Review of Fair Poker

Our review of Fair Poker will take a look at this unique iPoker network partner. This site has become a favorite amongst normal poker players who appreciate being treated right by the poker room. They are down-to-earth about their bonuses, and offer one of the best promotions online at certain times throughout the year.

♣ TopPoker.org also offers an exclusive deposit bonus at Fair Poker that makes this site more attractive to newcomers.

Categories Reviewed at FairPoker.com

Fish: 3.5
The iPoker network has largely been attracting very poor no-limit players who tend to be inexperienced poker players overall. Full ring game traffic can be pretty sparse at times, but the active games are usually soft with a good number of calling stations Count on seeing a lot of drawing hand limp in to see a cheap flop. The newer players are sort of like tuna in a can - you can mix it, mash it, and eat it anyway you like. I'll take mine sushi-style. Their software also tends to be conducive to a loose game.

Sharks: 2 (inverse rating)
For the time being, these games lack a shark player base. You will easily be able to rank the better players at your table after a few rounds in only from their chip count, but even the dominant players at these tables aren't highly skilled. The tougher games tend to be shorthanded games, which are pretty popular on Fair Poker. Overall, you'll find plenty of fish and not too many sharks.

Bait (promotions): 4
I commend Fair Poker for taking a chance and coming up with some original promotional offers. They traditionally offer a 50% deposit bonus up to $200. Fair Poker is also one of the easiest iPoker sites in terms of bonus cashouts. Additionally, when they run their "Win/Win" promotion, you'll run into a truly awesome deal. How it works is if you're unfortunate enough to run into an extended run of bad beats (yes, it happens to me sometimes, too) and lose your entire bankroll, they'll credit you back half of it to give you a second chance. This is a perfect time for a new online poker player to give it a shot, as your financial risk is severely decreased. On the converse, solid players will be credited an extra 25% for doubling their money. This appeals to the experienced poker player, as it is something easily attainable.

Skin (software): 4
All of the iPoker sites feature the same sharp avatars and table graphics, but Fair Poker customized a little more than the color scheme. They condensed the table horizontally and changed the table look a bit to give their software a more unique touch. The graphics can get tedious after an extended playing session, but it's easily playable overall. They feature a unique hand history graphic and games move along at a pretty quick pace.

Prey (tournaments): 4
The tournaments here are mainly suited for the casual player, as the traffic is mostly restricted to lower buy-in events. For tournaments under $5, they typically attract over 100 participants. I also like the satellite availability for their $25,000 guaranteed event. These typically attract a low amount of participants, so you have a greater chance at making the main event. Sit 'n Go traffic is probably most popular, with $2 and $5 tables filling up regularly.

Overall Fair Poker Rating

Pearls (positives)
Fair Poker provides some very unique promotions for both new poker players and experienced sharks. The software is playable, and Sit 'n Go traffic is steady.

Hooks (negatives)
General traffic to the site is still low, thus bigger tournaments do not fill up and may be cancelled. Ring game traffic is also mainly for micro-limits.

The Hammer (overall rating): 3.5

♣ Visit fairpoker.com

Tips for Playing at Fair Poker

Meat (tips)
As you'll find Sit 'n Go events popular on Fair Poker, how do you play them properly? Well, in a standard tournament, you should play tight early to let the crazies duke it out early. The risk (your whole chip stack) is too high early in these events for the reward (minimal blinds). You should concentrate on playing your top hands only, but don't be afraid to put the Hammer down if you have a good read and suspect a player is out of line. At the same time, you should open up your game as the blinds increase. Players will tend to play tight in order to make the money, so use this to your advantage by stealing the blinds from predictable players. Check out our strategies section for further reading.

Blubber (babble)
Players seem to like to use the chat box to manipulate their opponents during the game or put them on tilt. Personally, I turn my chat off, but many don't. I've got a better tip for you to get called more often in any game you're in, especially live games. After you read my tips and are raking in pot after pot, it's only natural that your opponents will ask where you learned such magnificent poker skills. Just politely explain to them that the poker guru Hammerhead the Shark taught you everything you know. Tell them about how I personally coached you with my own two fins. Since you humans are so skeptical about talking sharks, they'll think you're totally off your rocker. And what could be better for getting action on your next hand?

♣ ♣ For further details and ratings for FairPoker.com, you can visit our basic Fair Poker review.

     

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