Though not the largest poker room online, Full Tilt Poker is one of the most recognizable thanks to an aggressive marketing plan that capitalizes on the growing interest in poker pros, instead of the usual freebies. The site invites visitors to “learn, chat and play with the pros.” Most notably, Phil Ivey has become the face of Full Tilt, and with all his recent TV appearances they're certainly getting their money's worth. The traffic is good and getting better and the tournament opportunities are second only to Poker Stars.
100% First Deposit. Reloads Replaced by Special Events
New Full Tilt players are greeted with a 100% matching bonus good for up to $600 on their first deposit. Use it wisely though, because reload bonuses are rare here. While the bonuses are few and far between, Full Tilt compensates with a generous loyalty points program. In addition to their regularly scheduled Happy Hour events (which offer double or triple points), Full Tilt's Take2 promotion is getting a lot of free publicity from the poker world. The Take2 program offers double points while multi-tabling plus cash bonuses for days played but it only runs a month at a time, and you must preregister to earn the double points. Full Tilt pads the rest of its promotions roster with special events and satellites.
Software Designed by the Players for the Players
Full Tilt Poker uses its own unique software which was designed with the input of pros, and it shows. While the default Basic View of the lobby may be helpful to newbies, it's downright frustrating for a player that wants to see table or tournament stats. Click the “Standard View” button for a more traditional lobby. From there finding the perfect table is easy thanks to a simple layout and ample filter options. Still don't like the lobby? You can set it up however you like using the Customize option at the bottom. There's also a decent array of table view options, though traditionalists may find the table themes a bit tacky.
The site allows players to participate in up to 18 hands at once. The windows resize well, and in mini-table mode you can have up to nine non-overlapping game screens on your monitor at once. Once your tables are arranged, moving between them won't minimize inactive windows, though clicking the lobby will minimize all of them. All in all, Full Tilt offers some of the easiest software to use and enjoy, and with an unprecedented 18 languages no one's been left out.
A Nice Spread and Action Beyond Holdem
Full Tilt hosts approximately 50,000 to 100,000 players at any given time. Supposedly 100 pros are playing 1600 hours a week at Full Tilt, but you won't see them in the low and micro-stakes rooms where the competition is still exceedingly soft. Stakes range from as little as $.01/$.02 to as much as $2000/$4000, though you can expect a wait at the high end. Full Tilt is one of the few rooms that can boast of steady stud, Omaha and mixed game action (mostly at the micro, low and medium stakes).
Big Tournaments. No Wasted Entries.
Full Tilt is an all you can play buffet of tournaments. They've got a great daily spread of events with good but not overwhelming numbers, and for a quick fix you can always try one of their many sit n gos. They're one of the most WSOP satellite-heavy poker rooms, so expect more and better competition during qualifying periods. Cash and guaranteed buy ins start at $.10 while the first step of a satellite could cost you as little as $.60. Face the Ace qualifiers are supposedly freerolls but actually require FTP buy ins; while they end in November of 2009, another season will likely mean more satellites.
As an added bonus, if you can't attend a tournament you satellited into, you can unregister and will be awarded T$ that can be used for another event.
Limited Payment Methods
Full Tilt accepts only four deposit methods: credit cards, Instant eChecks, Cash Transfer or Click2Pay. They charge a 3% depositing fee for Click2Pay; all other methods are free (though participating Cash Transfer vendors may charge their own fees). There's a low $10 minimum first-time deposit for credit card, eCheck and Click2Pay users, but the Cash Transfer service is strictly for high rollers depositing $250 or more at a time. Full Tilt still readily accepts American players, but you won't have the Click2Pay depositing option. Full Tilt also offers the “single click” depositing feature where players that preset their deposit preferences can buy more chips from the game table.
Withdrawal options are even more scant; the site recommends using checks. Players requesting checks must first send scanned copies of a valid photo id and proof of address. Once their identity and location are confirmed, it will take approximately 15 business days to receive a check. Non-American players can withdraw $50-$8000 instantly using Click2Pay.
