NEWS - VIEWS - REVIEWS
~ Our monthly newsletter ~
~ Our monthly newsletter ~
May 2008
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In this issue...
An awesome sign up bonus from Betway Poker, The Pokerkeep gets the nod from eCOGRA, upgrades to Doyles Room and Sun Poker, more banking trouble for American poker players and lots more!
An awesome sign up bonus from Betway Poker, The Pokerkeep gets the nod from eCOGRA, upgrades to Doyles Room and Sun Poker, more banking trouble for American poker players and lots more!
Mothers Day Wish
I hope all you moms had a very special day filled with love and happiness.
I hope all you moms had a very special day filled with love and happiness.
Best Sign-up Bonus Ever
As you know, we scour the internet on a daily basis looking for the best poker rooms and the best bonuses for our players. Last month, we partnered up with Betway.com to bring you the best bonus on the internet. Betway offers their new players a huge 500% sign-up bonus on deposits up to $5,000 ! Betway is powered by Microgaming Software and they have player friendly terms and conditions. Read more about the bonus requirements here. Betway does not accept players from the USA.
As you know, we scour the internet on a daily basis looking for the best poker rooms and the best bonuses for our players. Last month, we partnered up with Betway.com to bring you the best bonus on the internet. Betway offers their new players a huge 500% sign-up bonus on deposits up to $5,000 ! Betway is powered by Microgaming Software and they have player friendly terms and conditions. Read more about the bonus requirements here. Betway does not accept players from the USA.
eCOGRA
The Pokerkeep has been audited and approved by eCOGRA. We are delighted to join a very elite list of less than 100 gaming protals to be recognized by eCOGRA.
About eCOGRA:
eCOGRA, a non-profit organization, is the independent standards authority of the online gaming industry, specifically overseeing fair gaming, player protection and responsible operator conduct. The function that eCOGRA performs protects those who engage in online gaming where it is lawful.
What does it mean to be an eCOGRA listed portal?
In seeking as wide a protection for the player as possible, eCOGRA has identified a number of portals where we are confident that players can benefit from the integrity and quality of the content, and the commitment to fair play and customer service of the portalmaster.
What this means for you:
The Pokerkeep is recognized for our commitment to providing a safe and rewarding online poker experience for all players. We only endorse reputable poker rooms with excellent customer service and top quality software.
The Pokerkeep has been audited and approved by eCOGRA. We are delighted to join a very elite list of less than 100 gaming protals to be recognized by eCOGRA.
About eCOGRA:
eCOGRA, a non-profit organization, is the independent standards authority of the online gaming industry, specifically overseeing fair gaming, player protection and responsible operator conduct. The function that eCOGRA performs protects those who engage in online gaming where it is lawful.
What does it mean to be an eCOGRA listed portal?
In seeking as wide a protection for the player as possible, eCOGRA has identified a number of portals where we are confident that players can benefit from the integrity and quality of the content, and the commitment to fair play and customer service of the portalmaster.
What this means for you:
The Pokerkeep is recognized for our commitment to providing a safe and rewarding online poker experience for all players. We only endorse reputable poker rooms with excellent customer service and top quality software.
Doyles Room is our Poker Room of the Month
In April, Doyles Room announced some major updates to their gaming platform including;
* Resizable/Tileable Tables - One size doesn't fit all, so Doyles Room lets you decide which is the best layout.
* Instant Replay Hand History - Relive your favorite smackdowns or review the errors of your ways, instantly!
* Custom Avatars - Bring your personality to the table by uploading your own images!
* Custom Felts and Flooring - Make it your own. Just a few clicks will have your poker den feeling like home.
Doyles Room has offered our players a very respectable 110% new player sign-up bonus if you use our link and enter our exclusive bonus code: TPKE110B
Doyles Room is US friendly (except the 11 restricted States).
Read our Doyles Room Review.
Global Gaming Events Announcement
The Second Annual World Series of Online Forums to be held on FullTilt Poker.
World Series of Online Forums will consist of the following:
June 7th to June 14th there will be 18 Satellites to WSOOF Main Event
WSOOF $1000 Freeroll - June 14th, 2008, 3:00pm EST
sponsored by FullTilt Poker - Top 9 entries earn to the WSOOF Main Event.
In addition the Individual prize pool, there will be $500 in forum prizes for the top 5 forums.
WSOOF 12k WSOP MAIN EVENT Package - 1 Seat Guaranteed
$50 + $5 Buyin - Sunday June 15th 3:00pm EST
$2000 added to Player Prize Pool
PLUS $1500 in forum prizes for the top 5 forums
If you don't have a FullTilt Poker account, click our link to download and create your account, then go to Online Forum Challenge to sign up under The Pokerkeep or your favorite forum.
The Second Annual World Series of Online Forums to be held on FullTilt Poker.
World Series of Online Forums will consist of the following:
June 7th to June 14th there will be 18 Satellites to WSOOF Main Event
WSOOF $1000 Freeroll - June 14th, 2008, 3:00pm EST
sponsored by FullTilt Poker - Top 9 entries earn to the WSOOF Main Event.
In addition the Individual prize pool, there will be $500 in forum prizes for the top 5 forums.
WSOOF 12k WSOP MAIN EVENT Package - 1 Seat Guaranteed
$50 + $5 Buyin - Sunday June 15th 3:00pm EST
$2000 added to Player Prize Pool
PLUS $1500 in forum prizes for the top 5 forums
If you don't have a FullTilt Poker account, click our link to download and create your account, then go to Online Forum Challenge to sign up under The Pokerkeep or your favorite forum.
Sun Poker News
SunPoker.com is proud to announce the release of its No-Download
poker client. This means players can enjoy SunPoker on ANY
computer that has Internet access. This also means players can now
play on a MAC or who use Linux in addition to Window's based
computers.
WSOP and SunPoker
SunPoker.com is putting up 25 WSOP (Main Event) packages
so players can earn a seat at the grand daddy of them all.
The best part, players can earn a $12K package for as little as
10 MPPs (my poker points). Each week, you can qualify to play in the "weekly final", where
the winner gets a seat at the $300,000 WSOP Mega Freeroll on
May 11, 2008. Twenty-five (25) packages will be given away on
that date.
SunPoker.com is proud to announce the release of its No-Download
poker client. This means players can enjoy SunPoker on ANY
computer that has Internet access. This also means players can now
play on a MAC or who use Linux in addition to Window's based
computers.
WSOP and SunPoker
SunPoker.com is putting up 25 WSOP (Main Event) packages
so players can earn a seat at the grand daddy of them all.
The best part, players can earn a $12K package for as little as
10 MPPs (my poker points). Each week, you can qualify to play in the "weekly final", where
the winner gets a seat at the $300,000 WSOP Mega Freeroll on
May 11, 2008. Twenty-five (25) packages will be given away on
that date.
Mac Compatible Poker Rooms
In addition to Sun Poker, there are quite a few rooms now offering online poker for Mac users.
PokerRoom.com is Mac friendly and eCOGRA Approved!
Bettson Poker offers a Java version so Mac users can play without downloading.
Betway has a "Play Direct" option for Mac users.
Canbet also has a Flash version that Mac users can take advantage of.
I'm in the process of compiling a listing of the best Mac friendly poker rooms and will post it on The Pokerkeep once it is complete.
For our American players, Full Tilt also has a Mac version available.
In addition to Sun Poker, there are quite a few rooms now offering online poker for Mac users.
PokerRoom.com is Mac friendly and eCOGRA Approved!
Bettson Poker offers a Java version so Mac users can play without downloading.
Betway has a "Play Direct" option for Mac users.
Canbet also has a Flash version that Mac users can take advantage of.
I'm in the process of compiling a listing of the best Mac friendly poker rooms and will post it on The Pokerkeep once it is complete.
For our American players, Full Tilt also has a Mac version available.
ePassporte pulls out of American online poker market
Yup! ePassporte has joined the long list of financial institutions to abondon their American poker playing customers. While it looks like the UIGEA will be history within the next year, the deposit and withdrawal options for our US players continue to evaporate.
Yup! ePassporte has joined the long list of financial institutions to abondon their American poker playing customers. While it looks like the UIGEA will be history within the next year, the deposit and withdrawal options for our US players continue to evaporate.
PIC-Club - A new deposit method for US players
Just when ePassporte decides to pull out of the US market along comes Pic-Club. Pic-Club is the newest deposit method for American players. This is a brand new concept and apparently makes depositing funds into casino and poker accounts legal. The concept is a bit complicated and there has been quite a bit of discussion in the forums as to whether Pic-Club is a safe option for US players.
We have been discussing Pic-Club over at APCW and to our surprise, Chuck Kidd (founder of Pic-Club) dropped by to answer our questions.
The following is Mr Kidd's response to our comments....
"My name is Chuck Kidd and I am the CEO and Founder of PIC-Club. My friends call me CharlieK so lets keep it on that level.
The idea for PIC-Club was conceived just 1 week after the UIEGA was passed when I read the new law and found that they had excluded trading companies. So with a little help and encouragement from a group of poker playing friends I bought a trading company and PIC-Club was born. The company that owns PIC-Club is Ledvil International a fully licensed and authorized trading company. We just happen to be the only one that ever thought of trading in poker.
I first introduced this idea at a Poker Conference in Dec. 2006 in Costa Rica. It was well received by some and others found it silly. One man that didn't find it silly was a speaker at the conference and happens to be one of the foremost legal minds in this industry. He was impressed with the idea and it was with his words of encouragement that I pressed on.
After obtaining good legal council and getting the opinion of all 50 states laws as they pertain to online poker, PIC-Club was launched on April 22. 2007 with one poker room willing to give us a try and help us develop this unique concept in gaming.
I have controlled the growth of PIC-Club very carefully as we are dealing in your money. As a poker player I remember the frustrations of deposits being lost and customer service being useless. I vowed to make PIC-Club the dominant force in the industry for processing your funds into and out of a poker room in a manner never used before and doing it in a safe, secure and accountable way.
We are a CLUB; when you join you add to our strength in numbers, we are over 5000 strong and growing. This gives us some bargaining power to obtain the best deals for you at the poker rooms. The poker rooms have always had the upper hand, as there was never a reason to stop doing business as usual. Well the PIC-Club is changing how poker rooms do business with the players.
I read in this forum a concern about our fees. Let me assure you that PIC-Club makes no money from the players. We only charge the cost of processing to our members. If it cost PIC-Club 5% to process a credit card, that is what we charge you. Our company makes its money from the poker room every time you deposit your money into your playing account.
While we are on the subject of money let me address our CSA (common shares account). This is an account that all members of PIC contribute to. This is your money not ours, it sets in a bank collecting 3.5% guaranteed interest. $1.00 from every deposit goes into this account. We also deduct .05% of winning withdrawals from a member and add it to this fund. Last year in December PIC-Club added 6.8% to the total CSA pool. That means that PIC-Club members at Christmas time received 14% on those dollars. Easy math there, $1.00 in $1.14 out. Heck even the worst donk in the world who lost every hand he ever played that year made money from PIC-Club if he was a member. You tell me what other processor offers this.
We are growing, getting stronger every day. With the BetCris family of poker rooms joining us and the Merge Gaming Network now live at the PIC-Club, we service over 50 rooms. Everleaf Gaming, home of Poker4ever and their 35 rooms have just joined us and will be live very soon. If your favorite room isn't using PIC-Club why not drop them an email and tell them to wake up.
I will stop by from time to time to answer any questions you may have and you are also welcome to stop by the PIC-Club and ask our customer support for help on any issue. Just so you know, our customer support is made up of online poker players working from their homes as they help you. If you have read any of the online forums you will have seen from the postings that our 24/7 support team is world class."
I'm still on the fence as far as the legality of such a club but it seems to be a viable alternative for those in the States. The fact that Mr. Kidd is willing to take the time to answer questions is a positive step towards convincing me that they are on the up and up.
For those who want to give Pic-Club a try... Carbon Poker is the flagship brand of the Merge Poker Network and does accept Pic-Club.
Just when ePassporte decides to pull out of the US market along comes Pic-Club. Pic-Club is the newest deposit method for American players. This is a brand new concept and apparently makes depositing funds into casino and poker accounts legal. The concept is a bit complicated and there has been quite a bit of discussion in the forums as to whether Pic-Club is a safe option for US players.
We have been discussing Pic-Club over at APCW and to our surprise, Chuck Kidd (founder of Pic-Club) dropped by to answer our questions.
The following is Mr Kidd's response to our comments....
"My name is Chuck Kidd and I am the CEO and Founder of PIC-Club. My friends call me CharlieK so lets keep it on that level.
The idea for PIC-Club was conceived just 1 week after the UIEGA was passed when I read the new law and found that they had excluded trading companies. So with a little help and encouragement from a group of poker playing friends I bought a trading company and PIC-Club was born. The company that owns PIC-Club is Ledvil International a fully licensed and authorized trading company. We just happen to be the only one that ever thought of trading in poker.
I first introduced this idea at a Poker Conference in Dec. 2006 in Costa Rica. It was well received by some and others found it silly. One man that didn't find it silly was a speaker at the conference and happens to be one of the foremost legal minds in this industry. He was impressed with the idea and it was with his words of encouragement that I pressed on.
After obtaining good legal council and getting the opinion of all 50 states laws as they pertain to online poker, PIC-Club was launched on April 22. 2007 with one poker room willing to give us a try and help us develop this unique concept in gaming.
I have controlled the growth of PIC-Club very carefully as we are dealing in your money. As a poker player I remember the frustrations of deposits being lost and customer service being useless. I vowed to make PIC-Club the dominant force in the industry for processing your funds into and out of a poker room in a manner never used before and doing it in a safe, secure and accountable way.
We are a CLUB; when you join you add to our strength in numbers, we are over 5000 strong and growing. This gives us some bargaining power to obtain the best deals for you at the poker rooms. The poker rooms have always had the upper hand, as there was never a reason to stop doing business as usual. Well the PIC-Club is changing how poker rooms do business with the players.
I read in this forum a concern about our fees. Let me assure you that PIC-Club makes no money from the players. We only charge the cost of processing to our members. If it cost PIC-Club 5% to process a credit card, that is what we charge you. Our company makes its money from the poker room every time you deposit your money into your playing account.
While we are on the subject of money let me address our CSA (common shares account). This is an account that all members of PIC contribute to. This is your money not ours, it sets in a bank collecting 3.5% guaranteed interest. $1.00 from every deposit goes into this account. We also deduct .05% of winning withdrawals from a member and add it to this fund. Last year in December PIC-Club added 6.8% to the total CSA pool. That means that PIC-Club members at Christmas time received 14% on those dollars. Easy math there, $1.00 in $1.14 out. Heck even the worst donk in the world who lost every hand he ever played that year made money from PIC-Club if he was a member. You tell me what other processor offers this.
We are growing, getting stronger every day. With the BetCris family of poker rooms joining us and the Merge Gaming Network now live at the PIC-Club, we service over 50 rooms. Everleaf Gaming, home of Poker4ever and their 35 rooms have just joined us and will be live very soon. If your favorite room isn't using PIC-Club why not drop them an email and tell them to wake up.
I will stop by from time to time to answer any questions you may have and you are also welcome to stop by the PIC-Club and ask our customer support for help on any issue. Just so you know, our customer support is made up of online poker players working from their homes as they help you. If you have read any of the online forums you will have seen from the postings that our 24/7 support team is world class."
I'm still on the fence as far as the legality of such a club but it seems to be a viable alternative for those in the States. The fact that Mr. Kidd is willing to take the time to answer questions is a positive step towards convincing me that they are on the up and up.
For those who want to give Pic-Club a try... Carbon Poker is the flagship brand of the Merge Poker Network and does accept Pic-Club.
Carbon Poker Re-load Bonus
This month Carbon Poker is offering a 50% reload bonus up to $500.
Use bonus code RE50MAY to claim this reload bonus.
Bonus Requirements:
* Bonus Expires upon Withdrawal: Yes
* Credit in Advance: No
* Percentage of Deposit: 50%
* Maximum Coupon Value: $500.00
* Comp. Points per Dollar: 300
* Incremental Payout Amount: $10.00
* Minimum Payment Amount: $50.00
WSOP
The World Series of Poker has decided to delay the playing of the Main Event final table until November 9th.
The schedule for this year's Main Event at the World Series of Poker, a no-limit, Texas Hold 'em tournament (buy-in, $10,000) to be held in Las Vegas at the Rio Hotel & Casino:
July 3: Main Event (6,358 participants last year) begins.
July 14: Field reduced to nine players.
Nov. 9: Final table play begins, cutting field to two.
Nov. 10: Final two meet for title.
Nov. 11: ESPN airs two-hour show on the final table. Telecast begins at 9 p.m. ET.
GPWA
I was honored to be interviewed by the editor of GPWA Times for their latest issue. The Gambling Portal Webmasters Association (GPWA) is one of the leading online affiliate forums and boasts more than 5,000 members. To be selected from so many members as a webmaster worthy of inclusion in the magazine is quite an accomplishment. Being recognized for the time and effort I put into helping keep the industry safe and accountable for our players is an awesome feeling.
I have received my copy in the mail and am told the online version of the interview will be available shortly. I will proudly post the complete interview on The Pokerkeep when it becomes available.
The World Series of Poker has decided to delay the playing of the Main Event final table until November 9th.
The schedule for this year's Main Event at the World Series of Poker, a no-limit, Texas Hold 'em tournament (buy-in, $10,000) to be held in Las Vegas at the Rio Hotel & Casino:
July 3: Main Event (6,358 participants last year) begins.
July 14: Field reduced to nine players.
Nov. 9: Final table play begins, cutting field to two.
Nov. 10: Final two meet for title.
Nov. 11: ESPN airs two-hour show on the final table. Telecast begins at 9 p.m. ET.
GPWA
I was honored to be interviewed by the editor of GPWA Times for their latest issue. The Gambling Portal Webmasters Association (GPWA) is one of the leading online affiliate forums and boasts more than 5,000 members. To be selected from so many members as a webmaster worthy of inclusion in the magazine is quite an accomplishment. Being recognized for the time and effort I put into helping keep the industry safe and accountable for our players is an awesome feeling.
I have received my copy in the mail and am told the online version of the interview will be available shortly. I will proudly post the complete interview on The Pokerkeep when it becomes available.
Until next month - we wish you good skill and monster flops!
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