Full review of 7 Sultans Poker

Summary
7 Sultans Poker is a decently popular poker room in the PrimaPoker Network. The room is managed by the famous 7 Sultans Casino. The graphics at 7 Sultans has a nice feel. The Prima poker software has been improved lately, but still falls short of the very best. On the positive side, there are many very juicy and aggressive games, which is good both for the action lover and the sophisticated players looking for a good hourly return. "25% deposit bonus up to $160" really means max $40 bonus - watch out for their casino lingo regarding the bonus. Real money player statistics - December 2004: 2400-2800 ring game players at peak hours, 2800-3800 tournament players at peak hours.

Software and graphics
7 Sultans Poker software is a customized shared-network version of Prima Poker Network by Microgaming. There have been a number of smaller makeovers of the software during 2003 and 2004, but there are still some areas of improvement before reaching the level of top poker room software. 7 Sultans Poker does share the player base with the rest of the Prima Poker Network to ensure high traffic. The game used to be slower that the average online, but nowadays the software speed as well as user's time restriction is much quicker. Hand history is available by HTML page and via email. One nice feature is the possibility to see all actions in the chat area to the right - who raised and called and for which amounts in the previous betting rounds and previous hands. This feature is invaluable for players not keeping full focus on the game (playing on other tables or having other distractions). In sum, the software is now OK, but leaves some room for improvement.

Ring game traffic
7 Sultans Poker (Prima Poker) ring game traffic is high. The ring game traffic at peak times is around 2400-2800 players in December 2004.

Tournament traffic
At peak times, the tournament traffic at 7 Sultans Poker reaches between 2800 and 3800 players in December 2004.

Game variety
7 Sultans Poker has the standard games (Holdem, Omaha, seven-card stud and five-card stud), but there are no Hi-Lo versions. There is very good volume for the pot- and no-limit players in Holdem. There are many short-handed tables with a maximum of 5 or 6 players.

Rake
The rake is somewhat less attractive than the average. The pot- and no-limit at 7 Sultans Poker is raked at every $5, which is good. The lower straight limit games (up to $1/$2) are capped at $1.50 (compared to $1 at most other sites), which is high. The tournaments fees are 10% for entries ranging from $10 up to $50. For the $100 tournaments, the fee is $9.

Soft competition
7 Sultans Poker (Prima Poker) offers some of the wildest ring games around, with view flop percentages most often in the 40-ies, 50-ies and even reaching the 70-ies. The tournaments are also quite wild, at least up to the $50 fees. It remains to be seen what the quality of players will be in the future. Presently there is much advertising, which typically attracts less experienced and looser poker players.

Sign up bonus
The maximum bonus is $50 for all new players, $10 free of deposit, as well as $40 with the 25% bonus match on first deposit, which is awarded once 200 raked hands (minimum $0.50) are played, where you just get cards dealt (equals 5 raked pots per bonus dollar). No time limit on played hands. The bonus is only eligible for players who have not received a sign-up bonus from another Prima Poker Network card room.

Loyalty bonus
None.

Promotions
Since recently there are some high value promotions at 7 Sultans Poker. There are currently 5 free rolls daily with $1000 or more in prize pool (in the Prima network). The progressive bad beat jackpot is for Holdem ring games, the jackpot starts at $500 with $50 added each day. There is also a daily Holdem high-hand bonus of $250.

Support
There is telephone support and e-mail support at 7 Sultans Poker. However, email support can be slow.

Financial security
Should be secure, as the mother company 7 Sultans Casino is a well-established online casino and the poker room is part of a network. High score.

Deposit & withdrawal options
Deposit options:
VISA, MasterCard, prepaid ATM, NETeller, FirePay, Gaming Card, ACH Transfers, 900 Pay.
Cash out options:
Cash out via various "web wallets" (NETeller, FirePay, Prepaid ATM, etc) and check.