WHY FULL TILT POKER?
Here's the scouting report

This site has the cleanest look, feel and play of any online poker room. With the massive 100% deposit bonus code, "BULLET", the greatest promotions anywhere online and the ability to sit down with the pros we all watch on t.v. There just is not a better site out there!

The action

Full Tilt Poker offers a unique and smooth product. It's my opinion that this site is top of the line. We have played at many other online rooms and none seem to compare to FTP, even Poker Stars. With so many tournaments, bonus offers, great levels of traffic, excellent software, a good variety of different play style of solid, intelligent players and of course our favorite the fishes and donkeys! This is the place to improve your poker skills, and to build a stronger bankroll.

FTP does not take more than there share of rake. Having set caps, with maximum rake on any hand set at $3.00, and FTP caps the rake in heads-up play at .50 cents.

Full Tilt offers Texas Hold 'em, Omaha, Omaha hi/lo, 7 card stud, 7 card stud hi/lo and Razz in ring games(cash games). They also provide a wide variety of  SnG (sit and go's),

and MTT (multi table tournament) formats.

The software

The network is stable and reliable, and software updates are automatic. The fluid graphics and the cartoon-esque avatars make Full Tilt entertaining to look at. A common complaint about many poker sites is that they're hard on the eyes after a few hours. Not the case with Full Tilt. Although the poker is serious, the client's look and feel is friendly. The navigation system makes sense, and windows and buttons are responsive.

One complaint - when you select a tournament, the tournament lobby opens in a new window, and there is no countdown to let you know how many hours/mins until the event starts - for this you must refer back to the main console (pictured to right):

The actual game controls also feature a 'bet pot' tab, which doesn't enter a bet but automatically moves the slider to the position reflecting a pot-sized bet... this intelligent, intuitive feature is glaringly absent from many poker clients.

Another nice touch is that the client also allows you to adjust your position at the table. You'll still be positioned the same relative to other players, but you just right-click on any seat at your table and choose "Put Me Here" -- the table and players will rotate so that you will be in that position.

You can also 'emote' with your avatars...a silly but amusing feature, possibly for people who miss the physical aspect of poker, absent from online play. Change the facial expression of your own avatar to suit your mood, or laugh as your opponent puts on a stupid grin and tries to pretend he really likes his hand.

Full Tilt also occasionally runs tournaments in which the winner receives their own custom avatar, definitely a point of prestiege, given that generally only FTP pros have custom avatars.

Playing with the Pros

Phil Ivey, Howard Lederer, Chris Ferguson, John Juanda, Jennifer Harman, Phil Gordon, Erick Lindgren, Erik Seidel, Clonie Gowan, Andy Bloch and Mike Matusow, Kenny Tran are just some of the big names in poker FTP has to offer. They regularly play on Full Tilt Poker, and fans and serious students of the game are free to observe, chat, and play with the pros.

Don't think of yourself as a star-gazer if you find yourself watching these players play online. I myself have found some interest in watching the pros play for hundreds of thousands of dollars online.

And the presence of these world-class players gives Full Tilt Poker a serious edge over any other poker site.

Finally, players who meet an FTP pro in a tournament and manage to bust them, automatically win a 'bounty', equal to the buy-in for the event and they will recive a FTP t=shirt that says " I knocked out a pro at Full Tilt Poker"

Bonuses, Rake Back & Promotions

With a year-round 100% deposit bonus (up to $600) Full Tilt Poker outdoes the other elite poker sites, bonus-wise.

If thats not good enough, you will also get Frequent reload bonuses of 50%! Unique promotions and special tournaments generate lots of interest, into huge numbers of satellites to major live tournaments around the world. As far as rake back, FTP does not administer rake back themselves, but allows affiliates like us, Rake Rounders to do so with a cap of 27%.

Summary

Better software, a better bonus, better tournament structures, better mailings, and better promotions equal a better cardroom.