I just can't trust Online poker...

I was looking at this $350 added tourney we're having at pokerstars and wish i could join you guys
I have no problem with putting my money on the line when it comes to poker
but i just can't bring myself to put money online
i mean i've had money in paypal and bought things through eBay - i know it's a different situation entirely - and have been screwed over several times, so it's kinda scared me out of that type of shit
if this tourney was a local brick and mortar tourney i'd be in it in a split second
anyways I just don't see myself putting cash online until i've become really financially stable...which probably won't be for a while lol
anyone else have or had the same problem?

Yea i used to have this problem Chuck. Now if you want to play on a secure safe site, then i have to recommend Stars. Ive been playing there a while, support is fast and effectient, cashing out is a doddle withir its back to net-teller (im told) or by cheque (i know).

That's why I play more freerolls than buy-ins. If I place in the money than I'm playing with their money, not mine. Some rare times I may put some money in just to play in a few special tourney's but that is about that.

I do that for Pokerhost. I have money at Pokerstars, Titan, and Poker.com. So far, no problems.

Kraigus,

I'm a bit like you since I play alot of freerolls. There are some sites that I have money on that I quit playing at until I am able to deposit on those sites. I don't want the account to grow too much with each sites different withdraw Rules! So I am waiting so "IF" I win a tournament on one of those sites I can withdraw MY money.

Now on the other about trusting the sites Chuck.
Most of the poker sites won't let you take out your winnings unless you do deposit and especially if it was Bonus money (like Prima sites) to begin with, they surely won't. Even if it is through Neteller. Went through that rigamaroar with Pokertime with Josh's family tournament we had on there.

I trust most of the sites. My only deposited site is at Paradise. Most of the Good Quality sites won't want the bad publicity(neither Neteller for that matter) if the players think they are being screwed!

If I had the way and the means there are a few sites that in a heart beat I would be depositing at.

I have not had any serious issues with any of the (10 or so) sites I've deposited at. PartyPoker's support sucks bigtime in general, but no problem getting my money.

If you're worried about the safety of your money, pick a major site, and like Tenbob, I would recommend Pokerstars. They have juicy micro-limit tables, and easy deposit/withdrawal methods. You won't have to worry.

Wish you could join us Chuck, but I understand how you feel. It does take an amount of trust whenever you let go of some of your hard earned cash. I feel that the bigger sites (ie. Pokerstars) are safe though. If everyone was getting burned then no one would be doing the online gambling thing. Not saying things don't happen but in general, I think it's here to stay and pretty safe. I would however stick with a minimum deposit and see if you could build it up. No sense in putting a few hundred dollars in all at one time. That would scare me. Know that if a lot of us were getting scammed that we (CCrs) would be the first to let everyone here know and that maybe depositing would not be a good thing. But since there are many of us, and the problems are so few...that it is probably a safe thing.

Are you unsure about the actual site "Doing" you or are you concerned about the losing your money?

If it's the site you're concerned about then i'll say don't worry, any of the major sites (even the smaller ones) are not going to fiddle you. Make sure you understand the Terms and Conditions with regards to the cashing out of your account, they have some hard to understand rules sometimes but the actual cash in and cash out the site is all secure. Use one of our links at the top to be sure of a reputable site.

If it's the losing you are worried about, GOOD. This worry should help you control your spending. Set yourself limits and stick to them. Good Luck at the tables.

A lot of sites have minimal deposit requirements,as low as $10..and of course Neteller is proven to be very safe...Don't even THINK about trying to get freeroll winnings out of PokerHost!!!! The odds of the moon falling out of the sky and through your roof would be more likely!!..

I've heard pokerstars' tourneys are tough to hit money in, and tourneys are what i play most
but i've heard that at the lower limits, pokerstars is where the fish are at
so i might think about that
good stuff !
thanks for the input guys

Their MTT's are near IMPOSSIBLE to even place in the money, but if you play low limit single or multi-table SNG's you can be very successful if you are patient and play well. The micro-limit ring games are just about the same as any other site, some fish, some sharks, some ALL IN maniacs.

The main thing PokerStars has going for it is the overall quality of play.