Mansion Poker was one of the first sites to react to America's UIGEA - i.e., the legislation that says credit-card companies can't collect payments for wagers made by U.S. residents - by suspending all real-money gaming in the United States. Like its competitors, who ultimately resigned themselves to the same fate, Mansion's traffic suffered a blow. But recent changes, both within the company and on the site, have brought Mansion back to the fore.
Originally an independent site, Mansion has now joined the OnGame poker network and has done such a remarkable job developing its software that its package is truly fantastic. Not only does it offer a full range of poker games, but it also offers casino games and a sportsbook - and all under just one account.
If first impressions count, then the site scores top marks for its great design. The software is not only solid and secure, but it also allows for fantastic customization. This is no small feat considering that it was, for much of the site's history, designed and maintained internally. But, joining Ongame has enhanced Mansion's software without compromising its original strengths. Now, Mansion enjoys all the perks OnGame has to offer - including first class graphics, fast processing and a sleek design - while still maintaining its classic Mansion feel.
Its promos, meanwhile, are way above industry standards. Monster free rolls and add-money tourneys with huge overlays are just a few examples to whet any player's appetite. What's more, the site's guaranteed-prize tourneys - including weekly $150,000 and $110,000 events - are truly unique in the online-poker world.
With these tournaments expected to not only continue but increase in volume and prize packages, Mansion will likely attract even more interest in coming years. And, since joining OnGame, what was once an inconsistent, fairly small player pool has become a steady stream of new players that sign-up and sit a spell; Mansion Poker's member base includes about 8,000 ring-game players at peak hours and 40,000 during tournaments.
To be fair, though, Mansion does have its weak points. Its games, for instance, are mainly low-stakes, and until the move to OnGame, were limited to limit and no-limit Texas Hold'em. So, even though the site now offers a full suite of Omaha, Omaha Hi/Lo, Seven Card Stud and Five Card Draw, players haven't exactly been racing to these tables.
Of course, this wouldn't normally be enough of a gaff for us to subtract points, but added to the fact that Mansion only provides customer support in English, we've had to kick our rating down one-tenth of a notch.
All in all, then, Mansion Poker is a solid site, whose partnership with OnGame is really just the cherry on top of an already piled-high sunday. We can with a clear conscious recommend you give it a shot and have no qualms assigning it an overall 8.5 rating.
