|
This part continues the FAQ started in Crypto Bonuses – Part One. Part Three
details the bonus offerings at each of the sites.
Should I play $, £, or € tables?
It depends on the games available and the time of day. If you are playing
during European evening hours, you are more likely to find some juicy fish
playing at the £ or € tables. This can have a big effect on your outcomes
and will help offset the slightly higher rake. All tables are raked at 3
units maximum, so if you are playing a US Dollar table, the maximum rake is
$3.
All hourly bonuses (discussed below) require play at the $1/2 level or above
(the equivalent £1/2 or €1/2 tables count as well. Since American players
chasing bonuses (and playing tightly) are more likely to play at the lower
$1/2 tables, moving to a Pound or Euro table might help you find some looser
action.
How about Poker Tracker and other interface software?
Poker Tracker specifically, and other poker software generally, works quite
well at the Crypto sites.
How fast are the games?
This is not the strong point of the Crypto sites, and no one will ever confuse
the software with the ultra-fast UltimateBet. The software is slow at times,
often dealing no more than 45-50 hands per hour. This can be a good thing,
though; because it allows you to have multiple tables open to clear hourly
bonuses without being overwhelmed by information overload.
Another drawback of the hourly bonuses at some Crypto sites is the extremely
slow play of some bonus chasers. They invariably take the full 12 seconds to
post blinds and 22 seconds to act before each turn. Avoiding them by staying
away from the $1/2 tables might be your only recourse.
All-in, in a fixed-limit game?
That is possible at Crypto sites. In situations where the betting round began
with only two players remaining, those two are allowed to raise and re-raise
each other until one of them is all-in. Many live games have this rule, but
it is generally not used at other online poker sites. If you have an
ace-high flush at the river, make sure a straight flush isn’t possible
before you raise to the maximum!
Do they accept Firepay?
Cashouts to Firepay have reportedly taken as long as 10 days, due to some
conflict with the back-end server at Cryptologic. Neteller is recommended.
When does a month start and end?
Most of the Crypto sites seem to be using midnight EST as the cutoff to
complete a month’s requirements. Make it easy on yourself and don’t wait
until the last minute!
My watch says I’ve been playing five hours, but my bonus is short.
Apparently, the software does not include the few seconds between deals as
part of the play requirement. Although short, it does add up, so it takes
about five and one half hours of table time to complete the five-hour
requirement. If three-tabling, expect 1:50 total time. Four-tabling should
require 1:20-1:25.
How do I keep track of the time bonus earned?
William Hill has the best interface for the time bonus. The information is
accessible in the cashier window.
UK Betting and Total Bet credit the amount earned when you cash out from a
table. If you play for two hours and leave a table with £100 (remember these
two poker sites only use British Pounds), your account will be credited with
£110. Note your amounts upon leaving each table.
Some players have reported emails from the sites as each hour clears.
September Alert!!!
This is really big, because one of the best bonuses in online poker is even
better for the month of September! William Hill is offering double its
normal hourly play bonus (now £50). Approximate clearing rates are (the
bonus converts to $94.13 at current exchange rates): five hours of full-ring
$1/2 limit will see each player pay about $12.50 in rake, clearing over $80
in bonus net.
I’ve heard that some of the sites are splitting soon. What’s going to
happen?
This is impossible to confirm at this time, but rumor suggests that UK Betting
and Total Bet will no longer be a part of the Crypto group before long.
There are several levels of affiliation between these sites:
1) They use the same software (Cryptologic).
2) They share a player base.
3) They use shared banking systems (EcashDirect).
The online potential change that would immediately affect other Cryptos is the
player base. If the banking system for these two sites changes, it is
possible that their bonus offerings will change as well.
See Part Three for the
specific bonuses offered monthly at each site.
|
