In 1999, an online poker site called PokerRoom pioneered the way for other online poker sites. Simply put, it was a one of a kind website and was truly an amazing online poker room in that day and age. The site had a large following and instantly become a successful trend in the online poker industry. Much like anything else that is successful, there will be someone out there who will try to copy strategy methods. It is true that there were other online poker sites that existed while PokerRoom was busy making a name for itself and because of that, the buzz surrounding online poker definitely grew, which lead to the take off of the World Series of Poker. With ESPN covering the World Series of Poker, the sport grew greatly and many were looking for ways to play poker, either at establishments and online. So, yes it is a huge deal that PokerRoom is returning to the poker scene.
The announcement that PokerRoom was reopening came through a popular social media site, which didn’t surprise many. A lot of people speculate that the idea to bring back PokerRoom was from the employees of the Sweden online gaming company, Bwin, and it came about because the United States may be in the works of lifting the ban on online gambling. PokerRoom originally shut down in order to comply with the stricter laws that the United States imposed, but many other online poker sites failed to ignore the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA), which led to billions in fines and many of those same sites shutting down permanently.
Even though PokerRoom has been shut down for so long, many of members who were regulars will most likely return as well as players who always wanted to experience what it was like playing on PokerRoom. The site is rewarding those who are deciding to return with certain benefits, such as accessing their previous accounts and if a player didn’t “cash out” to another website before PokerRoom closed, then that player will have access to those funds as well. Things that will not be accessible or available are any bonuses, tournament tickets or player points that were earned previously. Also, if a person created an account that was purely for fun and never deposited any money prior to the site’s closing, they would have to register for a new account.
PokerRoom has also enforced a new policy in regards to registering for a new account. If a previous member cannot remember their log in details, then they can create a new account, but if they remember their previous login details at a later time, then they must delete the older account because a member cannot have two accounts at the time. Also, if a member had moved their account to bwin, then it cannot be moved back to PokerRoom; a new account would have to be set up. Members understand the need for an upgraded policy, but many are just happy that their favorite online poker site is back up and running.
