|
Visit
Paradise Poker
|
Overall:
3/5
Bonus and Promotions:
3/5
Fish Rating:
2/5
(was the water too warm?)
Tournaments:
4/5
Software:
4/5
Payouts:
4.5/5
Customer Service:
3/5
|
Overall:
3/5
Paradise Poker
was one of the first to enter the online poker scene, and they're
making a new push with several television ad spots and the Million
Dollar Freeroll promotion, which has been huge for them. Giving
everyone a free shot at the grand prize is pretty generous. The odds
are stacked against you with so many opponents entering these
events, but you're getting a chance at a million bucks to play a
freeroll, so give it a try at some point. Aside from the big
promotions, they're experiencing a big boom in traffic, so ring
games are very busy. I like that you can find full no-limit ring
games at any time of the day. A couple of downsides include sluggish
software and stronger players. For tournaments, they also offer one
of the busiest schedules online. With their decision to stop
servicing US players, the traffic will decrease and we've adjusted
their score accordingly.
Bonus (25%
up to $50) and Promotions:
3/5
As I mentioned, their current big
promotion is the second Million Dollar Freeroll. Through our site,
you're eligible for one free entry into the event.
Use this link
to go to Paradise, download the software, set up a real money
account, and you'll be able to play your first heat free. I
recommend playing the latest event of the day, as it offers more
final tournament seats and typically has less entrants. If you
survive the heat and make it to the final tournament, they actually
have a nice prize pool that pays quite a few places. The tournament
will stop when the final 10 are reached, and these players will
compete for the $1,000,000 grand prize aboard a cruise ship. All in
all, it's a very neat promotion for a freeroll. Right now, the first
two Paradise Million tournaments have completed, but we'll keep you
posted about a possible third event. This site mainly have rotating
promotions, so check out their
homepage
for current events. Other than that, our
visitors are eligible for a 25% first deposit bonus up to $50.
Use this link
and enter bonus code "FIRST25" at signup. They have a
standard cashout policy of 10 raked hands per $1 of bonus money.
Fish:
2/5
Again, older sites like
Paradise Poker
tend to have many players who have survived from the beginning of
their operations. They're loyal to this site, and they tend to be
tighter (and maybe a little bit better) than the average player.
You'll find flop percentages quite low from 25-35% in a middle
stakes no-limit ring game. This is their biggest downside: the
tighter players and lack of bass and trout. However, this can be an
advantage to some players who thrive in tighter games and despise
suck outs.
Also, the tables are beginning to open up a bit with the spillover
of inexperienced players who came for the big freeroll so the games
are looser than they have been historically.
Tournaments:
4/5
I have been impressed with
Paradise Poker's
increase in tournament traffic with their latest promotions. They
probably offer one of the busiest tournament schedules, however
micro buy-in players might not find as many smaller events. Typically,
the buy-ins range from $15-30. During peak hours, there are 4 or 5
tournaments per hour. Recently, they've added a weekly $100,000
guaranteed event every Sunday. Even better, they're offering a
$50,000 tournament every night with a $30 buy-in. That's a very low
buy-in for such a large event. I find that Paradise tournaments tend
to run more like cardroom tournaments, and tend to favor skillful
players. Of course, you can also still register for the Million
Dollar Freeroll, which gives you 3 chances to make the final event.
Use any of our links to receive a free entry into the heat of your
choice.
Software:
4/5
The
Paradise
Poker software doesn't get points taken
off for the actual software features or graphics. In reality, I'm
actually quite fond of their software because of all the neat little
quirks. The visuals are decent, but not particularly detailed. I
like the island theme and color scheme to the tables. Also, they
have a lot of quirky features that I find fun to play with. For
example, if you're on a break from your tournament, you can open up
a play-for-fun blackjack table. I don't recommend throwing your
money away at the real thing, but true gamblers might like this. Also, at seemingly random times, a
hand that wins a showdown will light on fire. Finally, you can order
a cocktail or a burger from the virtual snack bar and have it
delivered to the little table next to you. It doesn't affect
anything with the game, but it's little stuff like this that keeps
me entertained here. They also provide all the standard table
options for functionality, including a detailed player stats
feature. The
Paradise Poker software only receives a point down because of the game
speed. It isn't atypical to find games running only 35 or 40 hands
per hour. Be prepared to open multiple tables to keep yourself
occupied if you like faster games.
Payouts:
4.5/5
They have been around for over 6 years,
and continued to be one of online poker's leading rooms until the
recent decision to pull out of the US market. They're
owned by SportingBet. Payouts are
typically very consistent and you have your NETeller withdrawal
within a day.
Customer Service:
3/5
Paradise Poker doesn't offer telephone
or live chat support, thus I give them a point off for customer
service. It's surprising that such an experienced site hasn't opened
up their own telephone number, yet. Their e-mail support is good, however, and you'll
get a
response quickly.
Player Traffic
The player traffic had started to wane
over time, but they've really opened up again with the Million
Dollar Freeroll promotion. You can find plenty of ring games going
on, and their tournament traffic is excellent. Overall, you
shouldn't have a problem finding your desired game or tournaments
here. Serious tournament players will find a good draw to larger
buy-in tournaments, as they are pretty popular.
Best Features
 Site stability. This is one of the
long-time trusted names in online poker, so they may be a good
choice for those wary of trying out a new site.
Good tournament traffic. The tournament
traffic is quite high, and you shouldn't need to open up another
site to find good tournament variety.
Interesting software. They offer little
quirks in the software that help to enhance the game for me such as
a "snack bar".
Game Selection: Hold 'em,
Omaha, 7 card stud, 5 card stud, Pineapple
Limits: 2c/4c up to
$40/$80 No-Limit: 1c/2c up to $2.50/$5
Deposit Methods:
NETeller, Firepay,
major credit cards, and wire transfers.
Minimum Deposit:
$20
Tips for Paradise Poker:
Paradise Poker has loyal players that have been around since the
beginning. Tend to mix up your play, raise from late position with a
variety of hands, and play consistently. Players at Paradise are
probably a bit more observant than other sites, so be sure to show
down strong cards and create a strong table image for yourself. This
will allow your high-percentage bluffs to be more successful. At the
same time, you should still be aware of the fish at the table and
make them pay for their draws. While you may put bad draws in the
back of your mind at a tighter table, you'll still want to raise
your strong hands to make it more difficult for trash hands to catch
a monster flop. Many players shy away from tighter sites, but I
don't think that is necessary. Frankly, I actually action that keeps
me on my toes once in a while. In return for you having to play a
little better, you'll receive a lower percentage of potential suck
outs in return.
Visit Paradise Poker
|
