02.21.07

Real Money Poker For Online US Players: Part 1

Posted in Poker News at 2:22 am by Valentino Viccetzar

You’re going to be reading a lot of posts on this subject. It’s symptomatic of the times we live in. Yes, many online poker sites are no longer allowing US-based players to play with real money thanks to the recent legislation passed by the government that notionally outlaws internet gambling of any kinds.

Many online poker sites reacted to the news with ever dramatic shifts in policy. Others, which we will mention here, have implemented policies to help US players keep doing what they love. The problem isn’t so much where you can and cannot play at the online money tables. The real issue is all about the bankroll. How do you fund it? How do you get your hands on it?

There is one definite rule on this subject: No personal checks. Other than that, there are many ways for US-based players to continue moving money to play online real money poker.

After the loss of Neteller, things looked a little hairy, but now the storm has passed and the waters have calmed, plenty of options are presenting themselves.

First of all, Poker Stars (www.pokerstars.com) is now offering three ways to fund bankrolls for US-based players. The first choice for their online e-wallet service is ePassporte; second choice is using Visa or Mastercard credit-cards to make relevant deposits, although one potential problem with this method for US players is blocking from the issuing bank. Third choice for funding: cashier’s checks, bank drafts, and old fashioned money orders.

Withdraws from Poker Stars are easiest using an ePassporte account, however, PokerStars also has a well established paper-check system that’s still in operation and very much everything you need. The minimum withdrawal amount is $50 and all checks for more than $1,000 are sent via courier service.

Second we have Full Tilt (www.fulltiltpoker.com) who has recently caused an uproar with their introduction and then swift withdrawal of Wire Cards as a means of adding and withdrawing from accounts. Their new method, MyWebATM, allows you to deposit and withdraw from one account. It’s fairly convenient but for the person who plays online money poker only every once in a while, the monthly account fee ($3.95) and small flat rate fees for individual transactions.

Full Tilt also accepts ePassporte and Click2Play for withdraws and deposits; credit cards and MoneyGram cash transfers are also accepted for deposits.

Not that unless you are withdrawing more than $300 from Full Tilt using MyWebATM, you will be required to register either an ePassporte or a Click2Pay account anyway.

The third and final stop for today is Bodog (www.bodog.com) who have actually maintained a good variety of funding channels, including the usual suspects, credit cards, Click2Play, NUcharge, and direct money transfers. Nucharge is a very indirect and thus very good way to load your account. It involves buying a phone card and basically selling the minutes you’ve bought to Bodog. For withdrawals, you can transfer from Bodog to Click2Pay and direct money transfers by prearrangement.

Part 2 Coming Soon!

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