Full Tilt - I'm a big fan...

Talking Poker · #1 03-26-05, 01:41 AM

I first heard about at last year's WSOP, before the site even launched. The pros who are affiliated with it were wearing all the gear, and I talked to a couple of them about it... Clonie Gown in particular. She told me all about it and why it was going to be better than the sites already out there.

It was quite a while before they went live with Real Money, and for one reason or another, I never got around to opening up an account there. Well, I finally did, and I made my first deposit today.

Let me tell you, so far, I am liking this site.

They don't have the most players online - that's for sure... but I didn't have any trouble finding a game. They also have limits I like that you don't find elsewhere, like 8/16. When I logged on, Phil Ivey was sitting at 2 tables: a 25/50 NL table and a 100.200 limit table... Considering I made a miniscule $600 despoit (I've already earned $10 of the $600 bonus I have coming), I thought it might be a bit premature to sit down with him.

Anyhoo, I like the interface, and the 5/10 limit game I first sat at was one of the softest I have EVER seen. I took some sick hits (2-5 out suckouts), and still finished up about $100. Then I went into a $400 NL room ($2 and $4 blinds), and did fairly well in there too.

I took a peek at their tourneys, and they look good. I'll have to try one soon.

Anyway, for those of you who haven't checked out the site yet, you should. Here's my brand new, fancy schmancy affiliate link:
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For those of you who are regulars there, I have a question for you: Is there a way to get your Hand Histories emailed to you? That's my only complaint so far...

Aequitas58 · #2 03-26-05, 03:22 AM

Also, PokerTracker doesn't support it.

Spidey44 · #3 03-26-05, 08:35 AM

Full Tilt is the only site I've played so far... Playing low limits so I'm still tackling my bonus. I love the interface, and the players are soft for sure.

As Aeq said, PT doesn't work there...yet. Hopefully soon.

TP...not sure about the HH being emailed to you either. I'll research that.

Penguinfan · #4 03-26-05, 08:38 AM

I've heard that clearing a bonus there is like a having a second job. Any truth to that?

Spidey44 · #5 03-26-05, 09:48 AM

It depends on how much you put in and what limits you play I think. I'm on the lower end of the spectrum. For ever dollar raked you get a point. Each point is worth .06. Up to 3 points possible per hand. Released in increments of 10% of bonus.

Penguinfan · #6 03-26-05, 10:00 AM

If I read that right it would take 1666.66 points to clear a $100 bonus? Which would be 555 hands at the MAX rake per hand. I dunno, but that seems like an awful lot of hands to clear a bonus, though I wouldn't expect a full 100% bonus to be a half hours work either.

Spidey44 · #7 03-26-05, 10:10 AM

I'm still chugging along to finish mine up. Definitely not that easy, but going faster as I've moved up a level.

omahilo · #8 03-26-05, 10:24 AM

Also TP the tournies have a great blind structure... prolly equal to UB's structure.

The Pro's sometimes play in some of the tournies... Ive played and sat at the same table as Perry Friedman a few times in the $10 tournies... Also Jesus plays in some of the $5 tournies.

Of course they play the bigger buyins as well.

SirFWALGMan · #9 03-26-05, 11:04 AM

I busted out before clearning 10 bucks on mine. I bought in to play the HORSE tourney and had 45 left. So I played some NL. For a few days. Still have not cleared much. I busted out. So now all I have left is a free WSOP try at 4:30 today.

omahilo · #10 03-26-05, 11:42 AM

yeah SIR I deposited as well in order to play HORSE which is a awesome game. In fact we played a HORSE tourney together.

Talking Poker · #11 03-26-05, 12:57 PM

I had heard the same thing. I played a 130ish hand session last night and cleared over $10 in bonus... at 8 cents per hand, on average (just guessing) clearing a $600 bonus will take 7500 hands. That's a lot of poker, but it's not like I'm not going to play 7500 hands anyway, so I might as well take the free $600 right?

Also, if you come up short, it's no big deal. They release it in $20 increments. So I should easily be able to knock out $20 a day by playing 250-300 hands or so...

SoCalBoss · #12 03-26-05, 01:10 PM

At first I thought the site was a little cheezy with all the cartoonish avatars, but once you get past that it's great - it's basically the only site I play now (could have something to do with the fact that I'm up almost 7X my initial $400 deposit in a little over a month). Customer service is great, cashouts are quick...I dig it. It was a little surreal though to see Ivey, Juanda, and Michael Jordan sitting at the same table the other night though...

PShabi · #13 03-26-05, 01:29 PM

100% deposit bonus? Nice.

Talking Poker · #14 03-26-05, 01:42 PM

Michael Jordan? Are you serious? What limit? Did they spank him?

Spidey44 · #15 03-26-05, 03:06 PM

I actually like the cartoonish avatars. They are coming out with some new ones too.

SoCalBoss · #16 03-26-05, 06:29 PM

Jordan was at the 25/50 NL table (Pirates Cove) with the pros - held his own with his original 5K for awhile, but ended up flaming out with a flush draw against trips. I hear he's there late nights quite often.

Gordogg · #17 03-27-05, 06:28 AM

Does Jordan have his own avatar? Does his name show up in red like the other pros?

omahilo · #18 03-27-05, 09:25 AM

what is MJ's screen name? Michael Jordan?

badblood44 · #19 03-27-05, 12:09 PM

I had been on Full Tilt for a while and also really enjoy it. They have "Bust the Pros" type tourneys every now and then. The structure of their SNG's is pretty decent too.

Also, for some of their prize-package tourneys, there is a decent overlay.

Not as many fish though like on Party. Also a $150 bonus took me about a month to clear, but I'm not playing 1000 hands per day.

Spidey44 · #20 03-27-05, 01:23 PM

Badblood...FTP instituted any tourney (not sng) that if you bust a pro you get your buy in back. I think Ferguson is double.

rchamberlin · #21 03-28-05, 11:19 AM

Actually they only do the double bounty thing in some of the tournaments. It's not always like that.

It seems to me that they're doing things the right way at Full Tilt. They seem like they genuinely are trying to make the best site out there. Party has all the fish, but their interface and functionality are not good at all. And I'd look for Poker Tracker integration soon as well. With some of the people that work there, it's hard to imagine that it's not at least in the works.

Tony Cheval · #22 03-28-05, 06:01 PM

I just had an interesting morning here. Lost most of $20 on O8 (still learning), then got into a NL table, and got clobbered when someone reraised me with...a J high flush and inside straight draw.

I sat out an orbit, collected my thoughts and rebought, and managed to get it back when my flopped set of queens beat a flopped set of 2s.

And then the kicker: 94o BB, limped to the flop, and found...94x.

Bet the pot, got one caller. Turn brought a dodgy straight possibility, bet the pot and was smooth-called again. Then the river...a 4. Bet about the pot (over $100), called again, and turned over... K9s.

$326 pot, most I've ever scooped in one go.

Aequitas58 · #23 03-28-05, 09:11 PM

That, my friend, is a big blind special.

Nice pull.

Tony Cheval · #24 03-28-05, 11:54 PM

Thanks, I'll try not to let it go to my head, though I did screengrab just to show some friends.

ChipFish · #25 03-30-05, 11:33 PM

I think I have a new "Favourite Site"
No complaints about anything.
Players are bad (as far as I have seen so far)
Interface is awesome.
Option to move seats is Great.
Has a 4 color deck.
My favourite thing? The hockey avatar

Things I don't like:
HH takes a while to find how the hand played out.
Just a tiny bit too "Choppy"