Cake Poker

One of the most appealing and attractive online poker rooms out there, just the design and name alone often has new players joining Cake Poker. Undoubtedly underrated, since being established in 2006 it has reinforced its place amongst some of the brightest and most popular poker rooms available.

Cake Poker is able to maintain its customer base by remaining innovative and original in its implementation of software features. Coming from an interesting blend of gaming developers, video game analysts and networking specialists, Cake Poker was designed by only the most creative minds and therefore produces a product charateristic of its upbringing.

The site provides action for all different types of players, from those who specialize in tournaments, to ring game grinders all the way up to Sit-N-Go sharks. With so many different options for players, it quickly becomes a cake walk (no pun intended) to accumulate a ton of reward points to spend on items of your leisure. With a bunch of choices within their loyalty shop, there's a lot to spend your points on at Cake Poker.

One of the only poker sites out there that's home to its own network, despite collaborations with several other sites such as Phil Laak's Unabomber Poker, Victory Poker and Bet US Poker, it still serves as the premier destination for poker players on its network. Due to its good software and soft competition, it definitely serves as a great place for poker pros to reside if they're looking for the biggest bang for their buck.

Home to a very appetizing logo, Cake Poker's design and lobby layout definitely satisfies those craving a more up-to-date, modern style. With a tabular interface that's as smooth as Souffle, it's very simple to click and find exactly the game you're searching for. Ring game, Tournament, Sit-N-Go and Cashier buttons are all directly on the main screen, and just below them you'll be able to see your traditional in-game statistics such as flop percentages, average pot and hands per hour.

On the left navigational panel of the main lobby, you'll find options to choose between real money games and play money games, along with the Texas Hold'em, Omaha and Hi/Lo varieties. On the right you'll find your player window, which provides information regarding the players sitting at each table along with their chip count and hometown. If you're looking to be more precise in your search of available tables, you'll also be able to select from various filters that narrow down the amount of games, given your chosen selections.

In terms of table play, you'll be able to select from two views, one which displays avatars and the other which does not. While not as plentiful as some players might like, it does get the job done. What's great about the simplicity however, is that it consistently keeps gameplay fast, which sometimes is much more important than beautiful graphics.

After upgrading to Cake 2.0, which is their latest software patch, players should be delighted to see additional features on the already packed poker platform. You're allowed to play more tables, add player notes, seat select, and view hand histories easier than ever before. You can now also resize tables and customize them to your own preferences with the 2.0 software update.

While some may consider it unethical, one of Cake Poker's best features is the ability to change your online nickname every 7 days. So if you've been playing under a certain name for awhile, and haven't been able to get any action, you can modify it in hopes of attracting a few more opponents. While none of your other information will be changed, and smart players should quickly catch on, those who are absent minded might be deceived for just enough time to increase your session bankroll!

Cake Poker's staff is incredibly professional and courteous when it comes to answering your questions on time and with accuracy. The customer service team is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and can be emailed at support@cakepoker.com.

The management behind the scenes at Cake Poker is very serious about the security and safety of its consumers. Those who are found to be multi-accounting, gambling underage or participating in other unlawful gambling ventures are definitely not welcomed.

They've taken extensive measures in terms of "Responsible Gaming," along with making sure the software they provide is secure and well-maintained. Those working on the Cake Poker brand and its affiliates share the highest level of technical certification, so you can be guaranteed sophistication and peace of mind while playing your poker sessions.

Barring all obvious entendres, the level of competition on Cake Poker is softer than the norm. While host to certainly its fair share of tough games, most of them come few and far between. Those who are more concerned with their year-end results rather than the overall improvement of their game, should definitely turn to Cake Poker.

No-Limit Hold'em is where most of the competition lies, in both tournament and cash game settings. However, the lower level games should definitely be the biggest target for the poker professional.

As rings true with any poker venue, the level of competition relies heavily on player traffic. The amount of traffic on Cake Poker is good, and often times where you find "fish," you'll consequently find a lot of sharks as well. Playing your "A game" is still a requirement, although not as much as other online sites.

Despite currently offering only Texas Hold'em, Omaha and Omaha Hi/Lo, the additional options of "Cake War" and Tournament Blackjack make things slightly more acceptable. Those looking for a break from the grind of cash and tournament poker may find relief in these interesting card variations.

Both Hold'em and Omaha games have Limit, Pot Limit and No-Limit betting structures available to keep things interesting.

The most popular area of most online poker sites, Cake Poker groups most of its player volume into this category as well. Tournament players are able to play in any of the three available game types, including the rare appearance of Stud tournaments. Some events additionally carry other options such as re-buys, bounties, and freeze-outs. Whether it be Sit-N-Gos, large multi-table tournaments (MTTs) or guaranteed events, Cake Poker does it all.

Satellites for big tournaments, including the World Series of Poker, are also found on the site's software. Cake Poker is currently holding step tournaments to earn your seat on the world's biggest live tournament stage, and the prize packages being awarded are as much as $13,000. Hotel stays, 5-Star restaurants, and lots of free spending cash are all awarded in these luxurious awards.

The 2011 WSOP, Irish Open 2011 and Aussie Millions 2011 are just a few of the live tournaments Cake Poker has qualifiers for.

Despite guaranteed tournaments being a big attraction for most tournament hopefuls, Cake Poker is a little scarce when it comes to this category. Sunday is host to a large $25,000 guarantee, which is their biggest tournament at the moment. However, this lacks in comparison to a few competing Sunday tournaments that are available.

Welcoming new players with style should be Cake Poker's middle name. (Albeit a long one.) The new depositor freeroll, which is scheduled on Saturdays at 2 p.m. ET, lays claim to a $500 prize pool. Scheduled just 15 minutes after that start time, is Cake Poker's $1000 Bankroll Freeroll. You'll need to earn your way into this exclusive tournament however, by taking place in qualifying events.

Generally speaking, Cake Poker has stakes that range anywhere from $1c/$2c up to $500/$1000 However, dependent on the game type this can vary. No-Limit and Pot-Limit versions of both Hold'em and Omaha have these ranges, but Limit games are substantially lower.

The highest levels on Cake Poker are very rarely occupied, but when they are you'll be certain to find a very juicy game or one that's nearly impossible to beat. Ring games run consistently up to about the $2/$4 level, but tend to die out after that point unless its during peak hours.

In an interesting twist for loyalty programs, those who are frequently participating at the real money tables on Cake Poker will be rewarded with a variety of gold-plated items. "Gold chips" are the easiest way to immediately start earning frequent player points (FPPs), and those who play a lot will quickly find themselves with a large quantity of these. Whether its cash, tournament buy-ins or items from the Gold Shop, you'll be able to use your Frequent Player Points towards all of these prizes.

Each dollar you pay in rake will earn you 1 FPP, and each dollar paid in tournament fees will award you 7 FPPs. What makes things great for real money players is that as you earn your first Gold Chip, the amount of points needed to earn your next decreases in size during the current month. So the more you play, the easier it is to earn rewards!

Gold Chips eventually turn into Gold Stacks, and depending on how quickly you complete these, you'll begin earning even higher rewards. If you reach levels as high as 50, you can earn as much as $200,000 in cold hard cash!

Cake Poker is also host to Gold Cards, which is a collection system that awards players different values of cards dependent on rake amounts. When a certain level of rake is generated, cards are awarded to players at random. Similar to collecting sports cards, dependent on the age, value, and quantity you can earn elite entries into poker tournaments and cash. You'll also gain the prestige of being one of the best players on Cake Poker.

Open to U.S. players, Cake Poker has a variety of options suitable for both American and international players. VISA, Mastercard, Instant E-checks, Moneybookers, Neteller, Diners Club International, PayDirect, WebMoney, ClickandBuy, UKash, and UseMyWallet are just a few of the deposit methods available for use.

Withdrawals includes a lot of the same methods, with Neteller and UseMyWallet being two of the primary outlets for U.S. citizens.