Pokerium.com Overview
In March of 2007 Poker Club Europe became Pokerium.
primarily targets the European, rather than US, markets. This becomes apparent as soon as you login to the website for the first time and as soon as you run the software – everything is in €Euros, and you are given the option of viewing the site in a number of European languages. The room is part of the Entraction poker network.
Pokerium offers a large number of poker game types. You get Hold’em, Omaha, Omaha Hi/Lo, Soko, 7 Card Stud, 5 Card draw, 32-Draw, 2-7 3 draw, Telesina and Americana. That is an impressive list! Obviously you also have the choice of no limit, pot limit, and fixed limit variants.
There are quite a few freerolls and tournaments where either small amounts of Euros or VIP points can be used to compete. The standard tournaments reach as high as €100 buy-ins, with larger guaranteed tournaments ranging from the weekly €25,000 to the much larger €200,000 guaranteed.
There are an impressive variety of cash stakes on offer at Pokerium, with No Limit Hold 'em tables starting as low as €0.02/€0.04 and progressing all the way up to €200/€400. Fixed limit tables don't offer quite the same breadth at the micro-level but advance as high as €750/€1500 for those with money to burn.
For some unknown reason Pokerium also offers a second poker client, known as 'CardRoom2.' This client runs on a different network, with a different set of tournaments, players and points. The details in this review apply only to the standard 'Poker' client and not Cardroom2.
Financial deposit options are fairly limited, with just Credit Card, Neteller, WebMoney or BankTransfer being available. Withdrawal options are the same, with the addition of cheque.
Pokerium.com Software Interface/Usability
When you first launch the lobby, it appears at first glance to be pretty basic. However once you get used to the layout, it is actually fairly well designed, with lots of features. Tabs separate Cash Games, Tournaments and Fun Money, with buttons to filter between the specific type of game or style of tournament. The overall result is a very usable and neat design. The table listings however are a little cluttered. All of the information and data you want, such as players per flop % and average pot size are all available – but the display isn’t very inspiring.
The Pokerium tables themselves are very basic in terms of graphics, but this is not necessarily a bad thing. The player names, bet amounts and cards are all very clear and easy to read. If you don’t appreciate flashy animations and avatars, and prefer just a simple design, this site would suit you. You can however select options such as 4 colour deck, and you can disable animations which results in making the games very fast.
It is important to note that in no limit and pot limit ring games, you have the choice of sitting at a table that seats 2, 6 or 9 players only, and for fixed limit you can choose a 10 handed table. This seems a little strange, but the site is European after all!
Also, rather impressively, there is no limit at all on the number of tables you can play simultaneously – customer support just advise you to “make sure your computer is powerful enough” if you plan on opening a huge amount. All of the tables can resized between a decent range of dimensions, with a faint number on the table telling you what percentage of the original size you are currently at while you drag. Although the Pokerium software download is only for Windows, the browser version will work with both Mac and Linux computers.
Pokerium.com Poker Room Action
Although the number of players on is not massive, there is a very good amount of action across the various levels and game types. Player volume is, as you would expect, highest in the Hold’em section. Interestingly though, the action is spread fairly evenly throughout the different stakes, although most players still gravitate towards to low and micro stakes. Even at €10/€20 no limit games there are usually atleast a couple of full tables, which is fairly unusual.
The non Hold’em games also have a fair amount of traffic, and you can usually find at least a couple of full tables across all the different variants.
The only downside is that the vast majority of players are to be found at the 6-max tables. If you like playing short handed, this site is excellent and obviously this is not an issue at all. There are 9 seater tables available, but if you prefer 10 player games, you would do better looking elsewhere.
Sit and Go traffic is also good, you do not have to wait long at all for a game to fill up – and you have the choice of either 10 or 20 player games. Multi table tournaments do not seem to be quite as popular however, and the number of players registering for MTTs is often rather low.
Pokerium's Ease of Game, Ease of Making Money, Fish Rating
The quality of players at is rather good. Because the no limit tables have a maximum of just 8 players (or 6 if you prefer), you can not play quite as tightly as you would if you are used to 9 or 10 handed games. If you are a pot limit or fixed limit player, you do get the choice of 9 or 10 handed tables. You do need to be able to play “proper poker” here.
The lowest limit on Pokerium is €0.02/€0.04, which means any resident or visiting fish are likely to be found around that level. The number of players on the “play money” tables is moderately high, which is encouraging. You know that as soon as they have generated €17million on the play money tables they will assume they are good enough to jump in to the real cash games.
So – there are other sites that are easier to win on, but there is something appealing about this site which makes it worthwhile to at least try.
Pokerium.com Bonuses and Promotions
One of 's strongest points is the depth and breadth of promotions they offer. Make sure you use the links on this page and use the Pokerium Signup Code FTR1200 when creating your account!
Firstly, you have your VIP cash back club. As you play you earn VIP points, which are then converted in to a cash reward at the start of each month for the previous months pay. See the “rakeback” section at the start of the review for full details.
Next, you have a staggering 1000% initial deposit bonus up to a maximum of €25,000! (!!!) You have 90 days in which to earn the bonus, which is awarded at €1 for every 10VIP points. Bear in mind that the credit card deposit limit is €200 per day, so in order to make the most of the bonus you should use NETeller or Bank wire transfer instead. The lower limit on the bonus is technically €0.10, but there is no deposit method which will let you enter such a small amount.
Another important thing to note is that, in order to claim the bonus when depositing via bank transfer you must email support with the bonus code (mega25000), your username and the sum of the deposit. If you do not do this then the bonus will not be credited to your account. WIth the other deposit methods, inputing the code should mean that the bonus comes online automatically.
The 1000% bonus applies to both first deposits and all subsequent ones, so there is no need for a separate reload bonus.
Next is the “Refer a friend” bonus. Your friend earns €25 and you get €50 for each referral, after the requirements have been met.
Finally, there is a progressive bad beat bonus – requiring you to have your quad Tens (or better) beaten. Both players must use both hole cards to qualify. There are fairly complex calculations and rules relating to how much of the bonus you receive, full details are available on the website.
Click here to join
!
Pokerium Rakeback Review
Although Pokerium does not offer a standard rakeback deal it does have a very similar alternative. At the beginning of each month you are awarded "Cash Back," dependent on the number of VIP Points you have earned during the previous month. VIP points are awarded proportionally; the more money you contribute to the rake the more VIP points you will earn. There are different bands of points and each one offers you a different percentage of your rake in cash at the beginning of the month. Using this system it is possible to earn up to 60% rakeback every month. Below are the rakeback percentages based on the number of VIP Points earned.
VIP Points Rakeback
0-500 €0
501-1000 €25
1001-3000 20%
3001-5000 25%
5001-7500 30%
7501-10000 35%
10001-15000 40%
15001-20000 45%
20001-30000 50%
30001+ 60%
Because you earn VIP points for both cash games and tournament play, it is possible to build up a fairly good amount. Obviously however the staggered bonus amounts does mean you might not earn as much as you would from a “regular” rake back deal.
Pokerium Rakeback Calculations
Tournament Rake Calculations:
If you participate in a “freezout tournament” or “Sit & Go” you will receive VIP points at a rate of 1 point for each €0.40 in tournament fees paid.
No VIP points will be awarded if you have used VIP points to pay for the buy-in cost, which is sometimes available as an option when entering tournaments.
Ring Game Rake Calculations:
You earn 1 VIP point for every €0.40 you contribute to the rake. This means that points are awarded to players in proportion to the amount of money they have put in. It is possible to earn less than one point, so putting in blinds at micro stakes will still earn you something. If you fold before putting any money in the pot you will not earn any points.
Pokerium.com Customer and Technical Support
technical support is mainly offered through a 24/7 email system, accessed through the website. English and Russian staff man their inboxes 24 hours a day, while Finnish and Swedish operatives are available 12 hours a day. Email response is extremely quick, and the answers that are given are accurate and well written. I sent two emails to Pokerium, both asking fairly complex questions, and I received answers within 20 minutes in both cases. In one case the reply even included a screen shot to help explain the reply. Full marks. There is also a Live Support function for both Finnish and English speakers.
I sent two emails to Pokerium, both asking fairly complex questions, and I received answers within 20 minutes in both cases. In one case the reply even included a screen shot to help explain the reply. Full marks.
Support e-mail: support@pokerium.com
English
Deutsch
Español
Français
Italiano
Nederlands
Pусский
Svenska
Poker Club Europe on 04 Apr 2006
Action: 
Support: 
Full Review
User Reviews
