Pokerstars and FT Closed for US Players

Well, I'm sure you have all read the bad news. I've put in several hours of reading on 2+2 as well as some other news sites. Right now there's a lot of questions, a lot of speculation and no real answers.

1. Will US players ever be able to cash out their accounts?
The experts are advising patience. The legal issues seem directed toward the sites more than the players. The sites probably won't touch player accounts until the dust from the legal battle has settled, and that may take some time. Also, it isn't possible to "Transfer Funds" from a US player account to a non-US player even when logging on from an IP address outside the US. (Reg: In retrospect, doing this type of transfer would probably be viewed as a pretty clear case of laundering money! I'm glad I didn't try to do that - LOL)

2. Are there any viable online poker options left for US players?
Some US players have said they were able to play on Bodog and CakePoker. If you are Jonesing to play you might give it a try. However, I wouldn't deposit very much money. The future of all sites open to US players is very shaky right now. Get a live home game going instead. Let us know if you find a place to play Seabreeze. You can read more about it here:http://www.onlinepoker.org/blog/

3. Can and should European players cash out their Stars and FT accounts while they still have a chance?
Some players have said they were able to cash out while others said their request has been put on hold. I don't know. It doesn't hurt to try if you are uncomfortable with the current situation though. Furthermore, many of the cashout options take a bit of time and effort the first time you use them. It might be smart to make a small withdrawal now so that your means of cashing out are set up. This way, if you need to withdraw your entire bankroll in a hurry, everything is in place. However, this seems to be a US issue for the time being. I don't have a big enough bankroll to worry too much. So, I'm leaving mine where it is for now. What about you?

4. What do the cards hold for the US online poker legislation as well as the sites involved in the case?
These are two separate issues and I have no idea what the future holds for either of them. Perhaps benkogambit can chime in here.

As I said in the beginning, plenty of questions but no answers.

Roland GTX

PS: Pokerstars lowered the guaranteed prize money in their Sunday lineup. So, no big overlay for the Europeans still playing.

April Home Game Results

Congratulations once again to JaneMaria! Our April game was a repeat of the March game with JaneMaria and MrSmith getting heads up. And once again, MrSmith experiencing a case of ”right move, wrong result” on the final hand. Not much you can do against that Danish luck! Thanks for turning out and great game to everyone!

Here is MrSmith’s 2nd place hand history. I’ll get in touch with JaneMaria to see if he has the winning history:



Roland GTX