bet365

bet365 is one of the more popular rooms on the massive iPoker network, with good cash-game and tournament volume, great promotions and decent software.

With software also available in 14 languages, bet365 is a truly international poker site bringing players to the table from dozens of countries. The quality of play is actually even a bit higher than your average European site, but not so high that it's unbeatable.

Offering a number popular poker variants, there are plenty of games for both new and experienced players. Tired of No-Limit Holdem? Try some 5-card stud. Limit Holdem getting you down? Try playing the calculation-monster of a game that is Omaha Hi/Lo.

With great traffic numbers, thanks to the prolific iPoker network, there's plenty of action to be had at bet365; the high-stakes games aren't always well populated, but micro- through medium-stakes tables are usually available in droves.

A solid tournament schedule also makes bet365 a good choice for tournament players of any stake or experience level. Tons of daily guaranteed tournaments run around the clock, and the live satellite tournaments are a great way to get to the biggest poker tournaments around the world.

Games offered at bet365 are Texas Hold'em, Omaha, Omaha Hi-Lo, Seven-Card Stud, Five-Card Draw and Five-Card Stud. Real-money player statistics as of February 2010 show 10000 ring-game players and 55000 tournament players at peak hours.

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Bonus Code and Promotions (9)

Exclusive up to $$500.00 bonus at 300% deposit match for players that sign up through a PokerListings link.

Bet365 bonus code for PokerListings players: PL600

Bonus Payout: Bonuses pay out in $10 dollar increments for each 1,200 merit points earned. At cash tables, merit points are earned depending on the rake collected from the hand. For example $2.25 in rake is worth 6.00 merit points.

For each $1 in tournament fees you earn 15 merit points. Bonus clearing time is 60 days.

Loyalty Program/Promotions

bet365's Merit Program allows players to earn points as they play real-money cash games or tournaments. As mentioned above, the higher the rake, the higher the Merit Points earned. Players who make 1,000, 10,000 and 25,000 become Silver, Gold and Platinum members with the higher the ranking, the more promotions and bonuses you're eligible for.

Freerolls, cash rewards and a holiday lottery are some of the perks you have access too as you climb the ranks. bet365 also offers a number of good, regular promotions to its players. Jackpot sit-and-gos get as high as $120,000 for taking down six consecutive SNGs.

Tournament and SNG leaderboard challenges also give players a shot at bonus cash every week. bet365 also has a lot of live-tournament satellites and promotions throughout the year.

> Sign up through a PokerListings link and receive a $600 bonus at 300% deposit match

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Tournaments and Freerolls (9)

bet365 offers a solid tournament schedule with a lot of guaranteed tournaments throughout the day and usually satellites running for a few live tournament packages, such as the WPT and the WSOP.

The tournaments don't usually have much of an overlay and the field sizes are usually around 300-600 players for the regular weekly tournaments.

Tournament players at bet365 are pretty bad in general, but not as abysmal as some other sites. There will be some competition, but not unbeatable. With the large number of tournaments, getting deep into the money should not be a problem for any decent tournament player.

bet365 doesn't offer a lot of freerolls, but sometimes they have satellite freerolls into big tournaments, allowing players to take a shot at the big dollars with no money down.

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Software and Graphics (9)

bet365 runs on customized iPoker software from PlayTech. Overall you get what you expect and playability is fine. You can take notes on players, the lobby shows the usual stats, and there is some limited statistical information available at the table, but only on your own play.

Missing is a player-indicator button that lets you mark players for quick glance information. One function useful for clearing bonuses is the lobby counts raked hands, making it easy for a player to keep track of how much he or she has played.

bet365 doesn't offer resizable tables, but they do have mini and normal-sized tables plus a full-screen mode. Overall it's not optimal for multi-table play and a bit clunky, but decent for players still learning how to play more than one table at a time.

Special functions are the mini-view that helps multi-table play on smaller monitors and the table-integrated statistics. bet365 also shows all-in odds directly at the table, has a great in-software search function and a good "Buddy list" tool. Playing in "mini-table mode" is recommended as its design is a bit better than playing in normal Cascade mode.

For a direct bet365 download, click the green "Free Download" link above.

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Soft Competition (9)

Play at bet365 is remarkably better than most sites these days, especially for a European site.

High stakes play will be more challenging than the average site. Expect the standard high volume of fish at the low and micro stakes however - lots of drifters in from the casino and sportsbook.

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Support (8)

Support is great with a 24/7 live-chat feature where the staff are knowledgeable and quick. Support is also available via phone and email.

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Deposit Withdrawal Options (9)

Deposit options: Visa, Mastercard, Maestro, Visa Electron, Laser, Cheque, Bank Wire, Moneybookers, MoneyTT, EntroPay, Click2Pay, Instadebit and Neteller.

Withdrawal options: Visa, Mastercard, Maestro, Visa Electron, Laser, Cheque, Bank Wire, Moneybookers.com, Click2Pay and Neteller.

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