What's the best choice of Poker Site for a rookie U.S player?

I was disappointed when I heard that Full Tilt is re-launching soon but prohibiting U.S players from playing, and that pokerstars still isn't ready to open its doors to the states yet, so I'm looking for an alternative to get started with my "hopefully" successful poker career.

What I'm looking for with the site I choose:
-Lots of player traffic at the micro stakes level, both SnG and MTT.
-Good VIP rewards program/players club.
-Accepts direct deposits from credit/debit cards.

Black Chip Poker caught my eye, but if I cannot make a Click2Pay account, how can I deposit directly via credit card?

What are my options? What do you guys recommend?

You probably have no replies because this question gets asked so often. If you search this forum you will find other threads.

As far as what you are looking for:

lots of player traffic - does not exist at any site US players can play at but a Merge site is your best option - I would recommend Carbon or BlackChip

Good VIP rewards programs - if you are looking for a good one like PS has forget it.

Accepts credit cards - I have been able to use mine at every site that accepts US players that I have played at (Carbon, BCP, juicy stakes, Lock, Bovada)

Black Chip is not allowing me to deposit via my visa debit card. The only options it is giving me are Click2Pay and a couple others, and I apparently cannot make an account at Click2pay.

my suggestion is to stay away from 3rd party processors
they go in and out of business they make it so easy for u to deposit and withdraw but tryin to get it into ur hands is the tough part !

I heard from someone that Bovada is good for U.S players. How's the traffic there at the micro-stakes level? By that I mean the player traffic at 0.02/0.05NL and $0.50-$1.00 SnG's and MTT's? Average wait for a game to start?

I think that merge is the best option for us USA players...bovada is supposed to be good as well but i really dont like the anonymous players and I like carbon more in general.

Sori said:

I think that merge is the best option for us USA players...bovada is supposed to be good as well but i really dont like the anonymous players and I like carbon more in general.

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Carbon and Black Chip are not letting me make a deposit via my Visa though.

Try Bovada then - looks like your choices are very limited.

Someone recommended Juicy Stakes via PM, and it looks like they have decent traffic and accept Visa debit cards.

Do I have to worry about my bank declining/locking my account for making a deposit here?

FlopDaNutz93 said:

Someone recommended Juicy Stakes via PM, and it looks like they have decent traffic and accept Visa debit cards.

Do I have to worry about my bank declining/locking my account for making a deposit here?

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Nope - never heard of that happening to anyone before.

Yes, I would try Bovada, It shows that they still accept Visa (Gift or Debit) . One of the bad things about Bovada, is you don't know who you are playing against. Players are anonymous. Hope this might help some. Unless they have changed, Juicy Stakes requires at least $500 dollars to get a check from them when you get ready to withdraw.

Yeah, I read the other day that there not allowing new US accounts on Merge to deposit with a debit or credit card...awhile back they wasn't taking US players at all best I remember.

There is no good option really for us players in the US. I would recommend Carbon, but its difficult to deposit on there for new players.

If You want to get on Merge, use pokerhost (right now I dont think Carbon, black chip or Aced is using VIsas) as they will take your credit card. Since your USA, we have very limited options and wouldnt say anythingis rookie especially if your gonna play cash.

Goto a local dollar store and get the NETSPEND visa, skip the green dots and vanilla prepaids as I have had trouble with them.

NETSPEND got me rolled on Bovada, Pokerhost, intertops, and I think also Juicy Stakes, and probably America card room but I never played there

But you can make small deposits and get your feet wet and see what site you like, they have plus and minuses. Check out the CC calendar to see which of these sites they hold a lot of buy in games in

I can but personally vouch for bovada. I requested a moderate cashout about a month ago and had the money within 2 weeks. They have good promotions and every once in a while a MMT with a layover. Some say its a drawback but I like the annonomous player stats since I never was one to mess around with HUDS. At least I know someone doesn't have 100k hands of data into my playing habits when I sit down LOL Games are soft imo. You get some sports betters that are just playing poker to kill time in between football games or whatever. The main drawback is no rakeback. I had rakeback on bodog through rakeupdate but they went out of busniess or something.

Dont worry so much about credit cards! Ive made several deposits using western union and always gotten the money in my account within an hour. It's less trackable by the governemnt too. Bovada will reimburs your western union fee.

Cake (now juicy, aka Revolution) is an Ok option I suppose but my last cashout took over 3 months. Something like a feb 2012 cashout and got the money late may early june. I read somewhere that cashout times were expected to improve but it was enough for me to want to stay away.

Merge is your third best option imo. I cantsay much about them as I never had a cashout.

That's the problem I'm having. I WANT to play on Carbon or Black Chip, but apparently they don't accept Visa's. And Bovada doesn't look like it has a lot of SnG/MTT traffic.

I suggest Carbon and Bovada. Those are the two that I mainly play on and they are both really good sites.

@FlopDaNutz93 listen to dakota-xx and go with merge, they're good for u.s. players, customer support's good, lowlimit games, low limit tournys. also bovada minimum deposit $20(well $20.98 after fee). good luck @FlopDaNutz93 wherever you decide to go! bovada's has good traffic for sngs!!!i know for fact built up alot off them!

$ChipTowerz$

ChipTowerz said:

@FlopDaNutz93 listen to dakota-xx and go with merge, they're good for u.s. players, customer support's good, lowlimit games, low limit tournys. also bovada minimum deposit $20(well $20.98 after fee). good luck @FlopDaNutz93 wherever you decide to go! bovada's has good traffic for sngs!!!i know for fact built up alot off them!

$ChipTowerz$

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Didn't you read dude? I WANT to do Carbon or Black Chip, but neither one accepts Visa right now, which is my only option.

FlopDaNutz93 said:

Didn't you read dude? I WANT to do Carbon or Black Chip, but neither one accepts Visa right now, which is my only option.

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tough at this time for any credit card transactions
but if u can get into bovado or merge shouldnt have a problem when it comes time to withdraw ! happy hunting !:viking:

@FlopDaNutz93 carbon/black chip are merge so is bet on usa.... betonusa will accept visa for low as $25...there ya go DUDE!lol since its merge you're basically on carbon lol

$ChipTowerz$

Ah, that might work.

Alright, so how much do you recommend I make my first (and hopefully only) deposit? I intend to start with 9-man 0.02/0.04NL cash games and $0.60 9-man SnG's (4 at a time hopefully).

@FlopDaNutz93 if you can afford $50 do that and after you make deposit you'll have to hit "transfer to poker" and transfer the whole 50 to poker so you can qualify for a first time depositors freeroll... when i make deposit i didnt transfer 50 at once to poker so i didnt qualify for it lol.. good luck with whatever you decide to do

$ChipTowerz$