The Poker Lab Rat

Ever dreamed of going to the Super Bowl? How about the World Series, Stanley Cup, or NBA Finals? Win it All!

The crew at popular online poker site Bodog Poker are sure that you’ll think that he opportunity to see these four ‘must-see-before-you-die’ sporting events in one year is just crazy talk. But here it is… 

The Ultimate Sports Fan Prize Package: Bodog Poker is giving one lucky person 2 tickets to the NBA Finals, Stanley Cup Finals, Super Bowl, AND World Series, including airfare, accommodations, and $500 in spending money to each event. 

Players can earn their entry into the draw by playing in eligible Sit and Go Tournaments between February 15th and March 14th 2010. Easy!

Hungry for more action?  Bodog Poker is also giving away weekly trips and tickets to an NCAA March Madness Game, UFC event, U.S. Open (Golf), or NASCAR event. Plus players can earn a seat at 1 of 2 $5,000 freeroll tournaments. 

It’s easy, just play and cash in the qualifying “Sit and Go” tournaments. 

OK, so what’s the catch? ….

Qualifying for the Grand Prize: Players must cash (receive a payout), in 3 eligible real money “Sit and Go” Tournaments between February 15th and March 14th 2010.  That’s it! And with players only able to earn one entry person, everyone has an equal chance of winning! (Yes, even total poker mutts like me!)

Qualifying for the Weekly Prizes: Players must play in 5 eligible “Sit and Go” Tournaments that week.  There is a new prize each week of the promotion, so players who want to get in on all 4 draws, can come back every week and earn their entry.

Qualifying for the Freeroll Tournament: Getting into one of the two $5,000 freeroll tournaments, players must cash (receive a payout), in 3 eligible real money “Sit and Go” Tournaments between February 15th and March 14th 2010.  Qualifying players will be notified by Email with registration details.

Good luck! 

Mike

PS: Pity finals tickets to the World Cup Football aren’t included too …but that’s just me being picky!

PPS: New to Bodog Poker? Bodog Poker is easy to play and easy to download. There’s even a great 110% to $1100 welcome bonus running for new players in February) The links on this blog post are geotargeted so if you click through you’ll get your local version of this promotional offer. USA residents, Canadians and UK players are eligible to enter.

For more on Bodog Poker check out these player reviews:

>>Bodog Poker Review at GoonersGuide.com
>>PokerLabRat.com Bodog Poker Review

Hiya
Here’s a nice little Texas Hold’em tournament for players who’d like to try Backgammon…

Huh? Backgammon you say…

Stake £20 (or currency equivalent) between now and the 21st of August on ANY multiplayer game at Betfred Skill and you will get FREE entry into an Exclusive $1000 Poker Tournament taking place on Sunday the 23rd of August at 7pm BST.

We’ll be there, wanna join us?

(NOTE: If you are playing Skill for the first time and stake £20 within 48 hours of your first multiplayer game on Skill, you will also receive a £20 Skill Welcome Bonus)

What’s at BetFred Skill? Choose from Backgammon, Gin Rummy, Blackjack, Poker Dice, Domino Duel

BetFred Poker plays on the popular and busy Playtech iPoker Network. For more on BetFred Poker check out the latest reviews here:
>>BetFred Rating at PokerLabRat.com
>>Review of Bet Fred Poker at GoonersGuide.com

We can report that the PDC Poker Bad Beat Jackpot has paid out again at Carbon Poker – this time at over $734,000.

Nine players were present at the table to witness Quad Queens beat Quad 7’s – and all the players received massive payouts.

Congrats to the lucky players who were present for the jackpot – especially Ween10, the “losing” holder of quad 7’s who picked up $257,089.81 for his bad beat, and kdawg1979 with his miraculous four Queens who was a $128,544.90 winner.

The seven remaining players at the table were all paid out just over $18,000 simply for being there at Carbon Poker.

Remember :
The Bad Beat Jackpot is triggered at Carbon Poker when a hand of quad 7’s or better is beaten. That is the lowest qualifying hand in the industry – if this happened at another site, the jackpot simply wouldn’t have gone off. 

So what are you waiting for - get into the action at Carbon Poker now.

The team at PokerLabRat.com has been waiting with interest as two top names in the online poker arena have transitioned to new poker player consolidation networks this month.

First up we can happily report that the poker room, promoted by none other than the great Doyle Brunson himself (DoylesRoom.com), has successfully transferred to the Cake Poker Network.

This move allows Doyles Room poker to continue to offer great online poker to players from around the world - including the USA (except residents of  WA, KY and LA).

Doyles Room has introduced some new promotions (such as the Gold Card Jackpot where special gold cards are dealt at random as hole cards at real money ring game tables) Be first to collect the entire deck of 52 gold cards in any Series and you’II win $52,000! You can also redeem them as you go for tournament entry, etc.

In general the new poker compares favorably with the previous Microgaming poker client. It’s stylish, quick to play and offers some good levels of action…they jury is still out on the Real Time Gaming casino side games now on offer at Doyle Room Poker, we seem to still have major access difficulties but assume this is just a wrinkle in the transfer and will be ironed out shortly.

>>Visit Doyles Room Poker Site
>>Find out more about DoylesRoom.com in the latest PokerLabRat.com Review

This week has also seen the poker division of one of the UK largest companies, Ladbrokes, transition from a stand-alone Microgaming-powered Poker site to become a member of the Microgaming Poker Network. This will have huge impact on this poker Network, especially at the big money cash game level as Ladbrokes was renowned for some of more lucrative UK and European poker play.

Poker games will be available in both U.S. Dollars and Euros, retaining the convenience-factor for European players (sorry, Germans cannot become members of Ladbrokes Poker). Ladbrokes offers web access in 11 languages, accepts 16 currencies and has a wide range of popular payment methods available for players.

The move has come at a great time for poker players wanting to experience this popular poker network as the $4,000,000 Ladbrokes Rake Race runs monthly until April 2009. This poker promotion rewards the top 3,000 cash game players in the Ladbrokes Rake Race Leaderboard with an automatic monthly payout (min prize $100) with no claim required - that’s a share of an extra $1,000,000 in prizes you can play for each month.

To celebrate the move, Ladbrokes are currently offering new players a welcome bonus of up to $1000 as a 100% first deposit match. Only the very committed players will be able to achieve the full $1000 (requiring 10,000 raked hands in 30 days) but even novices should be able to earn a $50 bonus having deposited $50, as this only requires 600 raked hands… be there or be square! 

>>Visit Ladbrokes Poker
>>Find out more about LadbrokesPoker.com in the latest PokerLabRat.com Review

Players can get a nice cash bonus at Canbet Poker

With unlimited bonus cash up for grabs, Canbet Poker Points are a chance for players to dominate their opponents and grow their bankroll in every hand they play, win or lose.

The more a player plays, the more Canbet Poker pays :
50 - 200 : $1 for every 6 points earned
201 and above : $1 for every 5 points earned

To register for this promotion, players must enter the promotional code: POKERP on the My Account page of the website at any time before the end of Wednesday, 30 April.

Make sure you get your share at Canbet Poker

How Good is your Poker? Do you Rate?

Poker is a game with worldwide recognition and a massive field of elite players. A new ranking system, recently introduced at popular Carbon Poker, aims to give players a credible reference on their overall poker skills. The rankings help players to set themselves goals and to monitor play progress better than factors such as “bankroll growth” or “number of hands played” (time-in). It also gives you another statistically based method to “stick it to the little guy” (bragging rights).

This poker ranking system is based on the ELO rating system, a world-class official system popular for ranking international Chess players that has also been adapted for player ratings at some sports. 

The ELO rating system ranks poker players by assigning a base numerical score, with wins and losses adjusting the score as you play. ELO rewards strong play against tough opponents, and penalizes bad play against weak opponents.

This is a long-term fully automated promotion on the Merge Gaming Network (Carbon Poker) and is available to all players.

Here is a typical example provided by by the team at Carbon Poker on how the new player ranking system works:

A player in a bounty tournament with a below-average ELO score may eliminate a player with a high ELO score. Because the high-ranking player is effectively judged as a stronger competitor, the low-ranking player is awarded more points, because they defeated a player far above their determined skill level. Alternatively, If the high-ranking player eliminates a weak player, they will still earn points, but not nearly as many because the ELO system has ranked them as an easy opponent based on their playing history.

For this reason, the ELO system can be used effectively by any player regardless of their time commitment to the game. It rewards quality of play (defeating tough opponents, avoiding eliminations) above quantity of tournaments and number of bounties claimed. While tournament place isn’t a factor in calculating ELO scores, the top players will generally progress to the later stages of the tournament, and therefore this is where all the top points are found.

To rate highly in CarbonPoker.com’s ELO system, you need to perform well with both eliminations and tournament placings. Check out the basics on site at Carbon Poker so you understand the mathematics - e.g. For every 3 consecutive days that a bounty event is not played, players will have their ELO rating decayed by 15 points.

The ELO system works across all Bounty tournaments and Sit n’ Gos, and every player is automatically registered for an ELO score. Play as many or as little Bounty games as you like and track your progress via ‘Player Admin’ throughout each month.

ELO points start at 1500 each month, and the highest ranking players at the end of the month will receive leaderboard prizes of cash and tournament entry coupons as well as player acolades. The counters are reset as each month rolls over.
Check out the Bounty Grand Master promotion at Carbon Poker if you want to know just how good your poker skills are.

For more information on this US-friendly poker site read the latest independent player review for Carbon Poker onsite at PokerLabRat.com.

Despite financial institutions admitting that implementing measures required under the new American ‘anti online gambling’ legislation are verging on impossible, especially without further definition and clarification, some USA based poker players are still struggling to deposit and cash out from their favorite online poker rooms.

The team at PokerLabRat.com understands that a number of previously viable poker deposit methods such as ePassporte are now no longer options for US players. We have therefore developed a summary of poker deposit options at each of the US Player-friendly poker sites that we review and recommend. It may be of assistance to you when you’re deciding which site to join to build that bankroll!

Carbon Poker
With it’s friendly support team in Australia, Carbon Poker offers a couple of reliable payment methods that may suit you, namely: Fonelinx (pre-paid phonecard poker deposits), eWalletExpress (a US-friendly online wallet) and EcoCard Poker Deposits (another branded e-Wallet that takes US customers). Visa and mastercard deposit options are also available for US Players at Carbon Poker - but it really depends on your bank. Prepaid Visa cards are also a viable option for US online poker deposits if your bank does not play ball and let you use your usual Visa account for poker.

Carbon Poker has a good reputation for efficient, no B.S. processing of cash outs to American poker players. If you’re not a member yet at Carbon Poker, use the bonus code FIRST1K for a 200% to $500 join bonus.

Full Tilt Poker
This serious-money poker room requires some serious-money deposit solutions for its huge contingent of US-based players.

Moneygram is apparently the easiest (and cheapest) way to make large deposits at FullTiltPoker.com. Players just need to set up an account then e-mail the Full Tilt Poker customer suppoert team who’ll send instructions to make each deposit a nice discrete, hassle free transaction. Pre-paid visa cards are recommended by Full Tilt Poker for smaller deposits. If you reference the referral code GOG when you sign-up you’re eligible for the maximum deposit bonus available of $600.

Bodog Poker
Bodog offers an amazing online digital entertainment site specifically targeted at USA residents. Formerly Canadian based, Bodog’s popular sportsbook is focused on US-sports betting, their online poker has $5 Million in guaranteed tournament prizes a month and the Bodog Casino has excellent blackjack, video poker and even some slots worth a look if you’re that way inclined…
 
Deposit Methods at Bodog Poker that work well for US based players include eWalletExpress (an online wallet that takes USA residents) and Instant Check/eCheck (instant bank transfers). Depositing a Check by mail is also an option. Apparently Bodog is currently one of the easiest poker sites (and Sportsbooks and Casinos) for Americans to deposit with and they take cash outs pretty seriously with a great team onboard to process these ASAP. Bodog Poker’s latest bonus for new players is 110% to $550.

For more information on each of these Poker rooms for American players use the links above to visit them directly or:

Read the latest detailed poker room reviews of each of these US-friendly sites: 
>>Review of Carbon Poker
>>Review of Full Tilt Poker
>>Review of Bodog Poker

Compare the US friendly poker rooms on one page here at PokerLabRat.com

Last month top Aussie online entertainment site Canbet handed out a £20,000 betting bankroll to one lucky player to place on the Grand National. I did not win :-( , did you?

In April at Canbet Poker you can win a Playstation 3 and 2 of the latest football games!

Three Playstation®3’s are up for grabs, each including FIFA 08™ and FIFA Street™!

Playstation®3 is the most advanced gaming console on the market and the piece de resistance in high-definition entertainment. Blu-ray™ technology enables you to play the latest generation games, as well as watch movies in unparalleled HD quality. You can also listen to music, browse photos and connect to the Internet. Add to the mix two of the hottest football game titles and it doesn’t get better than this!

Three lucky poker players will win a Playstation 3 and 2 of the latest football games just by playing poker!

Register to participate by entering the promotional code: PS3 on the My Account page of the Canbet Poker website between 1 April 2008 and 30 April 2008. (New and existing Canbet customers are eligible to enter)

Earn an entry into the draw every time you:

- Play 50 Poker Raked Hands
- Bet £50 (€65) at Canbet Casino
- Bet £50 (€65) on Sports or Racing

The lucky winners will be announced on Thursday 1 May 2008.

>>Visit Canbet Poker (a member of the Microgaming Poker Network)

>>For more information on this great Australian poker room, check out the latest review of Canbet Poker here at PokerLabRat.com.

The popular UK online poker room hosted by 32Red is giving you the chance to win VIP Tickets to see Aston Villa vs. Middlesbrough on the 8th of March at Villa Park.

32Red Poker is a member of the Microgaming Poker Network - but this is an exclusive offer available only to 32Red members, not poker players from other Microgaming-powered poker sites.

Here’s some details of this Texas Holdem poker tournament:

Date: Monday 25th of February
Time: 20:15 GMT
Buy-in: $5+$0.50 and Guaranteed at $1,000
Tournament Type: Multi Table Hold’em No Limit Tournament with unlimited re-buys during first hour and one add-on after the first break ($5)

The prizes: (What’s in it for me…)
1st Place - Pair of Director’s Box Tickets + Signed Ball
2nd Place - Pair of Stand Tickets
3rd Place - Pair of Stand Tickets

On top of the tickets you’ll also get $100 in Travel Expenses.

The football match plays Saturday the 8th of March at 15:00 BST at Villa Park.

>>Check out 32Red Poker (sorry, no US players)
>>Read more about 32Red Poker (32Red Poker room review)

Good Luck and see you at the tables!
Mike

PS: As Aston Villa Sponsors, 32Red regularly runs similar promotions for their members. This is not just a one-off!

Check this poker promotion one out if you’re feeling lucky - it could be worth a $1000 poker bankroll each month for a year!

Top US friendly online poker room Bodog Poker is about to celebrate it’s Billionth Hand - it’s due by the end of November and they’ve been giving away cash and poker chips all month in eager anticipation of this auspicious occasion.

Bodog Poker is awarding what they call “Milestone Hands” leading up to their billionth. All players dealt in at the table where one of the milestone hands is dealt will receive $109 in Tournament Credits and will split the following prizes: Players in the 1,000,000,000th hand split an extra $10,000, players in the 995,000,000th hand split and extra $5,000, the 990,000,000th hand split $4,000, the 985,000,000th hand split $3,000 and players in the 980,000,000th hand split an extra $2,000 between them. Great. 

Bodog Poker are also running daily draws right up until November 26 where 10 players each day will win $50. Nice. To qualify for this draw all you have to do is earn 100 Bodog Points to be in the next day’s draw. (ie any real money poker cash game rake and tournament buy-ins accumulate Bodog Points) The more times you meet the 100 point threshold, the more entries you have into every draw.

At the end of the promotion there will be one final grand prize draw - with the winner scoring a $1,000 monthly bankroll for an entire year! Excellent.

This promotion ends - not surprisingly - when the 1 billionth hand of poker has been dealt.

For more about Bodog Poker read the latest Bodog Poker room review here at PokerLabRat.com - or compare Bodog Poker with the other top sites for US poker players.