Ultimate Poker Nevada Review

Ultimate Poker will always have a place in the online poker history books as it was the first licensed online poker room in Nevada, and therefore in the United States. After having the Nevada Internet poker market all to themselves for nearly six months, Ultimate Poker now has competition in Nevada after the launch of WSOP.com.

In this review we’ll provide you with a complete breakdown of what the Ultimate Poker Nevada online poker room has to offer.

History of Ultimate Poker in Nevada

The first licensed US online poker site, Ultimate Poker was launched on April 30, 2013, and for all intents and purposes the launch was a rousing success, and even though there were the expected kinks that had to be ironed out, Ultimate Poker has proven to be a solid online poker site.

That being said, in their rush to be the first online poker room in the market Ultimate Poker sacrificed some GUI components and features, which annoyed some players. However, Ultimate Poker made up for their bare-bones software launch in September of 2013, when the site released an upgraded version of their software, dubbed Ultimate Poker v2.0.

Following their successful launch in Nevada, the parent company of Ultimate Poker, Ultimate Gaming, entered into a partnership with the Trump Taj Mahal in New Jersey, and will supply the Trump Taj Mahal with their online gaming software in New Jersey, bringing the Ultimate Poker brand to the Garden State.

In October of 2013, Ultimate Poker added Pot Limit Omaha (PLO) and Omaha 8 or better games.

The Companies behind Ultimate Poker

Ultimate Poker was created by Fertitta Interactive, a subsidiary of Fertitta Entertainment, which owns the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) which explains the branding tie-in with Ultimate Poker, as well as Station Casinos in Nevada.

Ultimate Poker decided to forego a partnership with an existing online poker provider, and instead bought the Los Angeles based CyberArts Software Design Company to create the Ultimate Poker client. The decision seems to have been the right choice, as Ultimate Poker not only beat all of their competitors into the Nevada market, but maintained their status as the only licensed online poker room for nearly six months.

Ultimate Poker Rewards program in Nevada

Ultimate Poker’s “Color Up” VIP Program

Ultimate Poker uses a tiered rewards program for their Nevada Internet poker site called “Color Up.”

Color Up has eight monthly tiers and two yearly rewards levels players can achieve by accumulating XP-Points which determine a player’s level in the color-up program. The higher the level you reach the more rewards you will be entitled to, including U-Points multiplier, not to be confused with XP-Points, which can be used to purchase items in the Ultimate Poker store. A comparison to WSOP.com’s VIP program can be found here.

XP-Points are awarded based on the following formula:

* For each $1 in rake generated, a player receives 10 XP-Points (Ultimate Poker uses the Winner Take All rake method)

* For each $1 in tournament fees paid a player receives 10 XP-Points

Monthly Tiers

* White = 0 XP-Points (all players start at this level)

* Red = 20 XP-Points

* Green = 100 XP-Points

* Black = 500 XP-Points

* Yellow = 1,000 XP-Points

* Purple = 2,500 XP-Points

* Orange = 5,000 XP-Points

* Cranberry = 10,000 XP-Points

Yearly Tiers

* Gold Plaque = 100,000 XP-Points

* Platinum Plaque = 1,000,000 XP-Points

A comparison to WSOP.com’s VIP program can be found here.

Ultimate Poker’s Nevada Deposit Bonus

Ultimate Poker is offering all new players who deposit at least $50 on the site a $50 first-time deposit bonus, which is nothing like its competitor. To clear the deposit bonus you must earn 1,500 XP’s at the Ultimate Poker tables.

Ultimate Poker Software

Games Offered by Ultimate Poker in Nevada

Ultimate Poker now offers their Nevada online poker players both Holdem and Omaha poker games. You’ll find limit, pot-limit, and no-limit Holdem tables at Ultimate Poker, as well PLO and limit and PLO8 or better games.

Ultimate Poker offers all of these poker variants as cash-games, multi-table tournaments and sit & go tournaments.

Software, and GUI

Ultimate Poker’s software was greatly improved with the launch of the vastly superior Ultimate Poker version 2.0 in September. The site now boasts 3-D avatars, improved graphics and animation, resizable tables and many other features experienced players look for in an online poker site.

That being said, even though Ultimate Poker version 2.0 was a major improvement, it still lags behind many competitors, with inferior hand histories and a lack of customizable seating and game-play options still needing to be worked out by Ultimate Poker.