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Poker Blacklist: Which online poker sites belong to the "Black Sheep"?

If you're looking to play online poker for real money in Ireland, there's a vast array of options available. After the global English-speaking market, the Irish poker market stands as the second largest. However, just like in any industry, there are also some unscrupulous operators in the online poker scene. Rest assured, all the poker rooms tested on poker-6.com are completely safe, reputable, and trustworthy. To protect poker fans, we've also compiled a "Blacklist" of poker rooms on poker-6.com that are deemed untrustworthy, have been involved in scandals, or are currently involved in such activities, making it essential to avoid playing on their platforms at all costs.

All poker rooms that are still active in October 2023 will be listed on the blacklist.

What dangers exist in online poker rooms?

When it comes to real money poker sites on the internet, utmost caution is essential. After depositing cash on a site, you surely want to be able to withdraw your money, whether it's due to a significant win, switching to another site, or ending your poker career. But with some untrustworthy providers, getting your money back quickly is not a guarantee. In fact, they may even refuse to pay out large winnings altogether. And the possibilities of forcing the payout are extremely limited since the operators of these poker sites, based overseas, are usually beyond legal reach.

How can I identify "black sheep"?

Initially, it is advisable for a player to examine the legal notice of the poker site and ascertain whether the provider holds a license for operating online poker games. Additionally, one should attempt to identify the person or entity accountable for the site and the listed offerings. If a site lacks a legal notice, a license from a European regulatory authority, or has its headquarters in exotic tax havens such as Antigua or Curacao, caution should be exercised.

To discover additional information about a suspicious website, one can search for the site's name on search engines like Google or within poker communities. Shady websites often stand out due to poorly written Irish texts that seem as though they were translated by Google Translator. It is also suspicious if a customer attempts to contact a site's support via email, chat, or web form and either receives no response or only very delayed or inadequate answers to their concerns. It is important to remain vigilant and exercise caution when encountering such situations.

Why did we put a page on the blacklist?

There can be numerous reasons why a website is no longer considered safe, reliable, and trustworthy. Sometimes, the blame lies on the operators themselves. The reputation of a website can also be tarnished by external factors, for which they are not primarily responsible. In essence, however, the following are the reasons why we issue a warning against a website:

• If a website fails to pay out winnings or funds, or if it does not keep customer funds separate from other company accounts.
• If there are reports or indications that players on the site have been cheated, for example, by employees being able to see customers' hole cards.
• If a website does not have a valid license from a common regulatory authority
• If a website operates its services in regions where online poker is prohibited.
• If a poker site cannot guarantee and ensure the deposits and withdrawals of its customers
• If a website fails to adequately secure confidential customer data, such as passwords or credit card information, due to insufficient security measures.
• If a page repeatedly stands out due to poor customer service.

Exception Full Tilt

There are two ways in which online poker sites can attract the anger of their customers: either through their own, potentially fraudulent misconduct, or through external, uncontrollable events. Even today, providers like PokerStars or Full Tilt Poker are still blacklisted in the USA, despite being considered reputable, secure, and reliable providers in the rest of the world. Furthermore, after the events of Black Friday in April 2011, Full Tilt was unable to repay its customers for a long time. However, this was not because they didn't want to repay the funds, but rather because the site was shut down by US authorities during the crackdown on real money online poker in the USA, resulting in all accounts being frozen.

Therefore, the blame did not lie with Full Tilt itself, but rather with the US government. Full Tilt was acquired by the Rational Group, the parent company of PokerStars, some time after Black Friday, and gradually, the US customers of the site received their funds back. As a result, the site was able to repair its tarnished reputation over time. Typically, once a site has been blacklisted, it can never restore its reputation and would usually cease its operations.

Bad Example: Absolute Poker and UltimateBet are negative examples. Final Version: Absolute Poker and UltimateBet serve as unfortunate instances.

A cautionary negative example is surely the story of the poker sites Absolute Poker and UltimateBet. Their offerings were launched between 2001 and 2003. In September 2007, irregularities in the operation of the games became public through poker communities. Investigations revealed that a total damage of over $22 million was caused between 2003 and 2007 through so-called superuser accounts on both sites. Due to a security loophole, employees of the sites had been able to obtain information about their opponents' cards. In the end, Absolute Poker/Ultimate Bet employee Russ Hamilton was convicted as the main culprit, the sites closed the security loopholes, paid hefty fines, and compensated the victims. However, they could never recover from this damaged reputation and later had to cease their operations. The Absolute Poker and UltimateBet case is also a prime example of how poker players themselves, together with the community, can bring irregularities to public attention and initiate investigations.

Trust our judgment

Although the majority of fraudulent sites have been eradicated by the global poker community by 2023, overview sites like ours are still crucial. On one hand, they serve to quickly bring beginners up to date, and on the other hand, they enable us to respond to and document current developments. Through our extensive network of industry contacts and test reports, we are always able to determine in real-time which online poker sites are secure and which are not. Only sites that adhere to the highest standards are recommended by us without reservation. Additionally, we also verify the companies and gambling corporations behind each individual site. This includes investigating whether any key individual associated with a current online poker room has previously worked for a blacklisted site. Safety is the paramount principle in the online poker world! However, poker fans should also form their own opinions and educate themselves about a poker site. They can accomplish this by reading our poker site reviews, consulting search engines and poker communities for information about providers, and even personally testing individual sites by creating a play money account or getting in touch with customer support.

It is crucial to always stay vigilant! As soon as you notice any abnormalities or irregularities on a website, it is essential to immediately terminate your game there and inform the provider about it. Furthermore, it is also important to inform the popular and prominent poker communities about urgent suspected cases, so that other players do not fall into the same trap. If the provider fails to respond to customer reports, it does not reflect well on the credibility of the website.