Betsson launched its poker site on 30th June, 2004. Betsson is a member of the Ongame poker network, which also counts The Poker Club and PokerRoom as members. Ongame is one of the largest networks with approximately 6 million users per day. One of Betsson’s best features is that it offers two clients. One client works as normal: you download a file and install it on your computer. The second one is Java based and developed to allow you to play directly in your browser, without installing any software. This is especially useful for Mac and Linux users, who are generally left with no alternative when it comes to poker rooms. This feature is also appreciated by many others who find installing specific software bothersome.
Software and graphics
The client you install feels a little more stable, but the web-based client is absolutely fine and works without any problems. Both clients are pleasant to look at, whilst the installed client has a bit more colour. The lobby is easy to navigate and contains more information than is commonly found in other poker sites. There, you can find the average pot, hands played per hour and the percentage of players till the flop, as well as how much rake there is at different levels. Another good feature is the ability to set up private tables with a wide variety of different set-up options. Plus, Betsson allows you to make withdrawals directly to your bank account.
Games and numbers of players
Due to its membership with Ongame, the site’s traffic is pretty good and there will regularly be around 10,000 players logged in at any given moment, meaning finding a suitable table is never a problem. Betsson offers Texas Hold’em, Omaha, 7-Card Stud and 5 Card Draw Omaha and 7-Card Stud are available both as High and Hi/Lo games. The site sees a good spread of levels, starting at $0.25/$0.50 and reaching up to $300/$600 for Fixed and $50/$100 for the No Limit table.
Tournaments
The majority of Betsson’s tournaments are in No Limit Texas Hold’em, but occasionally they offer Omaha and 7-Card Stud tournaments, too. There are a variety of tournaments to choose from. Unfortunately, the list does not display start times, meaning you have to click on each tournament to get this information.
Technical support
Technical support is accessible over the telephone and via email. They also offer the option of filling out a form on their site. Another option is to use the live-chat, which actually works very well. Their telephone support is open 24 hours a day.
Deposit and withdrawal options
Deposits: Visa, MasterCard, Neteller, Moneybookers, bank transfer
Withdrawals: Neteller, Moneybookers, over the counter bank withdrawals
Minimum deposit: $30
Advantages
They offer an installation free client
Levels to suit all players
Withdrawals direct to your bank account
Disadvantages
The tournaments are almost always Texas Hold’em
No live technical support