Carbon Poker

Full Review of Carbon Poker

Signing up to a poker site these days can often be a complicated process. Registration takes forever, the software needs a degree in nuclear physics just to place a small blind and the sexy moving animations never quite compensate for disappointing gameplay and an unsatisfactory user experience.

Carbon Poker continues to grow for many reasons, but the real joy of using the site as your first choice of online poker has to be the simplistic format that allows you to concentrate fully on the game itself. Carbon Poker runs on the Merge Gaming Network and functions almost exactly the same as the former poker.com site that enjoyed a massive surge of popularity a few short years ago.

Because of this, Carbon Poker have built their success on the player base of their predecessor and because US residents are welcome to play for real money, the site continues to enjoy healthy levels of traffic and a wide range of player ability.

Even when it comes to promotions, Carbon Poker have kept things simple so that new players can come on board and begin to enjoy the online poker experience without the nail-biting and confusion that seems almost commonplace on many other sites these days.

Carbon Poker offer a basic 100% sign-up bonus to match your first deposit to a maximum of $600 as well as giving free entry into the daily $500 New Depositor Freeroll for the next 14 days. Tight players should easily pick up a few extra dollars to add to their bankroll while gaining valuable experience in finding their way around the site.

There's also 30 days free entry into the New Player Freeroll which gives you the chance to put some playing money into your wallet without even having to make a deposit to your account.

Carbon Poker also offer a VIP program that rewards players with points that can be exchanged for cash, merchandise or tournament buy-ins.

As if that wasn't enough, Carbon Poker have also introduced an excellent refer-a-friend program that sees you earn $25 for each referral as well as offering your friends and family free entry into the $2500 Refer-A-Friend Freeroll.

And just when you thought Carbon Poker couldn't get any more generous, there's now a chance to win massive bonuses for every Royal Flush up to a value of $1000. Simply take part in any ring game and if the big five come up, Carbon Poker will pay you 100 times the price of the big blind!

Because Carbon Poker tend to have a fine balance of looking after both newcomers and longer-term members, traffic to the site is always increasing and currently averages around 3500 players at any one time although nearly 6500 poker enthusiasts can cram the tables during busy periods. Thankfully, finding tables that suit your experience and bankroll never seems to be too much of a problem.

For the newcomer, Carbon Poker really comes into it's own when you finally see the software. The use of vector-based graphics give a simple overall feel without compromising on quality and the welcome absence of complicated gameplay means the new player can quickly find his feet and play poker as if he'd been doing it for years! The images are clear, colourful and give an exciting ambience to your games.

Even so, the software still manages to cater for players who have been around a little longer and offers some superb mind-game functions that are even missing from the big-name poker web sites.
Firstly, the 'rabbit-hunt' feature allows you to view the river card if everybody passes on the turn. Better still, the 'show-one-card' option allows other players to see just one of your two hole cards after the hand is completed and can really mess with the heads of even the most experienced online players.

Players can play up to eight tables at a time and the statistical options are extremely in-depth and informative. Player notes are easily accessible to keep records on your opponents and the replay feature allows you to look back over previous hands while the current game is in progress.

The lobby is simple, with navigation to tables or tournaments clearly defined even though Carbon Poker probably boasts more variations of the game than almost any other online poker site. Players can choose from popular versions of Poker such as Texas Hold 'em or Omaha, but can also take part in more obscure versions of the game including Razz, Badugi and Five Card Draw. There really is something for everyone!

Stakes are available to suit every pocket from the beginners tables at 1c/2c up to a maximum of $100/$200 and can be played short-handed, heads-up or ring. Carbon Poker also host APPT and WPT tournaments as well as live-seat satellite games

Electronic withdrawals are simple and take around 72 hours to process although paper cheques can take up to 21 days.

Carbon Poker offer live online 24 hour support to deal with any difficulties although a 24 hour telephone line and e-mail support are also available. Staff are polite, courteous and knowledgeable.

For the novice, Carbon Poker offers an ideal entry-level option with some great rewards for signing up. For the more experienced player, there's the chance to play the game the way it was meant to be played. No thrills. No gimmicks. Just good old-fashioned hardcore poker!