If you believe what the new Celebrity Apprentice Joan Rivers says, professional poker players are “beyond white trash.” But I think there are millions of people who would beg to differ. As a matter of fact, poker is incredibly popular at the moment and so are its practitioners. This is evidenced by the fact that professional poker players such as Jennifer Harmon, Phil Gordon, Mike “The Mouth” Matusow and many others have achieved huge celebrity status in the last decade.
Poker’s star-making ability has inspired many to try to make a living on on-line poker Web sites. The results have been good for some and because of this many more people have become Internet poker millionaires. These poker successes are not always who you would expect them to be, because there are almost as many teenagers and people in their early-twenties as there are seasoned professionals. Unfortunately, for every new batch of successful poker players, there are also plenty of people who are victims of online poker scams. Mostly new players step into this trap, because they don’t know how to check a poker site’s bona fides.
To make sure the same thing doesn’t happen to you, the following tips can help you assess whether a site has the potential to be a scam:
- If the site doesn’t look professional, don’t even register there. Low-quality construction could be the sign of a quick-buck artist at work or at the very least, a cash-strapped operator.
- Check if the site or its owners are members of the Interactive Gaming Council (IGC). IGC members agree to adhere to a code of ethics.
- Make sure the site has 24-hour support with a toll-free phone number and e-mail.
- If a site passes the first three requirements, do several small test transactions before you do any major gambling. These should tell you a lot about the integrity of the site.
Every poker player got his or her start somewhere, so there’s no reason why with a little luck and a lot of practice you couldn’t become one of online poker’s stars. Just make sure to do your homework first, so any success you achieve won’t be spoiled by regret.
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