| Big Bet Review |
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BigBet Poker is not one of the most visible poker rooms on the poker landscape, and many players may be forgiven for thinking that they are somewhat an infant site. But for the lack of visibility they make up for it with a first class service when it comes to the game of poker itself. They have stuck with the Merge network, which although not being among the top few networks, does have a strong player base and host some great poker rooms, BigBet being one of them.
Of course there are downsides to joining such a small network, and many players will not find the sort of value they want when it comes to ring games or mid-high stake cash. But again, with each downside there is often an upside – and for all the traffic they have lost in using the Merge network they have also gained many through being one of the few sites that can accept, legally, US players. This is a hugely attractive reason from some players to join, not only Americans, but those players in Europe and elsewhere that thought of the US market as their poker bread and butter. Other features that outweigh some of the shortcomings of the Merge software are the Rabbit-Cam, instant hand history, nicely designed and accessible Player Notes function, hand replays plus a few other innovations that differentiate the site from many other – more basic – poker rooms. The main shortcoming though, as is often repeated, is the game availability and traffic at BigBet Poker. Although it has improved tenfold in the past few years, it is still nearly impossible to find games higher than $2/4, and it very rare to find many active tables at the $1/2 games. The majority of cash traffic will be hanging around the 10c/20 – 25c/50c games, with a regular pool of 50c/$1 players. As a US accepting site BigBet Poker have put made it as easy as possible to deposit online, offering a wider range than most when it comes to payment options. As soon as you are a confirmed Real Money Player you will be given many options, with a few that are rarely optioned on other gaming sites, and going this extra mile when finding payment methods shows that BigBet really do want to make the whole process as quick and easy as possible for all players. Support at BigBet has been reported to be somewhat inconsistent. Reading through many forum posts you will find as many complaints, regarding robotic, generic answers to complex questions and sometimes completely unrelated answers as you will find praise for speed, efficiency and a personal touch when it comes to some queries. This all comes down to the individual support agents, and although I am sure BigBet have the usual protocols in place it is not always easy for a site to keep track of every answer sent to customers. Overall it is a lukewarm response to customer support, but all comments tend to be geared toward the Live Chat and Email services, whereas all Phone support seems to have got positive feedback. Bonuses and Tournaments One of the most attractive offers at BigBet is their refreshing, and unique ‘’Build You Bankroll’’ Loyalty programme. Without having to meet any difficult requirements or clear any impossible bonuses, BigBet will have you on this cash back scheme as soon as you join, meaning every point counts toward earning yourself a new bankroll. On the standard Sign Up bonus front BigBet have gone a little further than most and offer a 110% up to $750 sign up bonus, which although it is not as easy as the smaller lump sums available on some other sites, it is very achievable for even a recreational weekly cash player, or daily casual SnG and MTT player. Another of the great features of this site is the huge amount of offline tournament qualifiers, including WPT, APPT, The World Series and Aussie Millions. Although there are some shortcomings to this site, it can also be a perfect poker room for a certain type of cash or tournament player, and their Loyalty Scheme is also very adapted for the low-mid stake cash game player. |