Online Bust

If you play poker online, you're a criminal. That's right. Players attempting to cash out money used the services of Allied Systems and Account Services to transfer funds from the poker sites into their bank account or received checks written through these transfer agents. The U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York (SDNY) ordered these funds frozen on June 9th and according to Money and Finance on AOL, did so without a seizure warrant which was obtained two weeks after the seizure of funds. According to ABC News , the feds targeted several banks which included Citibank, Wells Fargo Bank in Escondido, Union Bank in San Diego and two smaller banks. The amount of money seized is upward of $30 million dollars belonged to the players that used the services.

The websites that it primarily affected were PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, Absolute Poker and Ultimate Bet. Most of these sites countered the actions by returning the money from their own funds and placing it back into the players account.

One young man, David, who declined to give his last name to ABC News because of fear of prosecution, won a seat to the World Series of Poker at PokerStars. Instead of paying for the entry, the site sent him a $10,000. Because of the seizure, the check bounced so, he paid the entry fee himself. PokerStars returned the funds to his account.

An alliance of poker players are now fighting the action saying there is no law that bans online poker. Until then, the sites made certain that the actions didn't affect players and some even gave a 10 percent inconvenience payment when they put the money back to the players account.

Are Free Bankrolls with No Deposit Illegal

I play online, but I don't use my own money. Several sites that offer free bankrolls with no deposits necessary. I signed up for two of them, which gave me money to play in tournaments. Since I'm a great blackjack player but a fledgling poker player, I don't worry about whether I'll be able to cash out. The chances having money left from the deposit is slim, but the sites and free money offers allow me to practice my skills before I attempt to participate at a casino. The only money it costs me is the money I would have made had I used the time to write articles. Some days, that really is a substantial amount.

If you're interested in practicing without paying a cent or simply like the idea of an online sugar daddy paying your way, here are two sites that offer a free poker bankroll with no deposit. Not all poker sites accept customers from the US. The three best bankrolls offered are those at Full Tilt, Ultimate Bet and Absolute Poker if you're a US citizen. I play frequently at Ultimate Bet or it's sister site Absolute, primarily because there are free tournaments where you can win cash. It's a great experience once you get past the "All In Crazy People" at the start of the tournament.

Your Poker Cash

Bankroll Mob

The best one of the two in my opinion is Your Poker Cash. They offer not only high bonuses but also are very quick to respond if there's a glitch in the system. One negative of both sites is that you have to send a copy of your driver's license. While this may bother some because of the potential of identity theft, I have no worry. No one wants to be me.