iVegas.com casino review

URL: www.ivegas.com
Software: iGaming
Software Type: Flash/Java
Accepted Deposit Methods: credit card, debit card, cheque, bank transfer, Neteller, Firepay, PrePaid ATM
Customer Service: Live Support / Email
Auditor: n/a
Payout %: n/a

The Bonus

Bonus Amount: iVegas is offering a 25% bonus up to $250 on your first purchase or a 100% Neteller Bonus up to $100.
Bonus Wager Requirements: Must wager 20x the bonus and deposit. So depositing $100 and getting a $100 Neteller bonus would mean $4,000 of wagering. Roulette and Craps are not counted towards the requirement.

I deposited $100 and was given the bonus immediately for a total bankroll of $200. There is no way to really tell if you've fulfilled your wagering requirement other than checking your comp points. However, since comp points are awarded differently by game, it's just an estimate. However, you can contact Live Help and they will look it up for you.

iVegas starts you off with 500 Comp points and you earn points depending on what you play but it's about $10 = 1 pt. At the end of every day, once you've exceeded 1,000 points, your bonus is converted to cash at the rate of $10 for every thousand.

The Games

The games at iVegas are completely Flash/Java based, which means you have to have the right browser and plug-ins. Technically, since it is all Java/Flash based, it should work with all machines, but my Mac using OSX wouldn't load the games. Since most users are on Internet Explorer for PC, this isn't a problem for the majority of you. However, the speed of your machine will determine your gaming experience. I was playing on a 500Mhz PIII with 512 MB of Ram and the rendering on the slot machines, especially the multi line ones, was pretty slow. The advantage of Flash is that you can play in your account on any computer without having to download the software. I suspect a lot of people play from work.

As always, my first stop is Video Poker. Coin sizes are 5 cents / 25 cents/ 50 cents / $1 / $5. iVegas.com had a lot of variations on the bonus poker game, such as extra payout for 4 Aces or a Full House, but strangely missing your standard payout Jacks or Better. I'm not a big fan of the bonus video games. Sure, if I get 4 Aces, I get more than the 125 coins I would in a regular game, but the price you pay is only getting 5 coins for two pair instead of 10. Really, how many times are you going to hit 4 Aces as opposed to two pair? I like the standard "Full Pay Jacks or Better" payout table better, thank you very much.

Still, in the interest of this review, I played a bunch of different games. The best one seemd to be "Betting the House" which gives you 75 coins (instead of 45) when you get a Full House. Other variations include the Bonus Card game where, if you get 3 of a kind, you can "buy" another card to complete 4 of a kind. Trust me, this is a terrible deal. The video poker games don't have auto hold (a minus) or the ability to double. After about 500 hands of poker, I am up $35, despite the less than ideal payout table.

My next step is Blackjack, with $2 min bets. The blackjack game is pretty decent. Moderately fast and the rules are good: surrender, double down on any two cards, double after split. It's amazing how quickly your money can go up playing blackjack when you hit a good streak. (My personal strategy is to up the bet on streaks and lower to the minimum in slumps.) After a long session of blackjack, my bankroll is up to $350.

I checked out some of the slot machines and this is where the slowness of my machine was very apparent. On a 9 line game like "Big Bang", the actual rendering of the lines on each bet took a long time. Even when I turned off the audio option, it didn't seem to help. In any case, there are a bunch of slot games here but nothing that stands out. After a half hour of Big Bang and other games, I am even with where I began so I call it a night.

The next morning, feeling pretty lucky, I decide to check out Cyberstud Poker. That was a mistake. I don't know why people like Cyberstud Poker. It easily has to be the most frustrating game out there. Not only do you have to have a decent hand on the deal, you have to hope for the dealer to have a "qualifying hand". There is nothing more aggravating than getting a flush draw and then having the dealer have nothing so you only win your ante back. On top of that, iVegas has very bad rules for what is a qualifying hand. Most casinos (all that I've ever played, actually) require an Ace-King or better. iVegas requires AKQ or AKJ; they allow AQJ and KQJ as well.

Despite knowing better, I play for 45 minutes hoping to get that elusive 4 of a kind or a straight flush. I mean, really, who gets a Royal flush on the deal? After barely getting three of a kinds and losing $250, I call it a day and head for the cashier.

The Withdrawal

The withdrawal process was completely painless. I simply clicked on iCashier and requested $100. iVegas processes all their payouts by cheque as the default. However, they gave me the option of cashing out via Neteller (since that was my deposit method) but I would be charged a $2 fee. $2 for not having to wonder if my check would get lost in the mail? No brainer here.

As I said earlier, the funds were in my account the very next day. iVegas gets an A+ for the cashin process.

Customer Service

I contacted Customer Service via Live Help twice. Once to ask about my bonus and how to meet the wagering requirements. The other to ask some general questions about the cash out process. Each time they were quick to respond and friendly.

Final Thoughts

If you have the horsepower to run the Flash games at a fast speed, then I recommend iVegas for you. Their Video Poker is lacking in a regular jacks or better and they don't have multi-hand games but their games are very good, overall. The customer service is friendly and the cash-out process is the best I've experienced yet.