Recently, we wrote about Poker8 – the new software platform from 888poker. Since the first launch (more than 3 months ago), the room has released several updates that have fixed bugs and other flaws. Today we will talk about what has been fixed and try to evaluate how new software is suitable for a comfortable grind.

The first version of Poker 8 received a lot of negative reviews from regulars. Players began to actively search the poker forums for various life hacks to continue using the old version of the software. The room could not ignore such feedback and in just a few months most of the flaws in the new software were fixed. Below are the most important ones:

• Waiting lists for cash tables returned;
• The size of the fonts and cards for mini-tables has been increased;
• Bet-slider can now be customized;
• The time bank window has been enlarged;
• Trackers and other third-party software like 888caption began to work stably.

Now let’s talk about some features of the software, which were immediately criticized by the regulars, but were not corrected.

1. When using a 4-color deck the suit of blue color is kind of undistinguishable with the background color of the table (which can’t be changed). At first glance, this problem is easy to fix, but, nevertheless, the room left it without attention. As a solution, players can use two other 4-color decks that do not have such problems.
2. Small size of color labels on players. A double click on a player’s avatar opens an interface for adding notes, which provides some information about the player (from which country he is, how long he is at the table). 7 different color labels are available. Players complained about the small size of color labels from the first version of the software, but nothing has changed.

Let’s briefly recall other client features that have received positive ratings since the first version of the software.

• All-in equity display;
• Highlighting of players who still have cards and a text description of their previous actions (for example, BET or CALL);
• Chair-like icon with an arrow in the top right corner, which allows you to activate Sit Out Next Hand at one or all tables. If a player has gone Sit Out at any table – a bright red dot will be shown at the top of the icon (above the chair). This is definitely a useful feature for multi-tablers;
• Built-in hand replayer.

Resume

After the first release of Poker 8, many players expressed the opinion that 888poker launched the new software too early, and not enough time was spent on the testing and debugging. However, the room immediately showed a desire to listen to the wishes of the players, and in just a few months most of the flaws were fixed. Of course, the development of Poker 8 doesn’t stop there and in the near future we are waiting for the update of the main lobby of the client. It is worth noting that 888poker is trying to maximize its target audience. On the one hand, there are many features in the new software, aimed mainly at fish players. On the other hand, the room is ready to listen to the regulars, who are primarily interested in the functionality of the client, not beauty. We will continue to monitor the development of Poker 8, which currently inspires great optimism.

 

Many regulars have already managed to try and fall in love with private poker rooms with super weak fields. The list of available private poker rooms is constantly changing. Some rooms appear in the list, others, on the contrary, disappear from it.

For example, the popular Turkish network PokerKlas has recently become temporarily unavailable.

PokerProDeals offers rakeback deals at private poker rooms from Italy, India, Latin America and Israel. Today we want to tell you more about two Israeli poker rooms – PurePlay Poker and Gold Poker Pro.

PurePlay Poker

This is a new private poker room with players from Israel and the Middle East. Regulars of cash games in NLHE and PLO should definitely take a closer look at this room.

Traffic overview

At PurePlay Poker the currency is the Israeli new shekel (ILS). 1 ILS = 0.28 USD.The following limits are available for 6-max NLHE – 1/2, 2/4, 5/10, 10/20.ь HU-tables are available only at 10/20 limit.

PLO is very popular, which is reflected in a wide variety of limits: 1/2, 2/4, 5/10, 10/20, 15/30, 20/40, 30/60, 50/100. All games run in a 6-max format. The most expensive limit is 50/100 ILS, which roughly corresponds to 15/30 USD. The minimum buy-in is 50BB. The maximum buy-in is 200, 250 or 300BB depending on the table and the limit. The peak hours occur in the evening in Israel and neighboring countries (the time zone is the same as in Moscow). The number of connections reaches 100. At this time there are usually up to 10 active tables.

There is no traffic in MTT and SNG.

Software and Trackers

The client has versions both for PCs and mobile devices (iOS and Android). There is also a browser-version of the client. The lobby is made in black and red colors and looks pretty stylish. There are settings for customizing the colors of the tables and the betsizing buttons. There is a built-in hand replayer. Trackers and other third-party software are not supported. As in any reservation, access to the cashier is available only via agent.

VPN is not required.

Rake Structure

The rake is 4% with caps up to 400 ILS.

Rakeback

PokerProDeals offers additional benefits for playing at PurePlay Poker. For further details – feel free to contact our managers.

 

Gold Poker Pro

This is another Israeli poker room in which PokerProDeals provides access. Compared to PurePlay Poker, the traffic at Gold Poker Pro is a bit higher. The most popular tables are 8-max and HU-tables. In cash games, the rake is 3% with a cap of 100 ILS. As for the other features, Gold Poker Pro is very similar to PurePlay Poker (access to the cashier via agent, good PLO action, lack of trackers support, etc.). You can find more info about Gold Poker Pro from our review.

Conclusion

In general, Israeli poker rooms are not much different from other poker reservations. The key feature of these rooms is not the amount of action, but its quality. You simply should not miss such an opportunity.

PurePlay Poker and Gold Poker Pro are great as additional rooms where you can periodically find some action in super soft fields.

Nowadays, poker is no longer a relatively quick and easy way to raise a little money. Every year the fields are getting tougher. Poker rooms don’t stand aside and take unpopular steps like cutting off VIP programs, prohibiting of software, etc. The good news is that the online poker market is quite large and diverse and if some room is not ready to offer decent conditions to its customers, then they will easily find an alternative. Today we want to talk about poker rooms, which even in 2019 are ready to offer good rakeback deals.

PartyPoker

Recently PartyPoker has been pursuing the most aggressive marketing policy aimed at reaching the status of “the online poker room #1” The room regularly holds large offline series around the world, and also signs well-known professionals as PartyPoker ambassadors.

PartyPoker loyalty program allows you to receive a direct weekly rakeback from 20 to 60%. The exact percentage depends on the number of points accumulated during the calendar week (1 point equals $1 of rake).

Points	Rakeback
from 25 to 149	20%
from 150 to 599	25%
from 600 to 1199	30%
from 1200	40%

The loyalty program also has 2 special VIP-status:

• Diamond Club – a 50% rakeback for players who make more than $100 000 in rake per calendar year.
• Diamond Club Elite – a 60% rakeback for players who pay more than $200 000 in rake per calendar year.

In addition to a pretty good loyalty program, PartyPoker has the following benefits:

• Great traffic in all games and disciplines;
• Regular online and offline MTT series;
• Convenient and functional software.

Worth noting that in March 2019, PartyPoker announced an upcoming ban on the use of HUDs. Without a doubt, such a restriction will affect mostly regular players, who are the most active users of third-party poker programs. Of course, a solid rakeback is still a significant advantage of PartyPoker, but no one can predict how the room will behave in the future in relation to the regulars.

PokerKing

This room is part of the WPN network, which allows you to legally play with American fish players.

PokerKing offers the following bonuses for new players:

• A first deposit bonus of 100% up to $777;
• A free cash gift of up to $50 (to get it – you need to contact the support via live chat on the site right after the first deposit).

The room has a loyalty program called PokerKing Royal Club, which consists of 5 levels (Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, King).

The highest status (King) provides a 40% rakeback. To obtain it, you need to make $3 021 in rake per month. To maintain the level you need to pay two times less rake every month.

PokerKing has a weekly leaderboard called King’s Treasured, participation in which gives you about a 20-30% rakeback.

If you play at PokerKing with the PokerProDeals affiliate program, your rakeback can reach 70%.

Other benefits of PokerKing:

• Weaker players from the USA;
• Good traffic both in cash (NLHE/PLO) and МТТ;
• Action at HU-tables;
• Reliable software.

iPoker (Betfair, Winner, Coral)

The iPoker network has been very popular amongst rakeback grinders for many years. The rooms within this network are aimed at attracting new players and are ready to offer favorable conditions.

Within the iPoker network we recommend Betfair poker room.

The room offers a first deposit bonus of 200% up to €1 500, which is  paid in chunks of €10 for every €50 of rake. You will have 45 days to release the bonus. This bonus provides a 20% rakeback.

After the bonus is cleared, players can participate in The Bank Job’s monthly promotion, which provides an additional 10% rakeback in the amount of up to €100. To participate in this promotion, you need to enter a special code at the cashier every month.

There is also a special €12 500 Weekly Twister Races for lottery Twister SNG players.

PokerProDeals offers its players a fixed rakeback of 35% (without the first deposit bonus and without participating in the VIP program). For details – contact our managers.

Other benefits of the iPoker network:

• great traffic;
• convenient software.

PPPoker

It is a popular mobile poker app with clubs from Asia, Europe, South and North America, Russia and the CIS countries, etc. The structure of PPPoker is very similar to the well-known PokerMaster poker app.

The exact size of your rakeback depends on the club. PokerProDeals can offer you a fixed rakeback up to 40%.

Key features of PPPoker:

• 24×7 action in NLHE, PLO и OFC;
• HU-tables;
• Lower rake (from 2 to 5%)  with caps (from 0.5 to 3bb).

Chico (TigerGaming, BetOnline, SportsBetting)

This is another network with American players, good rakeback and decent traffic.

Let’s look at the most popular room within this network – TigerGaming.

The exchange of points provides approximately a 6% rakeback. A first deposit bonus of 100% up to $1 000 gives about a 33% rakeback. It is paid in chunks of $10.You will have 30 days to release the bonus. Participating in the weekly cash race can bring another 10-20% of rakeback.

With the PokerProDeals deal, your rakeback at TigerGaming can be as high as 60%.

Benefits of TigerGaming:

• lots of weaker players from North America;
• great cash traffic.

Over the past years, PartyPoker has been trying to become the leading online poker room. PartyPoker conducted lots of promotions to attract new players, but the room did not forget about the regulars. The loyalty program works for more than two years and allows you to receive a direct 20-40% rakeback from the room.

In February 2019, PartyPoker added a new VIP status called Diamond Club Elite, which allows you to receive a 60% rakeback. Thanks to this, many regulars began to seriously think about making PartyPoker the main room for grind.

But in the beginning of March, the first rumors about the upcoming ban on HUDs at PartyPoker appeared in the community. Very soon, these rumors received official confirmation.

Nowadays it is almost impossible to find a regular who does not use a HUD, so the upcoming ban on such programs will hit mostly professional players. Who knows, perhaps this is not the last unfriendly step on the part of the room in relation to the regulars.

In case you can’t imagine your daily grind without a HUD, we are glad to announce that there are still lots of rooms that don’t limit its use, and also offer excellent rakeback deals and softer fields. Today we want to tell you about the most promising of these rooms.

PokerKing

This room is part of a relatively young network WPN (opened in 2012), which accepts American players. The main advantages are softer fields, good traffic and great rakeback conditions.

Traffic

The peak hours occur in the evening in North America. The number of connections is close to 1 500.At mid-stakes (NL100-NL600) you can find more than 10 short-handed tables. At mid-stakes of PLO (PLO100-PLO400) there are usually about 3 tables at each limit. PokerKing has good HU-traffic but the maximum limit of NL200.

The room has a pretty decent MTT schedule, which includes tournaments for every taste and buy-in.

Rake

At cash tables the rake is 5%. There are caps depending on the number of players at the table.

Limit	Cap (2 players), $	Cap (3 players), $	Cap (4 players), $	Cap (5+ players), $
up to NL200	0.5	1	2	3
NL400-NL800	1	1.5	2	3
NL1000+	1.25	1.75	2.25	3

In MTT the rake is 10% (except for the most expensive MTT, where the rake is 6%). Rebuys and add-ons are not subject to rake.

In Jackpot SNG the rake is 6%.

Bonuses and Rakeback

The room offers a first deposit bonus of 100% up to $777.After the first deposit you can also get a free cash gift of up to $50. To get it – you need to contact the support via live chat on the site.The first deposit bonus is paid in chunks of $2 for every $20 of rake (basically, it provides a 10% rakeback).

The room has a VIP system called PokerKing Royal Club, which consists of 5 levels (Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, King). The highest status (King) provides a 40% cashback. To obtain it, you need to pay a little more than $3 000 of rake per month, and to maintain it you need to pay a little more than $1 500 of rake every month.

PokerKing has a weekly leaderboard called King’s Treasured, participation in which gives you about a 20-30% rakeback.

If you play at PokerKing with the PokerProDeals affiliate program, your rakeback can reach 70%.

PPPoker

This is a popular mobile poker app with clubs from different regions: Europe, Asia, Russia and the CIS countries, South and North America, etc. Currently, PPPoker is showing one of the highest growth rates in the market.

Traffic

Thanks to the presence of clubs from different regions, at PPPoker you can find action at any time of the day. For example, for clubs from America, the peak hours occur at 4-6AM in Moscow, and for clubs from India – at 6-8PM in Moscow. Almost every club has a regular action in NLHE, PLO and OFC. Many clubs have HU tables.

Rake

The rake at PPPoker is only 2-5% with caps from 0.5bb to 3bb depending on the rules of the club.

Rakeback

At PPPoker you can get a fixed rakeback. The exact size depends on the club. PokerProDeals can offer you a fixed rakeback up to 40%. For details – contact our managers.

iPoker

iPoker is one of the most famous poker networks. It includes many skins that share a common pool.

Traffic

In terms of traffic, the iPoker network is always in the top 10 networks and rooms. The peak hours occur in the evening in Europe and during weekends. Most of the action is focused at 6-max tables. At micro-stakes (up to NL10) you can find up to 25 tables of each limit. At low-stakes (NL25-NL100) there are usually 10-15 tables per limit. At higher stakes (up to NL1000) you can find up to 10 tables in total.

The MTT schedule includes lots of rebuys with a fast structure. There are almost no freezeouts.

SNG traffic is concentrated in the lottery Twister.

Rake

Within the iPoker network the rake is calculated using the Source Based Rake (SBR) system. At cash-tables the rake varies from 5 to 6.67% with caps up to €4.

In MTT the rake is 10% (also taken from rebuys and add-ons).

In the lottery Twister the rake is 7%.

Bonuses and Rakeback

PokerProDeals offers deals in the following rooms of the iPoker network – Betfair Poker, Coral Poker, Winner Poker. For details – contact our managers.

888poker.it

888poker.it is an Italian reservation of 888poker, one of the most reliable and well-known poker rooms. There are minor inconveniences, such as the need to use VPNs and access to the cashier via agent, but there is also a huge benefit – weaker fields.

Traffic

Like all reservations, 888poker.it does not have high traffic, but the average skill level of local players is pretty low. This is exactly what attracts the regulars. The peak hours happen in the evening in Italy. Almost all traffic is focused at stakes up to NL100. At micro-stakes (NL10, NL20, NL50) and low-stakes (NL100) you can usually find about 5 tables of each limit.

PLO is played mainly at PLO25 and PLO50.

The MTT schedule mostly consists of tournaments with buy-ins of up to €22. On weekends there are tournaments with buy-ins of up to €109.

SNG traffic can be found in the local variety of spins called Blast Poker, which runs in a 4-max format. At the start of each SNG a timer is started, after which everyone goes all-in.

Rake

At 888poker.it the rake varies from 2.5 to 5.5% with caps depending on the number of players at the table.

Bonuses and Rakeback

The room offers a first deposit bonus of 100% up to €1 500.

PokerProDeals offers its players super-sweet conditions for playing at 888poker.it. For further information – feel free to contact our managers.

iPoker.it

This is the Italian reservation of the popular iPoker network.

The iPoker.it network is a typical reservation. The bottom line is that people come here for weaker fields.

Traffic

During the peak hours (evening in Europe), the number of connections exceeds 1 500. Almost all of the action is focused at 6-max tables. At micro-stakes (up to NL10) there are usually up to 20 tables at each limit. At low-stakes (NL20-NL100) – 10 tables per limit. At mid and high-stakes (up to NL1000) – up to 3 tables of each limit.

PLO mostly played at limits up to PLO200. There are usually up to 5 tables per limit.

The MTT schedule is represented mainly by tournaments with buy-ins of up to €10.

SNG traffic is concentrated in lottery Twister at limits up to €50.

Rake

In cash-games the rake varies from 5.5 to 6.67% with caps up to €3.5.

In all MTT the rake is 10%.

In Twister SNG the rake is 7% at all stakes.

Bonuses and Rakeback

Different rooms has different rakeback conditions. For further information – feel free to contact our managers

 

In the past few years, mobile poker apps for playing with Asian (mostly Chinese) fish have become very popular amongst regulars. Many of them have almost completely moved away from the traditional poker rooms and, as time has shown, it was a smart decision. Thanks to weaker fields, at mobile poker apps you can have an excellent winrate and not worry about beating the rake in tougher fields.

PPPoker is one of the most popular mobile poker apps, however, unlike most apps, PPPoker has long gone beyond the Asian market. It has clubs from various regions: South and North America, Asia, Russia and the CIS countries, Europe, Australia, etc. This basically allows you to find tables with fish players all day long.

In recent months, a club called Poker Craze has been gaining popularity at PPPoker. It has a large number of weaker players and constantly increasing traffic.

PokerProDeals is now ready to provide you access to the private games at Poker Craze club. But first, let’s take a closer look at this club.

The benefits of playing at Poker Craze

•        guaranteed safety of all funds;
•        action at all stakes from NL20 up to PLO600;
•        functional and convenient software;
•        24/7 action in various disciplines: NLHE and PLO cash, MTT, SNG and even OFC;
•        regular promotions;
•        opportunity to evaluate the game in the club using a test acc.

Loyalty program and other bonuses

Poker Craze is one of the few clubs that has its own loyalty program called «Craze Back». According to this program, each player receives individual rewards depending on the game type he plays the most. 

At Poker Craze you can find lots of freerolls with guaranteed prize pools ranging from $500 to $5 000. The biggest freerolls are private. In order to get a ticket – you have to play at the tables during the special «RegPlay» promotion.

Poker Craze offers another unique reward for active grinders – they can receive from 50 to 100BB for playing PLO/NLHE at stakes up to PLO100/NL200.

Poker Craze Tournaments Series (PCTS)

On January 14, 2019 the PCTS with a total prize pool of more than $200 000 started at Poker Craze Club.

The main tournament is scheduled for May 12, 2019 – NLHE tournament with a buy-in of $50 and a guaranteed prize pool of $25 000.

Intermediate tournaments are scheduled for February and April 2019:

• February 24, 2019 – NLHE tournament with a buy-in of $25 and a guaranteed prize pool of $10 000 and 5 tickets to the main tournament in May;
• April 7, 2019 – NLHE tournament with a buy-in of $30 and a guaranteed prize pool of $15 000 and 5 tickets to the main tournament in May.

For each intermediate tournament there will be lots of satellites, including freerolls.

Special Tournaments

In addition to the large series, Poker Craze holds special tournaments with increased guarantees several times a month.

For example, on March 3, 2019, there was the «Sunday $4 000» tournament with a buy-in of $15 and a guaranteed prize pool of $4 000 and 3 MTT $50 tickets.

How to register

•        Download and install the client from the official website – http://pppoker.net;
•        Create an account or login as a guest;
•        Click «Enter» or click on the magnifying glass icon on the right and enter the following id – 76687;
•        After that you will be accepted into the club and can start playing.

Software and Trackers support

The client is available both for a PC and for mobile devices (Android and iOS).

Popular trackers work through third-party software.

VPN is not required.

Deposit and Cashout

The cashier is available via agent. A deposit can be made using any of the following methods: Skrill, PayPal, WebMoney, Yandex Money, Qiwi.

 

In January of 2019 another bad news from PokerStars arrived. The room decided to expand the list of prohibited for use during the game software. Soon it will be against the rules to use scripts and programs that allow you to automatically sit at the tables and select them based on information about your villains. These changes will take effect on March 1, 2019.

Worth noting, that the developers of the corresponding software were the first to find out about the upcoming changes. PokerStars sent them letters with a new version of the rules for third-party software.

For several years, PokerStars has been trying to solve the problem of table selection in one way or another. In the Italian and Spanish pools there is the «Seat Me» system, in which there is basically no such thing as table selection. This system randomly places all players at the tables of the selected limit. It is quite possible that in the future this system will be implemented in the international pool.

In addition to the programs for table selection, PokerStars decided to ban any software that has the following functionality:

•         randomization of betsizings;
•         automatic HUD update based on stack sizes and positions at the table;
•         delay of an action for a specific time.

Types of programs for table selection

Programs that allow you to select tables based on information about your opponents can be divided into 2 categories:

1) those that use your database to search for fish players;

2) those that use the color labels you have placed on your villains.

The first category includes software like TableScanner and TableScan Turbo, and the second category includes auto-seat scripts like Magic Seat.

Rooms where table selection is prohibited

PokerStars is not the first room that has decided to prohibit the programs for table selection and auto-seat scripts. Similar restrictions already exist in rooms such as partypoker and 888poker.

In the last couple of years, poker rooms have put a lot of effort into improving poker ecology through limiting the use of professional software. Who knows, maybe even HUDs will be banned in a couple of years.

Where to play with table selection

Luckily for us, there are many other rooms besides PokerStars, partypoker and 888poker.

If you don’t want to play without the programs for table selection and auto-seat scripts, then it makes sense to look in the direction of less popular poker networks, which currently don’t prohibit such software:

•         Microgaming Poker Network
•         Winning Poker Network
•         iPoker
•         Chico

Let’s look at the benefits of each of these networks.

The iPoker Network

This network has been working for more than 10 years. It includes dozens of different skins.

All skins use the same poker client developed by the Playtech company. All trackers and programs for table selection work without any problems.

The iPoker network is famous for good traffic and a great rakeback. The most noticeable disadvantage of the network is a relatively high rake, but a good rakeback allows you not to worry too much about the rake.

PokerProDeals offers the best conditions for playing at the following skins of the iPoker network: Betfair Poker , Winner Poker and Coral Poker.

For example, if you play at Winner Poker through PokerProDeals, your rakeback can reach 70%.

There is actually another room that deserves special attention – iPoker.it. This is an Italian reservation with very soft fields. Almost all action is focused at NLHE cash tables in the evening in Europe.

The Microgaming Poker Network (MPN)

The Microgaming Poker Network has been working for more than 15 years and has always been amongst the industry leaders. The network has a pretty good cash game traffic (especially at low and mid stakes) and a solid MTT schedule.

The client has lots of different settings for the most comfortable grind. Trackers and programs for table selection work directly.

The best skins for of the MPN: RedStar Poker, PokerLoco and Betsson Poker. If you play at any of these rooms through PokerProDeals you can receive up to 50% rakeback.

The Chico Network

This is a relatively young network, which began to gain its popularity since 2014. Chico is one of the few networks that allow you to play with fish players from the USA.

All rooms of this network offer great first deposit bonuses, exchange of points, and if you play at any of these rooms through PokerProDeals you can receive up to 60% rakeback.

The deal is available at the following rooms: TigerGaming, BetOnline Poker and SportsBetting Poker

The poker client used by the Chico network doesn’t have lots of settings.

Trackers are not supported, so you will need a special converter that works only for cash games.

The Winning Poker Network(WPN)

This is another poker network that accepts players from the USA. It was established back in 2012. Over the past few years, WPNhas been able to increase traffic almost 3 times.

The peak hours happen at night in Moscow, but the ability to play with fish from the USA is totally worth it.

PokerKing is the most popular room of the MPN. It has a Russian site and Russian-language support. If you play at PokerKing through PokerProDeals you can receive up to 70% rakeback.

The PokerKing client is pretty standard. The only disadvantage is that you can’t see hands mucked by your opponent. The client can be customized by using third-party software. Trackers work directly.

Resume

The biggest poker rooms continue to fight with regulars. The list of prohibited software is getting bigger, and bonus programs are getting worse. However, there are still many networks and rooms that are ready to offer decent conditions to all players, including regulars.

Just contact us and we will find a suitable poker room for you.

Today, making a deposit in a poker room is as easy as purchasing something online. You can use VISA/Mastercard, various payment systems (for example, Skrill, Neteller or Webmoney), and even Bitcoins in the most progressive poker rooms.

However, in October 2018, many Russians encountered unexpected problems. Transactions to poker rooms were blocked by Russian banks with reference to the Federal Law No. 244, according to which payments in favor of gambling sites are prohibited.

Discussion of ways to solve the problem was one of the main topics at poker forums at the end of 2018. It turned out that the simplest option is to use two famous payment systems – Skrill + Neteller. We will give detailed instructions on how to make a deposit/cashout via Skrill + Neteller at the end of this article, but first let’s take a look at the features of these payment systems.

VIP Silver statuses in Skrill/Neteller. Why do you need them?

The benefits of VIP Silver status in Skrill and Neteller are a bit different.

Benefits of VIP Silver status in Skrill

•        Ability to open 1 additional account in another currency;
•        free issue of the Skrill Prepaid Mastercard (for SEPA countries only), increased withdrawal limit at ATMs (€1500/day instead of €900/day), no fees for withdrawals at ATMs (the usual fee is 1,75%), increased limit on purchases (€3000/day instead of €1000/day);
•        no fees for withdrawals from Skrill to VISA (the usual fee is 7,5%) and bank account (the usual fee is €5,5);
•        reduced currency exchange fee (2,89% instead of 3,99%);
•        no fees for the transfer of funds between Skrill accounts (the usual fee is 1,45%, but not less than €0,5).

Benefits of VIP Silver status in Neteller

•        Ability to open 1 additional account in another currency;
•        free issue of the Net+Prepaid Mastercard (for SEPA countries only);
•        no fees for the transfer of funds between Neteller accounts (the usual fee is 1,45%, but not less than €0,5);
•        reduced currency exchange fee (3,19% instead of 3,99%).

VIP Silver statuses in Skrill/Neteller. How to get them?

Skrill has regular verified accounts and 4 VIP statuses (Bronze, Silver, Gold, Diamond).

To get a VIP status you need to make transactions for a certain amount during the quarter. For example:

Bronze – from €6 000 per quarter;

Silver – from €15 000 per quarter.

Neteller has regular verified accounts and 5 VIP statuses (Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond). To get a VIP status you need to make transactions for a certain amount during the calendar year. For example:

Bronze – from $10 000 per calendar year;

Silver – from $50 000 per calendar year.

As you can see, even for the VIP Silver status, the required amount of transactions is not that small.

VIP Silver for PokerProDeals players

When you open a new Skrill/Neteller account under the PokerProDeals affiliate program, you can get the VIP Silver status for free.

There are no requirements for deposits, transactions or anything else. You just create a new account, verify it (send the necessary documents) and get the VIP Silver status until the end of 2019.

If you already have a Skrill/Neteller account – don’t worry. Just contact us and we’ll see what we can do for you.

How to make a deposit/cashout via Skrill + Neteller

When depositing to your Skrill account, you have to specify for what purposes these funds will be used: gambling or non- gambling.

After the Federal Law #244 came into effect on the territory of the Russian Federation, Russian banks began to reject transactions if it was specified that the funds will be used for «gambling purposes».

However, if you specify that the funds will be used «for non- gambling purposes», then you won’t be able to deposit them to a poker room.

In order to solve this problem you will need accounts both in Skrill and Neteller.

Here is the algorithm.

• Open a Skrill account under the PokerProDeals affiliate program. You will use it for «non-gambling purposes»;
• Open a Neteller account under the PokerProDeals affiliate program. You will use it for deposits/cashouts to poker rooms;
• Make a deposit to your Skrill account via VISA (specify, that the funds will be used «for non- gambling purposes»);
• Transfer these funds from Skrill to Neteller;
• Make a deposit from Neteller to a poker room.

In order to make a cashout you need to do the same steps in the reverse order.

Here are Skrill fees for the most frequent transactions.

Fee Type	Regular Account	VIP Silver
deposit to Skrill from VISA	1%	1%
withdrawal from Skrill to VISA	7,5%	0%
withdrawal from Skrill to bank account	€5,5	0

Summary

New laws can certainly complicate the lives of poker rooms and their clients, but they can’t prevent people from seeking entertainment. A little more than 3 months ago, the easiest deposit method – VISA/Mastercard – became unavailable. However, alternative methods were invented pretty quickly, and they still work.

PokerProDeals offers you to get the VIP Silver for free until the end of 2019 and forget about problems with deposits/ cashouts.

 

Only one month has passed since the beginning of 2019, but many poker rooms have already managed to make changes in their VIP programs. Of course, their goal is to keep old and attract new customers. Some poker rooms did not change their loyalty programs but simply launched various promotions.

Today we want to tell you about the most important changes in the VIP programs of the most promising poker rooms.

PartyPoker

In the last couple of years, PartyPoker has been doing a lot of effort into catching up with the long-standing leader of the online poker industry – PokerStars.

Two years ago, a loyalty program was launched, allowing you to receive a direct 20-40% rakeback from the room. The most active grinders who pay more than $100 000 in rake per year receive a special VIP status – Diamond Club, which provides a 50% rakeback. In the realities of 2019 it looks amazing.

Since 01.02.2019, PartyPoker has added a new VIP status – Diamond Club Elite. Players with this status will receive a 60% rakeback. To get the status – you need to pay more than $200 000 in rake per year.

In addition to the increased rakeback, players with the Diamond Club Elite VIP status will receive additional benefits in the form of tournament tickets:

1) a package for the Caribbean Poker Party festival worth $16 000;

2) a ticket for the November Millions Online worth $10 300.

Sounds good, huh? But that’s not all!

When a player pays $100 000 in rake (half of the amount required for the Diamond Club Elite), he will receive $10 000 from the room. And when a player pays $200 000 in rake, along with the highest VIP status he will get another $20 000 from the room.

The first two players who reach the Diamond Club Elite VIP status will receive a 100% rakeback for the period until 31.01.2020.

888poker

Every poker player dreams about playing in the Main Event of the World Series of Poker.

888poker launches a series of multi-step satellites where you can win the package for the Main Event of the WSOP 2019.

The first step – runs every day at 11:01 PM Moscow time with a buy-in of $16.5. Prizes are $109 tickets for the second step.

The second step – runs every Sunday at 08:12 PM Moscow time with a buy-in of $109. Prizes are $1 050 tickets for the main satellite.

The third step (the main satellite) – runs every Sunday at 11:20 PM Moscow time. One package for the Main Event of the WSOP 2019 is guaranteed. This package is worth $12 600.

In addition to the buy-in to the Main Event the package includes:

–          paid accommodation in 4* Hotel Vdata for 6 nights (04.07 – 10.07);

–          travel expenses in the amount of $1 000 (paid to the player’s account at 888poker);

–          invitation to a special party at 4* Hotel Vdara, organized by 888poker.

PokerKing

PokerKing, a member of the US Winning Poker Network (WPN), decided to launch the well-known «Happy Hour» promotion. Every day for one special hour (from 3PM to 4PM Moscow Time) players can collect up to 150% more Royalty Points. These points are the basis of the VIP system. The more points you collect – the higher your status and the bigger will be your rakeback from the room.

This promotion is available for the players with the following VIP statuses: Bronze, Silver and Gold.

The exact multiplier is determined by the VIP status:

–          Bronze – 1.5

–          Silver – 2

–          Gold – 2.5

So, a player with the Gold VIP status will get 2.5 times more Royalty Points during the «Happy Hour».

GG network (BestPoker, Natural8, Breakout, BetKings)

In February (01.02-28.02) the GG Network runs the «Bad Beats of the Day» promotion for Omaha players with a prize pool of $56 000.

Every day $2 000 will be divided between the top 20 players who have lost a pot in PLO cash with hands from Queen-high flush and higher.

A player gets in the top 20 based on 3 factors:

–          the strength of the losing hand (the stronger the hand – the higher the place);

–          the size of the lost pot (the bigger the pot – the higher the place);

–          the time when the hand was played during the day (the earlier the hand was played – the higher the place).

The prizes in the top 20 are as follows:

Place	Prize
1	$400
2	$275
3	$225
4	$175
5	$140
6	$115
7	$100
8	$90
9	$80
10	$70
11	$60
12	$50
13	$45
14	$40
15	$35
16	$30
17	$25
18	$20
19	$15
20	$10

 

In the first half of January 2019, 888poker launched a new poker client called Poker 8. Almost all components of the client were changed – table layouts, notes menu, bet-sliders, sound effects and much more. Today, we would like to briefly focus on the key features of Poker 8.

New software – who is it for? Pros and Cons

The answer to the first question is pretty simple – the new software focuses on amateurs. To be honest, no one really cares about the regulars nowadays.

Right after the update, lots of negative reviews appeared on the Internet – players complained that poker trackers and other software stopped working. Most likely, these problems will be fixed in newer versions of the corresponding software.

The following features of the new software have received negative reviews:

–         fonts and cards are too small for multi-tabling;

–         waiting lists for cash-tables aren’t available anymore;

–         bet-sizing can’t be configured in a usual way;

–         older notes are gone;

–         when using a 4-color deck the suit of blue color is kind of undistinguishable with the background color of the table (which can’t be changed);

–         the client sometimes crashes (this also happened in the old client).

There are also some positive features:

–         more interesting and colorful animation (although it will be more interesting to the fish players);

–         all-in equity display;

–         chair-like icon with an arrow in the top right corner, which allows you to activate Sit Out Next Hand at one or all tables. If a player has gone Sit Out at any table – a bright red dot will be shown at the top of the icon (above the chair). This is definitely a useful feature for multi-tablers;

–         highlighting of players who still have cards and a text description of their previous actions (for example, BET or CALL).

Can you continue to play on the older software?

The room does not provide such an opportunity, but for now you can use a small life hack from one of the developers of third-party poker software.

Here is the algorithm:

–         Open the Registry Editor (enter ‘regedit’ in your command line);

–         Find the branch HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\pacificpoker\poker\INIT;

–         Change the value from 1 to 0 for the following parameters:

o   ENABLE_QUICK_RING_TABLE – returns old cash-tables;

o   ENABLE_QUICK_TOUR_TABLE – returns old tournament tables;

o   ENABLE_QUICK_HISTORY_TABLE – returns the old replayer.

Well, here is the thing: no one knows how long this method will work. It may become unavailable after the next client update, or it may work for months. Anyway, it’s not a final solution of the problem. We hope that over time, the Poker 8 client will become better.

Resume

Most players agree that 888poker launched the new software too early. Perhaps, not enough time was spent on the testing and debugging.

Small bugs are likely to be fixed over time but the overall approach will remain the same – the 888poker management makes it clear that the regulars aren’t their major clients.

On the other hand, if the new software will bring lots of fish players, then the regulars will be ready to forget about the minor flaws of the software for the sake of softer fields.