Sportsbetting Poker Review - Poker Bonus 100% Up To $2,500
With a name like Sportsbetting, it’s clear that this site began as a sportsbook. As the site grew, expansion into casino gaming and poker was inevitable. This move to online poker came in 2012. Sportsbetting Poker is available internationally as well as for players in the US. This site is part of the Chico Poker Network. This is a group of sites which share a pool of players on a common back-end, giving a wider choice of cash games and tournaments to their players. Sportsbetting.com is owned by BetOnline, which also runs a separately branded poker site on the Chico Network.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Playing at Sportsbetting Poker
One of the biggest advantages at Sportsbetting Poker is the relative ease that players from the US will enjoy in depositing money. Deposits are a specialty at this site, with Bitcoin deposits available while credit card deposits have a particularly high success rate in comparison to other US poker rooms. Players will also find a quick clearing deposit bonus, while the player base can be ‘fishy’ too. The biggest disadvantages at the site are the lack of a mobile gaming option, and lack of options outside of the usual cash, sit and go and tournament variations.
Playing Legal Online Poker at Sportsbetting Poker
Sportsbetting Poker is a little unusual in the fact that they welcome players from the US and internationally, in an industry where it will often be one or the other.
Up until 2016, the poker was played on the Chico Poker Network but in 2016 a move was made to a proprietary poker application, a more stable and slightly less dated platform. The traffic levels are the third highest for US friendly sites, meaning finding a game should be straightforward, especially at the low to mid stakes holdem tables. You will still access the same games as players on other Chico Network sites using the original software.
To play poker at Sportsbetting you’ll need to visit the website and download the poker software. This is available for both Windows and Mac machines, and having installed the software and registered at the site, you’ll be playing in no time. Currently there are no mobile poker options.
History of Sportsbetting Poker
The original Sports Betting site came along back in 2003 and while successful for a while, they did run into some difficulty and at one point, the site was in debt. However, in 2012 Sportsbetting.com was taken over by the industry giant BetOnline and this has seen a large upturn in the fortunes of the site.
Poker came along in 2011 and players would hit the tables on the Chico Poker Network, although when the contract was up in 2016, Sportsbetting took the decision to move away and develop their own poker software. This move saw the poker application look much more current, while customizable options were added too. Liquidity is still shared with other Chico sites.
Bonuses and Promotions at Sportsbetting Poker
New players at Sportsbetting Poker will benefit with a 100% initial deposit bonus of up to $2,500. To enable this bonus, you’ll need to deposit at least $50 and then e-mail the site with the relevant bonus code in the subject line (this bonus is not added automatically). This bonus is released in increments of $5 every time a player earns 1,500 comp points, so even if can’t clear the bonus completely, you’ll still receive a proportion of the bonus cash. Players have 60 days to clear this initial deposit bonus. As an added extra, you’ll also gain entry into the $5,000 new players free-roll event too.
All the time while at the tables you’ll earn comp points, where every cent you either rake or pay in tournament fees will earn you one point. You can now use these points to buy into special tournaments within the tournament lobby. Regular players will also enjoy the three leaderboards set up for cash, sit and go and tournament players. In all there is $20,000 up for grab on a weekly basis and the more you play, the more it will pay.
If you play at the Bad Beat Jackpot tables you could take home part of a $100,000 payout. If you manage to lose a hand with four of a kind Jacks or better, you’ll walk away with 35% of the jackpot payout, while the player winning the hand will walk away with 17.5%. Other players at the table will share another 17.5% and the remaining 30% will seed the new jackpot amount.
Poker Games Available at Sportsbetting Poker
A series of tabs at the top of the poker lobby point you to games (cash), tournaments and sit and goes, while sportsbook, horses and casino tabs take you to other gambling options.
The cash game section features games at stakes ranging from blinds of $0.01/$0.02 through to $5/$10 games. As well as Holdem, which is obviously the most popular format, you can also enjoy Omaha, Americana, 32 Card Draw and 7 Stud, while heads up, 6 max and full ring 9 player tables are available.
The tournament section offers a nice variety of events suitable for players of all bankroll levels. You’ll find freerolls and tournaments starting with buy-ins at just five cents, while players with larger bankrolls will like the look of the guaranteed events, with a least $130,000 up for grabs every weekend. The highlight tournament is the $100,000 guaranteed with a buy-in of $109 on the last Sunday of every month (satellites run throughout the month).
The Sit and Go section offers 2, 6 and 10 seat events at a variety of speeds and stakes, while varieties include 1-up games (double or nothing), mini heads up tournaments of 4 or 8 players and crazy instant all-in games.
Deposit and Withdrawal Options at Sportsbetting Poker
Sportsbetting is one of a growing number of sites who see the benefits of using Bitcoin as a deposit option, this hassle-free method ensuring you’ll be playing at the tables quickly and easily (Litecoin can be used too). Credit cards are another popular option, especially when you consider that this site has one of the best records in regard to credit card deposits – Visa and MasterCard in particular. Other deposit methods include a cash transfer, a money transfer or even a cashier’s check, while international (non-US) players can use Skrill.
Withdrawal options include both Bitcoin and Litecoin, while a traditional check, a money transfer or Skrill are also available.
At Sportsbetting book to book transfers can also be used as both a deposit and a withdrawal option.