www.FullTiltPoker.com

For many players Full Tilt Poker is a mixed bag. On one hand it was a great site, only taking a backseat to PokerStars when they were both in the US market. However, the guys at the top of Full Tilt decided to get greedy, launder money and not keep enough on hand to pay their players, which was made public when Full Tilt, PokerStars and others were indicted on Black Friday. Lots of players were burned, and are understandably upset and apprehensive about playing here.

However, on the other hand, Full Tilt isn’t owned by the same company anymore. They were purchased by PokerStars. So even though the name was tarnished, playing here is like playing at PokerStars, but with the same games, software, tournaments and promotions that everyone grew to like from FTP. You get the best of both worlds.

So, if you haven't played at Full Tilt Poker before, or you have, were burned and are unsure about playing there again, I encourage you to give them another shot. That's coming from one poker players to another. I'd feel fine depositing my money there again.

So take a few minutes and read on to learn more about their site, and how it may be different following their relaunch in late 2012.

Full Tilt Traffic

Prior to Black Friday Full Tilt Poker was the second biggest poker site. They would see around 75,000 to 100,000 players at any given time, a good chunk behind PokerStars, but also a good chunk ahead of everyone else.

When Full Tilt opened back up in late 2012, their traffic immediately spiked, which put them back into the second position. They averaged around 50,000 players.

But as of late their traffic has dropped off. As of right now they only see about 3-4,000 cash players at any given time, which is about the same as iPoker Network. That’s much less than the 26,423 players you’ll find at the ring tables at PokerStars.

The moral of the story? You’ll find some games running at Full Tilt, but it’s nothing like it used to be. In fact, this would be a good opportunity to search out some tournaments to see if you can find any overlays. Then position yourself into a hugely +EV situation.

Full Tilt Poker's Software

Full Tilt users their own proprietary software. They don't use a 3rd party software like so many poker sites today.

Their software is unique in that the graphics are brighter compared to other sites. They’re known to be more cartoon-like, too, especially if use opt for the tables where the full blown avatars are used, instead of the small name tag/image combo.

In terms of options, you’ll find all the standard stuff. Things like 4-color decks, auto top off, hand replayers, background/deck color options, table positioning options and more. But, like PokerStars, most of their options are polished. They don’t look like an afterthought like many other sites do.

And in terms of games, they cover everything imaginable. You’ll find tournaments, sit and goes and cash games, for poker variations like holdem, omaha, stud, mixed and draw. They were the first (before they were acquired by PokerStars) to come out with the speed (fold) poker games, which they named Rush Poker. With this game you’re able to fold before the action gets to you, giving you the opportunity to get 3-4x as many hands in compared to standard cash game tables.

Banking Options

You can use the following banking options at Full Tilt Poker:

  • Neteller
  • FirePay
  • Money transfer
  • eMoney Transfer
  • Visa
  • MasterCard
  • MyWebATM
  • ePassporte
  • Click2Pay

These options work for both deposits and withdrawals.

You’re also able to transfer money to and from your PokerStars account.

Customer Service

The best way to get in contact with Full Tilt’s support is by email. There email address is: support@fulltiltpoker.com.

Compatibility of Full Tilt Poker Software

Full Tilt Poker has a download for both Windows and Mac operating systems.

Full Tilt has a mobile option, too, however it’s only for their Rush Poker game. Right now it appears to be only available for iOS, as PokerStars wasn’t available to revive the Android app after they acquired Full Tilt. The iOS version uses HTML5, but future versions will be made available again, and according to FTP reps, both versions will be native to their operating systems.

Full Tilt Poker’s Welcome (Bonus) Package

Full Tilt is offering a welcome package which is available to all first time depositors. Here is what is included:

Deposit Bonus – This is identical to PokerStars offer, matching your deposit 100% up to $600. Players can make up to 3 deposits to take advantage of this bonus, so long as it’s done within 60 days.

To clear the bonus you’ll need to earn Full Tilt Points. You’ll earn $1 for every 25 FTP points, and your bonus will be released to you in 10% or $20 chunks, whichever is smaller.

You’ll have 180 days from each deposit to clear your bonus.

$50k First Depositor Freeroll – Full Tilt gives you 10 entries into their $5k (exclusive) tournament, where you’ll only be playing against other new accounts. This means softer competition and a higher likelihood that you cash. You can participate in both tournaments that run every Sunday.

Free Tournament Ticket – This is a tournament ticket that has a value of $2.25. You can use it to buy into any tournament or sit and go of equal or lesser value.

In addition to the welcome package, Full Tilt has several other promotions including all of their large guaranteed tournaments, Black Card VIP, Happy Hour (extra points), refer-a-friend and more. There are plenty of ways to earn big, not taking into account the money you win from crushing your opponents.