As far as rankings of the individual poker networks go in terms of player traffic, we would have to classify Cryptologic as the top of the lower tier of networks. The top 4 networks of OnGame, iPoker, Microgaming and Boss Media receive a substantially higher volume of players than their nearest competitors, which makes it easy to class these sets of networks into tiers. The most popular room on the Cryptologic network is InterPoker, but there are also other quite popular rooms like William Hill and Sun Poker.
The network is not new, as it has been around for a good few years. The reason why it suffers from a lack of traffic is probably due to the absence of heavy marketing campaigns to attract new players to their tables. Sun Poker however does create a few interesting advertising campaigns that work well for short periods of time, but this is not enough to drag the total player traffic high enough to help the network compete with some of the bigger names in the industry. InterPoker can also be seen sponsoring a few live poker tournaments that are broadcast on TV, but yet again this is not enough to give the network the boost in traffic that it needs.
A further problem that makes it difficult for the rooms to retain players is the presence of incredibly standard software and graphics. For players that are completely new to online poker it shouldn’t be too much of a problem, as they will be unaware of what other poker rooms have to offer through better software features and graphics. But for the veteran online player there is very little that rooms on the Cryptologic network can offer to draw them away from any room that they may currently be playing at.
The table design is very basic, but it does allow you to keep up with the action as it takes place. The table is not cluttered, but it always feels like there is something missing to keep you totally engaged within the game. There is however the ability to upload your own personal avatar that will be displayed above your name and chip stack whilst you play. The network has also created ‘lightning’ tables for players to choose from, where the game pace is increased with shorter times for players to make their actions before their hand is checked or mucked.
The lobby design for rooms on the Cryptologic network is good, and allows you to easily to sort between the different tables that are on offer via the heading tabs at the top of the window. All of the standard varieties of poker are available, including Holdem, Omaha, Omaha H/L and 7-card Stud. There is also the unique new game of HBJ (Holdem Blackjack), where betting takes place between players at the table trying to make the best hand, which is the player that has 21 or closest to it. This is actually a clever and innovative game, but it receives very little player traffic at the moment and you may have a lot of trouble trying to find action at these tables.
Cryptologic rooms also offer multi-currency tables, where you can choose between playing at Euro and GBP tables instead of just USD tables that the majority of online rooms offer. Creating European currency tables was a clever move by the Cryptologic network now that the majority of players will now be from Europe, as US players are no longer accepted. This feature is very handy if you feel more comfortable playing in your home currency, but it does dilute the playing field if you prefer to stick with the USD tables and don’t want to try other tables that have a different currency in play.
Overall the network is fairly solid, but is let down by its simplistic software and graphics. This combined with little advertising has resulted in Cryptologic having lower player traffic than the top 3 networks in the industry. The main reason why Cryptologic is above the other lower tier networks is because there are some very well established sportsbooks and companies on the network, which does well in making players feel confident about signing up to such poker rooms. You should never encounter any problems with Cryptologic as a poker room, but just don’t expect to be amazed.
Top Cryptologic Rooms
1) InterPoker
2) Sun Poker
3) William Hill Poker
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