By the looks of recent player traffic numbers, it appears that online poker players in the U.S. have been making their way back to the tables.
The Black Friday shutdown of major poker rooms operating in the U.S. put a hurt on the industry in 2011, but the games continue and have allowed other poker networks to grab some of the U.S. action and become popular. One such network is WPN, the Winning Poker Network that includes top skins [geolink href=”https://www.usafriendlypokersites.com/americas-cardroom/”]Americas Cardroom[/geolink], [geolink href=”https://www.usafriendlypokersites.com/true-poker/”]True Poker[/geolink] and [geolink href=”https://www.usafriendlypokersites.com/black-chip-poker/”]Black Chip Poker[/geolink].
WPN reached a new milestone on Sunday when 2,118 entries turned out for a $1 million guaranteed tournament, bumping the prize pool up to $1,059,000. That total shattered records, as a handful of previous $1,000,000 GTD events at WPN all provided players with an overlay. But that all changed on Sunday, proving that U.S. players are putting their trust in the existing poker rooms and returning to action.
Reasons to Return
And why shouldn’t they? Black Friday is becoming more of a distant memory with each passing day. The likelihood of another shutdown is remote. And U.S. players who play at the top USA-friendly sites are receiving their cashout requests both timely and efficiently.
Take WPN, for instance. Check requests normally arrive within about 10 days. If that amount of time to have the cash in your hand is a bit too long for your liking, withdrawals via Bitcoin will arrive in a matter of a few days.
WPN is also very transparent in its operations, as network CEO Phil Nagy periodically appears on Twitch to take questions from players in a sort of “state of the network” address. It’s very comforting to players when the network’s main man makes himself available and shows that he cares.
More Reasons
Other U.S.-facing poker rooms have also earned the trust of players who were previously turned off by changes within the industry. Look no further than the Chico Poker Network as an example.
Top Chico skins BetOnline Poker and SportsBetting Poker have contributed to the network’s cash game player average of more than 500 players. That’s a solid player base that allows those in the U.S. to find a good number of games running round-the-clock.
Cashout speeds at Chico are even quicker than WPN. However, you won’t find those $1 million guaranteed tournaments at BetOnline. That’s why some U.S. players choose more than one poker site to play on. One day you might be in the mood for tournaments at Americas Cardroom, while another day the [geolink href=”https://www.usafriendlypokersites.com/betonline-poker/”]soft tables at BetOnline[/geolink] will strike your fancy.
Get Off the Rail
U.S. online poker players who have been waiting for regulation to come to their state are in for a long wait. We all may be old and gray before that happens.
In the meantime, the action is picking up at U.S.-friendly poker sites and sharp players are making deposits and taking advantage of the bonuses available. It’s high time to get off the rail and get in the game if you’ve been missing exciting online poker, both tournaments and cash games.
