Online Poker Reviews

ACED POKER REVIEW

Visit Aced Poker

  US players should appreciate the fairly extensive deposit options available at Aced Poker. As an initial option, both major credit card types are accepted. They use numerous processors and the acceptance rate is above the industry standard. It's also been reported from several players that debit cards with credit logos have a much greater chance of being successfully processed. A major perk for to me for credit cards at Aced Poker is the fact that ID verification for credit cards is merely recommended and not required. I prefer to give as little personal information to the poker room as possible and if your deposit goes smoothly you shouldn't have to submit anything further.

If your credit cards still receive the common denied transaction response from your card issuer, Aced Poker does offer probably the best 3 e-wallets available to US players. My first recommendation would be the UseMyWallet service as I've had a very positive personal experience with them. If you cannot sign up directly through their site I recommend that you ask the poker room to create an account for you. You can either deposit directly from your checking account or credit card with little to no fees. Funds can then be transferred online to and from Aced Poker and several other poker rooms without fees. Withdrawals via wire back to your bank account are also quick and pain-free. The other 2 e-wallets offered are eWalletXpress and PIC-Club.

Overall:  4/5

Aced Poker is one of the newer entries into the US poker market and is hosted on the growing Merge network. While they still can't compete in terms of traffic with the larger network I still recommend this poker room for its unique perks. Firstly, and perhaps most importantly, this is one of the few remaining poker rooms that sustains a player base that is still extremely loose. Aced Poker tables feature flop percentages that are double their counterparts at the major networks, which is a major achievements in the middle of an economy that is causing poker to tighten up overall. The initial deposit bonus is also one of the more generous online at 100%, good up to $500.

Another major positive at Aced Poker is the unique software package. There are numerous features that other sites should take notice of including animated smilies, a deal it twice option, the ability to show only one card, and all-in winning percentages. Of course, Aced Poker still does face some challenges in its tournament offerings and number of ring games, which stems from their lower player traffic. Fortunately, they have improved lately with at least 5-6 active tables up to the $1/2 level and scattered ones above that. Overall, you won't experience the massive promotions and tournaments found at the powerhouse sites but Aced Poker is an ideal candidate for players looking for a secondary casual site with loose tables, an excellent software package, and an above-average bonus.

Bonus (100% up to $500) and Promotions:   3.5/5

The volume of promotions may not be massive at Aced Poker but they are very adept at making loyal players feel appreciated. The initial deposit bonus for players coming from our site is a respectable 100% match, good up to $500. The bonus is cleared by earning VIP Points, which can also be used in the dedicated player store or for use in place of tournament buy-ins. Our players also receive a 100% reload bonus on their second deposit, good up to $200.

Players receive $5 of their bonus for every 250 VIP Points earned. The number of Aced Poker Points earned per hand correlates directly to the rake each player contributes so, obviously, higher-stakes players will earn the bonus much faster. I would estimate that an hour of average play at a $1/2 NL table would yield $1 or so per hour. That clearing rate is about average compared with other poker rooms but the maximum cap of $500 helps to make up for that for larger players.

The other main promotions at Aced Poker are hand-specific bonuses, which I think that every poker room should offer in some form. As a player, it's a rare treat to get a royal flush or four of a kind so it's nice to get a bit something extra from the poker room. Aced Poker gives 100x the big blind for a royal flush using both hole cards and 40x for 4 aces. Unfortunately, it's a bit of a downer to realize that you have to earn VIP Points just to clear the hand bonus they give you.

The Aced Poker Outs system is also a big draw to me as an avid gamer. Outs works almost identical to the Xbox 360 achievement or PS3 trophy system in that you receive VIP Point rewards for completing specific tasks. For example, you'll earn 100 Points for winning 5 hands in a row or 50 after you play your 100th hand. This system gives you a little extra incentive to play well or in an interesting way.

Fish:   4/5 

One of the most attractive features of Aced Poker is the extremely high number of loose tables compared to the larger competing sites. The flop percentage for full 9-handed ring games rarely drops below 35%, even up to about the $2/4 level. That is at least twice the average of the largest poker rooms illustrating the loose-passive player base that you'll encounter at the tables. The pots at Aced Poker also tend to reach above-average sizes quickly with 20-30x big blinds going into the typical pot. While you may encounter the occasional aggressive table bully the majority of players tend to be loose-passive calling stations unafraid to call preflop raises with mediocre holdings. I certainly recommend Aced Poker for players looking for one of the few remaining loose online poker rooms.

As I explain further in the Tips section at the bottom of this page players should resist the urge to follow the masses at Aced Poker to see tons of flops regardless of the price. Experienced players who excel in flop play should consider playing more speculative hands in position because of the increased pot value. However, new players and advanced alike should never fall into the trap of calling preflop raises out of position with weak hands simply because 4 or 5 others are doing the same. At Aced Poker or any other poker room you should mostly be playing the opposite style of the rest of the table, in this case tight-aggressive. If the rest of the table loves to see flops extract maximum value by raising your strongest hands even more than the usual 3-4x the big blind.   

Tournaments:   3.5/5

The tournament aspect at Aced Poker is one of the average parts of the poker room. The number of events is fine with 5-10 taking place each hour but the overall traffic of the poker room simply isn't enough to make any of them a high-value play. The largest nightly guarantees only draw about 100-200 players, which allows you to play from start to final table in a couple of hours but doesn't provide the massive prizes that patrons of larger rooms are accustomed to. This has forced Aced Poker to resort to rebuys and add-ons to build the prize pool. I loathe this tournament style because of the second and third chances that it enables and the wild play that it creates. Fans of this format will be pleased that almost 30-40% of the schedule allows rebuys.

Of course, Aced Poker does still have a few gems on its tournament schedule. They support the bounty tournament style, which gives each player a part of the buy-in for every play they knock out. These run about every hour with buy-ins from $2-15 and are some of the most popular events. My other top pick at Aced Poker would be the evening guaranteed tournaments. Guarantees run throughout the day but most have a sub-$1,000 prize pool and allow rebuys. During the evening EST there is a $5,000 guaranteed rebuy with a small $10 entry, a $1,000 freezeout guarantee for $10, and a $2,500 freezeout for $30. The big Sunday $50,000 guarantee only has a $100 buy-in but does allow rebuys and add-ons. Overall, the tournament traffic still isn't too high but there are some good values in the evening along. The main advantage is the lower time-commitment and less intimidating field numbers.

Software:   4.5/5

One of the main aspects that sets Aced Poker apart from the major sites is the uniqueness of the software. Both the graphic style and feature set have a number of features that seem to add a bit extra to the game experience. While the top tier poker rooms usually have excellent software there are a handful of features that Aced Poker has that should be standard in the industry. The table graphics and colors are subtle dark tones with a different design for each limit level. I appreciate that the active player is spotlighted and colors clearly show who's on the blinds and who has folded. Every player can also upload a unique small player picture or choose from a handful of predefined ones.

Other little touches at Aced Poker that I appreciate include accolade icons like winning certain tournaments, winning percentages shown above each hand during all-ins, rabbit-hunting, animated smilies in the chat box, the ability to show only one card, and a deal it twice option. With the exception of deal it twice, none of these actually affect gameplay but add a little extra entertainment to the games. Players also have the option of creating a grid of up to 4 tables in either full or mini mode. The games speed at Aced Poker is also average to above-average at 60-70 hands per hour for 9-handed tables. Overall, I feel that this software is one of the most interesting online and deserves more attention than it receives.  

US Payouts:   4/5 

The number of withdrawal methods is limited at Aced Poker but each is dependable overall. The fastest method would probably be using the same e-wallet that was used to deposit such as UseMyWallet. E-wallet payouts are processed within about 3-5 days and often come in quicker than that. The other alternative would be paper checks, which can vary in delivery time and usually take about 10-20 days to receive.

Customer Service:   4/5

Both customer service methods at Aced Poker have been effective for me the few times I've needed to use them. I would highly recommend the live chat feature over e-mail, which seems to be active during most hours. There is rarely a waiting period in order to reach a representative and they've always been able to address my questions. While it's frustrating that only higher VIP level players receive telephone support the remaining support methods are definitely above average.

Player Traffic

Aced Poker certainly still isn't at the traffic level of the top-tier sites but they are improving. At the middle stakes around $1/2 NL there are typically 2-3 full 9-handed tables with 8-10 active shorthanded tables. Those numbers are doubled or tripled at the microlimits. I've also been surprised to find about 10 active shorthanded tables between $2/4 NL and $5/10 NL. The limit action has mostly dried up but there is usually a single active table at each limit up to $5/10. The Aced Poker tournament traffic still needs to improve with less than 50 players usually showing up to regular events and about 100-200 for larger guarantees.

Best Features

Loose player base. Aced Poker continues to attract inexperienced beatable players despite the trend at larger sites.

Extremely unique software. This is one of the few sites that takes chances with their software. The extra features such as play it twice and winning percentages are excellent.

Large deposit bonus. Besides the 100% offer Aced Poker has an interesting video game-like achievement system called Outs that allows you to earn extra VIP Points. 

Game Selection: Hold'em, Omaha, Stud, Draw, HORSE

Limits: Limit: 2c/4c up to $50/$100   No-Limit: 10c/25c up to $50/$100

Deposit Methods: NETeller, eWalletXpress, UseMyWallet, PIC-Club, Click2Pay, major credit cards, and wire transfers.

Minimum Deposit: $10

Tips: Perhaps I should take an age-old parental adage as my lead for this tip section: if everyone else jumped off a bridge does that mean that you should, too? Specifically, in this case I'm referring to being influenced by the loose-passive play at Aced Poker. As mentioned in the Fish section the flop percentages are unusually high for the current poker landscape with many 9-handed tables exceeding 40%. That means that you'll usually see at least 3-4 limpers in every pot. While that will certainly increase your pot odds and make speculative drawing hands more enticing you still need to focus highly on position and the strength of your hand.

At Aced Poker, you'll often see community pots with garbage hands competing for a quickly growing pot. Don't let these poor players make you loose sight of what is a positive value play. If you're one of the first 2 or 3 players to act before the flop you should never be playing a hand like 6-7 suited for two important reasons. Firstly, just because the table has a history of limping doesn't mean that a later position player won't make a significant raise. You're then faced with either making a poor call or wasting a big blind. Secondly, even if you do manage to reach your goal of seeing a cheap flop you'll be at a disadvantage by acting before later positions on every street. On loose sites like Aced Poker save your suited connectors and other drawing hands for late position and a small bet.

Visit Aced Poker

Other Poker Sections

♠ Join our newsletter