10.0
Ultimate Bet Review
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Update: We do not recommend anymore to play on UB.net due to certain events. Choose one of the other more reliable poker rooms like 888 or Party Poker. Read more in our 888 Poker review or Party Poker review.
Ultimate Bet got into some trouble in 2008 with the “super-user scandal”. It came to light that an ex-employee was able to view all of the hole cards belonging to Ultimate Bet players during a tournament and he used that knowledge to his own advantage. The conman was apprehended, but the Ultimate Bet reputation was shot to pieces. Since then, Ultimate Bet has put every effort into restoring the faith that they lost from their players. They started a new network together with Absolute Poker (the CEREUS network) and the company had numerous third party examiners go over the company’s operations and protocols. Although these kinds of situations are very bad, of course, MarawaPokerClub is of the opinion that Ultimate Bet deserves a second chance. The problem appears to be resolved, thanks to Ultimate Bet’s efforts since the scandal. In this review, we are going to evaluate Ultimate Bet according to our standard set of criteria.
Player Level and Player Numbers
I played at Ultimate Bet for a week and have to say that I am positively pleased with the average player level; it is definitely lower then most of the other large poker rooms online. But, please allow me to explain my findings before you run off to the poker room and start spending. I played at the middle high limits of $2-$4 at No Limit Hold’em cash games. The first thing that I noticed was that there were rather weak regulars there. Nowadays, you will find a lot of aggressive players on the limits up to $1-$2, which is well known with most regulars. But, the regulars here seem to be a bit oblivious about this well-known fact. They might fire at the pot once, but then fold as soon as they get a little resistance.
You would expect to find behavior like this at the lower limits especially, and that is why this site is perfect for the aggressive player. So, if you are a tighter player that wants to take advantage of the aggressive players, Ultimate Bet is not your poker room. Give Betsson a try instead. This is a poker room where many (aggressive) Scandinavians play. Read our Betsson Review.
The player numbers at CEREUS add up to make it the 7th largest poker network in the world. You’ll mostly find Americans here, which is an advantage for those who like to play during the day in Europe (which is during the night and early morning in the U.S.). During the European daytime hours, you will find a lot of professional grinders on the large European networks and those are not the ones that you want to be going toe to toe with. Instead, give the recreational players that play in the evening after a long day at work a try. Or, even better, play against drunk Americans!
Games
Ultimate Bet is geared toward the American market, so they offer many Texas Hold’em games and fewer Omaha games. There are also a few Stud and mixed games, but those are a more rare find. On many sites, you will find these games on offer but they receive very little traffic. But, at Ultimate Bet, you can find action at these games – mostly on the higher levels and limits. On the flip side, the tournament and Sit and Go offerings are comparatively lower. But, we do have to mention that the guaranteed tournaments at Ultimate Bet are truly great.
One of Ultimate Bet’s special features is the Blackjack tournaments, of which there are plenty to go around. Blackjack is of course known as a casino game, where the outcome is more difficult to control. But, there are some perfect Blackjack strategies that can be easily taught and, when played as a tournament game, you can actually play it as a skill game like poker.
Bonuses and Promotions
It is not just the soft games and great software that I am thrilled about at Ultimate Bet. They also feature some brilliant bonuses. It really goes to show that Ultimate Bet is trying to regain the faith from their players by offering some of the best bonuses in the industry. First, the Welcome bonus is a whopping 111% up to $1,100! The bonus is cleared in stages of $5, so you don’t have to worry about putting in too little money on your first deposit. Just use the bonus code UB200 and everything will be fine.
But – there’s more… much more. Ultimate Bet takes care of their loyal players with their “RAISE” system. Players earn RAISE points as they play. The more RAISE points you earn, the higher you get on the RAISE ladder. And, every step on the RAISE ladder has new and different perks. Of course, the first few steps have the common benefits like freerolls and such. But, as you climb the RAISE ladder, you will find that the perks get to be much more interesting. Players that have reached the “Icon” stage will find a bonus package that you won’t find at any other poker room. The biggest feature of the Icon step is the 5% interest that you can earn on your balance! The pro and semi-pro players tend to have hundreds of thousands of dollars in their account that’s loosing value because it’s not in the bank. Ultimate Bet is here to help compensate for that difference. Now that’s a feature worth you while!
Just for this reason alone, Ultimate Bet is a great place for pro players. But, there are also many other benefits to playing at Ultimate Bet if you are a poker pro. Not only is there free entry to large freerolls and live tournaments, but there are also special concierge services for players. The concierge services can give you more free time to play poker because Ultimate Bet takes care of all the other things like booking you for the live tournaments, booking your flight and hotel accommodations and even making reservations for a VIP table at a hippin’ trippin’ club.
Now this is all fine and good when you are one of the world’s top poker players, but Ultimate Bet is also a good place for other players, as we’ve mentioned before in this review. The “Contender” stage (which is reached pretty easily) allows you to start earning hard cash for every RAISE point that you earn.
Software
I know… This review is slowly starting to sound like an Ultimate Bet commercial, because I have to give praise to the software now as well. The game play at this poker room is high up there with the biggest poker rooms of the world. It just looks right. The lobby is very easy to navigate and the actual play is more than comfortable. It’s all smooth sailing and you’ll find all the buttons exactly where you would expect them to be. And, the very important “slider bar” feature works like a charm to make a bet.
If you are one of those players that love to play many tables at the same time, you will be pleased to know that you have the option to resize tables here. The adjustable range of the tables is far bigger than at most of the other poker rooms. So, if you have a 24” monitor, be prepared to put up quite a few tables on there…
Support
You can reach customer support through the contact form on the Ultimate Bet website. After I had submitted a test query, I received an answer within 15 minutes. The downside to Ultimate Bet’s support, however, is the fact that they don’t have a live chat option where you can get immediate answers to your question.
Conclusion
You may have noticed that I am very positive about this poker room. When reading other reviews about Ultimate Bet, I tend to see a lot of negativity but that is usually based on the 2008 scandal. Of course these things should be recognized, but let’s be fair. It was a long time ago and they have shown great improvement since then. It is my opinion that this poker room deserves a second chance and I give it a full two thumbs up!
Short Summary
- Big bonuses!
- A lot of fresh and easy fish
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