bwin Poker Review

Review last updated on March 21, 2023

One of the largest poker rooms on the popular Ongame Poker Network is Bwin Poker. Bwin manages to do this thanks in part to Ongame, but also for its great graphics, wide table selection and multiple poker variations.

At Bwin Poker players can play the game after downloading the software, as well as with a no download option (software even Mac compatible).With traffic constantly at a high volume, Bwin Poker manages to run good cash-games and tournaments.

Features that have players coming back to Bwin include: statistic and analysis of hands for each game type, a quick-seat feature, plenty of loose players and satellites for practically all major live tournaments.

Bwin Poker has been online since 1999 and joined Ongame more recently, in 2006.

In addition to its poker room, Bwin runs a very active online sports betting site, which makes for "other" players traffic -poker beginners.

Games

Poker games at Bwin Poker can be played in the download version of the instant play version. Bwin is actually one of the few online poker rooms that is Mac friendly. There is a downloadable version that is compatible with Macs and apparently all the features are still available. The software itself is stable and functions smoothly and is generally considered to be one of the best in the online poker scene. The design is certainly sleek and crisp and conveys a sense of professionalism. The site's graphics are widely regarded as some of the best in the business. The home page, however, is not as straight forward to navigate as some other poker rooms and the dark design may not be to everyone's liking. Hand histories can easily be viewed by selecting the option at the bottom of the game window on the left hand side and there is also the standard note taking feature. The chat feature is also worthy of complement. It is also possible to resize tables, however, there is a set minimum and maximum size for all tables. Up to 12 tables can be played simultaneously. The site is currently available in 22 languages (with more promised to follow) which would have to be better than any other site today. Bwin poker can also be played for real money from your cell phone.

As with all online poker rooms, the hot favorite is Texas Hold'em poker and most of the traffic will be found around these tables. However, there are other games such as Omaha, Seven Card Stud and Five Card Draw. Both Omaha and Seven Card Stud can be played in the high- low variations. There are also all the usual mixes of fixed limit, no limit and pot limit tables from which to choose. There is plenty of action for those playing at higher stakes. Which leads to one common complaint about bwin poker, that is, there are too few games for the low-limit player as 25c/50c games are generally the lowest available. Those playing for lower stakes will probably be attracted to the wide variety of sit n go action. There are tournaments beginning approximately every five minutes right around the clock although some may find that the buy-in range is a little too restrictive for their pocket. Most scheduled games begin around the $5 mark and can go as high as $1000. Bwin generally attracts lower traffic but a higher quality poker player as it is slightly more angled towards players with larger bankrolls. It is not uncommon to find a cluster of skilled players even at those tables with lower stakes. A unique feature at bwin is the option of setting up your own private cash game tables. There are qualifiers to the World Series of Poker and cheap satellites to plenty of other highlights on the poker calendar particularly those in Europe.

Banking

Your deposit options are dependent upon which country you are playing from but generally include all the major credit cards, eWallets (such as NETeller), bank transfers and prepaid cards (such as Ukash). There is also a minimum deposit of $20. You can only withdraw your winnings via the same method that you used to make a deposit in the first place. To protect your personal data, Bwin relies on the advanced encryption technology from VeriSign so you can be confident that your online transactions are nothing short of safe.

VIP & Bonuses

Every month bwin brings out new and entertaining promotions to keep its players happy and attract new ones. All the typical bonus types are available from bwin such as the sign up bonus, reload bonus and refer a friend bonus. The welcome bonus for new players is pretty standard in the industry and must be cleared in 60 days by accumulating the necessary number of points. These points can also be used for the VIP rewards system which gives cashback offers with no strings attached, raffles and other prizes.

Loyalty Points and VIP Clubs

Under the bwin loyalty program, called b'inside, members earn points which can later be used to buy merchandise, tournament tickets and bonuses. You collect Market and Status Points whenever you play for real money stakes regardless of whether you are playing in the bwin poker room, casino or sportsbook. You will collect $100 for every dollar paid in to the rake or in tournament fees. Once you have accumulated enough points you are able to redeem them for a variety of exclusive products and you will become eligible to enter higher tiers within the VIP program. There are three levels - Green, Yellow and White. To start collecting points, all you need to do is register a bwin account and you will automatically be entered into the Green level. To reach the top White tier, you will need to accumulate 175,000 points in a single calendar month.

Support

If you fail to find the answer to your problem in the FAQs, then you get contact the customer support team via a number of way including email, fax and telephone. Email are sent via a contact form on the website. Unfortunately, you cannot get a hold of a customer service representative via email at any time of day or night. They are only available from 08:00 until 24:00 (GMT+1) everyday. Contact by telephone is even more restrictive as its from 10:00 until 22:00 (GMT+1). The other complaint is that there is no live chat option.