Poker Freeroll News January 2007

January 2007's Freeroll News:

(Note strictly speaking this isn't exactly a freeroll, but you can get in for free - read on...)

UltimateBet are stepping up their efforts to be the number one poker site on the net after the US player ban, and have a $200,000 tournament tonight that you can buy into for an amazing $5.50! 

And although there is an entry fee here, you can win it back if you knock out one of their nominated players during the game. Less than six bucks can win you a sum of money that may change your life forever.

Here's how the top players scored last week:

January 14th - Winners

This carried on down to over 100 places, if you finished 110th you would still take away over $200 for your efforts! All for only $5.50.

I don't know of ANY tournament where the prize is so high compared to the entry fee. For example if you get a $2000 freeroll tournament nowadays you are doing well, this is a HUNDRED TIMES more valuable a payout and for only an extra $5.50.

US Poker Players Hit Again!

Arghh!

Just when we thought things might be getting a bit better for US poker players, they are dealt another body blow. Neteller, the main payment processor for online poker has decided to stop allowing US players to use it's service. Neteller was a great alternative to credit cards for American poker players as it was safe, reliable and trustworthy. As well as Neteller, InstaDebit, Citadel and MyCitadel have also decided to withdraw their service for Americans.

There are of course a few alternatives that are similar to Neteller, like Click2Pay, ePassporte, ATMonline, Moneybookers, InstaDebit , Central Coin, InstaCash, Nexum and EcoCard. Some sites still accept Visa/Mastercard and there is also International Money Order and  Western Union.

Unfortunately, the result of this ban is that Live Poker has decided to ban players from USA. This is their prerogative of course but seems to be a very hasty decision. Most other sites that were still accepting American based poker players have decided to continue to do so.

These sites which have contacted me this week and where US poker players are still welcome after the Neteller action are:

Ultimatebet - One of the best sites on the internet for USA players. They accept Click2Pay, ePassporte, InstaDebit, ATMonline, Moneybookers, Central Coin or your Visa or MasterCard

Absolute Poker - Another of the top USA player sites. They still accept Visa or MasterCard as well as Western Union, Click2Pay, ePassporte, InstaDebit, ATMonline, Moneybookers, Central Coin or your 

Mansion Poker - UK run site offer payment by InstaCash, Nexum, Moneybookers, EcoCard, Bank Transfer and Cheque/ Bank Draft/ International Money Order.

Vegas Poker 247 - they are "looking at new merchant processing solutions"

Previous Weeks NON Freeroll News:

Still playing the freerolls? Why not step up and land a HUGE bonus?

I don't know how much poker you play for real money, but if you are a serious player at all and want to improve your game the only way to do it is to get out of the freerolls and into the money games. 

Freerolls are great for picking up the basics but by their very nature they are filled with people you DON'T want to be playing against! 

If you're a regular freeroll player you will know the type of opponent I'm talking about. Some are just mad and go all-in every hand until they lose. Some are slightly less crazy but raise every hand so you can't get any read on them. 

Others will call EVERY hand and if you've got two of these at the table the chances of them hitting a crazy flush or full house with their pocket 8 6 is very high. 

The problem is they are unpredictable because of their lack of experience and ability. This makes them dangerous to go up against as there's always the chance that they might have landed a freak hand.

So my advice is to move up and out of the freerolls and start playing for real money. Even if it's only a $3 Sit and Go you will find the game is totally different and a lot better to play in.

The one thing to look for when you go to play for real is bonuses. Almost all poker sites offer good sign-on bonuses to get you started playing there, but few have great bonuses available when to go to top your account back up again (known as reload or redeposit bonuses).

One site that stands out from the crowd with their current reload bonus is Vegas Poker 247. They are offering a full 100% up to $500 which is almost unheard of for this type of bonus. So if you want to move up to the next level and play for real, check out Vegas Poker 247. Enter the code EASY100 to get the bonus - there's no expiry date on it.

NOTE- This site is US-friendly!

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Previous Weeks NON-Freeroll News:
Mansion Poker have taken TV tournament poker to a new level with their Poker Dome Challenge. Here's what's in store:

-   State-of-the-art Poker Dome in Las Vegas
-   Live TV audience watching every move through a one-way mirror
-   $1 MILLION to the winner of the tournament
-   Hi-tech monitoring of players hands, and also their heartbeats!
-   Broadcast every Sunday night on a major US network.

If you think you might have the stomach and stamina to handle a tournament like this, Mansion Poker are running a series of qualifiers in the weeks to come. 

You can buy into this groundbreaking poker tournament for as little as $5. I know it's not exactly free, but you CAN become a millionaire and appear live on TV! I think it sounds like an absolute blast and I'll certainly be giving it a shot (or two!)

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Ultimate Bet are a site that has done better than most from the US regulations and are now the number one poker site on the internet in a lot of people's eyes.

Freeroll fans are very well served by the site, I checked what's on offer for this week and there are no fewer than 115 freerolls of varying types which are as follows:

$500 Bonus Dollars  (12 freerolls)
There's a prize pool of $500 in Ultimate Bet's bonus dollars. You can convert these to cash by earning UltimatePoints in real money games.

2007 Aruba Freeroll Daily  (29 freerolls)
2007 Aruba Freeroll Series daily feeder. 50 players go forward to the weekly semifinal on Saturdays (8pm Eastern). The monthly Freeroll Final winner wins a trip to Aruba for the 2007 Classic. The package is valued at $10,000.

5000pts PrizePool  (43 freerolls)
Guaranteed prize pool of 5,000 UltimatePoints, again you can convert these into cash by playing on the site.

TEC Freeroll  (30 freerolls)
TEC = Tournament Entry Chip, finish in the top 50 and you'll get into the Final on Sunday at 1:15pm. If you then finish in the top ten in that event you get a free TEC plus $9.

You can still access all the previous back issue information using the links below:

December 2006: $5000 New Year's Freeroll, VIP Poker, Tower Poker, Sites where USA players can play poker, Poker Heaven
November 2006: Love-Texas-Holdem Private Freeroll, Poker.com, US Online Poker Legislation, US Online Poker Legislation Part 2, Live Poker
October 2006: Hollywood Poker, Bet Direct Poker, Full Tilt Poker, The Gaming Club , Poker Vida Loca
September 2006: Tropical Poker, Cake Poker, Poker Hour, Wingows Poker, Bugsy's Club, PokerSchool Online
August 2006: Victor Chandler Poker, Ultimate Bet, Royal Vegas Poker, PokerChamps
July 2006: 32Red Poker, CD Poker, Bet Fred Poker, Games Grid Poker, Bad Poker Sites
June 2006: Absolute Poker, Poker Ocean, College Poker, Royal Vegas Poker, Titan Poker
May 2006: 24hPoker, Hollywood Poker, Poker Heaven, 32Red Poker
April 2006: Absolute Poker, Mermaid Poker, Poker 333 and Canbet
March 2006: Ladbrokes, Noble Poker, Spin Palace Poker, Poker.com
February 2006: Planet Poker, Holdem Poker, Poker Heaven, Poker Champs
January 2006: Alamo Poker, Royal Vegas Poker, Purple Lounge, Noble Poker, 32Red Poker, Inter Poker, JetsetPoker
December 2005: Hollywood Poker, 32Red Poker, Canbet, Kiwi Poker, Multi Poker, Poker Room Lucky Dollar
November 2005: Caribbean Sun Poker / Sun Poker, BetFred, 7 Sultans Poker, Bet365
October 2005: Virgin Games, Inter Poker, 247Poker, 32Red Poker
September 2005: Fair Poker, Hollywood Poker, Poker.com, Everest Poker