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FREQUENTLY
ASKED QUESTIONS
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How
do I fund my account?
There
are several different ways to send money to online poker
sites. Some
of the most popular today are Firepay, neteller and paypal
(although rumor has it that paypal
will soon quit accepting transactions for gaming
sites). Accounts
are set up at each of these sites, just like a bank
account. Although
some credit cards are still funding deposits to gaming
sites, most of the major ones have stopped it completely.
I have found the easiest form is to verify a
checking account with the site, or one of the companies
listed above, and to transfer funds in and out through my
checking account. Each
site will list the methods they accept on their web site.
How
do the online poker sites manage my money?
Each
online poker site will have an account set up in your
‘players name’.
Deposits are put directly into this account and
withdrawals are made from this account.
When you enter a game you will choose to take a
certain amount of money with you to this game.
You do not have to take your entire bankroll.
When you enter a tournament, the funds are deducted
from your account. When
you are ready to withdraw your money, go to the cashier
and your site and make the request.
Funds are sent out within 7 days at most sites.
Note: Online
poker sites are charged by the companies players use to
transfer money into and out of the sites.
Therefore most sites limit your withdrawals to once
a week, or a set period of time from your last deposit.
This can take some getting used to.
If you are unsure of your sites policy, find out
before you make your initial deposits.
What
is the rake?
Online poker rakes the pot, in the same manner that
casinos do. Money
is removed from each pot to pay the house. Of the casinos
we have reviewed, the variable rake structure is 5% of the
pot size, with a maximum of
$3.00 taken from each pot.
Some of the sites have reduced their maximum rake
on their very low limit games and with games with only a
few players.
Tournaments
are raked by adding an additional amount to the entry that
is not returned as prize fund monies.
Rakes in tourneys vary from 5, 6 to 10, 12 percent
depending on the site and the amount of the entry.
What
happens if I get disconnected in the middle of a game?
It is important to understand how the individual online
poker sites deal with disconnects in the middle of a hand
that you are involved in. Each site will have a different
policy. Most
of them will protect your hand, as per an All In
situation, unless you do something to fold your hand. To
prevent this feature from being abused, there is usually a
limit of All Ins over a 24-hour period, which is set by
the administrators of each site.
Once your All in limit has been reached, most sites
will automatically fold your hand, if you do not respond.
Most tournaments do not use the all in function and
automatically fold the hand after a certain period of
time. All of
the sites post their disconnect policy.
Before playing at any online poker site,
familiarize yourself with the specific rules and policies
of that site.
How
do I know the game is fair?
All
of the sites promote a safe and fair environment. Very
detailed random shuffling algorithms are detailed on each
site and policies and methods to monitor collusion are
detailed on most sites.
Streaks of winning as well as streaks of losing
will come and go online, as they do in live poker games.
The most unbelievable river card will hit during
online poker, as it will during live play.
Certain players will seem to always be winning
every pot, as certain seats seem to be hot at a live game.
If you feel like you are in an unfair game, make a
note of the hand number, and game that you are in, the
players at the table, and the reasons that you believe the
game is unfair. Send
your summary to the management.
They will look into it.
All of them claim to have ‘sophisticated
software’ to help monitor and control cheating in the
forms of collusion among players.
If you cannot get rid of the feeling of being
cheated, or that the cards are not random, then question
yourself as to why you are playing the game.
Leave. Don’t throw your hard earned money into a
game that you believe is unfair.
Find another form of entertainment.
Online gaming is not for you.
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