razz are not heavily populated past the $1/$2 level. AP recently introduced mixed game formats including HORSE and HOSE but neither seems to be catching on as there may be 1-2 tables running above $.50/$1 blinds.

For tournament grinders, AP does have a nice selection of both scheduled events and SNGs. Just like their ring games there does not seem to be a lot of traffic in their bigger buy-in SNGs while the $20 and under games seem to get plenty of play. There are many different formats including 1-table, Multi-Table, Heads-Up as well as different styles including Turbo, Ultra Turbo, and Deep Stack SNGs. AP does offer non-Hold’em SNGs but once again, just like their cash games, they do not get a lot of action.

Those looking for a bigger payday should check out the “Tourneys” tab which is constantly growing every month. The weekly $100k Guaranteed is a $500+$30 buy-in tournament which typically pays around $40,000 to the winner. There are also a decent amount of smaller buy-in events which run daily including the $1 buy-in $5,000 Guaranteed and their Sniper series, which are Bounty events. There are many Sniper events including the $3k, $4k, $30k, and $40k Guarantees which suit players of all different skill levels.

The software at AP has seen a lot of changes recently and has quickly become one of the best in the business, a real treat for American poker online players. The Main Lobby is simple and easy to navigate with tabs at the top of the screen to allow you to easily find your favorite games. You can also take advantage of their lobby filter which allows you to zero in on certain games and stakes. There are three basic table views to choose from as each gives quite a different look than the others.

Once at your table you may adjust their size by clicking any edge and dragging your mouse to expand or reduce the size of your table. If you enjoy multi-tabling you can use the quick resize buttons on the top right of the table to either cascade, tile, or stack your games. While playing you will notice quick-play buttons which allow you to choose an action before it is your turn. These buttons not only help speed up the games but also allow those playing multiple tables to focus their attention where needed. Finally, the table graphics are simple yet effective. There is no unnecessary motion and the games do move quite quickly allowing for 100+ hands per hour at their short-handed tables.