InterPoker

The Story of InterPoker

Judging by their website, InterPoker is very much a propulsive business. They talk very little about their history and a lot about how they are looking to go forward in the future, their ethos and their supposed points of difference. InterPoker's vision, as set out on their 'About Us' page, is to create an online poker venue that will 'appeal to the hearts and minds of [their] customers by enabling technical excellence, exceptional customer service and market leading game play innovation.'

The brand is run by a company named CryptoLogic Poker, an Irish poker and casino service operator that has been trading since the 1990s. At one time or another, CryptoLogic Poker was providing services for such big names as William Hill, Betfair and perhaps somewhat bizarrely Playboy. They had been on both the New York and London stock exchanges before being taken over by the Amaya Gaming Group in the early months of 2014.

InterPoker's website states many key advantages of choosing their services over those of their main competitors. The first is the 'cutting edge software' provided by CryptoLogic. Also high on their list of priorities is an 'assurance' over security as well as allowing their registered users to not just play for real cash, but also for no cash at all. In 2009, the company took the step of sponsoring those players who finished in the top 10 of one of their freeroll tournaments at the Monte Carlo tournament in Nottingham, England. This sponsorship included the players' buy-ins, their funds for both their travel and their accommodation and a full uniform (complete with InterPoker branding) for the players to wear for the duration of the tournament. Such a sponsorship opportunity saw InterPoker's registration numbers increase.

Navigating InterPoker

To begin the installation of the InterPoker software simply select the 'Download Now' button on the homepage. This will then immediately begin the downloading of the software to your desktop. Unlike some of their competitors, there is no guide to help new customers through this process though it is easy enough. It is simply a matter of waiting and following the prompts.

Whilst you are waiting for the software to download, there are a number of things you could be doing on the InterPoker website. Though their homepage is pretty barren considering most of their rival's similar homepages, customers can use the two black toolbars to navigate around the website. The most useful link for new customers, especially those who are new to online gambling all together, is the 'Getting Started' link in the topmost toolbar. This page uses short pieces of text and a handful of diagrams to highlight how to get started once the software installation has been completed.

Newly registered customers should also make sure that their method of payment is acceptable by clicking onto the 'Banking' section of the InterPoker website. Should these new users have any questions about any part of the getting started process, they would then be advised to check out the 'Support' webpage. From here customers can send an e-mail to InterPoker or chat to one of the company's members of staff. The latter is obviously preferred with the response usually being more immediate than that of an e-mail.

Rightmost on the InterPoker secondary toolbar is the 'How To Play' tab. Upon clicking this link the customer will then be asked about which aspect of poker they would like to learn about. Each of the eight explanations is thorough in its approach to debunking the different types of poker though they lack any sort of diagrams to aid understanding.

The 'Mobile' link takes the user to a page where they can sign up for InterPoker's mobile services. This page has a small piece regarding the benefits of playing InterPoker on the go whilst there is also a code that customers can scan with their phones, thereby downloading the InterPoker app to their device. Unlike their other competitors, InterPoker is solely available on Android at the moment and cannot be obtained on iPhone or iPad devices.

The other useful link in the secondary black toolbar is the 'Promotions' link with more information on their exclusive services and offers to be found in the following section of this review.

Offers and Promotions

Find InterPoker's range of promotions by clicking on the relevant tab on the secondary toolbar. This will then take you to all the available offers, deals and services provided at that time. Unfortunately, InterPoker are only offering two promotions at the time of writing. This is a much smaller amount than the average and should be something that InterPoker look to rectify in the future.

It makes sense to begin by outlining InterPoker's new customer welcome offer. Hover over the 'Get Involved' icon on the relevant advert on the promotions page to go to this offer's specific webpage. This offer sees InterPoker give you a $500 (or your currency equivalent) bonus upon any first deposit. Whilst this is a massive amount of money for the company to give away, there are plenty of terms and conditions for you to sink your teeth into. To InterPoker's credit they are all clearly stated on the same page.

The terms and conditions state that the newly registered user will not be able to receive their $500 bonus all in one go. Rather, the funds will be released in $25 increments subject to the customer's reaching a set number of reward points. The terms currently laid out state that these $25 offerings will be unlocked every time you earn 300 points. Just under four points (3.6) are earned with every $1 spent. This is of course an offer that will only benefit the most dedicated InterPoker users. As a result then it is worth working out whether or not you will get a good return from your InterPoker account.

It is also worth stating that whilst this offer is still prominently placed all around InterPoker's website, it does say in the terms and conditions that the offer finished on the final day of 2014. Whilst the publicity still given to promotion suggests that it is still running, it is always worth checking to see the status of the offer. Should the $500 be available for you to achieve and you register with InterPoker, you have a total of 90 days to claim the full bonus sum.

The only other recurring offer provided by InterPoker at this time is the 'Instant Rewards' scheme. This scheme sees customers incur special rewards every time they achieve some sort of feat. For example, a $5 ChampionChip qualifier ticket will be earned upon one of the following outcomes being achieved,

• All premium hands being collected (see InterPoker's website for information on premium hands)
• Winning with a starting hand of JJ

An entry to a $1,000 freeroll tournament is earned upon the user winning with all of or either AA, KK or QQ three times. The relevant 'Instant Rewards' page on the InterPoker promotions page website is fitted with a full list of the most common frequently asked questions on the scheme. These are interesting, informative and easy to use thanks to the question and answer format of the article.
Further terms and conditions apply to all promotions and services.