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Visit Players
Only Poker
US CREDIT CARDS PROCESSED SUCCESSFULLY: The
deposits at
Players Only Poker are the easiest possible for US players.
Utilizing successful payment processors, all US credit cards are
processed block-free for deposits. This is, by far, a big step
forward in allowing players to fund their accounts painlessly. There
is no need for a third-party e-wallet, with credit cards being
accepted directly through the cashier in the poker software. I can
recommend this method as I have successfully deposited using a Visa
card from one of the largest US banks. The minimum deposit is also
low at $20.
Players Only Poker also supports UseMyWallet, which is my
current pick as the best available e-wallet to US players. All
transactions are made directly to and from your bank account and
little personal information is required. To
have a UseMyWallet account created for you, simply request one from
the support reps at
Players Only Poker.
PLAYERS ONLY PROMO CODE FOR $1,000 BONUS
AND 10% INSTANTLY:
BTF1000. New players coming from our site are eligible for an
instant 10% bonus on their first deposit in addition to an increased
100% play-through bonus, good up to $1,000. Please note that players
must download the software using our
Players Only Poker links to be eligible.
Players Only
bonus code BTF1000 is also required for the full 110%.
$500
FREEROLL FOR NEW DEPOSITORS:
New players using our links to
Players Only Poker and making their first deposit are now
eligible for a weekly private $500 freeroll. Tournaments
will take place every Wednesday at 10:30PM EST and can be
found under the "Private" tab.
Players Only Poker only accepts players from the US and
Canada.
Overall:
4.5/5
With the market for US poker players
declining over the past several months I was interested to see
Players Only
Poker enter the fray. While most new poker rooms take ages to
build a solid network of players and promotions I've been very
pleased with some key aspects of this site.
Firstly,
Players Only
Poker is a
no-brainer choice if you're looking for easy deposits. They can
successfully process any US-issued credit card, allowing players to
bypass the waiting time and hassle of an e-wallet. You can get on
the site, make your deposit in a couple of minutes, and be done with
it. This is unheard of in the current climate of online poker and is
a major plus for my rankings.
Beyond deposit methods, this
sportsbook-crossover site has awful players and surprisingly has
busy tables up to the higher limits. The promotional system is
strong with an increased 110% bonus offer for our players, which
includes 10% instant cash. Overall,
Players Only
Poker is an underexposed poker room that I was impressed by
because of their direct credit card deposits, poor competition, and
quality bonus structure.
Bonus (110%
up to $1,000 plus 10% instantly) and Promotions:
5/5
For a first-time deposit bonus,
Players Only
Poker offers 110% extra exclusively for our players. In addition
to an instant 10% cash bonus on all new
deposits our players also get a 100% play-through bonus. The maximum
bonus cap is $1,000. Please note that players must use one of our
links to
Players Only
Poker to be eligible for the increased 110% offer.
The extra 10% is immediately available to use at the tables without
complicated playing requirements making it one of the few instant
bonuses online. Unlike many sites that make it extremely difficult to
actually see your play-through bonus, the
Players Only
Poker bonus structure is actually pretty
generous. I would often $20 or $30 of bonus
per playing session at medium limits, which shows me that
they actually intend to allow players to earn the full bonus.
Another new signup offer at
Players Only
Poker comes in the form of weekly $500 private freerolls. New
players coming through our site and making their first deposit are
eligible to enter one weekly event. Tournaments take place every
Wednesday at 10:30PM EST. Players can register through the "Private"
tab in the poker software.
Finally,
Players Only
Poker players earn Gold Chips and Gold Cards by playing in ring games.
Gold Chips can be used to buy
into private $3,000 freerolls or other special promotions. By eventually making poker hands out of
the Gold Cards you can earn various cash jackpots.
Fish: 
5/5
With many of the more established sites
featuring tighter play,
Players Only
Poker is the polar opposite. The overall level is play is simply
horrendous on this network and thus a top Fish Rating is definitely
in order. The truly awful fish aren't even relegated to the lower
limits. In fact, you'll often find clueless players up to the often
full $5/10 level.
I attribute the loose play at
Players Only
Poker to a few factors: the
predominantly young American target demographic, the easy deposit
methods, and the fact that it is also a casino/sportsbook. When
players aren't afraid that they'll have trouble re-funding their
accounts, they tend to be willing to gamble a bit more. Also, when
action-hungry but inexperienced sports bettors find their way to the
poker room, you'll find more than a couple of maniacs at each table.
Substandard starting cards are just the tip of the
fish-filled iceberg. You'll
probably witness all-in pots with players having small pocket pairs, gutshot straight draws, middle pair, and of course the weak flush
draw. While overall player skill naturally increases as the limits
increase, this type of play extends to the mid-to-upper limits.
Patient players who bet and raise aggressively for value with
their premium hands should be able to reach extremely high hourly
win rates. The busiest action is at the full no-limit ring games,
which also potentially provide the most profit.
Tournaments:
4/5
Tournament
traffic is usually pretty paltry at new poker rooms. Amazingly,
Players Only
Poker attracts more multi-table tournament players than many of
the big-name poker rooms during off-peak hours. Most of the action is dominated by
low-stakes events under $20. These tourneys can draw up to 300-500 players during peak hours.
Also on the positive side, most
tournaments have a guarantee of at least $1,000 for small buy-ins or
$5,000-$25,000 for bigger buy-ins. The largest tournament is the
$100,000 guarantee that takes place every Sunday. The buy-in is fair
for a prize pool this size and shouldn't be out of reach of smaller
players at $150. As for single table tournaments, they're also popular with a
short wait time.
Players Only
Poker also runs Bounty Tournaments throughout the day in which a
portion of the buy-in puts a bounty of every player that gets
knocked out.
Finally, weekly and monthly freerolls
are offered with Gold Chips being the entry fee. This is actually
one of the better ways to spend the Chips as the prize pools are at
least $3,000.
Overall, the tournament schedule is pretty busy at
Players Only
Poker with an event every
15-30 minutes and a good number of players per event. While this
site probably won't become your top destination for tournaments they
should hold enough decent-sized guarantees to keep your interest.
Software:
4/5
The
Players Only
Poker software isn't stellar or groundbreaking, but it runs the games
fairly quickly without a lot of added bloat. Every player is able to
choose a photo-like avatar at the table, which is a typical
birds-eye view. A feature I do like is the hand history, which
actually shows the cards as graphics rather than making you wade through
text lines to review a hand. Also, a meter that shows your bonus
progress or player stats in built into each ring game window.
Statistical nuts might also appreciate
the hand history files that can be automatically saved as external
files on your computer. Overall,
this software package
won't blow you away but it is sharp, to-the-point, and uncluttered.
Most importantly, this translates to quick game speed of 60+ hands
per hour at 10-handed tables.
US Payouts:
4.5/5
The payouts at
Players Only
Poker work in two stages: you get amounts up to your initial
deposit sent back to your credit card and amounts over that sent by
Fedex check. Because they use a courier service, this cuts down on
mail delays and gets you the money within a few days. These are free
to do monthly and other withdrawal methods are in the works.
Customer Service:
5/5
The
Players Only
Poker support gives the right options in telephone, live chat,
and e-mail customer service. While I haven't used the telephone
support, I give sites that allow instant contact a top score. I've
opted to use the live chat feature in which a representative usually
responds within a minute or two.
Player Traffic
The overall traffic at
Players Only
Poker is coming close to rivaling some of the larger networks
still open to US players. This is especially true during off-peak
hours. At the microlimits, you'll usually find 5-10 full no-limit
ring games. At the $1/2 level there are usually 3 or 4 full tables.
Also, there is a regular $5/10 game going on and occasionally a
$10/20. Shorthanded games also usually outnumber full games.
Tournament traffic can reach up to 500 players for guaranteed
events.
Best Features
Wild play. The tables here are probably the loosest you can find
online right now.
Ability to process US credit cards. The cashier is able to accept
deposits without blocks from your bank.
Growing network. Even though this is a newer site, tables are filled
at all levels.
Game Selection: Hold'em,
Omaha, 7 card stud
Limits: Limit: 4c/8c up
to $100/$200 No-Limit: 2c/4c up to $50/$100
Deposit Methods:
Visa and Mastercard.
Players Only
Poker has a unique system of deposits that allows them to
successfully charge your US credit card without being declined from
your bank. This is built right into the cashier and is probably the
easiest deposit method for most players. If you aren't able to use
your credit card I highly recommend the UseMyWallet service, which
was recently added to the cashier. This service works directly with
your checking account for both deposits and withdrawals. As this
still an invitation-only e-wallet, players should send a quick
e-mail or live chat message to
Players Only Poker in order to have an account created. Finally,
Moneybookers is available as well as the cash transfer service.
Minimum Deposit:
$20
Tips: Of course,
with the poor play at
Players Only
Poker, you'll experience a greater variance both in your
short-term ups and downs. While you'll often get paid off even more
at loose tables with your monster hands, the likelihood of bad beats
also increases when you're up against several gambling opponents.
While you cannot control the long shots to which your opponents are
willing to play, you can control the betting and take steps to
lessen the likelihood of a suck out.
For starters, try increasing
your standard raise to 5 or 6 times the big blind. If there are
already several limpers in the pot, using the "Pot" raise button
should do the trick. Also, it is very simple to deduce likely draws
on the flop so bet enough that your opponent is making a
mathematical mistake to stay in with you.
With extremely heavy
betting on the flop a defining characteristic at
Players Only
Poker you should become comfortable with throwing away
an unimproved premium pocket pair at such a loose site. Hopefully,
simple tips like these will go a long way in helping your big hands
stand up. After all, that is our mantra here: helping good players
avoid bad beats.
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Players Only Poker
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