Blue Fire Poker Review

In a competitive industry you have to do something to stand above the rest. BlueFirePoker made waves when its founder, Phil Galfond the legendary cash game player, challenged President Barack Obama to a poker game where BlueFirePoker would put up $1 million dollars to $1 dollar in an effort to showcase poker as a game of skill. Since that offer was made I wanted to see how BlueFirePoker stacked up against the competition.

The longer term you sign up for the lower your average monthly cost. The plans are: 12 months for $399.99, six months for $249.99, or $29.99 per month and a $99.99 sign-up fee. Payment options include PayPal, all major credit cards, and Moneybookers. BlueFirePoker also offers a free 7 day trial if you sign-up for the monthly plan.

BlueFire currently has a stable of12 professionals and one guest professional. Most of their pros play cash games but their five newest pros focus on sit and go's. One thing to note is their videos are only for no limit Hold'Em, pot limit Omaha, and tournaments. For now mixed game players are left out in the cold. You will also find there is no coaching made available for individual members. Those of you looking to hire Galfond are out of luck.

Some great features of BlueFire include the ability to download all of their videos DRM free which means there are no restrictions on the video once you have it. Additionally, BlueFire offers you the ability to download every video in three different formats, as a .wmv, .mp4, or as an iPod compatible video. You can also find blogs made by the poker pros and members and a forum with strategy and video discussions. The only thing some people may not like is it appears there is no set video schedule. Videos are made available on a regular basis, but seeing a calendar laid out with expected videos would be a welcome addition.

Compared to the other poker video training sites, BlueFire has relatively few videos. However if you compare the quality of videos then BlueFire is right there. Galfond's PLO videos are the best, setting the industry standard. He explains what he is doing and why better than anyone. Whether he is discussing a hand he played or a member submitted video, you get a thorough and easy to understand analysis. Just like a game of poker, BlueFire is ready to compete with the other training sites and I would not be surprised to see them continue growing.

Curtis Steuber.