starting up again

[Dark J]

If this has been thoroughly explained in another thread, my apologies.

I’ve been on a two year hiatus from internet poker and I am looking to get back in. I used to play mainly 1/2 and 2/4 limit holdem on party poker with my deposits coming from Firepay (I had a Netteller account but never used it) and I usually used Party Poker’s direct deposit feature to withdrawal.

Now I just moved into my new apartment with my new job and I am going to set up my internet connection and have been itching to play for a while (I’ve also heard that the games have gotten a lot more TAG since I left in early 2005 which is a real bummer because they used to be fairly loose/passive).

I guess my question is, am I still able to play and if so, how do I go about it and which sites should I be using. I want to shake off some of my rust with some micro and then hopefully move back up to where I was. I know that the new legislation threw some roadblocks in there somehow, but I’m not to clear on what the legislation actually did and if there are ways around it. Can someone give me a quick rundown?

[Skallagrim]

All of your questions have indeed been answered, but since you were open and polite, I will point you in some directions.

1st, I assume your playing from the US, if not, pretty much everything is the same as it was except, as you have already heard, the truly inexperienced US players are far fewer in number.

Sites: up to date list of poker rooms accepting US players can be found here: http://www.compatiblepoker.com/usa.php

As for the games/players/software etc..., you will find each of thes US friendly sites/networks discussed in the Internet Gambling Forum here at 2+2.

Funding: Neteller, in case you missed it, is no more for the US (or for reasons still unknown, Canada) - your options are either a new e-wallet (MyWebATM or epassporte for US), certain credit cards (some prepaid and some regular ones still work), and some other, often site specific, options (like Paytru at Pokerstars), or bank checks. Again you will find threads on each of these options in the IG forum. And thats also a good place to check for new methods as they come into being.

The new legislation is responsible for the shake up, but other than scare a lot of folks, it really did not change the legal status of playing online poker at all.

Skallagrim

[Moneyline]

If you poke around the forums a bit you'll find answers to all your questions, but I'll try to help you out.

Games: Probably tougher than 2005, but easier than 2003. Which is to say that the games are good but not great, although they may still be great at micro limits (I don't know b/c I don't play those limits).

Sites: Yes, you are still able to play. Stars, Full Tilt, WSEX and many others will still take your action. www.pokersitescout.com will show you which sites accept US action and how much traffic they get. There are a few ways to deposit, the most popular method is probably epassporte.

Legislation: Made it illegal for banks to make transacactions with online gambling websites. It did not make it illegal to play online poker.

[Dark J]

Thanks a lot. I'll check it out.