1. Merge Checks to US players avg ~3 weeks from request to your door step.
2. Lock Poker is not a part of Merge, hasn't been for a couple years.
3. Lock Poker payouts really haven't existed in 400+ days. It's a ponzi scheme.
4. Is Merge safe to play at? Well, they've been around since 2005 and paid out everyone since then, so yes, I'd say they have a good record and are trustworthy. I've played there since late 06 or early 07, hard to recall exactly.

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Kahn

Playing NL25/NL50 on Bovada for almost a year and I can say that it is the most profitable room for me.

Do you have any facts about the bots there? I don't think it is true, at least at mid stakes.

And I always see players are chatting, so I think your are very suspicious. There is no reason for the room to cheat you with the bots or something.
They are interested in keeping good reputation and earn from the rake.

Sorry to be redundant..... getting back into this, haven't been on since BF. Looking to play 2-20$ sngs/mtts. .50-2NLHE. Where should I go. leaning towards Bovada, ACR, Carbon. ACRs volume looks light. Haven't checked out Carbon. Bovada isn't giving me depo options, says I have to call. Thoughts? I live in RI, probably gonna mix in some foxwoods too Thanks guys!

None of the "riggies" have any facts because there are none. You are absolutely correct. It's more profitable for a business NOT to cheat customers, than it is to cheat them.



All 3 sites you've listed should offer what you seek in various combinations. You should be fine, specially if you multi-site.


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Kahn

If you like sitngo's in that range, going off regularly pretty much 24/7, then the hassle of the phone call is worth it. You are going to be doing a lot of waiting on winning. Merge is so-so.

That phone call is for your accounts security anyway.

Thanks guys. Looking forward to being more active in the upcoming months

Heard PokerStars is out of California too. The same bad actor clause. Sad for them.

That "bad actor" clause is a good example of political cronyism. Basically it's a loophole to prevent competition. For whatever bad acting Stars did, which is debatable, they reached their settlement and paid their fine. Fortunately for Stars, the other sites are so bad that once the bad acting clause expires, they will still stampede over the competition unless something major changes between now and then.

Contrary to popular belief, not everyone enjoys playing, or even wants to play on PokerStars. I personally think it's a bad thing for the industry for PS to effectively have 60% market share.

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Kahn

Reliable site that spreads 30/60 limit and higher regularly?

Are you in the US?

Yes.

I'm sorry its getting late haha. I meant what state are you in?

There are currently only 2 US sites that have any appreciable fixed LHE action.

Bovada: largest stake 30/60, soft, most games
Merge: largest stake 15/30, soft
WPN: largest stake 30/60, soft, you'd get perhaps a handful of games started per month if you seeded tables (unless you challenge the regs, most of whom will sit out once you show you're not a fish)


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Kahn

Sorry if this topic has already been discussed in another post...

I live in Colorado and thought online poker is still illegal. How/why can I go to BetOnline and deposit money to play? I don't want to jeopardize anything by doing something illegal, but if I can play for real money, I'd like to do that instead of playing for play money on the WPT and Poker Stars sites.

If I can't deposit real money from Colorado, can someone recommend an online site that has good traffic/volume?

Thanks

You meant can deposit real money, right?

You mentioned betonline, and there is another network called equity poker, then go to the first post in this thread for the rest of the better traffic/volume sites.

You could also let us know what you are looking for. Mtt's, stt's, nlhe, plo, other variations, cash games and stakes so you can get some opinions.

Go back a hundred posts or so, and read forward also.

Online Poker was never illegal in Colorado. It's called a gray market because there are no laws on the books one way or the other. You are free to play at any online poker site that will allow your business. Grenzen, above, laid out a good plan of attack

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Kahn

Nothing's changed - it's just as legal/illegal as it was yesterday, 3 years ago, and 10 years ago.

You might want to check out some of the threads about them first. There haven't been any for a while now, so hopefully things are better, but you should go in with your eyes open.

Thanks guys...based on what I've read, I think Bovata is the best option to try

Is is possible to play poker online from New York City? Last time I checked, Merge was not allowing players from NYC. Maybe that's changed? What are the zip codes from NY that are allowed for Merge and/or WPN? I'm interested in fixed limit poker.

Let's say someone has a pet BOA constrictor and they would like to play on Bovada and maybe Full Flush. Should they, instead, purchase and use a gift card? I wouldn't want my, uh, pet BOA to get mad at me and run away.

WPN doesn't really have much LHE action. Only Bovada and Merge really have any LHE traffic for the US market.

Tell your snake to get cash and use a person to person transfer.

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Kahn

golf clap for boa, however. one can also use their boa (or other credit/debit card, usually) to fund western union online and deposit that way.

FYI this isn't 100%. It does have a pretty decent rate of working though.


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Kahn

As a relatively new US online player, I thought it might be helpful to share my recent experiences with a few of the rooms.

I play mostly cash, but also dabble in MTTs and SNGs.

I am in California, and am using a Mac.

Merge/Carbon: Is the first site I signed up for and deposited on, and I still think it's overall the best for me. The software is good, traffic and game selection is good, and it is compatible with Pokertracker/HEM (I feel a good tracking program is critical for developing as a player.

Decent amount of traffic for cash, MTTs and SnGs. The Carbon mobile app is pretty good as well, definitely the best available site for tablet or smartphone users.

Bovada: Lots of traffic and pretty soft games in most cases. The software sucks and anonymous tables are really a departure from both live and regular online games. You don't get the benefit of longer term observation, which is an important skill to develop. Not being able to use PokerTracker/HEM on Bovada is a major issue. They do have a mobile app now, but you can only play Zone poker on it.

I guess not that surprisingly, when I don't want to take my play as serious-- if I'm tired or taking a shot at a new game or whatever, I feel safer at the anonymous tables. I totally get why it attracts recreational players. I don't play seriously on the site, but it's where I go to play PLO or take a shot at something new because I know I won't be crushed immediately and/targeted as a fish. Definitely the most traffic for all the game types I've cared to look at.


Equity Network / Full Flush. I signed up for Five Dimes first, but was unable to deposit as they don't accept Visa, so I moved on to Full Flush. I'd say it's a decent enough room, although the traffic is lower, notably on sngs and tourneys. No Poker tracker support. Software is so so, not as bad as Bovada, but not beautiful either. One thing that really bugs me about Full Flush, is that the full ring tables are 10 max instead of 9 like the rest of the sites I've played on. They do seem to have more promotions than the other sites, though. Traffic is lower, not much in the way of sngs.

Seals with Clubs: The best thing about bitcoin poker is the true ease of deposits and withdrawals. The site has lowish traffic and crappy software. However, the rake is really low - which is especially helpful for new players at the micros. Case in point - been practicing heads up lately. Bovada has a 5NL heads up table, but the rake at that stake is ridiculous and can easily eat up even a good winrate. At SwC, the equivalent stakes heads up table is much more reasonable. I hear they have an android app, too, which sounds good although I haven't actually tried it.

WPN I'd totally like to try, but no Mac support. Sigh.

I started on Carbon, and I think it's still the best option for a US player serious about learning poker. The software is great, PokertTracker/HEM support, decent traffic, and good mobile app. Having said that, I am keeping a small roll on all these sites and sometimes will have all 4 lobbies open looking for the best of whatever I'm playing.

Hope that helps someone!