Full review of HollywoodPoker.com

HollywoodPoker.com
www.hollywoodpoker.com 
FREE DOWNLOAD!
Established 2004
Country Canada
Software size 34.6 MB

Special Features
No download software
Royal Straight Flush bonus
Hot key buttons for actions
Supports player notes and player classification

Total score (out of 10) 6.25

 Sign-up bonus in $ $50
Deposit bonus in % 25%
Referral bonus per friend $50
Deposit free bonus $0
Paid to play ($/hour) $0

Hits
Large variety of games
A lot of high stakes action
Great table information
Excellent for Mac and Linux users
Email and telephone support available 24/7

Misses
Requires Java
No bank withdrawal
No live chat support

Summary
HollywoodPoker.com features first-class graphics and design, plus quick software. They have a great no download option for Mac and Linux users as well as a download client for Windows users only. HollywoodPoker.com is a part of the PokerNetwork which already boasts a huge established player base. Several famous endorsers promote the site, including movie star James Woods and professional commentator Vince van Patten from the World Poker Tour. Player volume in ring games varies between 2,300 and 2,500 during peak hours, with peak hour tournament action reaching 3,000-4,000 players.

Software and graphics
HollywoodPoker.com’s software is of great quality and has a pleasant feel. The site has managed to create an original design and layout that is enjoyable and easy to use. Their specialty is their no download feature, which works especially well for Mac and Linux users. There is also a download version for Windows users. The lobby information is very good; it shows hands played per hour, average pot, rake structure and percentage of players seeing the flop.

Ring game traffic
There are approximately 2,300-2,500 real money players during peak hours.

Tournament traffic
There are approximately 3,000-4,000 real money tournament players during peak hours (when including free rolls).

Game variety
HollywoodPoker.com features great game variety. They offer Texas Hold’em in fixed limit, no-limit and pot-limit as well as Omaha and Seven-Card Stud in both high and high-low versions. Unique in the online poker world, HollywoodPoker.com offers Five-Card Stud in both pot-limit and fixed limit. The stakes vary from $0.25-$0.50 to ultra high stakes $300-$600 games. Play is mostly concentrated on low limit games but there is plenty of high stakes action to be found.

Rake
Rake is on par with industry standards, with the rake capped at $3 in full ring games that include 6 players or more.

Soft competition
Approximately 30%-50% see the flop in high stakes games and in low limit games the average is 40%-60%.

Sign up bonus
There are three different bonus options available:

(1) A celebrity tournament package. Test your poker skills against celebrities, and also have a chance at $1,000.00's in potential winnings.

(2) 25% bonus of up to $50 for small stakes players. Bonus Dollars are released at a rate of $1 for every 9 poker points acquired. No bonus money will be released until you have acquired enough Poker Points to qualify you for the entire bonus. For example, if you deposit $200, you'll qualify for a $50 bonus, and you will need 450 ($50 x 9) Poker Points to have the bonus released to your account. In this case, no bonus money will be released until you have acquired all 450 Poker Points in the 30 day period.

(3) 500% bonus of up to $1,000 is available for high stakes players. In order to take full advantage of bonus option number three, you should deposit $200, which at 500% gives you the maximum $1,000 bonus. Bonus Dollars are released at a rate of $1 for every 15 poker points acquired. For example, if you deposit $100, you'll qualify for a $500 bonus, and you will need 7500 (500 x 15) Poker Points to have the entire bonus released to your account. In this case, however, bonus money will be released in $50 increments. For every 750 poker points you earn we will release $50 into your account. Players have 60 days to earn as much of this bonus as possible.

Players receive 1 point for every Real Money hand of $1.00 or more raked, and receive a half-point for hands raked that are less than $1.00 (but more than $0.50). All you need for this is to be dealt cards - as long as you aren't sitting out, you're accumulating points. In tournament play, 5 poker points are awarded for every dollar paid in Real Money entry fees (for example, if you enter a $22 ($2 fee) tournament, you'll receive 10 points - 5 for each dollar paid). These points are awarded at the end of the tournament.

Loyalty bonus
Poker points are awarded for playing real money games. They may also be traded for tournament buy-ins or merchandise.

Promotions
World exclusive private $1,000 free roll for all new depositors coming via PokersList reaching 300 poker points by September 24th, 2005. Players receive 1 point for every Real Money hand of $1.00 or more raked, and receive a half-point for hands raked that are less than $1.00 (but more than $0.50). There are also other freerolls for all real money players and a Royal Straight Flush bonus that pays 100 times the big blind in no-limit games and 50 times the biggest bet in fixed limit games.

Support
Lightning fast support is available 24/7 for both email and telephone queries.

Financial security
Generally, new without backing of large casinos or sports books will not receive high ratings even though they are most likely quite safe.

Deposit & withdrawal options
Deposit: Visa/MasterCard, Instacash, Firepay, NETeller and ePassporte.
Withdrawal: NETeller and Checks are currently the only ways to cash out.