Instant Check Poker Sites

Did you come here looking for a US friendly poker room that accepts eChecks / instant checks? If so, there are a couple things you should be aware of:

Most rooms don’t accept echecks anymore – at least not the US rooms I’ve come across. I’m not sure why, but my guess would be that they’re risky. Many rooms float the cash until the check clears. And even though players can’t withdrawal any money until it does clear, they can still play (winning or losing tons in the process).

That said, the fact that some rooms float the money is a benefit. In that way it beats options like money transfers or wires since those can take several hours (even days) to hit your account.

How Do You Use An Echeck?

Using an echeck is pretty simple – it’s like writing a check in a grocery store (minus the line of annoyed people behind you).

What you want to do is head to the cashier. Choose instant or echeck as your option.

On the next page you’ll fill out some details. You’ll want your checkbook for this.

You’ll need to enter your account number, routing number and check number. Then enter how much you want to deposit and then click submit.

That’s all there is to it.

Make sure you void that check too, so to avoid future complications with your bank.

It varies from site to site – but your money should be available instantly. And most rooms I know of don’t charge you a fee for this method.

The Pros and Cons to Echecks

Here are some pros and cons to using echecks.

Pros:

• Most rooms won’t charge you a deposit fee. Just make sure your check doesn’t bounce. That might cost you a pretty penny or two.
• Your funds will be available the instant you hit submit. You don’t have to wait hours before you can crush the micros.
• You can often use echecks for withdrawals too. That’s unlike most options available to Americans.

Cons:

• Your bank is going to see that you cut a check to a gambling site. This can cause issues, as many banks want nothing to do with online gambling, let alone an offshore, illegal site.
• Fewer sites accept them. This limits what choices you have for where to play. You have to choose based on banking method, instead of better things like traffic, games and promotions.
• Echecks have a higher deposit minimum – between $100 and $500. That makes it harder for people on a budget to start playing.

How Do Echecks Compare To Other Deposit Methods?

Now let’s look at how echecks compared to other banking methods.

Vs. Credit Cards – Echecks require higher deposits and don’t clear your bank instantly, but can hit your account just as fast, and can be used for withdrawals. Neither have fees at most sites.

Vs. Money Transfers – Echecks are faster all around and don’t have fees. But money transfers are great because it puts a barrier between your activities and your bank. They have no idea you’re gambling online.

Overall echecks can be a decent way to fund your account, assuming you can find a poker site that accepts them.

And I would think someone would have to have a good reason to use an echeck before their bank card – because that’s just as fast, has lower limits and clears your bank instantly.

So with that said, I would suggest using an echeck as a backup only, unless it’s your only option.