Review of JetSet Poker

IMPORTANT NOTICE: JetSet Poker shut down its site in October, 2006. You can no longer play poker there.

I'll give you all the bones on this small but intriguing poker room in my review of JetSet Poker. I give this poker site credit for its originality, and I really like their software. The traffic is still pretty low at JetSet, but they host some interesting promotions and their regular freerolls draw a lot of players.

Categories Reviewed at JetSetPoker.com

Fish: 3.5
Most of the competition is pretty soft at the micro-limits, and games get tighter as the stakes increase. Even with soft competition, the num of players sticking around to see the flop is generally lower at JetSet than other sites. Take advantage of this by throwing in more raises from late position where you can take control of the hand. Ring games are mainly dominated by small no-limit tables, where your opponents will generally be inexperienced and willing to make plenty of mistakes. Unfortunately, JetSet players seem to be following the trend of exclusively playing shorthanded games. Often, you'll only be able to find your desired game in a shorthanded format, which I don't like.

Sharks: 2.5 (inverse rating)
The full ring games at the lower limits are generally beatable, but JetSet also offers a lot of shorthanded games, which can often have a few sharks who've already gotten to know each other. Take caution before sitting down at a shorthanded game unless you're experienced in the format and aren't afraid of confrontation.

Bait (promotions): 3.5
While JetSet only has a modest deposit bonus of 25%, they offer a good number of other unique promotions. The most interesting is probably the Head Hunters tournament promotion, which places bounties on every player in the tournament. Head Hunters? Could there be a more perfect promotion for a Hammerhead. Each player gets a ranking based on their previous performance in these tourneys, which is proportional to their bounty amount. Jet Set keeps an updated leader board on their home page so you can see the top players. I think that this is a great idea that more poker sites should try out. They also offer Go Points for frequent players, but most of the terms and conditions are so complicated with their promotions that I didn't even bother to learn more about it. Even with my streamlined and highly evolved Hammerhead brain, I can only process so much information about poker site promotions. Keep it simple!

Skin (software): 4.5
The software is probably my favorite part of JetSet. While their ring game competition and traffic is average, their software is one of my favorites. This may be puzzling since the graphics aren't highly detailed, but they've employed a cartoon-like image scheme that I find very fun. Aside from how the games are going, I usually have fun playing at Jet Set, which is important when you're playing poker online. The game speed is smooth, and you can choose from 58 different faces to display for you at the table. They also employ different emotions that you can make your avatar display at the table a la Full Tilt.

Prey (tournaments): 4
JetSet offers a few daily freeroll tournaments that seem to attract a good number of players. They aren't run at an extremely fast pace, which I'd prefer for a freeroll, but they do finish in a reasonable amount of time. JetSet also offers a good number of normal buy-in tournaments daily, but they are usually restricted to under $10. One positive about their tournament choices is the number of different types they offer such as speed, Head Hunter, and satellite tourneys. The tournament traffic is one of Jet Set's best features.

Overall JetSet Rating

Pearls (positives)
They have a unique software interface with pretty soft ring games.

Hooks (negatives)
JetSet offers mostly shorthanded no-limit games, and action is mainly restricted to the micro-limits.

The Hammer (overall rating): 3.5

♣ Visit jetsetpoker.com

Tips for Playing at JetSet

Meat (tips)
At shorthanded games, it becomes even more crucial to pay attention to your opponents and their actions. Fortunately, you'll be seeing their playing style more often as there will only be 5 or 6 of you at the table. Not only should you start to pick up how often they draw and what types of hands they raise with, it's very important to learn who you'll be able to steal the blinds from. Since they come around much faster in a shorthanded game, you won't be able to sit back and wait for premium hands or they'll be taking a good chunk out of your stack.

Blubber (babble)
Being not only a real shark but also a poker shark, I've learned the value of the continuation bet when I have position against weak-tight opponents. Many tables at JetSet are either shorthanded or have a low flop percentage, and it's easier to bluff less opponents. If you don't put your opponents on much of a hand on the flop and they check to you, it might be worth a bet to try and take the pot right there. If you don't have anything yourself but you get called, you're checking behind him on the turn faster than you can say "swordfish, eel, and seaweed sandwich".

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

     

More Poker Reviews by Hammerhead

♣ Return to the index page listing all of Hammerhead's poker room reviews.