Betfair Poker

Company name: BETFAIR, The Sporting Exchange, Limited
Website: poker.betfair.com
US Players: No
Postal address: PO Box 34467
London
W6 9WS
United Kingdom
Country:United Kingdom
Telephone:Toll Free from UK: 0870-9080-120
International: +44-207-074-7272
Fax: UK: 020-8834-8056
International: +44-20-8834-8056
Contact E-mail: info@betfair.com

Site Navigation & Interface: 9/10
Sign-up and Reload Bonuses: 9/10
Transfer: Ease of deposit/withdrawal: 9/10
Fees: Lack of deposit/ credit card fees: 8/10
Odds: Fairness and chance of winning against the house:9/10
Events: Range of events and special bets: 7/10
Service: Questions or concerns met with a quick response: 10/10
Trust: Length of company history, strength of reputation: 10/10
Total Score: 88.75%

What They Say: The Betfair group of companies ('Betfair') offers a global portfolio of gambling products and services. This includes the world's leading betting exchange (a concept pioneered by Betfair), which is provided in the UK. Betfair's other betting platforms include a bookmaking operation provided from Malta and a second betting exchange in Australia.
Separately Betfair's established gaming products include Betfair Poker, Betfair Casino and a number of exchange-enabled games. All of these are offered from Malta.
Betfair is a licensed gambling operator in the UK, Australia, Malta, Italy, Austria and Germany.

Why Betfair?

Betfair offers you unprecedented choice, value and control.
· You can bet that an outcome will happen (back) or that it won't happen (lay).
· You can choose the odds at which you want to play.
· You can bet whilst the game is in play.
· You can play on a range of products and innovative games.

What is different about betting on Betfair?

Back or lay

When you "back" a selection (be it an individual, a team, horse, dog or other), you are betting that it will win. This is just like betting with a conventional bookmaker.
When you "lay" it, you are betting against it winning. For example, if you're betting in a market on which team is going to win the Premiership and you lay Man Utd, then if they win you pay out. This is what bookmakers traditionally do.
If you are a UK registered customer you are betting through the UK exchange, which means that your bets are being matched by other Betfair customers. In this case, although Betfair knows who is on each side of every bet matched, you never know who you are betting against, as it may be a number of people matching your one bet. If you are registered with Betfair from outside the UK you are betting directly against Betfair rather than other Betfaircustomers , but in all cases your privacy and the confidentiality of your bets is maintained by Betfair's secure site.

Choose your odds
If you want better odds than are currently available, you can place an order for a better price, but bear in mind that if your price is unrealistic your bet is unlikely to be accepted. Note that the odds available often improve nearer to the 'off' (or when the event starts) as interest and betting activity in the markets increases.

What We Say:
With Betfair’s establishment in 2001, online poker players are pressed to find a better venue. While the games are limited and the software is a little slow, the security and customer service are superb. The sign up bonus is fantastic, and there is a plethora of seasonal promotions. Payout is prompt with minimal fees, the graphics are crisp, and with the new software and ability to choose your own odds, it’s a “play it your way” kind of site. Veteran and novice poker players alike will enjoy Betfair. Traffic at Betfair is undoubtedly high, especially in peak hours, and there are more than 5 million transactions a day. There’s also a great selection of tournament play.

Betfair Poker Software and graphics:
The software used was developed by Betfair and is very reliable and stable. The gameplay is fast and clean for tournaments and cash games. The graphics are smooth, however I find the color scheme can be hard on the eyes. The site offers multi-table mini-view, players location maps, enhanced search functions and players can enter up to 15 tables at a time. What is especially nice about Betfair’s software is the “poker buddy” tool which allows for users to browse and analyze their hand history. Players can take notes on other competitors and view table statistics such as viewed-flop percentages, average pot size and hands played per hour. The software is very helpful to new players.


Betfair Poker Ring game traffic
As of July of 2008, reports show that during peak hours 1,200 real-money players are logged on to cash games. These players are generally found in the No-Limit and Limit Hold’em tables, but there has been some migration to Omaha tables in the past year. As we’ve said there are roughly 5 million transactions occurring each day.

Betfair Poker Tournament traffic
Roughly 4,000 real-money players log on to tournament tables during peak hours and again, are found in No-Limit and Limit Hold’em matches.Betfair has both single and multi-table tournaments, mostly low-stakes, but have recently introduced a $100,000 Sunday night tourney. Tournament prizepools generally amount to $5,000. They also offer sit-and-go, freeroll and satellite tournaments.

Betfair Poker Game variety
Because Betfair caters more to its sportsbetting, the variety of games is a bit narrow. They offer No-Limit and Limit Hold’em, 7 Card Stud, Omaha Hi-Low, Omaha Hi, Heads-Up, Sit and Go, and Multi-Table Tournaments.

Betfair Poker Rake
Betfair holds an industry standard rake at 5% with no minimim and a $3 maximum. They have a “no flop, no drop” policy that allows players to take pre-flop pots without a rake.

Betfair PokerSoft competition
Again, because Betfair specializes in sports betting, the players there tend to be amateur players. The competition ranges slightly, but is generally loose and passive. Betfair is great for new players looking to hone their skills, especially with the software features.

Betfair Poker Sign up bonus
Betfair offers one of the highest Sign-up bonuses with at $600 after a minimum of $20 deposit. There is a 100% deposit match with promotional codes.

Betfair Poker Loyalty bonus
The Loyalty Program for Betfair is decent. They offer Betfair Poker points (400 points=$10)which can be used to receive better odds on sports betting or to enter special tournaments. There is a bonus payment every Wednesday, cleared in $10 increments.

Betfair Poker Promotions
Users will enjoy freeroll tournaments, Threedom Pass, satellite play, last longest competitions and seasonal promotions such as July’s $25,000 Double Scoop tournament. There is regularly a special refer and earn program that offer $100 to you and $50 to your friend.

Betfair Poker Support
Customer Service at Betfair is excellent. General e-mail inquiries will receive a response within 5 minutes of sending the e-mail. Betfair has recently added a live chat feature, where its operators are friendly and knowledgeable. Telephone operators are prompt and thorough. The site also offers an in-depth FAQ and Help section with search options, as well as links to their corporate website that offers the same.

Betfair Poker Financial & Transactional security
Betfair uses third party security processing such as the Tasmanian Gaming Commission to regulate all financial transactions made. All personal information is transmitted via a high level of SSL encryption and stored on a secure server. Payments are prompt, processed within 2-5 business days with most payment options. Checks are sent the day following the transaction. For some payment methods such as NETeller and PayPal, payments are processed within 24 hours.

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