Online Poker Reviews

ULTIMATE BET REVIEW

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 US CHECKING ACCOUNT DEPOSITS ACCEPTED: An excellent development for US players is the addition of eCheck deposits at Ultimate Bet. The eCheck method is one of the easiest US deposit methods as any standard checking or savings account can be used. Perhaps more important to me is the fact that eCheck deposits can be made directly through the cashier without the need to give sensitive information to a third-party e-wallet. There are no fees incurred for checking account deposits and funds are immediately available for play. The minimum eCheck deposit is also extremely low at $10.  

Alternatives to eChecks at Ultimate Bet include the eWalletXpress service or an attempted deposit with a Visa or Mastercard, which are accepted at a fairly high rate here. Other ways to deposit include electronic cash transfer, which is available at most convenience stores across the country. One outlet that has cash transfer machines in a majority of its stores is 7-11. Cash transfers are fairly pain-free and can be completed in under 10 minutes. Finally, Ultimate Bet does accept a number of paper alternatives such as money orders and cashier's checks.

Overall:   4/5

Providing an objective review of Ultimate Bet is a difficult endeavor. If looked at in a vacuum, Ultimate Bet seemingly provides a solid overall player experience and one of the longest-tenured brands in the industry. The software appears to user-friendly, the tournament schedule is busy with a number of guaranteed events, the signup bonus is one of the larger offers online, and plenty of loyal players seem to be satisfied with their product. Unfortunately, beneath the surface lies an unnerving scandal involving software security leaks and player cheating.

While the exact details of the Ultimate Bet scandal are murky and extremely complex it simply left a bad taste in my mouth about the entire organization. At the heart of the issue is player cheating, which is the number one fear in the back of every online poker player's mind. Player trust is essential to cultivating the online poker industry and it is inexcusable for any poker room to breach that trust. Whether knowingly or not, the fact is that Ultimate Bet left a security hole in their software that allowed certain players to hold a hidden advantage against their opponents.

Ultimate Bet has admitted that a software leak did exist and has tried to keep the matter as private as possible to prevent an irreversible backlash from existing players fleeing the site. Unfortunately, players who aren't in the poker news loop may have missed out on the story altogether preventing them from making an informed decision on their future play. While the image of Ultimate Bet may improve as time passes and the site proclaims better security measures for the future the fact is that no one outside of the poker room administration can truly know the extent of this scandal and what measures have been taken to prevent it from happening again.

All of this leaves me in a difficult decision as to how to present Ultimate Bet to fellow players. My general philosophy has always been to provide players with as much information as possible and allow them to make their own decisions, which is why I'm leaving this review updated and active. While I won't fully support this site because of their security track record the decision of where to take your online poker business should really rest in your hands.

At the very least, I'd like to provide any potential players full disclosure of the disgusting events that were allowed to happen at Ultimate Bet. Most players will probably have a positive overall experience because of the outward appearances and low likelihood of everyday games having security issues. However, please do keep in mind the poor security record when choosing your next poker room.

Bonus (111% up to $1,100) and Promotions:   4/5
The initial deposit bonus is one of the larger online offers at 111%, good up to $1,100. Of course, Ultimate Bet requires significant play in order to convert the given bonus cash into actual usable money. Players earn UltimatePoints through gameplay, which is used as a measure for releasing bonus money. Whereas bonuses were previously released to the nearest cent as soon as a player left a table it is now only released in $5 increments. Ultimate Bet has also dropped the rate at which new players cash out bonuses.

As tournament and low-stakes tables offer few UltimatePoints, regular ring game players at middle-to-higher stakes tables will be the only group cashing out the sizeable bonus at a quick pace. One benefit, however, is that I have yet to see Ultimate Bet bonus dollars expire meaning that you have an unlimited time to cash out your bonus. This essentially provides players with a perpetual small reward on their table play.

Other uses for UltimatePoints include special freerolls and a substantial player store with electronics, poker paraphernalia, and clothing taking up the bulk of the goods. Secondary promotions at Ultimate Bet include a steady diet of satellite tournaments to live events and the WSOP, a tiered program gives cash to the top points earners, and a bad beat jackpot that's regularly in the mid 6 figure range.

Fish:   2/5

The gameplay at Ultimate Bet is really quite tight, weak, and cautious. This tends to be the case these days for higher-profile sites with longer histories and a more established player base. Recent difficulties in offering new players a range of deposit methods and an awful economy only exacerbates the issue. Fortunately, the players generally aren't that much better than your average online opponents, just tighter. If you're going to play at Ultimate Bet, my advice would be to use the weak play to your advantage and play an aggressive game, especially from late position.

The tournaments at Ultimate Bet also play pretty tight so you might want to increase your bluff attempts and continuation bets. This is especially true in Sit 'n Go tournaments, where many opponents on this site will play extremely timidly until they're close to the payout places. Finally, what can be refreshing about the gameplay is the fact that it plays more consistently and closer to actual cardroom gameplay. Ultimate Bet is certainly not the poker room for wild action or calimari buffs. However, this poker site can be a welcome treat to those who are looking for a change of pace from wilder sites.

Tournaments:   4/5

The tournament selection has always been a strong feature of Ultimate Bet and it remains fair despite a drop in overall traffic the past few years. Guaranteed events are hosted about 2 or 3 times per hour with most buy-ins being under $25. The guarantee range is usually from about $2,000 to $10,000 for non-rebuy events. Unfortunately, more than half of the Ultimate Bet schedule is taken up by rebuys and satellites. Buy-ins tend to be $30 or more to guarantee more than $10,000.

The largest weekly tournament at Ultimate Bet remains their $200,000 guarantee on Sundays at 5:30 PM EST, which is about average in size compared to weekly offerings at other sites. The buy-in is also about average at $200 with tons of satellites throughout the week to win a cheaper seat. There are a couple of $100,000 guarantees run over the weekend but with buy-ins of more than $300 larger tournament players can find better value elsewhere. 

One tournament style at Ultimate Bet that I enjoy is the bounty tournament, which is hosted here several time per day. Buy-ins can range from about $5 to $30 with a portion of the buy-in being the bounty on each player. Overall, the tournament offerings lost a bit of its luster over the years with peak events typically reaching only 400 players or so. The guaranteed events occur fairly often but are too diluted with rebuys and satellites. Another negative is the several-hour gap in tournaments during overnight hours. 

Software:   1/5

It's a shame that Ultimate Bet had to discredit an otherwise excellent software package with security faults and possible insider player collusion. Please see the "Overall" section near the top of this page for my full thoughts about this issue. In short, the Ultimate Bet software allowed former employees to exploit glitches and swindle significant amounts of money from unsuspecting players. For this reason, I am forced to give the software package the lowest score possible and not endorse the site with a full recommendation. While the poker room claims that the security issues have been fixed it is difficult to take their word at face-value.

Strictly reviewing the appearance and usability of the software, Ultimate Bet has historically offered one of the top packages. While certain features have been conceded in the move to emulate network partner Absolute's software it still maintains pleasing graphics and an easy-to-understand lobby system. The familiar table graphics can now be replaced with a more minimal look while the hand history feature still remains extensive with the ability to view all hole cards involved in a showdown. Game speed is also kept quick due to very few animations and easy-to-use betting buttons. I also like the built-in counter to show you how many UltimatePoints you're currently earning per table.

US Payouts:   4/5

The cashier is fairly extensive at UltimateBet for US players. While I haven't cashed out via an e-wallet with them recently I regularly receive Fedex check payouts without issue. The total turnaround time is about 5-7 days after making a withdrawal request. I strongly recommend using the courier service and eating the increased cost as opposed to waiting up to a month for standard check payouts. While I don't agree with poker rooms charging fees for paying out players the courier fee is lower than many sites at $25.

Customer Service:   4/5 

Unfortunately, customer service is only done via e-mail. While they can sometimes respond in only a few minutes, other times you may wait several hours for a response. Once you do get in touch, the representatives seem to do a thorough job.  

Player Traffic

While they have never been one of the top contenders for most overall player traffic, the merger with Absolute kept the games fairly busy at Ultimate Bet. The new network is called CEREUS and I have no idea what the source of the name is. Typical primetime tournaments draw about 400-500 players. Ring game traffic is pretty well-balanced between no limit and limit tables. During midday there are about 4-5 full no limit tables at the $1/2 level with twice that in shorthanded tables. Unfortunately, the larger full games have mostly dried up with the lack of player trust following the Ultimate Bet collusion scandal discussed above.

Best Features

Realistic deposit bonus. I don't think that low limit player will completely miss out on this bonus, since it's dispersed to the cent.

Great software but has had security issues. Very easy to use interface with high game speed.

Consistent games. The tables, especially no-limit, are usually weak-tight so you can have a chance to settle in to your seat. You should play more aggressively but also consider slowplaying tight opponents to get some sort of action on your good hands.

Game Selection: Hold'em, Omaha, Stud, Pineapple, Razz, HORSE, HOSE

Limits: Limit: 2c/4c up to $500/$1,000    No-Limit: 1c/2c up to $200/$400

Deposit Methods: Moneybookers, Click2Pay, eWalletXpress, Neteller, Ukash, PaySafeCard, ClickandBuy, major credit cards, cash transfer, cashier's check, wire transfer.

Tips: It is unusual to find as tight of an online poker room as Ultimate Bet but players should be able to adapt to taking advantage of this timid style. Tend to bluff more if you've picked up on a tight player's habits, and throw it away if he plays back at you. Also, I like to mix up my play by making the occasional raise with suited connectors from late position.

As Ultimate Bet has a lower percentage of players seeing the flop, big cards go up in value and drawing hands like suited connectors go down in value. Keep an eye on the pot and see what sort of odds you are getting before you play your 7-8 suited. Tournament play is also similar at Ultimate Bet, and I have had great results with continuation bets after the flop. For example, if you're holding A-K and you're last to act, raise the pot. Even if you don't hit anything on the flop, I would bet at least 2/3 of the pot if you're facing one or two opponents. With 3 or more opponents, this play becomes riskier and less successful. 

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