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Site
Rating (7.6/10):
Poker
Champs is the brain child of Gus Hansen, the
megastar of poker. Gus is a man with some
advanced ideas about poker, and Poker Champs
bears this out. Poker Champs definitely has a
unique feel to it, with a sleek and futuristic
vibe, and lots of games for the lower limit
players. Traffic isn't huge (its a fairly new
site), but it is steadily increasing, along with
some positive buzz. This is a site conceived by
a poker player, with other players in mind. Its
pretty cool when you can play at the same table
as Gus Hansen, and its even cooler when he puts
money in your account. Both of these things
happen at Poker Champs.
Software
/ Graphics (8.5/10):
Poker
Champs boasts some of the newest, freshest
software going (its design is completely
original, not based on any existing sites).
Poker Champs is a very modern site, and it plays
lightning fast. Players have the option to play
on up to eight tables at a time (this is
determined when you sign in), and the software accommodates
this without a hitch. All key statistical
functions are provided - average pots, viewed
flop percentages, hands per hour and tournament
details - and note taking was recently added.
There is also a find-a-friend feature, allowing
players to sweat their buddies when they are
online. A downside to this software is that it
is extremely large, taking up more than 60 MB on
the hard drive.
There
are no avatars in the table graphics, but that's
consistent with Poker Champs' positioning as the
serious player's site, the kind of player who
only cares how much money an opponent has left.
A cool feature of the table graphics in ring
games is a map that shows where all the players
are from. This way you'll always know when you
are getting eaten alive by a young shark from
Sweden (I should know, this happened to me
recently).
Bonuses
/ Promotions (7/10):
In
a big departure from other sites, Poker Champs
doesn't offer a regular sign-up bonus (they will
offer one from time to time but you never know
when). What they do offer, and its an
interesting idea, is a rake back program. It
works like this: The rake back starts fresh each
week, with the player starting at 5% of the
rake. Depending on how many (and how expensive)
raked hands a player plays, the rake back can
get up to 50% (unfortunately it goes back to
square one each week). The rake is counted as
the percentage of the pot that the player
personally contributes, meaning tight play is
not rewarded. Playing a few hours a day at the
$3-$6 limit will generally yield about $50, not
bad at all. There is also a referral bonus for
the rake back, meaning players can take a
percentage of the rakes of the friends they
bring in.
Poker
Champs also has some decent promotions. While
the freerolls ($35 prize pools) and guaranteed
tournaments (only 5K prize pools) are lacking,
PokerChamps has the Gus factor. Gus has been
very committed to this site, playing almost
daily at all limits. He loves talking with
players, and there is always the chance he will
put some money in your account (a friend of mine
was playing with Gus and he added $50 to his
bankroll). Poker Champs recently signed Hoyt
Corkins and Amir Vahedi, to operate in much the
same capacity as Gus.
Player
Skill (8/10):
Poker
Champs has a lot of games in the lower limits,
and these tend to be very juicy. Viewed flop
percentages tend to range from 50% to 70%,
sweet! There are lots of fish coming through
this site, mostly newbies who have seen Gus play
on TV and think his style will work for them (it
won't, plus Gus gets the action going when he
joins games, all the better to increase rakes).
A tight, patient playing style will yield big
dividends in the low limit ring games and $1-$2
NL game. Just don't get too upset when the fish
hits his two outer on you.
Number
Of Players (7/10):
During
peak hours, there are 300-400 ring game players
and 500-600 tournament players. This doesn't
sound like much traffic, and it isn't, but you
can always find a game in the lower limits. The
Omaha games are a work in progress, so it might
be a bit more difficult getting a game there.
Multi table Hold'Em tournaments don't usually
attract more than 150 players, which is nice for
the player who doesn't want to spend a whole day
playing. I wouldn't recommend this site for the
high limit players, as there simply isn't enough
action.
Cashouts
/ Customer Support (7.5/10):
At
present, there is only e-mail support on Poker
Champs, which is usually answered fairly
quickly. There is also a very informative FAQ
section that covers a lot of the base for online
poker. You can generally find an answer to your
questions by checking this page out. Still, I
would like to see live support added, and I
expect this is something that will be addressed
in the future.
Deposit options: VISA, MasterCard, NETeller, and
Wire Transfer.
Cash out options: NETeller, Wire Transfer, and
Cashiers Check.
Poker
Champs Pros & Cons:
Pros:
-
Unique rake back program, very lucrative for
regular players
- Cool sounds at the table, almost like real
chips
- Very fast, futuristic and unique
software
- Can play up to 8 tables at once
- Juicy competition in the lower limits
- All relevant statistical functions are
provided
- Chance to play with Gus Hansen, and have him
put money in your account
- All tournaments are now guaranteed
- Displays player rankings at the table for
tournament play
- Have micro limit sit and go's at $2.50 + 0.50
- Great sound effects, actually sounds like real
chips being thrown into the pot
Cons:
-
Game selection and limits are limited
- No live or telephone support
- Traffic is still low
- Freerolls only have prize pools of $35, and
top guaranteed tourneys are only 5K
- No table avatars
Poker
Champs Site Review Conclusion:
Poker
Champs is a site with a ton of potential. It is
a new site, with growing pains to endure, but
there is a lot of good going on here. The
software is very cool and unique, and there are
some soft games in the smaller limits. I am also
a big fan of the rake back program, although I
definitely think Champs should offer a regular
signup bonus. Since Gus Hansen is one of my
favourite players, the chance to play with him,
and maybe even have him put dough in my account,
is too good to pass up. Poker Champs will only
get better, especially as they add more games
and get more traffic. I would definitely
recommend that players give this site a try.
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