Online poker

[Ovechkin]

Do people play here on pokerstars or full tilt? I know the us won't allow online poker but I'm sure the Taiwanese do play. Do they have to just link a bank account to an open account and play?

[Teddoman]

If you haven't heard, some of the big online poker sites in the US have been shut down and indicted. It just isn't legal yet but they've acted like it was for years.

[Impaler]

If you haven't heard, some of the big online poker sites in the US have been shut down and indicted. It just isn't legal yet but they've acted like it was for years.

Your understanding of "legal" is flawed, as was also demonstrated in the student-loans thread. U.S. laws have absolutely nothing to do with the legality of online poker in Taiwan.

[Belgian Pie]

if you go with Taiwan law than online poker is illegal ... gambling is only allowed by the government if you have a license.

[Teddoman]

I don't actually know anything about the gambling laws and whether they apply to Americans playing poker outside of America (I remember reading that there are some laws that apply to Americans no matter where you are located). Anyway I was just pointing out the fact that the principals of these gambling firms have been indicted and their assets frozen. So online poker in the US isn't much of an option these days.

There are, however, sites that use more of a sweepstakes model and try to technically not be gambling websites. So you can still play online poker. But most of those don't allow you to buy in properly like a real online poker site would.

[Charlie Phillips]

I see the occasional player from Taiwan on Pokerstars (other than me) but not many. Only people from the land of the free are banned. Guess you have to go to Vegas and give your money to the Mafia.

When the US govmint banned Pokerstars, they just moved servers and their multi-million dollar business to Europe. I never see US players there but people from every other country....Canada, China, Australia, Brazil, Spain, and a hell of a lot of Russians and Ukrainians but never Americans.

[Tony the Tiger]

Do people play here on pokerstars or full tilt? I know the us won't allow online poker but I'm sure the Taiwanese do play. Do they have to just link a bank account to an open account and play?

What a strange question regarding FullTilt, they haven't been operating for over a year.

But yes, online poker is fine here. I know a few grinders here in Taipei. I'm a grinder myself, albeit small time.

[Teddoman]

What a strange question regarding FullTilt, they haven't been operating for over a year.

But yes, online poker is fine here. I know a few grinders here in Taipei. I'm a grinder myself, albeit small time.

I think FullTilt did not keep customer accounts separate from their operating accounts, which is a big no no.

PokerStars didn't have that problem so it was allowed to reopen to non-US customers

Still being in a legal gray area, online poker sites in the US haven't exactly been run by the most professional operators. I remember there was a scandal at one point where one of the owners was playing against players with their cards in full view. Until online poker in the US is legalized and regulated (which will bring in professional operators backed by institutional investors), there's a bit more risk in terms of trusting the operators to deal with your money professionally or trusting that the games you play are actually real fair games.

[tomthorne]

I remember there was a scandal at one point where one of the owners was playing against players with their cards in full view. Until online poker in the US is legalized and regulated (which will bring in professional operators backed by institutional investors), there's a bit more risk in terms of trusting the operators to deal with your money professionally or trusting that the games you play are actually real fair games.

That was Absolute Poker, I think he was called Tom Scott. He only got caught when a pro questioned his betting patterns. Unbelievably, the site is still in operation .

I totally agree about the necessity for legalising online poker sites in the US. Just take Taiwan as an example of who ends up in charge when there are loads of legal grey areas.

[Tony the Tiger]

I think FullTilt did not keep customer accounts separate from their operating accounts, which is a big no no.

PokerStars didn't have that problem so it was allowed to reopen to non-US customers

Um wtf, Pokerstars is NOT open to US players.

And the issue has absolutely nothing to do with accounts. It's a complicated situation but in a nutshell, the US government decided to go after internet gaming by passing the the UIGEA back in 2006. The DOJ subsequently used this as the basis for prosecuting(persecuting) the big three poker sites last year, aka "Black Friday".

After "Black Friday", most of the major sites pulled out of the US market. However, there are still a few sites accessible to US players. Pokerstars is not one of them.

Fyi, Pokerstars is the absolute most trustworthy, dependable, and reliable poker site there is. Their customer service and integrity is beyond reproach. There's an old joke on the poker forums, "Who do you trust most with your money?", the answer: "1)Pokerstars, 2)My bank, 3)My wife".