Cake Poker Review

Overall Review
Cake Poker is a poker room site based in the nation of Curacao which is under the jurisdiction of the Netherlands Antilles. The Cake Poker website makes it a point to assure all players that they will be able to participate in online poker play from Cake Poker – even Americans who are afraid that they are now forbidden to participate in any sort of online gambling activities due to a law recently passed by the US Congress. Cake Poker guarantees that US-based players will still be able to play at the Cake Poker site even though certain other online poker sites have already banned US players from playing at their websites.

Cake Poker believes that it will take some time for the US government to clarify just how the new law will affect online poker permanently – meanwhile, US based players are permitted to participate in online poker play at Cake Poker. All Cake Poker did so far is to amend certain financial transaction methods to be used by US-based players for deposits and withdrawals.

Cake Poker says that all of their transactions have always been in compliance with the laws of the country of Curacao, hence nothing that is done at Cake Poker is in any way illegal at this point in time. At the same time, the Cake Poker legal department is examining the issues surrounding online gambling, particularly with regards to US-based players, very closely to see how events will play out that will dictate future Cake Poker policy towards online poker game play and online poker players based in the US.

One interesting come-on that Cake Poker has introduced into the online poker world is its system whereby players can request to view their hand history to understand why and how they play a certain hand. Since poker (even online poker) is a game of strategy, you need to understand why you choose certain strategies over others at times.

If you are open to having others examine your hand history, that is another option offered to you by Cake Poker. This allows you to have a third party criticize your hand choices and recommend better ones. Of course, this is all part of the fun of being able to play online poker as well.

The hand history feature is available as a graphical representation for easy viewing. In addition, before you play a certain table, you have the choice of which avatar will represent you at the online poker table. Just another add in to make online poker more realistic for you.

The world of online poker is in a state of flux, especially for US-based players. Though in the future it might not be possible for US-based players to go online to play poker anymore, for others it is still possible. Cake Poker is doing its best to provide optimum service to all players regardless.

Graphics and Software
Like other poker rooms, Cake Poker has produced customized software that players should download to be able to play at the Cake Poker online poker site. This software is customized for use on Windows operating systems only (namely, Windows Media Center, Windows XP or Windows 2000) to be usable. The main browser you can use to download this Cake Poker software is the Internet Explorer; however, it is also possible to use other Internet browsers like Firefox as well.

To be able to download the software, you simply head for the Download and Play Now page and click on download. Search for the Setup Cake (or CakePoker Installer) and double-click on that so that installation will be initiated.

As the game is introduced to you, you will be asked to click on the Login button. From there you can set up your private account, or simply log in if you are a regular at Cake Poker with a previously existing account.

Once your account has been created, voila! You are ready to try the poker games offered at Cake Poker already. If you intend to make real money wagers, you are required to look for the Cashier section and make a deposit into your account at Cake Poker first. This makes you eligible for the Real Money tables.

Traffic
To bring in a steady stream of new players into the Cake Poker world, Cake Poker set up the Share Cake refer-a-friend system. Under this referral program, if you can convince someone to become a new Cake Poker player, Cake Poker will reward both of you by adding as much as $100 of Bonus Cash to your account and the account of your friend.

Tournaments
One nice aspect about Cake Poker tournaments is that you can join them 24/7. Tournaments are not only fun and challenging to play in, they help you to become a better poker player by pitting you against poker players who are more talented and skilled than you at online poker.

In tournament play, each player is allotted the same number of poker chips as all the other players. Play ends when one player succeeds at winning the whole set of chips the table started out with.

You can choose to play one or all of the following – Stud, Stud Hi-Lo, Omaha, Omaha Hi-Lo, and Hold ‘em.

Cash Games
There are three main variants of poker which you can play at the Real Money Tables of Cake Poker, namely, Hold ‘em poker, Omaha poker, and Hi-Lo poker.

Newcomers to the Cake Poker way of doing things are advised to bone up on the rules for each type of online poker before participating in a Real Money game. One aspect of online poker that is very necessary to learn is the specific terms used by online poker players to describe game play. Not only does this allow you to discuss the game with other Cake Poker players, but you get to comprehend more fully just how online poker is managed and carried out.

Support
If you are confused about any aspect of Cake Poker game play, then you can visit their Help page to find the way your questions can get answered. An FAQ page is provided. Click on the Support button to find how you can get the customer service support you need.

Deposit and Withdrawl Options
The Real Money button is on the left side of the Play Poker page. Click on that, then click on the Depositing Funds page button.

You can make deposits using either MasterCard or Visa credit cards. Make sure that your bank permits you to use your card for online gambling, since many banks do not allow this.

If the credit card payment option is not available, Cake Poker permits e-wallet transactions like NETELLER, ePassporte, or moneybookers. If you use an e-wallet solution, you may have to put the necessary funds in it first via bank transactions or credit card transactions.