Cake or Carbon Poker

So, I'm thinking about trying a new poker site out. I've mostly played on FTP and PS and want to branch out. I've narrowed my choices down to Carbon Poker or Cake Poker. Both seem to have good deposit bonuses, both offer rake back @ 30-35%, have a large variety of cash/MTT/SNG games, and both have decent sounding promotions.

I just dont know which to pick. Does anyone have any experience on either or both of these sites? How is the SNG/MTT traffic on carbon? If I join there, I'll be shooting for the leaderboards. I also want to play more ring games starting at 5nl. How is the cash game traffic? Also, any problems with depositing or withdrawing from either accounts?

Also, do either of these sites allow PT3 or HEM?

To add, if you have a suggestion for another site that you play on that offers rakeback, good promotions and bonuses, please inform me.

Try both and then decide.

I play in both, but only for MTT´s, S&G take too long to fill in both, i don´t play ring.

Cashouts are faster in Cake for me (24hrs), Carbon take from 3 days to 10 days. Never have a problem so far to deposit or cashout. (aside of carbon taking more time).

Hud´s don´t work in Cake (PT3/HEM), you still can track your stats but HUD will not appear when play (Cake policy). They do work in Carbon (at least HEM).

Both sites have a lot of bad players, Carbon have less players in games (example a MTT will have around 50-150 in Carbon and 100-400 in Cake)


Can´t help with ring games.

Good answer
I do not like the slow pay outs on the merge site, I prefer Cake espescially Doyles room part of Cake.

Carbon has better guarantee tournament with less players. This site has less bad beat.(don't ask me why it just feels that way). It has accolade( trophy) you can win to show to other player your worth. Double up game, special event every month and the famous bad beat where u can win ton of money for having the best bad hand.

Cake is terrible imo.
I play on Doyles and must say that in the past while their guarantees for tournaments have dropped off significantly.
There are just a TON of problems with the software there... it is wayyyyy behind sites like Fulltlit & Pokerstars.
Here's an example of my last experience on Doyles/Cake (this is enough that I wouldn't bother to consider playing on there). Doyles had just done an update prior to my entering a $55 turbo MTT. During that game I'd estimate over 1/3 of the players were having a hell of a time with the site (when it came to your turn to act, there'd be no bet/fold/call buttons and you'd just time down & fold). It happened to me only a few times but at very crucial points of the tourney (ie. top 10paid, I was sitting in 7th of 21.. then wake up with big hand in SB, a LP stealer raises in CO.. & I fold ???... arghh... then.. again!!!.. and then a big hand I"d be insta-shoving with.. & same thing.
I was not alone (like I mentioned and was happening to some of the others more often than to me). Guy to my left also had a good stack & same thing happening to him... then he finally gets to shove his stack in & takes a badbeat, leaving him crippled. He was livid (looked him up & discovered he has over $500K in winnnings so it wasn't like it was his entire bankroll that he was just crying about... ahem.. like me, lol).
I wrote to support, telling them I wanted to be re-imbursed for the buyin at least and they said they'd get back to me with a decision within 24hrs. (that was 72hrs. ago). {a bunch of the other players in the tourney said they'd be writing in to support as well.. one had been on hold with the 'live chat' for 25mins...??).
There's alot of other screwups on that site these days (won't go into details.. just hoping this is enough of a warning for you here). Some threads I've read about the site (where the rep. comes on & comments... although I haven't seen him on there lately.. Lee Jones), have a list of stuff/concerns. Some of them seem to have the feeling they're running the site into the ground because of all the stuff that isn't being tended to/fixed.
I'd never pick it as an alternative site to play on. I admit I did play a handful of MTTs on there recently (cashing in an oddly large percentage of them) but really have no expectations of playing there again after the other night's experience (my confidence in the site is in the crapper).
last point... I don't know what games you play in... but as far as nlhe Tournaments go there's hardly even anything to play in on that site. (there's a few $6 bounty/KO tourneys, a few $30 buyins, a couple of $50's with hardly anybody in them, even fewer big buyin tourneys with almost nobody at all in them (ie. they have a ~$162 buyin and the guar. is only $1500?.. that's a freak'n sng ffs).
They've got a couple of larger field guar. big buyins on the weekends and the Wed. nite Doyles Bounty ($27.50).. other than that I've seen no $10 mtts (aside from a couple of $10rebuy).. and no $5 mtt, and not even sure of any cheap micro ones (oh yah.. there's a $3 $750guar. that runs once per day.. and a $2 $400 guar.).

My sugestion for you is to chose carbon poker.up there a the lab man said there are bad players, and is true....but you will have to fight with donkaholism
GL at the tables...

I have played both. Only 1 of them is still on my computer though - Carbon! Cake software was bad - not enuff tourneys that I wanted to play also.

I'd personally have to say Carbon...I don't Know about Cake well enough to really say anything about it...Yet Carbon I do happen to know enough about...The site is pretty busy, I mean MTT wise...Leader-Board (Since I won It recently, is pretty easy to actually make, and pretty easy to actually win, Nah but really I mean the competition is fairly decent for the most part)...Cash-out requests do take sometime in Carbon, yet the thing is there working on a better processor as they already stated in there numerous Emails that they apologize for the delay and so forth and so on ....

As for the software, I personally believe it really has to be the best in the Industry (My personal Opioion )..

As for Game selection as I already stated, there ring games are fairly busy especially the mid stakes .50/1 all the way through up to 5-10... The players are just as horrendous as most other players, so it's fairly easy to make decent coin up there...

There Mtt players on the other hand, when playing higher limits like 20-50 is are really tough players but as for other then that I'd say you should be in decent shape...

As for PT3 or HEM, I don't use them seriously so I really have no clue about that at all sry

Yeah, I'm giving a lot of thought to trying Carbon. I've heard nothing but good things about it.

well all good info because i was looking to branch out too.i was always told doyles room was good .but it doesnt sound like it..

i think i agree with naruto carbon is really good, easy competition and some good software

i prefer cake, but having both would be better having a merge and a cake site would expand your tourney selections immensely.

I really hate merge. But then again there is this thing with the cake loophole ongoing.

I used to have a Cake skin account (SportsBook). Software was klunky but okay -- still much better than Ultimatebet. Then SportsBook moved to the Merge network (same as Carbon). So from the same account I've experienced both Cake and Merge.

From what I've seen the software is pretty similar across SB and Carbon now, and I don't know how anyone can say it's better than PS or FT. It's not *horrible* like Ultimatebet, but while it's generally pretty, it definitely tries too hard and usability suffers. The betting interface is a good example -- it offers more options but can be confusing and tedious to get the bet right unless you type your bet in by hand every time.

Also, when you're on a given Merge skin like Carbon or SB, don't you see the same pool of players across the whole Merge network no matter which skin you're running? If so, my major complaint with Merge is lack of game selection and the slowness to fill. Not sure how somebody can say they have lots of players or games unless they're just not used to playing PS or FT. On PS/FT, you never wait more than a couple minutes for a STT SnG to fill -- at any given time I can register for 4 STT's on either and have all 4 started up within 5 minutes usually, sometimes a lot less than that. On SB I've waited 15 minutes for one STT to fill. Same with playing FR, I could only ever find 2-3 tables at a time. After being spoiled on PS and FT for so long, I get highly frustrated trying to get any serious play in at Merge/SB. The only reason I tried to play there was because they offered me a pretty sweet bonus to come back after the network switch, but with the game selection being what it is, I don't see how I could put the volume in to clear the bonus.

And BTW as mentioned HEM works just fine on Merge. I expect PT3 would as well. Cake has always frowned on HUDs and any tracking of other players, but they do support HEM for tracking your own stats (HEM worked with them to accommodate their restrictions). If you want something closer to a HUD on Cake, I would recommend Hold'em Indicator/Tournament Indicator, as they have always been approved on Cake and do offer basic player stats for the current session (as well as a true HUD now but not sure if they allow it on Cake). HI was my very first poker software that I actually got free for my SportsBook (Cake) signup years ago (before I knew of rakeback). It obviously has far less functionality than a HEM or PT3, but for what it does it works pretty well.

I can never find any tourneys I like on Doyles Room. Well, not entirely true , but they are few and far between. Software is sub par also.

My vote would be Carbon. Good luck whatever you decide.

I do like Carbon, but the software is somewhat confusing at first. You click the 2x button for a 3 bet?? Really?? Once you get your head wrapped around it it's not bad at all.

For the 4nl/5nl ring games I'd go with Cake. They get 4 or 5 games going most of the time and the wait to get on is usually short. At Carbon I often look and find only 1 4nl/5nl game running. The standard of play on Cake is bad and you have to stand the odd bad beat through players who just don't know how to fold but on Carbon I find this problem far worse.

I just made a deposit on a Cake skin and the first deposit bonus is clearing at a good rate by playing a couple of hours a day 5 tabling. The best bit is I've easily doubled my initial buy in over a week and by playing tight I can only see it carrying on up. Stay away variance

For tournaments Carbon is better, for sng neither are any good

I would have to say carbon. I personally like the Merge network setup but I cant stand the Cake network. Merge has the cool little interactions at the very least. Cake just has that really boring look and gameplay and the FPP system kinda sux too. Thats just my personal oppinion.

Agreed with the betting buttons option... not the most user friendly & HATE it when I think I'm raising 3x and then see I've raised 4x lol. I just don't like their bet slider & buttons at all period. I don't mind typing in the exact amounts (have a wireless keypad for playing poker... well.. actually have 3 of them) but even then I don't like the bet display thing/window as it's different from all the others that I'm used to using.

For me Carbon/Merge seems/looks too much like some mickeymouse video game. I probably need to get over that but it's led me to never really taking any game seriously that I've played on that site... that & the blind structures of almost every single tournament I've ever played on there (blind structures in MTTs on there are ridiculous... it's shove/fold way before ITM and once ITM avg.stack is always <10bb.. yuck)

I would say Carbon Poker. If nothing else, they have CC tournaments there.

Cake is really fun as is DOyles and Merge has insanly great graphics that you cant help acting like a kid with throwing up graphics over and over, THe showdown meter on Merge is awesome. I like cakes lotto of gold card give aways event hough I have never won any. BUt so far here is a test of the 2 networks and one passed with flying colors and one has me concerned.

DOyles I tested a payoff back to my ewallet and they were very fast in pay outs (as where UB and AP) FOr all three of these sites I with drew money 3 days after Bunitas (Merge site) and after 6 days Im still waiting for Bunitas to take my money out of pending approval status which means I have money just I cant touch but they havent sent out to my ewallet yet. ANd they havent answered my support tickets about this either, and since Carbon is also a Merge site, I'm now very lerry about depositing any money on merge sites if this is their MO. Like I said Doyles (cake Network) I already have the money in my ewallet and will deposit again there the same for AB and UB but if Carbon uses the same MO and Bunitas (since its all merge) IM not happy at the quickness of their payouts, if it ever comes, $50 just sitting in limbo somewhere VERY UNPROFESSIONAL

^^^ Doyle's Room is a Cake skin and has had payment problems in the past, especially in their early days, and also right after they switched to Cake IIRC. Good to hear it's getting better, I guess.

The different skins for a given network use their own payment processors and are responsible for their own payouts. So you really can't compare one Merge room to another -- you have to evaluate them on their own merits.

Exactly this.

Even when sites share the software on the network, some sites do not share the payment processor.

Doyles do not have same payment processor than Cake, it use his own processor now and since last year as been really good, Cake also is good.

I don´t think Bonitas use the same like Carbon, i know that for example Feltstars use a different one. Aced/Carbon/PDC do use the same one because all are owned now by merge.

Carbon have his problems in the past with taking too long for cashouts, lately as been faster, and live help is good. I don´t trust Bonitas site reason why not deposit there, i have accounts in Carbon and Aced and don´t have a problem with them.

I like carbon the most, but there big problem is that theu dont have alot of micro limit ring game action, mostly above 50c/$1 which is not in my league yet. Doyles room lost it interest after they left microgaming. poorly graphics and donkfeast fr's which there payout stinx I think.

Carbon of course. HUDs show up there. Cake doesnt allow HUD (thats y and I dont play there like many other poker players).

Both are really good sites...
Carbon sure has an upper hand in everything !!!

WHy do people always put these disclaimer, but they have a lot of bad players. SO you go there and lose and so then makes you an even worse player which is not a positive thing I would gather,

I would say I did notice Bodog seemed to have the most profitable cash games for me. Cake seemed more a break even type ring games. Carbon was harder than cake and UB and AP were both harder than all the rest as it seems when you had something, you couldnt fake it or play it cause everybody would fold it. And IM slowly packing up the camp to move only over to PS and FT (why I dont know but I havent play much on those sites) but I feel im spread out way to thin over too many sites and will probably just leave money in the rest for forum stuff.

I know why cause of people putting up disclaimers like there are a lot of bad players on them. If Im going to lose I want to lose to the better players which Im assuming they are pointing towards PS and FT