Ultimate Bet Software
Ultimate Bet has some of the most user-friendly software available in the online poker industry. The software has a variety of built-in features and filters to allow optimization by all players. The graphics aren't overly busy, which alleviates strain to the eyes.
Players can optimize their table play to include color-coding the various chat streams [player, site announcement, observers, etc.]. Players also have the ability to take notes, and color code their opponents in any manner they choose. There are five [5] color dots available in each player's notebox for this identification purpose. Unfortunately, the notetaking function doesn't auto-wrap to the next line, and this requires vigilance so that notes don't stream off the edge of the viewable field. Players have a wide variety of table layouts and background setting to choose from. A great feature is that the table situates the player front and center at each table. Player stats and hand histories are a mouse-click away. Players can turn opponent chat on or off and add them to their "buddy list". Ultimate Bet also provides 4-color deck options.
The various lobbies at Ultimate Bet are also user-defined. Players can optimize the color scheme of the various lobbies to highlight real money, play money and UltimatePoint tables. Likewise, each venue can be filtered to provide the player with information and listings for each type of game they are interested in. Players also have access to various table selection tools like "Players Seeing the Flop" percentages as well as Average Pot Size to help facilitate game selection.
Ultimate Bet's cashiering/bonus/VIP information is easy to learn and utilize.
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Ultimate Bet Traffic
Ultimate Bet is a very large site with a consistently large, loyal player base. Currently, Ultimate Bet is in the top 5 of overall traffic. As one of a few sites to still allow American players, Ultimate Bet's traffic has been on the rise.
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Ultimate Bet Games
The featured game at Ultimate Bet [UB] is Texas Holdem with a variety of limits and styles. Limit Holdem ranges from $0.01/$0.02 to $300/$600. Limit Holdem can be played by Holdem standard play as well as a variety of offshoots. The $4/$8 and $8/$16 games, which have very little if any traffic, are actually MiniBlind games. The blinds at $4/$8 are $1 and $2, and those at $8/$16 are $2/$4. All flop to river betting is normal. This has the feature of allowing players to see many flop and get away from missed ones quite easily. UB also offers Royal games, where all 2s through 9s are discarded. In addition, at the $0.25/$0.50 limit through $3/$6 limit, Kill games are available which are basically doubled limit games when the same player wins two or more pots in a row. Holdem is also offered in No-Limit with stakes running from NL2 to NL 10000. Pot Limit is available in Hold'em with stakes ranging from PL50 to PL400.
Ultimate Bet also offers Omaha, Omaha Hi/Lo, 7-Card Stud, 7-Stud Hi/Lo, Triple Draw [a lowball variant], and Pineapple, a Holdem variant. Traffic in these games are low with the exception of the Omaha Hi/Lo tables which sees decent traffic.
Ultimate Bet offers Sit and Go [SnG] tournaments in a large variety of forms. They are offered for as low as $0.10+$0.02 and as high as $5000+$100 buy-ins. They run the gamut of heads-up, 6-player, 8-player and ten player SnGs, as well as mammoth 200 seat venues. Players may also enter SnGs using UltimatePoints, and some of these SnGs also are satellites for bigger multi-table tournaments. Although most SnG offerings are for Holdem, players can find SnGs for Stud and Omaha as well.
Ultimate Bet offers multi-table tournaments in Holdem, 7-Card Stud High and Omaha/O8 variations, although the abundance are geared towards Holdem. Ultimate Bet has a large selection of multi-table tournaments running around the clock. Direct buy-ins as well as numerous qualifiers, satellites and UltimatePoint buy-in avenues means that there are numerous ways to partake in Ultimate Bet's multi-table tournaments.
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Ultimate Bet Promotions
Players who sign up for a real money account through one of ITH's banners or links to Ultimate Bet are entitled to a lucrative 111% up to $1100 initial deposit bonus. Please use bonus code OUBITHBONUS. Players earn their bonus by participating in raked hands and tournaments/SnGs according to their RAI$E status:
Member - $1 worth of Bonus Dollars released for every 20 UltimatePoint earned.
Player - $1 worth of Bonus Dollars released for every 40 UltimatePoint earned.
Contender - $1 worth of Bonus Dollars released for every 60 UltimatePoint earned.
Legend - $1 worth of Bonus Dollars released for every 70 UltimatePoint earned.
Icon - $1 worth of Bonus Dollars released for every 90 UltimatePoint earned.
Bonuses are paid out in $5 increments when the required Ultimate Points have been earned.
For more information on Ultimate Bet's RAI$E program, see the VIP Program section of this review.
Sunday $200,000 Guaranteed
Ultimate Bet offers a weekly $200,000 Guaranteed prizepool tournament every Sunday at 5:00PM EST. Direct buy-in for this weekly tournament is $200+$15. Satellites run for as little as $5+$0.50. Want a piece of this week's huge prize pool?
The Ultimate Tournament Leaderboard
Every tournament player who finishes in the money will be awarded Tournament Points for each cash multi-table tournament they play in (satellites, Sit N Go tournaments, UltimatePoint tournaments and freerolls do not count for this leaderboard ranking system).
Each weekly Tournament Leaderboard runs from 12:01AM EST on Monday until 11:59PM EST on Sunday – every week!
The top player each week will play a member of Team UB headsup for a cool $1,000. If the weekly leaderboard winner fails to defeat the Team UB member, the prize is rolled over into the next weeks headsup match.
The players who finish 2nd through 10th on the weekly leaderboard will win 100 tournament dollars.
Bad Beat Jackpot
Players who sit down at Ultimate Bet's Bad Beat Jackpot tables can win big when they lose large.
If you lose with quad Eights or better you'll take home a hefty cut of the Bad Beat Jackpot that grows by leaps and bounds with every hand that's dealt at our Bad Beat tables. UB collects $.50 from every raked pot at their Bad Beat tables to build up the Jackpot until some desperately unlucky soul gets coolered by a cold deck...and wins a bundle!
When the jackpot is hit, 25% will remain in the jackpot to seed the new jackpot. 10% goes to the house, and the rest of the cash goes to the players. The player suffering the bad beat gets half, the lucky duck who won the hand gets a quarter, the other players dealt in the hand get $1,000 each and the remaining 25% (and this is where it gets interesting) is divided amongst ALL bad beat players at that limit and game type.
Terms and Conditions
In order to qualify for the Bad Beat Jackpot, the following conditions must apply:
Four or more players must be dealt in the hand and rake must be collected.
The losing hand must contain four eights (8888) or better.
Players sitting out at the Bad Beat Jackpot table are not eligible for the jackpot.
Both hole cards must be included in the winning and losing hand.
Refer A Friend
Playing poker with your friends has never been better. Refer your friends to UltimateBet.com and you can earn a bonus worth up to $100 for each friend you refer. And the benefits of participating in the Refer-A-Friend program don't stop with you. Your friends get to enjoy great benefits. Each friend you refer can earn a bonus worth up to $50 for participating in the program.
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Ultimate Bet Stability
Ultimate Bet has been in the online poker industry since 2000. This makes it a well established online poker site. Ultimate Bet is operated by eWorld Holdings Ltd., and they are licensed by the Kahnawake Gaming Commission. Several high-profile professional poker players endorse Ultimate Bet. The games at UB are fair and safe, and each player's money is secure and safe at UB.
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Ultimate Bet Security
UltimateBet had a security breach in 2006 through early 2007 where an inside employee was able to use several "superuser" accounts that were given holecard information. New management has been put in place yet it is still too early to determine if they have taken the appropriate measures to ensure that all cheated players have been fully compensated and appropriate security measures have been put in place. Players should proceed with caution before playing at Absolute.
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Ultimate Bet Customer Service
Ultimate Bet's customer service is via email only and is available through the site's software. Ultimate Bet has a very good FAQ system with numerous links and an abundance of information available. UB's customer service responses are easily legible and knowledgeable in addressing any questions or concerns. However, the speed of reply is very hit and miss. At times, players can get answers to their questions within minutes, at other times in a day or two. Overall, due to the great FAQ system, most issues with UB can be solved by looking here.
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Poker Tracker Compatibility with Ultimate Bet
Ultimate Bet is fully compatible with Poker Tracker. Holdem, 7-Stud and Omaha in both tournament and cash game forms can be imported and used via Poker Tracker. Hand Histories can be requested via email from Ultimate Bet directly, and then imported manually to Ultimate Bet. However, hands may be imported automatically by downloading the Poker Tracker UltimateHistory add-on program directly from Poker Tracker. This program completely automates the process and is fully recommended by the staff of ITH as a much better option. Set-up and instructions are available for this add-on program.
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Ability to Multitable at Ultimate Bet
Players at Ultimate Bet may play on a maximum of 9 tables simultaneously.
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Multiple Ultimate Bet Accounts per Household
Ultimate Bet allows multiple household accounts. However, each player may be required to furnish Ultimate Bet with documentation verifying that each player is indeed a separate person.
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Ultimate Bet Reload Bonus Frequency
Ultimate Bet offers very frequent reloads throughout the year. In 2005, Ultimate Bet offered a maximum of $2750 in reloads. These are enormous amounts in the heavily competitive online poker industry. Ultimate Bet's reloads have run from the very good [30% up to $100] to the ultra-lucrative [100% up to $500].
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Ultimate Bet Tournaments with Overlays
A tournament overlay is the result of guaranteed prize money that is not offset by the participant's buy-ins. As such, all freerolls and FPP freerolls always offer an overlay.
Ultimate Bet, being a large site, has a large clientele base. Ultimate Bet runs a large assortment of Guaranteed prizepool tournaments on a daily basis. The majority of these tournaments are NL Hold'em, but also include Omaha and 7-Stud. Due to the number of players and clientele size, very few Ultimate Bet tournaments will offer an overlay. Players will find that the limited opportunities for overlays will be likely in non-Holdem tournaments and in the early morning hours of the US.
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Maximum Amount of Ultimate Bet Bonus
Maximum Bonus is $1100 for first time depositors.
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Bonuses Cleared During Ultimate Bet Tournaments
Earn 1 (One) UPfor every $0.30 (30 cents) of entry Fee. Fractions will not be displayed and will be carried over to the next time you play and pay a fee. This amounts to 17-19% rakeback.
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Time Allowed to Clear Ultimate Bet Bonus
There is no expiration on Ultimate Bet bonuses.
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Ultimate Bet Withdrawal Restrictions
It is suggested that players wait 48 hours before withdrawing funds at Ultimate Bet following a deposit. There has been no indication that withdrawing from Ultimate Bet after reloading for a bonus has ever been met with opposition.
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Bonus as a %age of Ultimate Bet Deposit
111% up to $1100
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Are Ultimate Bet Bonuses Stackable?
Bonuses are imminently stackable at Ultimate Bet. All bonus money is added to a player's Bonus Dollar Pending line of their cashiering account screen.
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Ultimate Bet Bonus to Table or Cleared?
Ultimate Bet bonuses pay out in $5 increments.
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Can Ultimate Bet Bonuses be Chased on 1+ Skin?
Players may chase bonuses at Ultimate Bet and all of it's skins.
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Bullajami Discretionary Ultimate Bet Bonus Rating
Let me start by saying that if you are a micro no-limit player ($.01/.02 to $.05/.10 blinds) Ultimate Bet is a 10...a 15 even. This bonus clears unbelievably fast at those low limits in terms of BB/100 hands. If you're a micro NL grinder, UB should be your home.
The clearance rate at higher limits is less spectacular, even mediocre. Traffic is always good, however, and the reload frequency is high. Throw some rakeback on top of there and a fine little VIP program and UB is definitely worth the chase.
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Piscivorous Discretionary Ultimate Bet Bonus Rating
Ultimate Bet bonuses are never-expiring and imminently-stackable. However, their new RAI$E program leaves a lot to be desired. Their parent company, Absolute Poker, has left it's fingerprint on Ultimate Bet. They have changed a once good poker bonus system into one that is very poor in earn-rate and not very player friendly. Once the best site on the internet for players at the micro-limit, I woul dno longer suggest playing micro-limits at Ultimate Bet. Even the higher limits are not easy to gain bonuses through. It takes roughly 20 contributed raked hands per $1 in bonus. Add to this the fact that the Ultimate Bet bonuses no longer get turned into playable cash once you leave the table. Players must now release it $5 at a time.
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Internet Texas Holdem Free Poker Bonus Gift Offer Items Rating
Ultimate Bet is not currently on the Free Gift Offer program. Should this condition change in the future, ITH will update this information.
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Ultimate Bet Bonus 
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