With the events of the last few days we have received a ton of questions from players asking where they can play now that Full Tilt Poker, Pokerstars, Ultimate Bet and Absolute Poker have been indicted. Our first in a series of articles highlights Carbon Poker, the best option for American players.
Network: Merge
Best Skin: Carbon Poker
Rakeback: 35%
Bonus: 100% up to $600
There are a number of Merge Network skins. In the past I thought Players Only/Play Aces Poker was the best option. Now the answer is clearly Carbon Poker.
Carbon Poker is the most prominent skin on the Merge Network. They offer a very robust VIP program on top of frequent reload bonuses and 35% rakeback paid daily into your account if you sign up through Rakeback Resource. The VIP program boasts a monthly “Super Money Tree” which pays players cash bonuses for earning points throughout the month based on your best earnings days. They also offer big promotions for SnG and MTT players. On top of this they run two rake races per week. On top of that there are freerolls, a VIP points store, tournament entries for points and more. We will also be rolling out exclusive promotions for our rakeback players on Carbon Poker in the next month or two. There are also new player incentives such as a mini bonus promotion.
The software is generally pretty good. The lack of an in client cashier is annoying. The software is responsive and pretty much bug free. I have experienced one crash since their latest major software revision months ago. They have some fairly reliable payment processors which is good since they offer so many reload bonuses. You can also send player transfers on Carbon, unlike some of the sportsbook skins.
The player base is very fishy for a site that allows US Players. When the sportsbooks left Cake Poker they came to the Merge network and it shows. The games on this site are nearly as soft as Cake in 2007 and 2008 when that site was a haven for fish. The site boasts about 8,000 players online during prime time and ample micro and low stakes games. Mid limit gets a bit more sparse, but with the influx of players from FTP and Stars this will likely improve quickly. The player base will seem small to those coming from those larger sites unless there is an influx, but the Merge Network has been very opportunistic in the last year and expanded their player base several times over so I’d expect such an expansion.
Interested in playing on Carbon Poker? Click here to learn more or to sign up for 35% rakeback on the Merge Network.
