Going Global: A New Player’s Guide To The Global Poker Lobby And Game Play

Players craving some online poker may consider giving Global Poker a shot. The site recently revamped its lobby and made some additions that should please quite a few players.

Global Poker utilizes a unique sweepstakes model structure that allows players to cash out for real money in the United States and Canada. Through this model, players use virtual chips (gold coins), which they accumulate but cannot redeem for real money. Essentially, it’s play money. However, when purchasing more gold coins, players receive sweepstakes prizes called “$weeps Cash” (sweeps cash).

This virtual currency can be used for $weeps Cash tournaments and ring games, and can also be won in freerolls. As a player wins more $weeps Cash, it can be cashed out for real money.

A makeover

Global Poker has become a popular option for American players, and the new lobby will please players accustomed to its pre-Black Friday favorite offerings.

The revamping is undoubtedly a nice improvement with the added ease of use and functionality. A new player will appreciate the site’s organization after taking a look at the available options.

The top section now features a selection of ring games, sit-and-gos and tournaments, which include game formats, limits and buy-ins. Players can filter these to fit their preferred limits and games.

Beyond hold ’em and Omaha, Global Poker recently added Crazy Pineapple, a fun addition not seen on too many online sites.

Just below the filters are various tournaments and tables available. The lobby is well-organized and offers all the necessities: tournament types, minutes until an event begins, the number of players registered and tournament status.

In a nutshell

When I played, there was always some Gold Coin action going and those looking for more can buy additional coins. A minimum deposit of $5 earns a player 25,000 gold coins and $5 in $weeps Cash.

Deposit options go all the way up to $1,000, earning a player 5 million gold coins and $1,000 in $weeps Cash. That’s how it works in a nutshell. Gold coins cannot be redeemed for cash but $weeps Cash can.

Switching from free play for gold coins to playing for $weeps Cash is easy. Simply click on “Switch Currency” in the top-right corner, which is also next to “Cashier.”

Making a deposit was simple, and Global Poker uses Worldpay to make the process easy. I had no problems depositing $20 to test drive the site and was ready to jump in a tournament quickly.

Getting started

Global Poker offers various tournament buy-ins and cash game stakes for all levels of bankroll. I entered a Crazy Pineapple tournament while seated in my comfy La-Z-Boy and watching Thursday Night Football.

Clicking on the tournament brings up the tournament lobby with tournament structure, the number of players entered and more. Players have plenty of creative avatars to choose from, and there are even more to purchase with gold coins.

Gameplay was easy to understand and manipulate. The software makes it easy to play multiple tables as well. In the top left-hand corner, players will see a “T” for the tournament lobby and a number for the table being played.

Moving back and forth among the main lobby, tournament lobby and a table was simple. The tournament lobby offered an easy-to-find leaderboard and payout structure.

Gameplay

While playing, the actions to raise, call, check and bet was pretty straightforward with options to bet the pot, half the pot or type in a specific amount.

The sound effects were also not too overbearing like some sites, just enough to signal the action on the table or time running out to make a decision.

When checking out the cash games, one thing that was difficult at first was finding the button to leave a table, which was a bit small and but I found it in the top-right corner.

The tournament lobby and overall poker lobby were seamless and easy to use. There were no bells and whistles, but for merely playing some cards, the site was nice and user-friendly — perfect for someone new to online poker.

The 10 percent tournament fee seemed fair. Global Poker offers several daily guaranteed events as well as some bigger weekend tournaments.

Some may like that there is no download necessary. The games can be played in a web browser and seemed to respond well and without glitches.

The site does offer some bonus tournaments like the “Daily Bonanza,” which provides a chance for free play. A player who sees 50 flops in any gold coin, or “$weeps Cash” ring game, qualifies with only an 11-cent sweeps cash buy-in.

Overall, it went well

My first sweeps cash experience in Global Experience went well; it was pretty cool to be playing again. The games seemed to have a bit of a home-game feel and not be overly serious.

My tournament went smoothly — just not with cash, unfortunately. I had fun though and made most of that back in a micro-stakes cash game afterward.

One of the many great things about poker is that there’s always another game.

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