Pureplay Poker Review
• Win Entry To Real $10,000 Poker Tournaments
Fully risk free and open to US players too, Pureplay poker offers the chance to learn about poker and play in tournaments without risking your own cash.
No deposit and no credit card required. Just register and play.
The site has plenty of competitors offering free poker such as Celebrity World Casino and the new Global Poker, but is one of the longer running operators.
This Pureplay Poker review page looks at how it works, what's good about it, and how to download and set up the software. In fact, everything you'll need to know to play Pureplay Poker games online.
Pureplay - Free Social Poker & Casino Games
Who wouldn’t want to be able to play a range of online casino games without risking their own money?
If the thought of playing online poker to win cash prizes without the risk of losing your hard earned cash is appealing, then PurePlay poker games should definitely be on your to-do list.
This San Francisco based company - launched in 2005 - offers what so many social online games fans look for - a fully legal way to enjoy their favorite games, with free or low cost entry, and a way to win some extra cash.
What Is Pureplay?
Pureplay actually bill themselves as Pureplay Casino, but of course there is a big focus on poker games alongside well known casino games such as slots, blackjack, bingo, video poker, roulette and more! They're just one of the new breed of social casinos.
Poker fans can get to play variations such as Texas Hold'em, 5 card stud, 7 card stud, Omaha and more.
They promise you can 'win big without the risk.'
In fact there are over 100 different games provided on the software, currently enjoyed by millions of registered players.
Pureplay are one of the new breed of social casinos, where your involvement in the games gets you a social interactive element as an enhancement to just playing. Both Chumba Casino and Pokertribe also offer poker games in a similar social gaming environment.
Pure-Play are seen by many as the best though. Playing at Pureplay - whether it's poker or casino games - puts you into the world’s largest online social casino site for FREE!
Games are played with play money or virtual currency which is used in cash poker and at the casino tables. This currency is of course not transferrable into real cash.
You can use your skills on the poker tables or in the casino to battle through over 50 levels of game play - while unlocking new games and free bonuses to become a true high roller. Play in tense poker tournaments for free with the chance to win real cash, all without the risk of losing any of your money.
Pureplay poker players share in over $100,000 of cash prizes every month.
How Does Pureplay Poker & Casino Gaming work?
When you sign up with Pureplay as a Basic member and download the game software you're automatically given 10000 free/play money chips, plus 100 poker points which can be used for entry into tournaments.
You can play games entirely free, though you will be bombarded with ads most likely.
On top of this there are daily awards of extra chips just for logging in. You'll start at a basic level and work your way up, or take up the options to buy more chips to get you to advanced levels quicker or progress straight to the high stakes play money poker tables.
Finally don't miss out on the fact that you can play in tournaments that could win you up to $15k per month.
Buying Extra Chips - Play Money Packages
$20 Package 125,000 Play Money Chips
$50 Package 350,000 Play Money Chips
$100 Package 800,000 Play Money Chips
But the real reason to be for Pureplay is to offer memberships which let you play in contests for cash prizes. To get involved with these you'll need to sign up for a membership which carries a monthly fee.
Membership Levels
VIP Package/Players Club Packages & Subscriptions - $24.99 per month
With the Pureplay VIP package you get $165k of play money chips in added to your account per month, plus a number of other member benefits. Play money does not carry any actual real financial value, it's for entertainment and practice purposes only.
Premium Package
An enhanced package subscription is available for $49.95 per month. This gets you 1,000,000 Play Money Chips added to your account once a month, with 11,000 bonus Play Money Chips awarded daily upon successful log in to the site.
How To Win Cash In Pureplay Games
You have to be in it to win it. The poker side of PurePlay offers members the chance to play in tournaments which carry $100k per month in cash prizes. They're basically free to enter. Casino gaming on the platform is for fun only. There are no real cash prizes.
As a basic member you get instant access to a limited number of these poker tournaments, and can also gain entry to others by sending in a postcard requesting free entries.
If you're registered as a VIP member there's no need to request entries, you're automatically eligible for all of them.
So getting entered is obviously the first step to actually winning a tournament. From there, learning how to win at poker is a massive subject which couldn't possibly be covered within the confines of just this one page. I'd need 50 plus (and probably a lot more) to do the subject of winning at poker the justice it deserves.
What I will say here though is that a winning poker player has a complex mix of skills. As is often said, poker is an easy game to play but could take a lifetime to fully master. You need to practice, practice, and practice. And study strategy.
You'll need to develop skills like bluffing and deception, understand probabilities and odds, and be able to think clearly and make quick decisions.
Pureplay's poker tables are a great place to practice. The free chips you get every month will see to that. For the rest you'll need to look further afield. There are some excellent poker training sites such as PokerStrategy.com which you can definitely trust to help build your skills.
Pureplay Poker/Casino Game Levels
I mentioned earlier that there are play levels to work through.
As a new player you'll start at Level 1. Play with skill and work your way up to unlock new games, special bonuses and more.
Or you can use your $165k free monthly chips to advance through levels faster or jump straight to the high stakes poker games to challenge PurePlay's best poker masters!
Is Pureplay Poker Legit & Legal?
One thing you can be sure of is that Pureplay is a legitimate operation. It's been running for a number of years and has millions of registered members.
As far as legality is concerned, it's considered to offer totally legal gambling for US residents in the majority of states. There are some exceptions, and they're listed in Pureplay's terms and conditions section.
So how do they manage to offer fully legal gaming with cash prizes when gambling is heavily restricted across the US?
PurePlay manages to do this by marketing itself as a subscription based poker site rather than a gambling site. Allowing players three options to access and enjoy the site, (postcard, subscription, and free), is the key to ensuring the site is considered to be operating outside of the way that online casinos and other 'standard' gambling sites operate.
The key point is that because of the subscription model, no actual entry money is needed to enter PurePlay tournaments (although of course the VIP members will be paying via the monthly subscription). Effectively (in the eyes of the law) this makes the site a sweepstakes one.
For any players not resident in the US, you're also eligible to enter provided your own country regulations allow. In general this brings in players in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, Norway, and Sweden. For any others please check with Customer Service before registration
What Do You Really Get With Pureplay? - Membership Benefits
There really is nothing hidden in the Pureplay poker operating model. Once you understand that you can play totally free (with some limitations), and that to get access to the full suite of Pureplay benefits you'll need to be paying a subscription, then you're clear on exactly how it works and there should be no surprises.
Here is a simple breakdown of some of the benefits you'll enjoy by playing The Pureplay Poker and casino games:
Free Membership
• Bonus Poker Points- 0
• Community Card Reveals- $0.99 Each
• Monthly Poker Tournament- $3,000
• All Free - You Can’t Lose Money
VIP Player’s Club- $25 Per Month
• $165k play money added to account at a rate of $5500 per day
• No Buy Ins, Deposits, or Entry Fees
• Play for $100,000 in Monthly Cash Prizes
• Win entries to $10,000 World Series of Poker Seat Tournaments
• Bonus Poker Points - 1500 per month at a rate of 50 per day
• Community Card Reveals- 30 Free per month
• Monthly Poker Tournament- $10,000
• 30 Free 'Reveal The Cards' uses per day
• Basic Slot Games
• Can’t Lose Money (but don't forget the subscription)
• Skill Based Tournament-Individualized Performance Rating
• Access to all free cash tournaments without needing to mail in
• Ad Free Poker Room
• ***Free Trial***
From this collection of benefits you can see why so many players choose to become VIP Player’s Club members. One great feature included in the VIP Player’s Club is the fact that you can enjoy the benefits for two weeks free. Whether it’s Rapid Poker, Slots, Black Jack, or Table Games, you can look around, get your feet wet, and enjoy the numerous gaming options PurePlay has to offer.
PurePlay also offers over 100 free casino games, including some interesting free to play slots. If you go looking for them they're just to the right of the poker tables but not in the software you download. Only in the online software.
Individualized performance rating also lets you match your poker experience and ability against others allowing you to see how you measure up to other players for particular tournaments.
As far as card games go, PurePlay has many types to choose from. Whether it’s Texas Holdem, 7 Card Stud, & Card Stud Hi-Lo, 5 Card Stud, Omaha, or Omaha Hi-Lo, you're sure to find a game that grabs you. While they do run many multi-table poker tournaments, PurePlay also offers Sit & Go games in the Texas Holdem format too.
You can also follow or participate in their online free games through social media sites like Facebook, Google+, Stumble Upon, Delicious, and Twitter. PurePlay even offers their players the option to join up and log into their accounts through Facebook.
Are The Poker Games Realistic?
You will often find in free poker games and tournaments that play is 'distorted'. This is a common 'problem' in poker freeroll tournaments. Because there is no real money at stake, some players (many of them) tend to play recklessly and not with an appropriate strategic approach. This happens because they have nothing to lose. For an experienced player looking to play to their best this can cause problems.
In general you won't come across this in Pureplay games. Players on the platform tend to want to play effectively because the bottom line is that there is real cash at stake, and pride too.
Is Pureplay Fair?
Why would it not be? Pureplay themselves make no profit from individuals performing better than anyone else.
One thing that can sometimes worry players new to poker is the thought that they'll get eaten by the sharks. Poker is a skill based game and experienced players can have strong advantages.
That problem is wiped out (if you're a VIP/Players Club member) because you'll only get placed into games with others with ratings at a similar level level of poker experience and ability. Tournament rankings are continuously worked out by a unique ratings system for every player.
Promotions?
Most online poker rooms and casinos offer special promotions and sign up bonuses. Of course that's because they're real money deposit sites where their whole business is based on attracting new depositors and keeping existing ones happy (and depositing regularly).
Pureplay don't need to do that. But they do offer a 14 day free trial for new Players Club members where you can effectively get to play over those two weeks for free and with chances to win up to $50k in tournament prizes.
There is also a refer a friend program where you can earn up to $50 for every referral.
Tournaments & Tournament Schedule
There are so many different tournament types that I'd run out of space to list them here. Much easier to direct you straight to the Pureplay tournament listing page.
One look and you'll easily see the vast range on offer.
Entry into tournaments is open to anyone who registers, with no purchase of any type necessary.
How To Download
Downloading the Pureplay Poker software is straightforward (and free of course). After registering, you'll be presented with a clickable link named Pureplay setup.exe. After clicking you'll get a download box. These are the first steps to completing the install.
The file size is between 5mb and 7mb, will take a while to download. Just follow the system prompts to complete the installation, after which you'll have an icon on your desktop. Click on the icon to get to a member login page where you can sign in.
Note there is no difference between free and premium software download. Once you have the software installed you can upgrade from free to premium packages.
Customer support teams can assist with any script errors received while installing.
Pureplay For Mac
Note the software does not work on Mac operating systems. Mac users can get round this by installing Virtual PC for Mac.
Pureplay For Mobile - Ipad - Iphone - Android
Every year more and more of us expect to be able to play our favourite games on mobile equipment, mainly on Ipads, Iphones, and similar devices.
Of course it's easy to play Pureplay poker on these. From my Iphone I'm able to navigate straight to the Pureplay home page, register, and complete the sign up. If you're already a member, you'll be able to login and play from any iPhone, Ipad, or equivalent devices.
I don't need any app to get to the site, just navigating straight to the home page is good enough to get me into the games. There is a Pureplay casino app on Facebook but at time of writing there is a message on the page stating it does not work.
Support & Customer Service
As you'd expect, the Customer Support team are highly regarded. Problems can normally be solved quickly, and you can contact support via email to support@pureplay.com. Their phone number is listed on the site.
There is a detailed support and FAQ section on the website where you'll get answers to any queries or complaints around the overall Pureplay services.
Forums
There is no forum facility on the Pureplay site, but if you are looking for forum discussions to help with your game there are a number of well know poker forums that do carry threads on Pureplay related queries. Click on the link to go to a recent one at the popular Cardschat forum. From there you'll be able to jump to other Cardschat posts.
Cheats
Many video game players look for tricks and cheats to get ahead. The word has some negative connotations, but in many video games the cheats which let you advance quicker in some levels are just part of the games.
For Pureplay I'm not aware of any cheats which will give you a leg up. This page at Gamersunite seems to have a focus on the subject, but doesn't at this point appear to list any.
Summary
With no buy-ins, deposits, or credit cards needed to start enjoying the games, you will be able to enjoy playing with the peace of mind that your money is safe, all the while winning real money in PurePlay’s many poker tournaments. The subscription gaming site was named the 2008 "Innovation of the Year" by eGaming Review Magazine.
The video below gives a good introduction to anyone looking for a Pureplay poker game, and you'll find plenty more on the Youtube Pureplay poker channel. For further info you can also check out the social networking feeds on Twitter or Facebook, plus there's some extra info on the Pureplay Wikipedia page.