BetOnline was founded in 2004. The group operated in relative obscurity until a massive marketing push in 2011 brought them into the spotlight. This marketing also included a newly opened poker room on the Action Poker Network. Until BetOnline joined them, Action Poker did not accept U.S. players. The network was renamed the Chico Poker Network after BetOnline joined it. BetOnline and Sportsbetting.ag are the only U.S. friendly poker rooms on the network.
BetOnline has exploded in recent years. It is now the third largest site that accepts U.S. players. It averages 500 players at any given time, according to PokerScout.
The current BetOnline company is not related to the failed sports book that operated under the same name in the late 90’s. The new BetOnline is completely different. It is so popular that it receives many mentions in the mainstream media.
BetOnline Game Selection
The only constant action at BetOnline is micro No Limit Texas Hold’em. There is regular action up to 5/10 blinds. Most of it is at 6-max tables. Fixed Limit Hold’em action is nonexistent.
Pot Limit Omaha action may be found 24 hours a day. There is ample action up to 1/2 blinds with some extra tables at 2/4 during busy times. Six-max tables are the most common. There is some micro-stake Pot Limit Omaha High/Low action most hours of the day. The software does not spread any games besides Texas Hold’em and Omaha.
BetOnline spreads more than $250,000 in guaranteed tournaments each week. The biggest are spread on weekends. There is a $22 No Limit Texas Hold’em tournament with a $10k guaranteed prize pool every Saturday at 7pnm ET and Sunday at 6pm ET.
Sit and gos starting at pennies up to $11 run nearly 24 hours a day. Most are No Limit Texas Hold’em, although a handful are Pot Limit Omaha.
BetOnline Bonuses
BetOnline Deposit Bonus
BetOnline offers a 200% up to $1,000 first deposit bonus. It releases in five increments.
The first 10% of the bonus is released 30.3% of the deposit has been paid in rake. The next 20% of the bonus is released after a player rakes 99.27% of the bonus amount. Another 40% of the pending bonus is cleared when 220.4% of the bonus has been paid in rake.
The next 60% of the bonus is released upon raking 402.3% of the bonus. The remaining 70% of the bonus is cleared when raking 652.3% of the bonus.
The $1,000 bonus will require $6,523 in rake paid to clear the entire amount. Players have 120 days to clear the entire bonus. Any portion not yet released will expire.
BetOnline VIP
BetOnline does not offer any poker VIP program. Player points may be used to enter some freerolls and satellites.
BetOnline Promotions
BetOnline offers $250k in tournament guarantees. There are also frequent small freerolls.
BetOnline offers two sit and go leaderboards that offer a combined $25,000 prize pool. There are three separate leaderboards based on buyins:
- Bronze: $.05-$.99
- Silver: $1-$9.99
- Gold: $10 and up
Personal Opinion of BetOnline
What I like about BetOnline – The player pool is very weak. Any experienced player should be able to crush the cash games and tournaments. There are a few promotions that appeal to lower limit players. The first deposit bonus is one of the best ones available to U.S. players. Cashout speeds are fast to players throughout the world.
What I do not like about BetOnline – There is no VIP program. The soft player pool offsets this though.
Has There Ever Been a Scandal at BetOnline?
There have been dozens of scandals at BetOnline involving big winners being accused of cheating in one way or another. Some of these players convinced BetOnline to pay them by taking the issue public. All of these issues happened in 2011 and 2012. There have been no issues reported since then. BetOnline appears to have cleaned up its act. It has been more than four years since the last legitimate player complaint at BetOnline.
BetOnline was not honest about their connection to the Action Poker Network when they first launched. The company claimed that they were a member of the new Hero Poker Network. This is not to be confused with the legitimate Merge Gaming skin known as Hero Poker.
It was discovered quickly that BetOnline was actually on Action Poker, later renamed Chico Poker. Not only did they deny the connection, they failed to prevent players from being able to log into BetOnline and Action Poker and sit at the same table at the same time. Action Poker and their skins do not accept U.S. players but players outside the U.S. could log into Action Poker or a skin and sit at the same online poker table as their username at BetOnline. This is a recipe for collusion.
Action Poker has been plagued with problems ever since the Unlawful Internet Gamblin Enforcement Act came into law in the U.S. The network was left with a handful of loyal Canadian players and failed to peak at 100 players on most days. Late payments to players and affiliates gave the network a bad reputation.
The network attempted to enter the rake free poker model with their skin PayNoRake. Players that raked $100 in a day would get 100% rakeback. The problem was that there were not enough games for players to reach this goal. The addition of BetOnline into the network added much needed stability.
All of the network issues seem to have been resolved. This all happened more than five years ago. The quality of BetOnline has improved drastically since then. That is why we now recommend BetOnline. The site got past its growing pains.
How to Deposit to BetOnline
BetOnline has a high acceptance rate for credit cards, including Visa, Mastercard and American Express. They also accept Bitcoin. Players outside the U.S. can deposit by Neteller or Skrill.
How to Withdraw From BetOnline
BetOnline mails checks to U.S. players. Cash transfer services are also available for withdrawal, although the maximum amount is $400. MoneyGram withdrawals are processed in 1-2 days. Checks are delivered in 1-2 weeks. Bitcoin is also available and arrive in about one day. The fees for withdrawals are:
- Check: $40
- Western Union: $50
- Bitcoin: 2% of withdrawal request
Players outside the U.S. will be charged a $20 fee to withdraw to ewallets.