Overall: 4.5
Hollywood Poker is a pretty new site endorsed
by actor James Woods and WPT commentator Vince van
Patten. Fortunately, they play on a popular network so
you’ll still a good amount of tournament traffic and
ring game traffic. This site has some very good
promotions, and their tournament schedule is one of the
busiest online. They also have a no-download version
that runs on Java, so both Macintosh users and players
away from home still have an option to sign on. Along
with some very good software, this is a solid new site.
Bonus: 4.5 (500%
up to $1000)
They have recently updated their
bonus structure with a different offer for each type of
player. It’s an interesting idea, and I like the ability
to choose your own bonus. All of these come with a free
Red Carpet (think Hollywood) tournament ticket. The
first deposit bonus is a 100% bonus up to $50. This is
better for smaller players, since it requires the least
“Poker Points” to clear. To get the 100% bonus up to
$50, use
this link and bonus code “HWP50” at your
account signup. Requiring slightly more points, you can
get a 100% bonus up to $75 by using
this link and bonus code “HP75” at your
account signup. You can also get a 100% bonus up to $100
if you use
this link and bonus code “HP100” at your
account signup. Their largest bonus is a 500% bonus up
to $1,000. You’ll need to use
this link and bonus code “HP1000” at your
account signup. This requires a lot of points, so only
high-stakes players should try for this bonus. I
recommend the $50 maximum bonus code for low-to-mid
stakes players. And finally, if you’re a tournament
player you can get a free Celebrity Bounty Tournament
entry if you use
this link and bonus code “HPTP” at your
account signup. They offer a lot of bonuses, so we give
them a good score for trying to individualize to the
player.
Promotions: 4
Trying to build up their new player base,
Hollywood Poker has been pretty good about
promotions so far. Since they’re already on a successful
network, they have a strong tournament schedule that is
a pretty good promotion in itself. Other than that,
their opening deposit bonus options are pretty strong,
and they regularly hold Celebrity tournaments, live
tourney satellites, and some charity events. They also
hold the occasional $10,000 freeroll for Poker Point
earners, which is a pretty good amount for a freeroll.
They send out a weekly newsletter, which is actually
pretty comprehensive and lets you know about new
promotions.
Fish: 3
The action on this network is somewhere in the middle in
terms of fish-to-shark ratio. Typical flop percentages
run at about 35-40% at the middle stakes, so you’ll find
a mixture of calling stations, a couple of maniacs, and
a couple of rocks at the table. Even though
Hollywood Poker is a newer site, this network
has been around for a few years and older sites tend to
have tighter competition. However, the recent promotions
have also been bringing in some weaker competition. I
recommend that you play conservatively as you first sit
down, and begin to observe your opponents, take notes,
and be more prepared to do battle with them in future
hands.
Tournaments: 5
I give
Hollywood a top score for tournaments, and
this is probably the best feature of the site. The
tourney schedule is always very full at this site, which
I appreciate since I usually won’t have to wait long for
my desired event. They actually even run a couple of
5-card-draw events every day for you gamblers. They have
some exclusives like the Michael Woods Celebrity
Invitational event, which has a $10 buy-in with some
celebrity bounties. New players to the site also get a
free tournament entry, which is nice since the
competition usually isn’t very stiff at this event.
Another fun event is the $1 weekly tourney on Saturdays
that has $2,500 added to the prize pool. You might as
well take a shot for the buck. Larger tournament players
will also find a large number of guaranteed events here.
Sit ‘n Gos are also pretty popular here.
Software: 4.5
The software is well-laid out and is a strong package
overall. The red color scheme is sharp, and the table
graphics are a good mixture between 2-D and 3-D. Each
action made by players is clearly labeled, and game
speed is pretty quick. For Mac poker players or those on
the run at a friend’s house, you can also play using
their Java console. The graphics are pretty good for a
no-download version. You do have to click on each table
to view statistics like, but the software is very good
overall.
Best Features
-Wide range of deposit bonuses. Depending on what type
of player you are you can choose the appropriate bonus
structure.
-Plenty of tournaments. This is probably one of their
best aspects.
-Strong software. The graphics are sharp and speed is
quick.
Cashouts: 4.5
I have had good experiences with NETeller cashouts from
Hollywood, and have had my money with a day
or so.
Customer Service: 4.5
As always, I like the option for telephone support which
is offered at this site. E-mail support is also pretty
quick.
Game Selection: Hold'em, Omaha, Stud
Limits: Fixed Limit: .25/.50 - $50/100
No Limit: .10/.25 - $25/50
Tips
Against some of the aggressive players that you’ll run
into at
Hollywood, a move that I like to make
occasionally is the slowplay on the turn. I recently
picked up pocket Kings from middle position in a
no-limit ring game and raised to 5x the big blind. I got
one caller from the big blind and saw a rag and a couple
of 6s on the flop. He checked to me and I bet about the
size of the pot. He called pretty quickly. The turn card
came with a K giving me an all-but-unbeatable hand. He
checked, and I checked behind him. Why? By raising
preflop and betting on the flop, I give the impression
that I may be just on a continuation bet. When I check
the turn, he is much more likely to bet on the river,
putting me on a move. In the actual hand, my opponent
did bet on the river and I picked up some extra chips.
Click here to visit Hollywood Poker.
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