Summary

Ultimate Bet had a little shaky last year, but they are quickly getting their act together with the help of two of the biggest names in poker Phil Hellmuth and Annie Duke. The initial deposit bonus at Ultimate Bet is great because it’s very large, the clearing conditions are fair and there is no expiry date so you can clear the bonus at your own rate. The competition is pretty solid at Ultimate Bet, but if you hate playing donkeys then this is a positive for you. The ring game and tournament traffic and selection are great and the software is very functional. The security at Ultimate Bet has been questioned in the past, but they are working to repair their reputation and the support team is always available to answer your questions via email. Overall, Ultimate Bet is still one of the premier poker rooms online and the recent creation of the Cereus network with Absolute Poker has increased the player base which allows for better promotions, more tournaments and bigger prize pools.

Bonus

Ultimate Bet offers all new players an initial deposit bonus of 111% up to $1100. This bonus offer is good for all deposits of $10 or more. Your bonus amount is initially put into a pending bonus account and you must earn Ultimate Bet Status Points in order to clear the bonus into your real money account. You earn Status Points by playing in Ultimate Bet cash games and tournaments. In cash games you earn based on the number of raked hands you play at different levels. For example, you earn 1 point for every 2 hands you play at the $0.25/$0.50 tables. In tournaments you earn 1 point for every $0.30 you pay in tournament fees. For example, if you play a $30 + $3 tourney you would receive 10 Status Points. Your bonus is then released into your real money account in increments of $5 every time you earn 100 Status points. There is no expiration for your bonus so you can spend as much time as needed to clear the entire amount.

Competition

Ultimate Bet has slightly better competition than the majority of other online poker rooms. This is especially true at the small stake cash game tables. The high stakes are similar to other rooms, but at least you know there is one player there that you can be online. Phil Hellmuth, one of the Ultimate Bet sponsored professionals, is apparently a complete donkey at the online high stakes tables.

Ring Games

Ultimate Bet is the biggest room on the recently formed Cereus Poker network that usually has more than 3000 players at the online cash games during peak hours. Ultimate Bet has a wide variety of cash game selection including hold’em, Omaha, 7 card stud, razz, HORSE and HOSE. Hold’em is the most popular game at the site and the stakes range from $0.01/$0.02 to $200/$400.

Tournaments

Ultimate Bet has a great tournament selection with new tournaments starting every five minutes. There are a lot of low buy-in satellite tournaments to some of the bigger Ultimate Bet events such as the $200K Sunday Guaranteed tournament. The sit and go tourneys are also very popular with games consistently filling up to $50.

Software

Ultimate Bet’s software is very stable and the game play is visually appealing. There are no avatars at Ultimate Bet, instead the game play design a bunch of empty chairs with names sitting around a poker table. The tables are resizable which makes multi-tabling at Ultimate Bet very doable.

Support and Security

Ultimate Bet has become a much more secure website after the scandal that took place last year. Email support is the only contact provided by Ultimate Bet, but the support team is very fast and helpful.

Deposit Methods

Deposit methods include Visa, Mastercard, Neteller, ClickandBuy, Click2Pay, Paysafecard, Moneybookers, personal check and bank wire. The minimum deposit at Ultimate Bet is $10.

Poker Deal Rating: 8.5/10