BetOnline is a US-friendly poker room, which is part of the Chico Poker Network. The site has been in operation since 2004 and is owned by a subsidiary of Thort Management, with an e-gaming license issued by the Government of Panama. In addition to real money poker BetOnline also offer a sportsbook and casino games.
You can access the games on BetOnline Poker via the downloadable client, which is available for Windows or Mac computers. There is also a mobile poker room which works through the browser of both Apple and Android devices. While the software does the job on all platforms, it is not the most comfortable to use or visually attractive. Plus the blackjack table which appears at the side of your poker games on the desktop platform can be off-putting to some poker fans.
Here you can discover all that BetOnline has to offer. Starting by looking at the cash games and tournaments, you will then see what bonuses are on offer along with the accepted payment methods.
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Cash Games at BetOnline Poker
No Limit Hold’em cash games on BetOnline are split into two groups, with Micro/Low Stakes covering $0.01/0.02 – $0.25/0.50 blinds and Medium/High Stakes going up to $5/10. These are played out over 10 handed and 6 handed tables, with 4-max and heads-up. You can also find a smaller selection of Pot Limit and Limit games running.
Omaha is the only alternate game you can find on the site, although there is the High/Low variant too, and blinds go up to $2/4. These are spread with Pot Limit and No Limit betting for the High only Omaha, with Fixed Limit betting included in the split pot game. BetOnline Poker does not currently have a fast-fold poker variation.
While the game selection is small, the competition is soft. BetOnline attracts a lot of recreational players who have come over from the sportsbook and casino site, and you can see a lot of loose and weak play going on. This is especially true at the lower levels, where traffic is highest, and any knowledgeable player should be making money here.
BetOnline Poker Tournaments
BetOnline scheduled tournaments are mostly targeted at lower stakes players, with plenty of games running at the $11 level and below. One advantage here is that the field sizes are not huge, even in the micro stakes, so you can find success more often with achievable final tables and wins. There are some decent guarantees here too, such as the regular $2k guarantee for an $8.80 buy-in. Medium stakes players can also find daily action with a handful of games ranging from $16.50-$110 buy-in.
From Monday to Friday at 20.30ET, BetOnline run their $5000 guaranteed tournament. This has a buy-in of $11 and every night awards 20 lucky players a free seat to the same game next week. This is by far the biggest daily tournament on the site. At the weekends you can enjoy BetOnline’s $10k guarantee, which is a $22 buy-in game.
You can also find a decent number of Sit and Goes, which run from pennies up to $100 buy-ins. These are mainly full ring, 6-max and heads-up games, although there are some multi-table SNGs which typically just have two tables. Generally the competition is weak, as the low traffic does not attract many grinders.
Bonuses and Promotions from BetOnline Poker
BetOnline offer new customers a 200% matched Poker Bonus, up to $1000 when they first fund their account. As you play real money games you then earn POPs points at 1point per 10c raked. These can be used to track your bonus, which is released into your account in 5 blocks – 5%, 10%, 20%, 30% and 35%. Overall the bonus provides a rakeback equivalent of 32.6%, and you have 120 days in which to clear it. In addition to keeping track of your bonuses, POPs can used to buy into SNGs and certain scheduled tournaments.
You can also compete in the MTT Leaderboards, which provide a bonus Freerolls for those who have performed well in BetOnline scheduled tournaments the previous month. These are separated into 3 levels:
Bronze for buy-ins ranging from $0.05 to $0.99
Silver for $1 to $9.99
Gold for $10 and above
The prize fund for each tournament is $500, $1000 and $2000 respectively, and the top 100 players on each leaderboard get a seat. If you qualify for more than one Freeroll, you will only be awarded a seat to the higher buy-in, and the next person outside the 100th place, on the lower leaderboard gets that seat.
Deposits and Withdrawals at BetOnline Poker
US players can deposit money onto BetOnline by using credit cards such as Visa, MasterCard and Amex, or by purchasing an internationally accepted prepaid card. Alternatively BetOnline also accepts payments via Wire Transfer, or Money Transfers through Western Union and MoneyGram.
In addition to these, international customers can use e-wallets like Neteller and Skrill. BetOnline also accepts Bitcoin as a payment method. BTC is converted into dollars and held in your account until you cash out.
Withdrawals can be processed via check or bankwire, although they are subject to $500 minimum cash outs and fees up to $75. Person to Person offers a lower minimum of $50, although again fees can be high. Players who have deposited using e-wallets can use these to cash-out with, with only a $25 minimum withdrawal and $20 fee imposed.
BetOnline Poker Positives
BetOnline provides a good selection of games for low stakes players, especially those looking to play tournaments. These games are made even more appealing with the addition of the leaderboard.
Their attached sportsbook and casino sites mean you get a constant flow of weak opponents, and the $1000 deposit bonus is generous.
BetOnline Poker Negatives
Traffic can be low at certain times, and in certain games, especially if you are trying to play at higher stakes. There also appears to be a lack of innovation on the site, with average software and no fast-fold games. Withdrawal charges and minimum limits are off putting to international players too.
BetOnline Poker – Summing It Up
While BetOnline Poker provides US players with a decent choice, I would be surprised to see the next big innovation come from here. The site operates at a steady pace, and provides many fishy games for low stakes players. For tournament players the leaderboards are an interesting extra. There are also the nightly guarantees which you will want to include in your playing schedule.