Full Tilt Poker

Full Tilt Poker
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The best players in the world can be found at FullTilt Poker. Founded by poker greats such as Howard Lederer, Phil Ivey, and Chris Ferguson, Full Tilt Poker has become the 2nd largest online poker room in the world by offering a wide array of games and stakes. FullTilt is represented by many other poker superstars including Tom “Durrrr” Dwan, Patrik Antonius, Gus Hansen, and Cole “CTS” South.

While these world class players have done a great job of representing Full Tilt Poker, their biggest impact has come in the commitment to keeping Full Tilt open for American poker players. While legislation attempting to end American Poker Online was passed in 2006, FullTilt was one of a handful of sites to not shut its doors to US Players. Their commitment to American Poker Online is the main reason they have been able to grow to a huge level, only surpassed by PokerStars in terms of site traffic and player base.

Full Tilt Poker offers a fairly industry standard 100% up to $600 initial deposit bonus. By using the bonus code MAXBONUS600 when signing up you will not only have your first deposit matched up to $600 but will also become eligible to play in monthly freerolls and money-added events including the FTR500. To clear the bonus just play real money cash games, tournaments, and/or SNGs. Depending on the rake you generate from cash games or fees you pay in tournaments/SNGs, you will be awarded a certain number of Full Tilt Points. In order to clear the entire bonus you must clear 10,000 points in 120 days. However, the bonus is released into your account in $20 increments, which is great for those playing small stakes who are looking to build their bankrolls.

No matter what game you play and what stakes you frequent, FullTilt will have you covered. American Poker Online players will be very pleased with the game selection. Their cash games can be bought into for as little as 40 cents at the $2 no-limit buy-in level. Those looking to play some of the highest stakes in the world should not worry either as the stakes go all the way up to $2,000/$4,000 blinds! Even if you don’t play these games you can still watch them as players like Dwan, Antonius, and Ivey battle it out for millions of dollars daily. FullTilt offers a large variety of games including Limit and NL Hold’em, Pot-Limit Omaha High, Limit/Pot-Limit/NL Omaha Hi/Lo, Stud, Stud Hi/Lo, and Razz. They also have a lot of mixed games including HORSE, HOSE, OE, and 7-game which includes all seven games mentioned above.

Their tournament schedule is great for players of all skill levels. On Sunday they offer many guaranteed events including the $750k Guaranteed ($216 buy-in), $400k Sunday Brawl ($256 buy-in), and $200k Sunday Mulligan ($216 buy-in). During the week Full Tilt Poker’s “Daily Double” series is a great way to win thousands of dollars for as little as $6. In the doubles players will compete in two separate tournaments that start one minute apart. The player who finishes with the best combined total in the two events will win the daily jackpot. Players will also receive a bonus if they cash in both events. Finally, no talk of FullTilt tournaments would be complete without a mention of their Online Poker Series, known as FTOPS. Over the years FTOPS has grown into a massive series featuring 25 or more events and millions in prize money. Most tournaments cost more than $200 to enter but players can satellite into the bigger events for pennies.

The most interesting game found at FullTilt is their newest invention called “Rush Poker”. Rush Poker is a brand new form of poker which allows players to sit at one table and play up to 300 hands in an hour. This is possible because after you fold your hand at one table you are immediately shifted to another table with 5-8 other players who also recently folded. This process is constantly repeated allowing players to not have to wait in between hands. Currently, there are just a few stakes/games offered from $10 NL up to $200 NL and $25 and $50 Pot-Limit Omaha.

There is always plenty of traffic at Full Tilt Poker for players of virtually every level and game. The only games where a player might have to wait for action are the highest stakes, as there are always tables running up to $25/$50 NL and PLO. During the weekdays there will be more than 100,000 players online and that number can more than double during weekends and major events. Their tournaments reach their guarantees leaving little opportunity for overlay and their SNGs fill quickly allowing multi-tabling grinders a chance to put in some real volume.

FullTilt has always tried to keep pace with other poker rooms in regards to updating their software. They have had some trouble in the past with disconnecting during big events when 200,000+ players are online. This has caused some controversy as tournaments were canceled and players were either refunded or offered a percentage of the prize pool. The lobby is simple and easy to navigate. All of the games offered are found at the top of the screen and there is a filter for players to select a variety of stakes and other options.

Players can choose from a few backgrounds as well as a few themes and standard avatars. Players wanting custom avatars will have to earn a lot of Full Tilt points and purchase one themselves. At the tables the bet-pot button can come in handy for those who play a lot of tables and do not want to take the time to type in a certain bet size. There is also a slider which allows players to slowly increase/decrease the size of their bet. Finally, the Hand History Replayer gives players a visual representation of all the past hands played at the table.