What do people consider to be the best Merge Skin?

What Merge Skins allow the use of a Hud?

What Merge Skins have the best VIP program (any have rakeback??)

Any other reasons to choose one above the others?

Do they allow WU as a deposit option?

Deposit/withdrawing with WU is pretty easy, but few sites offer it. Most sites (merge/bodog/cake) withdraw using checks now, which can range from 3-12 weeks. You can deposit with WU online, they accept credit/debit cards. To withdraw you need to go to a local WU, i went to the one on 23rd street and 6th ave.

Rakeback varies on sites now, also depending on how much you rake. Most do offer 27% now though.

The only site I know that restricts use of HEM/PT3 is the cake network.

Replies in bold

Are there any sites that are allowing MD players to play? I have an old Bodog account - cant deposit. Tried to sign up for lock - obviously, restricted - although i know MD residents that are playing, had account pre- BF. Thanks.

Everleaf network - I'm on Luvin Poker since the Merge freeze out.

What sites are americans going to? Cake is empty.
So I was wondering

Cake isn't that bad. If you think thats empty, take a look at mintedpoker. There is no pokerroom for us players with so little tables than minted.

sorry if this ? is in the wrong spot but it just came 2 me and i am already in this thread so figure this is good a place as any what do they mean when they say "cashouts will be made back to the method used for deposit until the total deposits have been reversed? does this mean i can only cashout up to the amount i have depod? (minted poker W.U) thanks in adv. 4 the clarification.

i to am looking 4 a legit online poker home OBV. (along with every other american!) and was checking out minted the softwhere looks great (havent played there yet) just wondering whats the catch why is it not more populated?... well i will prob put some money on and check it out... i like the avatars... reminds me of stars..sigh+cry+angry face! lol gl all

Minted Poker is a fine place to play poker. I would rank it second to Bodog. The only issue with it is that all the action is on the Euro tables, and the rake on those tables is exorbitant.

I also play on minted yes it is legit and every day i play i wish more people knew about it. Currently the day time traffic is only in the 1400 but thats up from the 900 it used to be at when i started playing over the summer. To bad more people don't trust online sites and seek out those sites still under the radar and operating perfectly fine. go minted! I'm also going to check out other rooms though until minted traffic picks up more and i can solely play there.

It means if you deposit 1K via W.U. they will cash out at least the first 1K in that method if possible and after that you may have alternate choices for cashing out. Basically you can't deposit by W.U. and request a check on your initial cash out.

That's what the policy means anyway I don't know about the practice at that particular place.

cool thanks acesholdup

Does anyone other than everleaf allow WU cashouts?

Over in the America's Cardroom thread they have said the population has doubled in the last month or 2 with their advertising on ESPN. I play at bodog and there is more than enough games running in the micros anyway with the 4 table limit. Might check out ACR though since I played there YEARS ago before it went away just for the nostalgic feeling

Carbon seems fine. Getting more traffic. Open to us

The Merge Network(Carbon, BlackChip Poker, RPM, etc....) is the top site in terms of traffic. One of the problems though is they block a few states in the US from signing up.

If you are in a state that Merge allows its definitely worth looking into and signing up.

The best options are either Bodog or Merge for US players.

I don't know much about bodog, except that the big problem is a 4 table maximum and crappy software.

The big problem with merge, which has the biggest player pool for US, is that the cashouts are painfully slow. However, at least one merge skin, Black Chip, does wires if you ask the right people/are cashing out a somewhat reasonable balance. They are also the skin that has the best support (possibly of any site I've heard of) and the site that has the best rakeback deals that aren't dependent on a tiered system of how much you rake. That implies that you find and go through a good affiliate.

There are 2 problems with Merge worth noting. First, it doesn't allow customers from a handful of states. Second, like any site in the current climate, there is an element of risk in putting money online. It makes sense to limit your bankroll wherever you play. All that said, Merge is backed by some pretty big players in the online gambling community (can't say who publicly) so I think it's no more or less risky than most other sites.

Adding to what you have to say

The cake network also has some potential. Cashouts are just as slow as merge but their intertops skin is pretty fast i hear. Decent software and traffic.

Also check out minted, 1-3 day cashouts and amazing customer service. Only cons are lack of traffic and minor software bugs, the latter of which is supposed to be fixed sometime soon.

The only site where you can possibly get all your volume in is merge, maybe bodog/cake. It's suggested you spread out to 1-3 different sites to get your fix, and to avoid the whole "all of my br is stuck on xxx" should one site get DOJed.

Who offers the best rakeback deals for blackchip?

Yet they still suck at PR.

Does anyone know the how many peeps play on Bodog on avg?

Try pokerscout.com

EDIT: Just to be clear, it's not a poker site. It's a site that has player numbers on all the networks.

Rakeback request

I know that the net has countless internet sites that have something to do with internet poker in a variety of ways. Hadn't heard of this one....so I thought I'd check it out.

Before I continue in regards to that....I'd just like to mention that it seems that internet poker (especially for American players) has become a minefield. I've read so many posts just on 2+2 about people getting ripped off by this site or that site and in this way or that way.

Now I know that what some of these folks are saying isn't true.....they were angle shooting in one way or another and got caught. But I also believe that a lot of the stories are true & brutal.

And when a player has been truly ripped off....I don't think they have much they can really do about it.

Anyway - I've been reading a lot of posts at 2+2 today and noticed that several posters were high on "Black Chip Poker".

OK - now back to poker scout. I clicked on reviews for "Merge" poker sites. This is the 1st one that comes up. Oops...I'm not that good with computers, but thought I would be able to copy and paste that review here....but it doesn't work when I try to do it.

Anyway - if you go there and click on "Merge". At the top of the page where the 1st two reviews are it says this.

Merge Gaming Network has a weighted average rating of 3.7 out of 10 from a total of 99 reviewers. Doesn't sound like a very promising Network.

I know that these sites don't always have accurate info, but I just see so much negative stuff regarding almost every Network or site these days that are left for Americans to play at.

The 1st review talks about the cashout length problems which seem to just be the norm anymore. And the 2nd review the poster says to "STAY AWAY FROM BLACK CHIP POKER"!!!

He states he deposited 2k....has it up to 3k....tries a $500 withdrawal & finds out his account is now closed because they said he was in hands with suspicious players & he says he has no clue as to what they are talking about & they won't give him any info about it.

And he says that site has told him that they are going to keep his money. He finishes by saying that he hopes that the DOJ shuts down this site too.

I guess this is basically just more white noise regarding the state of internet poker these days.

It seems to me that the saying for internet poker these days has to be "Caveat Emptor"!