Hollywood Poker

Hollywood Poker is not just using their name to attract players. Real Hollywood stars like James Woods, Vince van Patten, Michael Kane, Mimi Rogers, Jeff Fahey and Stephen Collins do actually play and hang out in the chat room. You can also catch pseudo-celebrities like Cato Kaelin. The poker room makes a lot of mileage out of their Hollywood angle, and it does deliver to a certain extent, depending on your definition of a celebrity.

The Hollywood Poker sign-up bonuses are very generous - some of the highest in the online poker industry, but are linked to playing a lot of poker and thus accumulating poker points in order to get them released. Some of these bonuses are also only released in $50 increments.

There is an abundance of tournaments, including Celebrity tournaments, WSOP satellites, freerolls and cheap buy-in tournaments, where 50% of the field gets paid. Ring tables have average competition, with a mixture of new and seasoned players. Unusually, 5-Card Draw poker is offered at the ring tables. Hollywood Poker offers a pretty decent poker school with lots of useful articles, especially for beginners. There is also a very comprehensive glossary of poker terms. Support is quick and troubleshooting and general FAQs are exceptionally comprehensive.

The Hollywood Poker software is very professional and smooth. An added feature that is not common on poker rooms is that there is a Java client for Mac and Linux users. This does not require downloading.

All in all, Holly wood Poker provides a top-notch poker playing experience.

Hollywood Poker has a choice of 4 sign-up bonuses:

• 500% up to $1,000 + iPod Nano
  Deposit $200, earn 15,000 poker points to claim

• 500% up to $500 + iPod Nano
  Deposit $100, earn 6,000 poker points to claim

• 100% up to $100 + Poker Magazine Subscription
  Deposit $100, earn 1,000 poker points to claim

• 100% up to $50 + Hollywood Poker Cap
  Deposit $100, earn 350 poker points to claim
  

Hollywood Poker Promotions:

• Celebrity Tournament Package - choose this bonus option and get entry into the Michael Woods Celebrity Invitational or the Hollywood Poker Celebrity Classic Tournament.

• Earn poker points for poker play

• WSOP Shootouts

• Daily freerolls and poker points freerolls

• Cheap tournaments with prize money split over half the field

• Invite a Friend and split $150 with them

• Club Hollywood Poker Rewards program

• My Poker Points Loyalty Program - earn loyalty points and get free tournament entries

Rake:
Standard 5% of each pot up to a maximum of $3.

Traffic:
Even though this is a relatively new poker room, it benefits from being on an established network, so there are a fair number of players. At busy times there are around 3,000 real money players connected.

Software And Cool Features:
The software is solid and efficient. Graphically the red-carpet theme of Hollywood is dominant. The interface is very detailed, with 3D avatars representing players at the table. One drawback is that you cannot select your preferred avatar.

Games Supported And Limits:
Texas Hold`Em, Omaha, Omaha Hi/Lo, 7-Card Stud, 7-Card Stud Hi/Lo and even 5-Card Draw are offered. Limits range from 25c/50c to $50/$100.

Deposit And Withdrawal Options:
The following deposit options are available: NETeller, InstaCash, Firepay, ePassporte, Click2Pay, Visa and Mastercard. Withdrawals: NETeller, and check.

Level Of Play And Competition:
There is a balanced mix of new players drawn by the celebrity factor, and more experienced players from the established network. On the whole, tight, disciplined play will pay off, as the type of player here is not normally a serious student of the game.

Customer Services:
Player service is generally very good at  Hollywood Poker. Support is via email only, but turnaround times are good. The FAQ section on the web site is one of the most comprehensive in existence.

Downside:
Not much of a downside here. If you want to be picky - the lack of "live" support, and the fact that bonuses are released in relatively small increments.