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PokerChamps does not accept US players.
If you're looking for sophisticated playing experience, you'll love PokerChamps, the site founded and promoted by Gus Hansen et al. You can start playing the freerolls immediately (even without a deposit), and you'll find plenty of micro limit games (<$1). While the software has some superb features (most notably a great multi-table option), the lack of hand histories is a real shortcoming for players who actively review their play. On the plus side, PokerChamps offers a CashFlow bonus program in which you get a rake rebate of 5-50% of the rake you pay; this can add up, even at lower limits. If PokerChamps adds hand histories and continues to boost its traffic, we think this could be one of your favorite sites. |
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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 |
50 |
18% |
| No limit (NL) |
200 |
71% |
| Other |
0 |
30 |
11% |
| |
full |
s/h |
| Table size |
10 |
6 |
| Approximate mix (%) |
50% |
50% |
| Activity - Limit |
tables |
players |
| 2c/4c |
5 |
26 |
| 2c/4c |
5 |
29 |
| 5c/10c |
2 |
8 |
| 5c/10c |
1 |
1 |
| 10c/20c |
1 |
0 |
| 10c/20c |
1 |
0 |
| 25c/50c |
2 |
12 |
| 25c/50c |
2 |
8 |
| 50c/$1 |
3 |
7 |
| 50c/$1 |
3 |
3 |
| $1/$2 |
2 |
2 |
| $1/$2 |
3 |
6 |
| $2/$4 |
2 |
0 |
| $2/$4 |
2 |
0 |
| $3/$6 |
1 |
0 |
| $3/$6 |
1 |
0 |
| $5/$10 |
4 |
8 |
| $5/$10 |
3 |
1 |
| $10/$20 |
2 |
0 |
| $10/$20 |
2 |
0 |
| $15/$30 |
1 |
0 |
| $15/$30 |
1 |
0 |
| $30/$60 |
1 |
0 |
| $30/$60 |
1 |
0 |
| Activity - No Limit |
tables |
players |
| 2c/4c |
11 |
58 |
| 2c/4c |
12 |
64 |
| 5c/10c |
5 |
33 |
| 5c/10c |
8 |
47 |
| 10c/20c |
6 |
41 |
| 10c/20c |
4 |
22 |
| 25c/50c |
10 |
45 |
| 25c/50c |
8 |
31 |
| 50c/$1 |
4 |
21 |
| 50c/$1 |
6 |
17 |
| $1/$2 |
3 |
8 |
| $1/$2 |
4 |
10 |
| $2/$4 |
2 |
2 |
| $2/$4 |
2 |
0 |
| $5/$10 |
1 |
0 |
| $5/$10 |
1 |
0 |
| 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? |
no |
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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) |
600 |
| Big weekly MTT |
Add to Calendar |
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Buy-in |
$110 |
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| Entrants |
80 |
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| Prize pool |
$15,000 |
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| Overlay? |
yes |
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| Day/time (EST) |
Sun 3:00 PM EST |
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| Big daily MTT |
Add to Calendar |
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Buy-in |
$25 |
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| Entrants |
8 |
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| Prize pool |
$2,000 ($1,500 Gtd) |
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| Time (EST) |
7:30 PM EST |
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# of players |
| Sit n Gos (SnGs) |
175 |
| |
full |
s/h |
| Table size (SnGs) |
10 |
6 |
| Approx mix (%) |
50% |
50% |
| Range of buy-ins |
$2.75 to $109 |
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| Time to seat |
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| $2 + 20c |
NA |
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| $2.50 + 25c |
<5 min |
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| $5 + 50c |
<5 min |
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| $5 + 50c |
NA |
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| $10 + $1 |
NA |
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| $10 + $1 |
<10 min |
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| $25 + $2.50 |
10+ min |
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| $25 + $2.50 |
NA |
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| $50 + $5 |
NA |
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| $50 + $5 |
10+ min |
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| $100 + $9 |
10+ min |
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| $250 + $18 |
10+ min |
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| $500 + $25 |
10+ min |
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| Blinds increase every? |
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Regular |
6 minutes |
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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 $25
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| WPT/WSOP satellites? |
no |
| Tournament listing |
Link
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| Max tables at once (ring) |
6 |
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| Max tables at once (tournaments) |
6 |
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| Ring game play clears bonus? |
yes |
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| PokerChamps has a CashFlow Bonus program in which players are rebated 5-50% of their rake paid depending on the number of bonus points accumulated in a given week. It would take approximately 1000-1500 hands in a $2/$4 game to reach a 25% payout. |
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| Tournament play clears bonus? |
no |
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| Miscellaneous |
Match |
Max |
| Deposit bonus |
100% |
$100 |
| Reload bonus (NA) |
NA |
NA |
| Minimum deposit (NETeller) |
$30 |
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| Minimum cashout |
$30 |
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| Customer support |
NETeller cashout |
< 1 minute |
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Response to email |
< 10 minutes |
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| Accurancy of responses |
100% |
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| Endorsed by |
Affiliated Sites |
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- No deposit required to play the MTT freerolls!
- Hansen-esque NL ring game play; reraising with 85o, calling pre-flop all-ins with A5s...yikes!
- The software's great--futuristic, easy to play, stable
- Extremely responsive customer support (<10 minutes)
- Cashouts to NETeller in <1 minute |
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- Not much ring game traffic at limits above $1
- Tournament fees don't count toward the cashback program
- You can't change the multi-table view without exiting the client
- SnG blind and level info is not readily available on the site
- No hand histories or PokerTracker support |
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Why you should play the site
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- There's no deposit needed to play the hourly MTT freerolls
- The NL cash game players seem intent on fattening your NETeller account
- The site has a futuristic look and feel with cool table graphics
- There's a nice multi-table feature for ring game players |
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- The 10-handed ring games we played had flop%s of 50+%
- Good lobby info; unfortunately, most games are at limits of $1 and below
- CashFlow Bonus program (5-50% rebate of rake paid) can be lucrative
- The multi-table option allows 6 table play on 20" 1600x1200 resolution monitor
- There's no hand histories or PokerTracker support |
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For the tournament player
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- Many of the daily guaranteed MTTs have overlays
- No deposit is needed to play the hourly freerolls
- There are lots of micro buy-in satellites for the bigger MTTs
- SnG level times are 6 minutes; players get 1500 chips
- The buy-in for each MTT includes the fee charged; to play a $5 MTT, you need $5
- Your place in a tournament shows by your name (at the table) and is constantly updated
- Tournament fees don't count toward CashFlow Bonus program |
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- Overlays!
- All you need is an account to enter freerolls; no deposit is required
- The CashFlow bonus program yields a 5-50% rebate of any rake you've paid
- The minimum deposit via NETeller is $30
- There are ongoing, low buy-in satellites for all the larger events |
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- Whether you intend to multi-table or not, open the client with 2+ tables available; the table and lobby are mutually exclusive in the single table view (when you're looking at one, the other is hidden); in 2 or 4 table mode, you can open your table and the lobby in separate windows or add other tables if you'd like
- To use the 6-table viewer, you'll need a monitor that can handle 1600x1200 screen resolution |
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| Activity - Limit |
Avg # of tables |
Avg # of players |
Comments |
| 2c/4c |
5 |
26 |
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| 2c/4c |
5 |
29 |
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| 5c/10c |
2 |
8 |
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| 5c/10c |
1 |
1 |
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| 10c/20c |
1 |
0 |
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| 10c/20c |
1 |
0 |
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| 25c/50c |
2 |
12 |
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| 25c/50c |
2 |
8 |
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| 50c/$1 |
3 |
7 |
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| 50c/$1 |
3 |
3 |
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| $1/$2 |
2 |
2 |
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| $1/$2 |
3 |
6 |
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| $2/$4 |
2 |
0 |
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| $2/$4 |
2 |
0 |
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| $3/$6 |
1 |
0 |
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| $3/$6 |
1 |
0 |
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| $5/$10 |
4 |
8 |
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| $5/$10 |
3 |
1 |
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| $10/$20 |
2 |
0 |
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| $10/$20 |
2 |
0 |
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| $15/$30 |
1 |
0 |
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| $15/$30 |
1 |
0 |
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| $30/$60 |
1 |
0 |
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| $30/$60 |
1 |
0 |
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| Activity - NL |
Avg # of tables |
Avg # of players |
Comments |
| 2c/4c |
11 |
58 |
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| 2c/4c |
12 |
64 |
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| 5c/10c |
5 |
33 |
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| 5c/10c |
8 |
47 |
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| 10c/20c |
6 |
41 |
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| 10c/20c |
4 |
22 |
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| 25c/50c |
10 |
45 |
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| 25c/50c |
8 |
31 |
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| 50c/$1 |
4 |
21 |
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| 50c/$1 |
6 |
17 |
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| $1/$2 |
3 |
8 |
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| $1/$2 |
4 |
10 |
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| $2/$4 |
2 |
2 |
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| $2/$4 |
2 |
0 |
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| $5/$10 |
1 |
0 |
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| $5/$10 |
1 |
0 |
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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 |
$25 |
| Entrants |
8 |
| Prize pool |
$2,000 ($1,500 Gtd) |
| Time (EST) |
19:30 |
| Big weekly MTT |
Add to Calendar |
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Buy-in |
$110 |
| Entrants |
80 |
| Prize pool |
$15,000 |
| Day/Time (EST) |
Sun/15:00 |
| Hourly NL tournaments? |
yes |
$1 to $25
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Sit n Gos (active tables)
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| Game |
Avg # of tables |
Time to seat |
Comments |
| $2 + 20c |
16 |
NA |
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| $2.50 + 25c |
24 |
<5 min |
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| $5 + 50c |
10 |
<5 min |
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| $5 + 50c |
7 |
NA |
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| $10 + $1 |
3 |
NA |
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| $10 + $1 |
5 |
<10 min |
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| $25 + $2.50 |
2 |
10+ min |
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| $25 + $2.50 |
1 |
NA |
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| $50 + $5 |
1 |
NA |
S/H |
| $50 + $5 |
2 |
10+ min |
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| $100 + $9 |
2 |
10+ min |
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| $250 + $18 |
2 |
10+ min |
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| $500 + $25 |
2 |
10+ min |
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| Link to blind structure |
Link to site's tournament listing |
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| The software at PokerChamps is futuristic in its look and feel, but when you acclimate to it, you'll think it's pretty cool and very playable. The lobby is a little confusing at first, mostly because of its monchromatic look (it's all green), but once you understand its layout, you'll find all the info you need for game selection (flop%, avg pot, players, etc.) readily available. At the table, you'll find the action easy to follow--bet and pot amounts are visible, and the chat window provides a nice recap. The software includes player notes, table stats and the option to remember the cards you've folded, but oddly, as of Apr 06, no hand histories. One standout feature is the multi-table option (players can choose 1, 2, 4 or 6 tables); the tables you choose open up without overlap. Note, though, that it's worth opening the poker client in 2+ table mode so that you can view the lobby and the table you're playing at the same time. In single table mode, only one can occupy the window at any one time. The betting buttons also deserve mention; there are options to bet the pot or all-in in NL games. |
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| Hand histories are not available on the current version (Apr 06) of PokerChamps. |
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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 |
yes |
| Pot amounts |
yes |
| Max tables (ring) |
6 |
| Max tables (trnys) |
6 |
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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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| Loads ring hands? |
no |
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| Loads trny hands? |
no |
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| Date |
User |
Click below for review or trip report |
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