Absolute Poker

Absolute Poker Overview

Absolute Poker, also known as AP, is a member of the new CEREUS Network along with UltimateBet. The CEREUS Network is the third largest poker network in the world, being one of the only ones to accept American poker players. AP should be a top-option for online poker players looking for legal US poker sites. With their large variety of games and stakes, large deposit bonus, and improving customer support, they are simply one of the best US poker sites out there.

Absolute Poker’s merge with the CEREUS Network means good things for American online poker players. Despite past legislation to shut poker down in the United States, the CEREUS Network has made a commitment to American poker online. Affiliation with poker pros, such as Phil Hellmuth and Annie Duke, strengthen their position as a legal US poker site. This should ease any concerns on the subject. With sites like the CEREUS Network, FullTilt, and PokerStars, Americans still have plenty of options when it comes to choosing a room for American poker online.

Absolute Poker Bonus

An initial deposit bonus of 150% up to $500 is available to new players who have not yet made a real money deposit. Make sure to use the Absolute Poker Referral Code FTRAP when signing up to receive the maximum possible bonus. Two monthly tournaments with $500 money added are available exclusively to those players using the FTRAP referral code to claim their Absolute Poker Bonus. To clear the bonus, you must earn a certain number of “Status Points” by playing real money cash games, tournaments, and/or SNGs. The bonus must be cleared for it to go into your real money account. Absolute Poker Bonus clearing occurs at increments of $5 for every 100 Status Points earned. A player must earn as much of the bonus as they can before it expires within 60 days of their first deposit.

Absolute Poker Games and Traffic

The main lobby will come up after accepting the Absolute Poker download and installing Absolute Poker. Navigation through AP’s games is done at the main lobby. There are plenty of games for ring game players to choose from. From microstakes limit Hold ‘em to midstakes pot-limit Omaha games, there is something for everybody. There are not many Omaha Hi/Lo, Stud, Stud Hi/Lo, and Razz games past the $1/$2 level. Recently, Absolute Poker introduced mixed game formats such as HORSE and HOSE but these games are extremely hard to find anywhere above $0.50/$1 blinds.

There are many scheduled tourneys and SNGs for tournament players to play at Absolute Poker. There is not much traffic in the large buy-in sit & go’s but those with buy-ins of under $20 get plenty of action. There are many different formats such as 1-table, multi-table, and heads-up as well as different styles such as Turbo, Ultra Turbo, and Deep Stack SNGs. Other sit & go’s are offered (besides Texas Hold ‘Em) but they do not get many players.

In the “Tourneys” section of the lobby, players will find high-stakes tournament action. Their featured tournament is a weekly $500+$30 buy-in $100K Guaranteed tournament with the winner taking home approximately $40,000. There are smaller buy-in events, available for those with a smaller bankroll, running daily such as the $1 buy-in $5,000 Guaranteed tourney and their Sniper series which are bounty events. There are many Sniper events including the $3K, $4K, $30K, and $40K Guarantees suiting players of different skill levels.

Absolute Poker Software

The Absolute Poker software has undergone many changes recently and it has risen to have one of the top software interfaces among the legal US poker sites. The Main Lobby is simple and easy to navigate with tabs at the top of the screen to allow you to easily find your favorite games. Absolute Poker also provides a filter which allows players to narrow the selection of games. Three table layouts are available for players to choose from; each very different from the next.

All tables are re-sizable. Simply click any side of the table window and drag to make the tables bigger or smaller. If you enjoy multi-tabling, you can use the quick resize buttons on the top-right of the table to either cascade, tile, or stack your games. While playing, you will notice quick-play buttons which allow you to choose an action before it is your turn. These buttons speed up the games as well as help multi-tablers focus their attention on more important things. The table graphics are simple without sacrificing quality. There is no unnecessary motion and the games do move quite quickly allowing for 100+ hands per hour at their short-handed tables.