RPM Poker is a brand new poker site that accepts players from the United States. As a member of the Merge Gaming Network, RPM Poker already has a steady player base and lots of promotions for its players.
Overall, RPM Poker is a promising new poker site. It’s not a perfect poker room but it definitely has all the important bases covered. The site is safe, trustworthy and has plenty of action for Texas Holdem players. If you play poker variants other than Texas Holdem, you might instead want to try Full Tilt Poker.
RPM Poker Bonus
RPM Poker is currently offering up to $500 to all new players if they use the coupon code RPMPoker when making a deposit. This bonus money is given at a 100% rate based upon your first deposit at RPM Poker.
Clearing Requirements:
Like all poker sites, RPM Poker has a play-through requirement associated with this bonus before it can be withdrawn. For every $10 in bonus money, you will need to earn 2500 Comp Points before it can be withdrawn. It sounds like a lot of Comp Points but that’s just because RPM Poker gives them away like candy. You shouldn’t have any problems clearing this bonus.
Freeroll Bonus
All new players also automatically get a free tournament entry coupon for a $1,000 freeroll tournament at RPM Poker. If that’s not enough, you’ll also get 14 days’ worth entry to the daily $500 New Depositor Freeroll.
RPM Poker Software and Graphics
RPM Poker uses the same software engine that powers all the sites on the Merge Gaming Network. This software engine is known for being very responsive, fast and nice looking. It uses vector graphics, which is a fancy way of saying the graphics look crisp and sharp no matter how you resize the tables.
Speaking of which, the tables have a minimalist look that is clean and uncluttered. Instead of going for super-realism like some poker sites do, RPM Poker went with a stylish interface that’s easy on the eyes and lets you concentrate on playing poker.
Features
Poker sites on the Merge Gaming Network have more features than anywhere else. At RPM Poker, for instance, you can take notes on the other players, you can tag players for quick reference, you can play multiple tables at a time and much more. Two of the more interesting features include:
Deal It Twice: If you and another player get it all-in on the flop during a no limit cash game, you both have the option to deal the turn and river cards twice. This is something you might see in live cash games but very rarely online. If both players agree, both cards will be dealt twice.
Rabbit Hunt: Let’s say you’re playing in a cash game with $200 behind you and four cards to a flush. The pot is already $200 and your opponent leads into you for $200 on the turn. Suddenly you’re facing a $400 decision and all you have is a flush draw….
You consider gambling it up but eventually decide to pass. Instead of wondering all day if you would have hit the flush, you decide to click on the “Rabbit Hunt” button to see what the next card would have been. Aha – it would have been a brick. You’ll be sleeping like a baby tonight; you made the right decision.
A few other notable features include
- Player Notes / Tags
- Bad Beat Jackpot
- Multi Tabling
- Resizable Tables
- Accolades
- Time Bank
RPM Poker Multi Table Tournaments
Despite its relative youth, RPM Poker already has a strong lineup of tournaments. Every Sunday, RPM Poker hosts a tournament with a guaranteed prize pool of $50,000. A strong finish in that tournament is just about enough to buy a new car. If you’re looking for even bigger action, RPM Poker also has a wide selection of satellite tournaments in which you can win free seats to major events like the World Series of Poker.
RPM Poker hosts all of the following tournament types:
- Freezeouts
- Shootouts
- Bounties
- Freerolls
- Guaranteed Prize Pools
- Satellites
RPM Poker Sit and Go Tournaments
Most of the Sit-n-Go tournaments at RPM Poker are single table tournaments but you’ll also find the occasional multi-table sit and go. These tournaments begin as soon as enough players join the table. This means there’s no waiting around for a specially scheduled tournament. Sit and Gos can be found at all hours of the day and at a wide range of buyins.
RPM Poker Cash Games
The cash games at RPM Poker are generally soft but they could use more traffic. The low and medium stake games are fine but the high stake games aren’t exactly bustling with action. What I do like about the cash games at RPM Poker is how soft they are and how quickly the hands are dealt. Additionally, the abundance of features makes the experience completely customizable.
RPM Poker Player Traffic
Low traffic levels are RPM Poker’s biggest weakness. There are enough games if you play low to medium stakes Texas Holdem but that’s about it. If you play high stakes or other poker variants, you’ll want to look into a different poker site.
The good news is that if you play guaranteed tournaments, you’ll find many instances in which RPM Poker adds money to the prize pool to make up for a lack of players. This is called an “overlay” and it’s a great deal for the players of the tournament. The prize pool is still just as big as promised but there aren’t nearly as many people competing for the cash.
At the time of this review, there were 4,305 players logged in at RPM Poker. It’s not the biggest poker site in the world but it definitely beats every live poker room I’ve ever visited.
Ease of Competition
The good thing about the low traffic levels at RPM Poker is that it results in much easier competition than at most poker sites. There aren’t enough players here to support the multi-tabling pros here. Most of the players at RPM Poker are of the casual sort. As more players join RPM Poker, however, you can expect to see the competition become stronger.
RPM Poker Game Variety
With the number of games available at RPM Poker, it’s pretty clear they’re planning on attracting multitudes of new players. The games list is one of the most complete I’ve run across to date. RPM Poker offers all the following games:
- Texas Holdem
- Omaha
- Omaha Hi-Lo
- Seven Card Stud
- Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo
- 5 Card Draw
- Razz
- H.O.R.S.E.
- Badugi
- Euchre
RPM Poker VIP Program
RPM Poker has a very straightforward and simple VIP Program in which you can get up to 40% cash back on the rake you pay. The VIP Program is based on Comp Points, which are earned by playing in real money ring games and tournaments. The more Comp Points you earn, the more cash you get back.
Your Comp Points can also be used to gain free entry to special freeroll tournaments. You won’t be able to trade your points in for gear or electronics, but the straight up cash is always welcome. On one hand, it would be nice to be able to trade your Comp Points in for items but on the other hand, the cash can be used for anything.
Support
The customer support section leaves something to be desired. The only method of contacting RPM Poker is via e-mail and through a help form on the poker client. Unfortunately, this is about par for the industry. Poker sites that offer phone numbers are still a rarity. Hopefully RPM Poker will add support contact options as the site becomes more popular.
Deposit Methods
To end things on a positive note, RPM Poker has a nice selection of deposit methods for both US and non-US players. The complete list of deposit options includes:
- Visa
- MasterCard
- eWalletXpress
- Click2Pay
- NETeller
- Eco Card
- Fonelinx
- Moneybookers
- PinDebit