UltimateBet is a good poker room that's been working hard to overcome a bad reputation. Established in 2001, many players have had a hard time forgetting the cheating fiasco of a few years ago, but the Kahnawake Gaming Commission gave the site the “fair and safe” go ahead in 2008, and with the development of the CEREUS Network later that year, things are starting to look up at UltimateBet. Endorsements from pros like Phil Hellmuth packaged with generous promotions have helped the site to rebuild a loyal following.

Praise for RAI$E

If you're a bonus-oriented player, then you'll be happy at UltimateBet. They offer an excellent first deposit bonus of 111% for up to $1100. Keep an eye on the promotions page (and check Gambling Planet often for special readers-only promotions), and you'll pretty much always find a way to get a good match on future deposits, plus their $75 referral bonus is one of the most generous in the industry. They offer a decent tournament package that's dressed up with special event promotions like the Aruba Classic and Sports Legends, but where they excel is in their loyalty points program, RAI$E.

While the points don't add up as quickly at UltimateBet, you'll get considerably more with them. In addition to the usual points tournaments and prize store, RAI$E offers players the rare chance to convert their points back into cash and frequently runs promotions that allow even low-level players to cash their points in. Their popular Steps program also offers point-rich and cash-poor players a chance to work their way back into the money.

CEREUS Improvements

Since merging with Absolute Poker to form the CEREUS Network, Ultimate Bet's software has seen a lot of improvements in the last year. The lobby's a little bit colorful and confused but easy to navigate with a sufficient number of filtering options. Their full software package was also recently made Mac-friendly. They offer the resizable table windows that have become standard issue among multi-tablers, but let the software do it for you by selecting Tile Tables from the player options. There is a nice variety of in-game options but only two table views, which may leave players used to other formats a bit disoriented. The animated hand replay option is especially nice for players that have a hard time following hand history in text.

If the Ring Game Fits...

UltimateBet fills out a decent range of Texas Holdem tables even during their off hours, but is a relative ghost town in the Omaha and Stud rooms unless you're playing strictly $1/2 stakes. UltimateBet players always seem a little looser with both their chips and their mouths, so if you're prone to distraction be ready to hit the block button. Also, flop percentages are a bit higher here, so players with a small bankroll might want to level down when they pick their stakes.

Here Fishy Fishy Fishy

Tournaments are smaller than most of the other major poker rooms, but this is a good thing for time-conscious amateurs with a solid strategy. In the cheaper tournaments you'll see half the field cut itself down going all-in before the first break (and these aren't even the rebuys!). There are a handful of daily sniper/bounty tournaments that offer a good return to tight-aggressive players. The smaller numbers are especially nice on weekends when a field of a few hundred gives you good odds at final tabling in a guaranteed tournament. The one exception is freerolls; the $50 daily prize is puny and yet these tourneys frequently hit 4000+ in their one-hour registration period. It's a great way to get a lot of play for nothing, but not worth it for serious players.

Everyone's Welcome

As long as you're 18, you're welcome at UltimateBet, and that includes U.S. players. Credit cards are the recommended method of payment for American players, though you may have to call your first deposit in. International players have eight other options: UKash, Click2Pay, ClickandBuy, Moneybookers, NETeller, paysafecard, bank wires, and checks. Members depositing with a credit card can take advantage of the site's 1-Click Reload feature which allows you to preset your deposit preferences so you can reload your chip stack without leaving a ring game.