Samenvatting (Rated 8 out of 10)
One of the newbies in the industry, Carbon Poker has set about promoting itself as a “revolutionary” new poker room. While revolutionary may be an adjective best reserved for wars and heroes, there are some nice touches at Carbon Poker in regard to bonus, comp points and look / feel which make it an enjoyable place to play. Its shortcomings, such as missing components in game selection and table graphics, keep it from the very top of the industry but most will nevertheless find its charms enough for them. Carbon Poker is off to an impressive start given its relative newness and it seems certain that they’ll continue to improve and ascend the online poker ranks.
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Game Selectie (Rated 7 out of 10)
The game selection at Carbon Poker, aside from a couple of small oversights, is generally quite good. The main oversight is the lack of anything away from hold’em and Omaha, which are the exclusive game types here. Both of these games are given quite extensive treatment in cash and tournament play but anyone wishing to play stud, draw or any other game will need to look elsewhere. Cash games are available in stakes particularly suiting the micro-limit player with no-limit as low as 2c/4c and limit at 10c/20c, though the very high-stakes player is less well-served with no-limit topping out at $25/$50 and limit at $50/$100.
Tournament play is similarly suited to the low-roller and, though again being pretty extensive, is missing one or two of the more basic elements. Sit-and-goes range from $2 to $500 buy-ins, though the top of this range is relatively sparse and there is nothing in the way of multi-table sit-and-go games for anyone wishing to have a stab at some larger prize pools for less investment. Despite not focusing on non-hold’em games in general there is a good provision for Omaha in these sit-and-go’s. Scheduled tournaments also tend to cater for the low buy-in, with plenty of free-roll, $1, $2, $3, and $5 games. Satellite selection is good including WSOP satellites and there is the opportunity for women to have some testosterone-free play with a selection of women-only games.
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Kwaliteit van Spelers (Rated 8 out of 10)
Neither drawing the new player nor the player with more money then sense, this is a room which definitely leans towards the practice rather than profit side of things. This is not to say that the very best of opponent frequent this site because due to the lack of high stakes and non-hold’em games they don’t, but the lack of novice fish, who will probably arrive at the shores of Party Poker first, mean that a steady stream of solid players are more likely here.
One feature this site does have in terms of quality of player, or rather in terms of spotting good players, is their accolade system. These are little awards and stars given to players based on their performance in past cash games and tournaments and are displayed beside each individual’s name at the table. If you sit down therefore at a table where you notice several people have ribbons, stars and trophies beside their name then it may be time to make an early exit.
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Software (Rated 8 out of 10)
All in all, the software is very competent, usable and pretty much as good as anything else out there. The basics of the setup process are smooth and efficient as is maneuvering around the interface, particularly in terms of accessing cashier, account, and comp point information. There is also sufficient online support and customer service access.
There are several details though which push Carbon Poker’s software slightly above the average. One of these is their capabilities when dealing with any inevitable slowness. Rather than simply folding and forcing a player to sit out they disable some of the non-vital aspects of the software, such as extra animation, in order to give every opportunity for the player to continue with their hand. There are also various handy reminders. For example, when leaving the table you are informed of how many more hands are required for an extra batch of comp points and also how many free hands are available towards this, a very uncharacteristic but nice behavior for a poker room. One unfortunate downside to their software is their choice of lobby music which, for anyone with a broken mute button, may lead to acts of self-harm.
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Graphics (Rated 7 out of 10)
Carbon Poker’s graphics are a little bit hit and miss. While certain aspects are quite stylish others seem to miss the mark. The main user interface falls into the former of these two categories. Simplistic yet stylish, the muted colors and file-drawer type organization work well and create a very pleasant, practical atmosphere. Each of the game selection and user option tabs are clearly legible, although the organization of games under these tabs leaves a little to be desired.
It is in table graphics where Carbon Poker falls down slightly in terms of looks. The layout is basic and there is little more than a name tag beside each of the players. Action is also not as easy to decipher as it could be with bets arriving from inexact locations making it often difficult to tell who has made it. On the up side they do have a couple of minor innovations such as the ability to upload your own small avatar as well as scrolling announcements of tournament and big pot winners for any fame seekers out there. For those who like to torture themselves they also have running updates on the hand you would have had if you had decided to stay in a given pot.
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Winstgevendheid (Rated 8 out of 10)
Despite the relatively high standard of player at Carbon Poker it is still a reasonably profitable site to play at. This is largely due to their top drawer bonus of 100% up to $100 which, although taking a while to release, will give any bankroll a helpful boost. They also have a comp point system through which players can gain access to restricted tournaments and even buy gifts at the Carbon Poker gift store and, unlike many sites, these points aren’t too difficult to gain as they don’t require that you participate in every hand.
The standard of player, although high, is not quite of the level so as to seriously restrict regular profit, rather it simply forces some patience and good ABC play. The relative lack of high buy-in or high-stakes tournaments and cash games mean that big money for big investment isn’t really an option here. In general, this is a site for decent players with a decent bankroll looking for a good, competitive game in a new environment and the chance at a few extra bucks.
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