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Paradise Poker does not accept US players.
Paradise (affiliated with SportsBook.com) is an established site with a wide range of ring games and MTTs. The software is basic but reliable, the HELP section is one of the most complete we've seen, and the support (while not live or available via phone) is quick to respond to emails. You'll really like the first-rate MTT lobby which provides all the relevant info (status in tourney, spots to the money, blind levels, etc.). We also appreciate that the blind structure for tournaments is easily found in the HELP section. Paradise could improve its graphics (pleasant but sometimes hard to read info and bet amounts) and the hand history function (available by email only), but overall, the site does the important things right--namely, drawing in new players, offering a wide range of ring games, SnGs and MTTs and providing responsive support. Note: Action on the site isn't as loose as that on Party or Bodog, but if you adjust, you can take advantage of the tight, predictable play. |
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| Note: traffic estimates are observed data circa Feb 06 unless otherwise noted |
| Ring Games
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# of players |
% of total |
| Limit |
1 300 |
50% |
| No limit (NL) |
900 |
35% |
| Other |
0 |
400 |
15% |
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full |
s/h |
| Table size |
10 |
5 |
| Approximate mix (%) |
70% |
30% |
| Activity - Limit |
tables |
players |
| 2c/4c |
14 |
123 |
| 5c/10c |
13 |
107 |
| 10c/20c |
14 |
130 |
| 25c/50c |
15 |
125 |
| 50c/$1 |
10 |
90 |
| $1/$2 |
30 |
176 |
| $2/$4 |
13 |
118 |
| $3/$6 |
18 |
104 |
| $5/$10 |
15 |
86 |
| $8/$16 |
1 |
10 |
| $10/$20 |
13 |
68 |
| $15/$30 |
1 |
10 |
| $20/$40 |
6 |
43 |
| $40/$80 |
4 |
29 |
| Activity - No Limit |
tables |
players |
| 1c/2c; max $2 |
17 |
157 |
| 5c/10c; max $10 |
28 |
180 |
| 10c/25c; max $25 |
23 |
162 |
| 25c/50c; max $50 |
17 |
121 |
| 50c/$1; max $100 |
18 |
116 |
| $1/$2; max $200 |
15 |
134 |
| $2.50/$5; max $500 |
2 |
11 |
| Lobby view |
Flop % |
yes |
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| Avg pot |
yes |
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| Hands/Hr |
yes |
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| Real-time HH? |
no |
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| HH stored on computer? |
no |
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| Mucked hands in HH? |
yes |
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| Player notes? |
yes |
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| Session stats at table? |
yes |
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| Tournaments |
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# of players |
| Multi-table tournaments (MTTs) |
2 200 |
| Big weekly MTT |
Add to Calendar |
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Buy-in |
$200 + $15 |
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| Entrants |
885 |
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| Prize pool |
$176,600 ($150k Gtd) |
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| Overlay? |
no |
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| Day/time (EST) |
Sun 5:00 PM EST |
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| Big daily MTT |
Add to Calendar |
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Buy-in |
$30 + $2.70 |
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| Entrants |
700 |
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| Prize pool |
$80,000 |
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| Time (EST) |
9:00 PM EST |
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# of players |
| Sit n Gos (SnGs) |
1 800 |
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full |
s/h |
| Table size (SnGs) |
10 |
5 |
| Approx mix (%) |
50% |
50% |
| Range of buy-ins |
$5 to $300 |
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| Time to seat |
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| $5 + $1 |
<1 min |
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| $10 + $1 |
<2 min |
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| $20 + $2 |
<2 min |
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| $30 + $3 |
<5 min |
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| $50 + $5 |
<10 min |
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| $100 + $9 |
<10 min |
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| $300 + $25 |
15+ min |
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| $300 + $20 |
15+ min |
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| Blinds increase every? |
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Regular |
10 hands |
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| Turbo |
NA |
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| Other |
NA |
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| Link to blind structure page |
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Link |
| Hourly NL tournaments? |
yes |
$1 to $300
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| WPT/WSOP satellites? |
yes |
| Tournament listing |
Link
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| Max tables at once (ring) |
4 |
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| Max tables at once (tournaments) |
4 |
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| Ring game play clears bonus? |
yes |
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| You'll receive 1 pt for each raked hand played; 10 pts are required to clear $1 of bonus; the $50 maximum bonus will require 500 pts (500 raked hands). |
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| Tournament play clears bonus? |
yes |
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| You'll earn 1 point for every dollar paid in tournament fees. For 1-on-1 tournaments with less than a $1 fee, you will still get 1 point. MTT players will earn points equal to 10% of the value of their buy-in; fractional points will always be rounded up. For example, in the case of a $10 tournament, you'll earn 1 point while in the case of a $15 tournament, you'll earn 1.5 points, with this always being rounded up to an even 2 points.
10 pts are required to clear $1 of bonus; the $50 bonus will require 500 points ($500 of fees; 250 $20 STTs) |
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| Miscellaneous |
Match |
Max |
| Deposit bonus |
25% |
$50 |
| Reload bonus (NA) |
NA |
NA |
| Minimum deposit (NETeller) |
$50 |
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| Minimum cashout |
$50 |
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| Customer support |
NETeller cashout |
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Response to email |
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| Accurancy of responses |
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| Endorsed by |
Affiliated Sites |
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- You'll find a full selection of ring games, SnGs and MTTs at all hours; the SnGs seat quickly
- Ring game play is not as loose as you'll find on other sites, but it's predictable
- The site posts the blind structures and level times in the HELP section
- The blind structure and chip amounts are consistent at various buy-ins
- Complete session stats are available at the table
- You can play blackjack and the sportsbook without leaving poker table |
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- The lobby and table colors, graphics and text could be clearer
- Bet amounts aren't posted on the table; you need to check the chat window or use your cursor to see them
- The player notes feature is limited and there's no flag to show you've got player note
- There's no real-time hand history function; they're only available by email
- Relatively high ($50) minimum deposit and cashout amounts |
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Why you should play the site
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- Paradise's sign-up bonus is relatively light but there's plenty of action to clear it
- The ring games are tight but predictable
- There's an excellent selection of MTTs with great info lobbies
- The site offers one of the widest selections of games of the sites we've seen (pineapple, draw, 5-card stud et al.)
- Your players club point are usuable in daily and weekly freerolls
- Paradise re-stocks the pond via ongoing television and print ads |
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- The ring games are tight, but no tougher than anywhere else; adjust and you'll do fine
- Consider playing the higher limits; we found players to be underfunded
- Sign-up bonuses favor ring game players
- You can play 4 tables at once and it's PokerTracker compatible |
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For the tournament player
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- There are plenty of MTTs to choose from and the lobbies provide comprehensive info
- The chip and blind structures are consistent across all SnG buy-ins; moving up and down buy-ins requires fewer adjustments
- Lower buy-in (<$50) sit n gos seat quickly
- The deposit bonus is not favorable for tournament players
- The site sponsors a $1 mm freeroll, a live tournament in the Bahamas and ongoing WSOP and WPT satellites |
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- Stick to SnGs at $100 and below; the higher buy-in SnGs are pricey. For example, Paradise's $100 SnG has a $9 buy-in (consistent with Party and Stars). In contrast, Paradise's $300 buy-in SnG has a fee of $25 (8.3%); high compared to SnGs on Party (7.5%) or Stars (6.7%)
- There's a $1 mm freeroll
- There's a ton of low buy-in (<$10) satellites for all major MTT events on the site |
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- In limit games, the minimum buy-in is 5x BB; we routinely see underfunded players
- There's a $50 minimum on cashouts |
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| Activity - Limit |
Avg # of tables |
Avg # of players |
Comments |
| 2c/4c |
14 |
123 |
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| 5c/10c |
13 |
107 |
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| 10c/20c |
14 |
130 |
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| 25c/50c |
15 |
125 |
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| 50c/$1 |
10 |
90 |
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| $1/$2 |
30 |
176 |
43% trbo; 30% s/h |
| $2/$4 |
13 |
118 |
30% trbo |
| $3/$6 |
18 |
104 |
30% trbo ;40% s/h |
| $5/$10 |
15 |
86 |
22% trbo;40% s/h |
| $8/$16 |
1 |
10 |
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| $10/$20 |
13 |
68 |
26% trbo; 50% s/h |
| $15/$30 |
1 |
10 |
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| $20/$40 |
6 |
43 |
50% trbo |
| $40/$80 |
4 |
29 |
50% trbo |
| Activity - NL |
Avg # of tables |
Avg # of players |
Comments |
| 1c/2c; max $2 |
17 |
157 |
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| 5c/10c; max $10 |
28 |
180 |
33% s/h |
| 10c/25c; max $25 |
23 |
162 |
37% s/h |
| 25c/50c; max $50 |
17 |
121 |
37% trbo |
| 50c/$1; max $100 |
18 |
116 |
38% trbo |
| $1/$2; max $200 |
15 |
134 |
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| $2.50/$5; max $500 |
2 |
11 |
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| Link to our complete compilation of action by size of game |
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| Big daily MTT |
Add to Calendar |
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Buy-in |
$30 + $2.70 |
| Entrants |
700 |
| Prize pool |
$80,000 |
| Time (EST) |
21:00 |
| Big weekly MTT |
Add to Calendar |
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Buy-in |
$200 + $15 |
| Entrants |
885 |
| Prize pool |
$176,600 ($150k Gtd) |
| Day/Time (EST) |
Sun/17:00 |
| Hourly NL tournaments? |
yes |
$1 to $300
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Sit n Gos (active tables)
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| Game |
Avg # of tables |
Time to seat |
Comments |
| $5 + $1 |
95 |
<1 min |
40% s/h |
| $10 + $1 |
76 |
<2 min |
40% s/h |
| $20 + $2 |
43 |
<2 min |
40% s/h |
| $30 + $3 |
35 |
<5 min |
45% s/h |
| $50 + $5 |
22 |
<10 min |
50% s/h |
| $100 + $9 |
10 |
<10 min |
50% s/h |
| $300 + $25 |
1 |
15+ min |
All S/H |
| $300 + $20 |
3 |
15+ min |
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| Link to blind structure |
Link to site's tournament listing |
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| Paradise's software is pretty basic, but it gets the job done. It's fast and reliable with some good features (lobby stats, player stats), but the player notes (no note icon) and HH functions (no real-time HH; email only) are limited. At the table, action moves quickly and the betting buttons are large and intuitive, but bet and pot amounts aren't obvious--you'll need to position your cursor over your opponent's bet. You can't post a custom table image, so keep your precious photo on your desktop where it belongs. There's is, though, a gimmicky "cocktail" feature. Don't use it--nothing says "chooch" like an image of a martini by your player ID. Overall, you'll like the tropical theme, great MTT lobby (it's as complete as it gets) and reliable action. Note: sometimes your ring game table won't show in the lobby; it's a bug--check in a few minutes and you'll find it. PokerTracker supports Paradise hand histories. |
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| Paradise is compatible with PokerTracker, but hand histories are not stored locally or available real-time. You need to email support and be patient--it takes a while to get them. |
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| Players |
yes |
| Avg pot |
yes |
| Flop% |
yes |
| Wait list |
yes |
| Hands/hr |
yes |
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| Session stats |
yes |
| Player notes |
yes |
| Bet amounts |
no |
| Pot amounts |
yes |
| Max tables (ring) |
4 |
| Max tables (trnys) |
4 |
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| Choose own image |
no |
| Visible profile |
no |
| Player search |
yes |
| Transfer money to player |
yes |
| Private tables |
no |
| Private trnys |
no |
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| Date |
User |
Click below for review or trip report |
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