Bookmaker office "Offside" - description, review tips. ABC Poker: Basic Strategy Deposit and Withdrawal

SECTION 2.

2.1. PURCHASES (BUY-IN)– the minimum amount to enter the game.

2.1.1 The minimum number of chips (money) that a player must have in order to sit at the game table he likes is determined by the club's management.

2.1.2. In the tournament, the size of the entry fee is determined by the organizers of the tournament.

2.1.3. Players must purchase game chips as cash is not accepted in the game. Each gaming table has its own minimum amount, with which a player can take a seat at this table.

2.1.4. Additional purchases to your money-chips can be made in any amount between hands.

2.2. INCOMPLETE PURCHASE

A player wishing to make an incomplete rebuy must buy chips worth at least half of the full purchase (Buy in) in this type of game, provided that he has already paid for the full purchase earlier.

2.3. MINIMUM RATE

2.3.1. Each game has its own minimum bet unit. The size of the minimum bet unit for each game (ANTE or BLIND) is set by Management.

2.3.2. The minimum bet during the hand is either the "big blind" size in BUTTONS games or the forced initial bet size in STUD POKER varieties, with the exception of "all in" bets. If the "big blind" or the size of the forced initial bet exceeds the bet of the player who put "all in", the next player must accept this bet in full, except in cases where the fight is one on one.

2.4. CHIPS ON THE TABLE

2.4.1. This rule applies to all varieties of poker. Only those chips that are on the table can be used during the draw. The player is not allowed to place additional chips and/or cash on the table during the draw. The player has no right to remove chips and / or cash from the table until he has completed his gaming session.

2.4.2. The player can add any number of chips between deals to those that are already on the table in front of him. If he wants to add chips (buy, draw, or take out a loan), he must do so between hands, announcing to the other players: "Playing so much."

2.4.3. The player can remove chips from the table only at the end of his game.

2.4.4. All players have the right to see how many chips their game partners have. Any player has the right to ask and receive an approximate answer to the question of how many chips this or that player has in the game.

2.5. ERRORS IN DISTRIBUTION (MISDEALS)

The following circumstances are grounds for declaring an error in a hand, provided that attention was drawn to the error before two players made a move. (If two players have made another move, the hand must be played to the end).

(a) The first or second card in the hand was dealt face up or revealed by the dealer by mistake.

(b) Two or more cards have been exposed by the dealer.

(c) Two or more incorrectly lying cards (face up) have been found.

(d) Two or more extra cards were dealt at the start of the game.

(e) An incorrect number of cards have been dealt to a player.

(e) The card was dealt out in the wrong order (except for a revealed card, which may be replaced by a burned card).

(g) The Button is offside or in the wrong position.

(h) The cards were dealt to an empty box or to a player not in the game.

(i) A player in play was omitted from the deal.

The game is considered to have started when two players, after mandatory bets, started the game (they began to act on the basis of the cards they had in their hands). In button games, the game is considered to have started when two players, after blind betting, have started the game. Once the game has started, a renegotiation can no longer be called. The distribution will be played to the end and the money will not be returned to the player whose cards were dealt not according to the rules.

2.6. PAS (DEAD HANDS)

2.6.1. Your cards cease to participate in the game if:

1. You refuse to play or declare your intention to refuse when faced with the need to bet or increase

2. If you throw your cards in a forward motion, thereby encouraging the other player to move after you.

3. In stud poker, when you reveal your cards, you remove your cards from the table, turn your cards face down, or shuffle the top and bottom cards together.

4. There are not enough cards dealt to you for this particular game.

5. The player who takes action without looking at the cards takes responsibility for finding the wrong card.

6. You show your cards without calling the last bet.

7. There is a time limit on placing a bet or increasing it, and the specified time limit has expired.

2.6.2. Folded cards are declared dead, however, in exceptional cases, if the cards are clearly separable, they may, at the discretion of management, be returned to the player if they were discarded as a result of incorrectly conveyed information to the player.

2.7. VIOLATIONS

2.7.1. In games with the BUTTONS, if it is found that the BATTOON in the previous hand was not placed correctly, its position and the "blinds" will be corrected in the new hand in such a way that each player is given the opportunity to play in each of the positions in the circle (if possible ).

2.7.2. YOU SHOULD ALWAYS PROTECT YOUR CARDS with your hand, chip, or other object placed on top of the cards. If you failed to protect your cards, and they were discarded, or the dealer accidentally removed them, then they will not be restored.

2.7.3. A player who knows that a deck is defective must report it. If instead the player tries to win the pot by choosing an aggressive line of action, the player may forfeit the payout and may be required to keep the chips in the pot until the next deal.

2.7.4. A card found face up in the deck (boxed card) will be ignored and replaced by the next card.

2.7.5. If one or more cards are missing from the deck, this does not affect the outcome of the deal.

2.7.6. If the dealer deals an extra card before the first betting round, it is returned to the deck and used as a burn card.

2.7.7. The procedures for dealing with a revealed card vary depending on the type of poker and are given in the section relating to each game.

2.7.8. If the card was revealed due to the fault of the dealer, the player is not given the choice to accept or refuse the card. The situation will be settled in accordance with the rules for this particular game.

2.7.9. If you drop one of your cards on the floor, that card is still in play.

2.7.10. If the dealer has dealt cards prematurely, before all bets have been placed, those cards are not accepted in the game, even if the player who has not yet made a move in the game decides to fold.

2.7.11. If in a cash game a player opens cards while under a bet, then his hand is automatically declared "dead". In the tournament, the cards remain "live", but at the end of the distribution, the player receives a penalty.

2.7.12. The dealer must take the cards of the absent players one by one. In a tournament, cards are taken immediately after the initial cards are dealt to all players (cards are taken regardless of the position of the absent player).

2.8. BETTING AND INCREASING BETTINGS (CALL & RAISE)

2.8.1. In limit games, if three or more players take part in the game, then it is possible to make a bet (bet) and three increases (raise).

2.8.2. If only two players participate in the game, the bet can be increased an unlimited number of times. This applies at any time as long as two players remain in the game.

2.8.3. Any bet of the circle must be at least equal to the previous bet or increased. The increase is possible from the minimum possible move to the maximum possible increase in a given game, unless the player is going to bet all his remaining money (all in), which does not exceed the maximum possible increase. The minimum increase (step) is equal to the value of the last increase in this particular game.

2.8.4. A verbal statement defines your actions and is a commitment. If, in turn, you verbally state that you are going to fold (Pass), check (check), bet (bet), call the previous bet (call) or increase the bet (raise), you must take these actions.

2.8.5. A conscious move out of turn is not allowed. A player who has declared a check (check) in turn cannot make a bet or increase it in this round. A move or verbal statement out of turn may be declared binding if the player to whom the move passes does not bet (Bet) or raise (Raise) after the violation has been recognized.

2.8.6. To keep the right to move, the player must stop the game by saying "time" (or an equivalent word). If you do not stop the game two or more players after you have already made a move, you may lose the right to move. You do not lose the right to move if the player in front of you missed a turn, this only happens if you did not take action when it was your turn to move according to the rules. That is, if you were waiting for the player in front of you to make a move, and three or more players after you made a move, this still does not deprive you of the right to move.

2.8.7. A player who bets or calls by putting money into the pot is bound by this action.

2.8.8. It is not allowed to increase rates in several steps (report chips). The increase is carried out as a one-time action, or the amount of the increase is announced in advance.

2.8.9. If you throw one chip into the pot that exceeds the bet and do not announce an increase, you are considered to have called at the previous bet.

2.8.10. If a player wants to increase the bet, he must say "Raise", "plus", or silently place a bet in one movement, which is at least more than the amount of the last increase in this particular game. If the player makes a silent increase, but the amount of increase he gave is less than half (50%) of the minimum possible increase, then his action is accepted as a “Call” response, and the dealer gives the player change. If this increase is more than half, or equal (50%) of the possible increase, then the player's bet is accepted as "Raise" and the player must deliver up to the amount of the minimum increase.

2.8.11. Players can make increases after "all in" even if "all in" is less than the minimum increase. But the increase can be made by players sitting after the player who made the “all in”, and the player (s) who made his move in this round of betting can only deliver to the “all in”. But if after the “all in”, any of the players sitting after him made an increase, then the player (s) who made a bet before “all in” can make an increase. Also, all players, without exception, can raise if the "all in" player is a full increase (raise) in this game.

2.8.12. If the dealer misses one player by mistake and immediately moves on to another, and after this missed player two actions occur, then the player who missed (and who did not react to the dealer’s mistake in any way) loses his word (i.e. if all “check ”, then this player will automatically “check”).

2.8.13. If a player placed a bet out of turn, then depending on the actions of the players in front of him, the bet will either remain in the pot or it can be removed. A: If the player whose word is Check, Pass or Call on a previous bet, then the late bet must remain in play. If, however, the player, whose word, made the first bet “Bet” or an increase in “Raise”, then the player who did not place the bet on time can remove it and make any other decision. This rule applies only to tournaments, in cash games the bet placed outside the queue remains in the pot, except if the player acted on the basis of incorrectly received information.

2.9. WORDS AND GESTURES ARE RESPONSIBLE

2.9.1. A verbal declaration is accepted along with an action if one intends to play BET, CALL, RAISE, CHECK or PASS. Any player who expresses the intention to make a CHECK, BET, RAISE or PASS with a word or gesture must stick to his word.

2.9.2. The word is responsible. That is, the player who declared “Pass” cannot “change his mind” and place a bet. His hand is considered "dead". In the same way, the player who said "Call" or "Pot" (Bank) is obliged to put money in the pot.

2.9.3. Verbal announcements regarding showdowns are not allowed. At the end of the draw, only revealed cards are taken into account, and not the announcements of the players.

2.10. SHOW DOWN

2.10.1. "The cards speak for themselves." The dealer helps determine the hand, but the players are responsible for keeping their cards until a winner is declared. While there is no obligation to verbally claim a hand, deliberately misrepresenting a hand to induce another player to fold winning cards is unethical and may result in a forfeiture of the bank.

2.10.2. Before the dealer gives the winning pot to the winner, he flips it face down and removes all the losing cards.

2.10.3. If a player, seeing the cards of his opponent (s), agrees with his loss and discards his cards face down in the “Pass”, then none of the players at the table has the right to look at these cards, unless the player himself shows them. An exception is if the tournament is all in and call, then the cards of both players are opened, even if it is the river and the player who made the call sees that he lost.

2.10.4. If during or after the deal, you show the cards to another player, any of the players at the table has the right to see these cards. Cards shown during the deal to a player not participating in the pot may be shown to all players only after the end of the deal.

2.10.5. If everyone calls “check” in the final round, the player who acted first (the player sitting after the “button”) shows his cards first, in any other case, the player who last took active action by betting or raising it is the first to show his cards. If there is a second pot (side pot), the players involved must show their cards before they are opened by the player who put the last money in the main pot.

2.10.6. In cash games, if during the “Show Down” the player (s) face down discards his cards to the “Pass”, thereby agreeing with his loss, then the player remaining with the cards is declared the winner of this particular game and he does not need to show your cards.

2.10.7. In tournaments, when all rounds of betting are completed in the hand, then in order to win any part of the pot, the player needs to put all the cards face up on the table

2.11. DARK BETTING (BIG & SMALL BLINDS)

2.11.1. Each player must be able to be in the position of the dealer (Button), and fulfill the total number of obligations on bets in the dark (Small & Big blind). Any of the methods listed below can be used to do this:

Moving button - The button always moves forward in a circle to the next player and the dark bets are adjusted accordingly.

Dead button - "Big blind" is placed by the player who must put it in this hand, "Small blind" and "Button" are placed respectively, even if it means that "small blind" and "Button" will placed in front of an empty chair, giving the same player the last move in two consecutive games.

2.11.2. The player(s) making a blind bet (Small & Big blind) has the right to increase the pot in the first round of betting.

2.11.3. In a small & big blinds game with only two players left, "small blind" is placed on the player "sitting on the button".

2.11.4. The player starts the game with "Big blind" if he:

Enters the game by posting a "Guest Blind" equal to the Big Blind.

Sits in the "Big blind" seat.

Changes to another seat, getting up from the position of "Small" or "Big blind"

Changes to another seat, while moving away from the Big Blind.

2.11.5. The game is possible without "Small blind", but it cannot do without "Big blind".

2.12. DARK (STRADDLE)

2.12.1. Straddle may or may not be permitted at the discretion of management or by agreement between the players.

2.12.2. Straddle can only be made by the player immediately behind the big blind.

2.12.3. A straddle can only be equal to twice the big blind, no more, no less. In 5-card stud, the size of the "dark" can be equal, from the pot to twice the product of the pot, and the player sitting closer to the "button" has the advantage to bet "dark".

2.12.4. Straddle is considered "live" and gives the last word to the player "in the big blind" in the first round of betting.

He won the hearts of millions of people around the world, many of whom are now sleeping and see how in the near future they will start earning huge sums or win a major tournament, providing themselves financially for the rest of their lives. This is facilitated by the annual stories about how poker stars win millions of dollars at events such as the WSOP or WPT.

Surely, if you are at least a little fond of poker, you have heard such a phrase as "sports poker" more than once, but you probably do not quite understand what it means and what is the difference between sports poker and non-sports poker.

First, let's define the term "poker" itself:

Poker- This is a popular card game in which from 2 to 10 people can take part (meaning at the same table). Depending on the type of poker, players are dealt from 2 to 7 cards, from which they need to make a winning combination.

Well, that's it in a nutshell.

Now, let's find out what sports poker is:

Sports Poker- this is an intellectual card game in which players compete with each other, according to the rules approved in the established order, in the ability, skill to calculate various probabilities and chances of collecting a winning combination, evaluate the tactics and strategy of the opponent's game.

Thus, in sports poker, the main thing is not the money / chips earned, but what place the player took. In other words, sports poker is tournament poker.. Speaking of sports poker, we can draw an analogy with tennis tournaments. Their participants also make a certain contribution at the beginning of the tournament, and then compete in skill. The best players receive prize money as a reward for winning.

Poker is a game of incomplete information. For example, when playing chess, you see all the opponent's pieces and can use this in building your own strategy. At the same time, in poker, the opponent's cards are closed, which means the task becomes more difficult.

Poker in Russia was recognized as a sport on March 16, 2007 and was such for more than two years - until July 20, 2009, until the Minister of Sports and Tourism of the Russian Federation Vitaly Mutko deprived him of this status. It is worth noting that Russia became the first country to recognize poker as a sport.

How sports poker differs from regular poker

To begin with, we note that sports poker contains only poker tournaments. That is, players can compete in skills, abilities and knowledge of strategies only in tournaments, and this is easy to explain. The fact is that when playing cash, the main task of the player is to receive a stable income over the longest possible distance. At the same time, the main task of a player in sports poker is the need to take the highest possible place.

So, at the cash tables, players play for real money. That is, once at the table, the player can both lose and win an unlimited amount of funds (of course, it is limited, but only by the financial capabilities of the players themselves). This is the difference between ordinary poker and tournament poker. The fact is that, in fact, players in tournament poker do not play for real money, but for chips. The buy-in that they make acts as a payment for entering the game, but the game itself and advancement in the standings depend on the chips accumulated by the player. It is due to this that sports poker can be legalized in some countries, and regular poker at cash tables - no.

Sports poker rules

In fact, there is no such thing as the rules of sports poker in principle. If we talk about the rules of poker in general, but they depend on the type of game, but not at all on the discipline.

If we talk about the rules of the game in tournaments, then they differ from event to event. There are many tournaments. Some allow you to make rebuys and add-ons (buy more chips if the player has lost the entire stack), some blinds increase every three minutes, there are also deep-tournaments (with deep stacks) and many other types, each of which has its own rules.

The essence of sports poker is to first get into the prize zone (PTM), and then try to get as high as possible in the standings. That is why it was called "sports", as it contains rivalry between the players.

History of sports poker

It is easy to guess that the history of sports poker is closely intertwined with the history of poker in general. Let's start with the official introduction of poker as a game in 1872, when Robert Shenk, the US ambassador to the UK, wrote a set of rules for the game. At that time, poker was a fairly popular game in taverns and other similar establishments, but only cash games were played.

The first professional tournaments began to be held in 1970, so this year can be considered the official date of the birth of sports poker. It happened in the following way. Jack Binion, a man who simply adored poker, announced a competition between the best players in the United States, the winner of which will receive the title of King of Poker. Only six players took part in the tournament, but despite this, the competition lasted for 7 days. All this time, the participants competed among themselves in various varieties of this card game. The winner was chosen by voting method and became Johnny Moss.

Since the tournament caused a lot of admiration among the public, Jack Binion decided to make it regular, and called it the WSOP (World Series of Poker), which today gathers tens of thousands of participants at its tables.

The very next year, in the second WSOP tournament, 14 people played, and every year the number of participants continued to grow.

So sports poker was born on the same day as the World Series of Poker, and Jack Binion is to be thanked for that.

International and national associations of sports poker

With the growing popularity of sports poker around the world, various associations began to appear, holding local tournaments on their territory. They took responsibility for the competition, the development of uniform rules and much more. So what international sports poker associations exist?

• World Federation of Poker (World Poker Federation)
• Poker Tournament Directors Association (Association of Poker Tournament Directors)
• European Poker Sports Association (European Sports Poker Association)
• Ladies Poker Association (Women's Poker Association)

These are the four main global organizations that regulate all activities related to poker, and are also responsible for hosting international competitions.

In addition, there are national sports poker federations and they are in almost every country:

• United States Poker Federation
• Federation of Sports Poker of Russia - RF
• Belarusian Federation Sports Poker - Belarus
• Fédération Française des Joueurs de Poker - France
• Australian Poker Association - Australia
• Dansk Poker Forbund - Denmark
• South African Poker Association - South Africa
• And many others.

Where can you play sports poker?

If you are just starting to learn poker or have only played cash games so far, but have now decided to start playing sports poker, we hasten to please you: for this you do not need to do anything special. The easiest way to start playing sports poker is online.

First of all, you need to choose the right poker room, which offers a wide range of multi-table tournaments with different buy-ins and structure. You can search for such a poker room for a long time, but without a doubt, today the best site for playing tournament poker is PokerStars.

We recommend that you pay attention to the 888 Poker $88 signup bonus, because it is issued mainly with tournament tickets, so you can play sports poker for free, as well as build up your bankroll for future tournaments.

Sports poker in Russia

Sports poker gained active development in Russia after the collapse of the USSR, when casinos and gaming clubs began to appear in most cities. From the beginning, poker has been considered gambling and most players agreed with this, but there were also those like Dmitry Lesnoy who actively fought for the legalization of this game.

Is sports poker banned in Russia or not?

In 2006, Dmitry Lesnoy founded the Russian Sports Poker Federation, and the following year he was recognized as an official sport. Unfortunately, today sports poker in Russia does not receive proper development due to the fact that the government does not recognize it as one of the sports. According to the federal law, since 2009, poker in any of its manifestations has been banned in Russia: sports, cash games, online or offline - it doesn't matter. Today you can play poker in Russia only in special gambling zones, of which there are six in the Russian Federation: Sochi, Crimea, Yantarnaya (Zelenograd), Primorye (Vladivostok), Siberian Coin (Altai), Azov City " (Krasnodar region).

Only by visiting one of these gambling zones, you will be able to legally play sports poker. Of course, there are many underground casinos and poker clubs throughout the country, but their activities are illegal and, if you do not want problems with law enforcement, it is better to refuse to visit them.

Despite this, Russian players regularly participate in European and world poker tournaments. Such well-known personalities as Ivan Demidov, Vitaly Lunkin, Alexander Kravchenko, Alexander Kostritsyn, Maxim Lykov, Kirill Gerasimov, Andrey Pateychuk and others are frequent participants in the World Series of Poker and from time to time take prizes in the events of this series.

You can also read additional materials on this topic in the article.

Many bookmakers do not aim for huge earnings and a large list of events, concentrating on certain sports and specific countries. In most cases, the choice of competition falls on football, since this game is already a global treasure that is loved and respected by all the peoples of the world. Bookmaker "Offside"decided to go the "beaten path", creating another resource that is aimed at attracting a small group of betters for unhurried and not very profitable football bets. Engage the big players Offsidebet"There is nothing special, so this office is another clone in the big "Internet soup".

Bookmaker "Offside" - description of the company

According to official documents, offsidebet.com is a rather old player, since this bookmaker (bookmaker) was established in 1997. Initially, the office offered its services to Europe and the countries of the former CIS, but in the end, it almost completely shifted its gaze to domestic bettors. For 11 years now, it has been actively offering its services to players in Moldova, Ukraine, Belarus and Russia.

Offside bookmaker is a subsidiary of another major gaming company - Entertainment International Group Ltd. This is not the last "owner" of the office, even this association belongs to the old 2x2bet office, which has been occupying a significant place in the "alimentary chain" of domestic betting for a long time.

Offside has a gambling license issued by the government of the island of Curacao. Previously, not only domestic betters, but also European ones were visitors to the office, however, this "raspberry" did not last long. Over time, PPPs (betshops) "Offside" in the UK, USA and Israel came under the ban, and were safely closed. In 2011, the office got its own website en.offsidebet.com, and began to accept bets already via the Internet. Despite the fact that the bookmaker had a solid number of betting shops in the CIS countries, they are currently being actively closed due to the transition to a fully online mode.

It is worth noting that "Offsidebet" disperses its forces and past betting activities, the resource is extremely active in offering other online entertainment services - poker, roulette, slots, board games. The total number of additional entertainment exceeds 20 positions, but is constantly growing. This "broad focus" takes so much energy from the bookmaker that the main activity can offer potential customers negligible opportunities.

Bookmaker "Offside" - description of the resource

"Offside" is probably the only resource on the Runet that itself selects betters for registration. That is, you won’t be able to register just like that, you must receive an invitation from a member of the “club”, pass the administration’s check, and only then start playing. This is quite unusual, as the rest of the bookmakers register everyone indiscriminately. And many even have a special bonus program that gives cash prizes for each "brought friend" (referral).

Among the features of the site "Offside" it is worth noting the following functions:

• design. The site is done professionally, has a beautiful green design. There are no complaints from betters, everything is done beautifully and stylishly;
• navigation. Everything is in order here too, the Offside site has good navigation. The main news and tables are located in the main menu, the blocks are arranged according to the meaning, everything is clear and accessible;
• multilanguage. In addition to Russian, the bookmaker's website has been translated into several more popular languages;
• availability of additional entertainment. In addition to bets, the site can offer a bettor more than twenty interesting online games, such as slots, machines and casinos;
• mobile version. For players who prefer to place bets from mobile devices, there is a special light version of the resource.

offsidebet

Offsidebet is the largest Russian-focused online poker site and also runs a very successful casino and sportsbook. While Offsidebet does accept players from other countries, it predominantly caters for a Russian player base.

If you are simply looking for another iPoker bonus to clear, or you are from a Russian-speaking territory, then Offsidebet is probably OK to use. Otherwise, I'd recommend avoiding them.

About Offsidebet

Offsidebet has been in operation since 2008 and works out of centers in Curacao, Costa Rica, Malta and Eastern Europe. Its gaming platform is licensed in Curacao and is held by Media Entertainment N.V.

The company uses Playtech poker software with a Kahnawakee license and NetEntertaiment casino software. Not a lot is known about the size of the company and a lot of information relating to it seems to be in Russian or Bulgarian. Offsidebet doesn't appear to be a big hitter having never sponsored any major sporting events or other competitions.

Clunky Software

There are a lot of script issues when trying to run the Offsidebet Poker software and this leaves the program hanging, so you’ll need to close and reopen the client again. It’s a bit of a pain when you’re trying to register with the site so I ended up registering through the website and then just logging into the client because it was becoming an annoyance.

It was a struggle to register as I can’t choose UK or Ireland as my country, so I had to email to ask if it accepts players from there because I couldn’t find the answer in the terms and conditions either. After waiting for 24 hours (which is the maximum it says you have to wait) and for the purpose of this review, I’m a temporary native of Italy. From checking around it appears that they don't accept UK players, but I've no confirmation on Irish players just yet.

Once you do get into the client it's hard to tell whether it looks good or not, as a lot of images have failed to load due to the scripts not running. I've tried this on two different laptops and it's the same on both, so that will need to be looked at by their developers.

It's a soft green and gray color scheme, similar to what they use on their website and it's quite easy on the eye. Offsidebet has also gone one better than a lot of iPoker skins and put some work into the graphics. The table is a nice shade of green with a brown racetrack and it has the Offside logo stamped in the middle. It's set on a mahogany background and all the information, such as chip counts, chips and the chat stands out. I like it a lot.

As its Playtech it's a smooth and fast paced engine that can easily handle the 16 tables that you're allowed open at the same time. Even when you have the maximum number of tables open you can use the tile button to automatically resize and reposition each table. You may customize the software more by selecting your own avatar, choosing from four backs for the cards, using four color decks and deciding which sounds to use. Despite all the initial trouble, once it gets going it's a decent setup.

Nice Bonus for New Players

Offsidebet Poker, or Offside Poker as they seem to switch between, offers you a 200% first deposit bonus up to a maximum of $2,000, so you need to lodge $1,000 to benefit from the maximum bonus.

To release the bonus you need to earn Offsidebet PP's by playing ring games and tournaments. The advantage for cash game players on this skin is that points are not based on contributed rake, so once you participate in a hand that goes to the flop, you’ll earn points for it. But maybe that isn't so.

When you read on further and you click into their VIP program, you come across this statement:

“Since the 5th of March Offsidebet updated the rake attribution system to Weighted Contributed. Meaning that the rake allocated to each player depends on his participation in the pot and is not equally distributed among all players.”

It's very frustrating for us, both as players and reviewers, to read through information on a site and find something we like, and maybe deposit on the back of it, only to realize that it's not all as it seems once we delve into other areas of the site.

With regards the bonus, for every 1,000 OffsidebetPP you earn you'll release $10 of the first deposit bonus. If you're playing cash, depending on which of the four levels you're on, you'll earn 15-30 OPPs for every $1 of rake you pay. This is the same ratio for every $1 of tournament fees you pay. In a nutshell, you'll need to play the equivalent of $670 worth of tournaments or rake $67 to release your first $10 bonus as you'll be on the lowest rung of the ladder.

Bad Beat Bonus - $150

If you're playing cash games 100nl and above, and you lose with AAAKK or better, then you have a shot at the $150 Bad Beat Bonus. There's a few T&Cs though. You must go to showdown, three players must see a flop, both hole cards must be used and only one Bad Beat per day, so if you lose with quad 8s and some unluckier person loses with quad 10s, he gets the windfall and not you . To claim your bonus you will need to contact them, and then you must play through 10 OPPs for every $1 bonus - so it’s not as straightforward as it seems.

Best Hand Bonus - $100

Very similar to the Bad Beat, but a winning hand of JJJJ or more is required.

Royal Flush Bonus - $500

This bonus will start off at $100 and increase by $10 every day until a maximum of $500 is reached. There's some T&Cs involved, as always, but you can worry about that once you hit the RF.

There's a reduced bonus for everyone playing below 100nl, where you can still earn a $25 bonus for binking a Bad Beat, Best Hand or Royal Flush.

Offside's VIP System

Offsidebet Poker has a VIP program which is calculated by averaging your OffsidebetPP’s over the previous three months.

However, there's contradicting information as to how many VIP levels there actually are. When you're on the page which tells you info about your first deposit bonus, it says there are six VIP levels, and there's a clickable link. In that clickable link however there are only four VIP levels and they are called White, Blue, Black and Silver and the number of OPPs (Offsidebet player points) required for each are:

White 0 - 1499 OPP

Blue 1500 - 4999 OPP

Black 5000 - 9999 OPP

Silver 10000 - 19999 OPP

VIP levels will be updated on the 1st of every month and your average points will be calculated by taking 50% of your previous months play, 30% of the month before that and 20% of the points earned three months ago.

If starting off on the White Level, in order to hit the 1,500 points needed to move up to Level 2, you'll need to play ~$1,000 worth of tournaments to rake the $100 fees to move you up to Level 2. If you want to aim for Level 3, then you'll need to average ~$250 worth of rake/fees over a three-month period, and this is getting your OPPs at a rate of 20 per $1 raked.

This coincides with a Rollback Bonus scheme offered by Offsidebet Poker. This allows you to earn a maximum of $30 for every 1,000 OPPs you accrue. You’ll need to send an email with all your details to apply for this bonus, but once you get accepted into ‘Offside Poker Club’ you can start earning money for points.

Realistically, not many players will earn the 50,000 points required to allow you a $3 per 100 point conversion rate. Players that make it to ‘Black VIP level 3’ will be earning $1.50 per 100 OPPs.

A Selection of Games Only for Offsidebet Poker players

Offsidebet Poker runs a tournament league every month, with a total prize pool of $800 a week on offer. It offers daily freeroll tournaments at 7pm GMT which are all free/OPPs to enter (some with 50c rebuys and $1 add-on). The higher you finish, the more money you win in that particular game and the more leader board points you earn.

Of the seven weekly tournaments, two offer OPPs as prizes while the other five games offer an added prize pool of between $100 and $200. The website states rebuys as $0.10 but in the client they are $0.50. You can expect about 250 players in these freerolls.

Offsidebet Poker’s clickable logo advertises $5,000 in Poker freerolls, but I can only see the ones above and they don’t even have any information on what prizes are received by the players who finish near the top of the leaderboard. Contacting support to find out the info is proving futile.

Depositing / Withdrawing Info

You can use Credit/Debit Cards, Skrill, Neteller, Bank Transfer, Ukash, Ecocard and WebMoney to deposit. The minimum deposits range from €5 for Skrill/Ukash up to €30 for Neteller, which is extremely high. All of these deposits are free and instantly credited to your account, including its FastBank Transfer option.

You can use all the same methods above for withdrawals, and each of them ranges from a day to a few days to process. Web Money is on its own though, as it takes up to five business days. One thing I learned is that you can now cash out back to UKash and withdraw your money through PayPoints and Bank Machines.

I have a bit of a problem with the maximum withdrawal limits for some of the methods on offer. For example, I can withdraw 10,000 using Fast Bank or 15,000 using Neteller, but only 2,000 using Skrill. That would put off a lot of high stakes players that might use Skrill as their desired method for moving money around. Likewise if you win a medium-to-large tournament it's unclear how often it would take to withdraw the winnings to Skrill.

Are they Safe or is Offsidebet a Scam?

Offsidebet don't cover themselves in glory as far as their sister bookmakers are concerned. There are some reports of them failing to process withdrawals, removing money/bonus from people's accounts without warning and capping people's betting limits very quickly.

Another 2+2 scandal relates to a Russian forum posting details about a huge number of bots working on the skin in association with Offsidebet Poker employees, which seems to have a big impact on people trying to withdraw money from the site not to mention the huge negative publicity it brings on them.

Disappointing Support

There's no live support at Offsidebet Poker. The help button on the client brings you back to the website, where you can only contact them by email. It states that they are ‘customer support fanatics’ and strive to provide the quickest, most accurate support around.

A claimed 10-minute response time up to a maximum of 24 hours gave me a lot of hope for having any potential issues resolved quickly. But alas 48 hours later and I had not received a reply to two separate emails. You can’t even contact them by phone so I guess they have a different interpretation of what constitutes a ‘customer support fanatic’ than I do.

When they did eventually reply to my queries several days later, they were brief, unhelpful and didn't even address more than half the questions I asked. This is simply not good enough for a company that wants to be taken seriously.

This might be because I was using English rather than Russian, but if they want to offer English speaking support, they should make it high quality or else scrap it.

Negatives

They don't accept UK players

Very poor support, especially as it's one of their selling points

A lot of contradicting information on their site relating to the loyalty/VIP program

Verdict

When a site doesn't accept UK (and maybe Irish) players it's hard to give a proper verdict. The support offered by the site might be different towards its Russian customers, but it's non-existent for me. The thread on 2+2, coupled with the poor support and the bad scripts, would not fill me full of confidence about keeping a large sum of money on Offsidebet Poker.

The conflicting information on the site about the rake and the loyalty scheme just puts me off even more - any site that can’t be bothered to relay the correct information to potential customers should be avoided.

There's not a lot that would draw me to depositing here so I'd recommend you give it a miss. If Russian is your first language, they are probably more reliable, but even then there are plenty of other good options on the network.