Poker Champs review

Poker Champs is a new player in the competitive online poker industry, but they have already differentiated themselves from the rest of the rapidly-expanding pack by offering an extremely ambitious product, both in terms of their software and their frequent player program. The concept behind Poker Champs is clearly to cater to serious online poker players, and as a result Newbies to online poker might find this site a little overwhelming at first. The software was designed so that players could effectively play at multiple tables simultaneously, which is a favorite occupation for many top online players who crave action, and who try to increase their hourly rate by seeing as many hands as possible.

Poker Champs also has a CashFlow program that is unique and which pays back players a percentage of the rake which they helped to build. This program puts money in every player's pocket on a weekly basis, and for this reason Poker Champs rarely offers sign-up or deposit match bonuses. I have a few concerns with Poker Champs based on my personal experiences, but all of these minor problems can be attributed to the fact that the site is new and they could certainly be resolved in the near future. My advice is to open an account here if you are an experienced poker player, but not to limit yourself to this one poker room alone. This is a great place to have an additional or secondary poker account, in other words.

Software

This is one aspect where Poker Champs has an edge over a lot of other poker rooms. They have devised various playing modes that allow you to choose between seeing one table or seeing many tables, and automatically adjusting those tables so that they fit compactly on your computer screen. I happen to enjoy playing at two poker tables at a time, and the fact that I have to fiddle with my windows in order to "toggle" from one game to another is a huge inconvenience. It can also cost you money, as all online poker players who have done this in the past will gladly attest. Now with Poker Champs you can see all your games, up to six of them if you are crazy enough to undertake that kind of involvement, clearly and whole. It makes a big difference. Besides this functionality, the software is very player-friendly in general. It has a second-generation feel to it, and makes those old online poker rooms look a little anachronistic by comparison. There is a lot of information about individual tables in terms of flops seen and average pot size, which is essential, but the software does not allow you to keep notes on rivals. That's an important feature of online poker, and hopefully they will add that soon because the omission is noticeable.

Traffic

The software is fantastic but it's like finding a terrific venue for a party - you still need people to make the party itself terrific. The room is new and the traffic should grow, particularly because the player rewards scheme is up there with the best in the industry, so customer retention should not be an issue. However, as of right now the traffic for high-limit games is light. The low-stakes games are filling up nicely and tournament traffic isn't bad. If you're looking for live games that are neither Hold'em nor Omaha then prepare to be disappointed. I would recommend Poker Champs if you are strictly a Hold'em player, but not if you want to play less popular poker games, such as seven-card stud for instance.

Rake

Like the vast majority of second-generation poker rooms, Poker Champs has the right idea when it comes to rakes. They have a no-flop no-drop policy, and they also cap the rake for any cash game at $3 per hand. The rake percentage for no-limit and pot-limit games is 5% of the pot, but is still never higher than the maximum of $3 per hand. I would say that these policies are becoming the industry standard, and if your current poker room isn’t in line with these rates you should be aware that there are a number of good poker rooms, like Poker Champs, that are in line.

Admin

This is one area where Poker Champs could definitely improve. They have no live customer service facility and the only way to get help currently is via email. Their response times are adequate, but some players have found that they don’t always have the ability to answer detailed problems that require a certain level of expertise. I have personally never had a bad experience with their support team. Their website also covers a lot of issues, and there are in-depth sections explaining their CashFlow program and referral scheme, both of which really benefit poker players.

Summary

There is a lot to like about Poker Champs, not least of all the interface, which does away with flashy avatars and cute features and delivers awesome functionality that serious online players can utilize. The contradiction here is that Poker Champs was designed to meet the needs of high-stakes players, but as of now there are not a lot of high-stakes games available. Instead there is a lot of traffic at small limits. The other strength of Poker Champs is their player loyalty program, which pays you out in bonus cash at the end of every week. It is a phenomenal program, and should lead to high retention rates.

The website is endorsed by Gus Hansen, as well as a couple of other well-respected poker professionals, and has strong backing. As I said earlier, I wouldn’t make this my primary online poker room but I would definitely recommend opening a real-money account with Poker Champs. The players they do have are of average ability only, and you will earn cash back simply for playing there on a regular basis.