Full review of Ladbrokes Poker

Ladbrokes Poker
www.ladbrokespoker.com 
FREE DOWNLOAD!
Country UK
Software size 3.85 MB 

Special Features
High-limit tables, especially in pot- and no-limit
Full credit card payout
A lot of 5 and 6 player tables

Total score (out of 10) 6.25

 Sign-up bonus in $ $100
Deposit bonus in % 25%
Referral bonus per friend $50
Deposit free bonus $0
Paid to play ($/hour) $0
Bonus code
$100 bonus at 25% deposit match is automatic

Hits
Bad beat jackpot and high-hand bonus
Note taking support
Lobby info with players/flop and average pot
Telephone support

Misses
Sub standard software
Unavailable to US residents
No loyalty program
No live table hosts
Often slow e-mail support

Summary
Ladbrokes Poker is one of the busiest European poker rooms. Note - US citizens are not allowed to play! The mother company Ladbrokes is a leading UK sports book. The site boasts high traffic in the ring games, with peak levels in the evening time in Europe. There are great high-limit tables, in particular in the pot- and no-limit games where Ladbrokes really stands out. There are many very juicy and aggressive games. The software (Prima Poker Network) has a somewhat limited playability. Ladbrokes offer full credit card payout. Real money player statistics - July 2005: 1600-1900 ring game and 3000-3500 tournament players at peak hours.

Software and graphics
The software is the let down at Ladbrokes Poker (beside the unavailability to US players of course). The software is a stand-alone version of Prima Poker Network by Microgaming. Ladbrokes does not share the player base with the rest of the network (whereas most of the network share the player database to ensure high traffic). the player does not play. The graphics are not appealing. 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. In sum, the software is less good than at other leading poker room.

Ring game traffic
Ladbrokes ring game traffic is very high considering the US player ban. Currently, it is one of the poker rooms with the most European players at most times of the day. The ring game traffic at peak hours is about 1600-1900 players.

Tournament traffic
The traffic at the tournaments has picked up a lot lately. At peak hours, the tournament traffic reaches somewhere between 3000 and 3500 real money players.

Game variety
Ladbrokes Poker has the standard games (Texas Holdem, Omaha and Seven-card stud) except the seven-card stud Hi-Lo version, which is currently unavailable. There is also a five-card stud game. The volume in the pot- and no-limit Texas Holdem is good, in particular at the higher stakes. There are strangely enough quite few Omaha games, considering the Eurocentric clientele. Actually, more players are found in the stud sections, than Omaha. 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 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 unattractive. The tournaments fees from $5 to $1000, have charges from 20% (with $1 charge for the $5 fee) to less than 10% for the $100 and above fees.

Soft competition
Ladbrokes 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. Nevertheless, the quality of the players is quite good so to make a good profit it helps to know how to play aggressive and tricky players. The tournaments are also quite wild, at least up to the $50 fees.However, it should be mentioned that the quality of players is much higher now than back in late 2002, where there was not only aggressive games, but also tons of inexperienced "fishes" from the Ladbrokes portal.

Sign up bonus
The bonus is up to $100 at a 25% deposit match for new players. Minimum deposit is $50. Stake the total value of your initial poker chip purchase within 14 days to release the bonus.

Loyalty bonus
None.

Promotions
There are not that many high value promotions, but rather special events instead (like guaranteed money tournaments and celebrity events).

Support
The support is definitely better nowadays, but could still improve some. There is daytime telephone support and e-mail support.

Financial security
Should be very secure, as the mother company is one the most well established sports book players in the world. Top score.

Deposit & withdrawal options
Deposit options:
VISA, MasterCard, Western Union, UK debit cards (Delta, Switch, Solo), wire transfer, bank draft, money order, cashier's check, personal check.
Cash out options:
Full payout with VISA, MasterCard, UK debit cards, check, international wire.