Do You Get Your Money Back From Global Poker
Global Poker Brags and Beats
- USA accepted
- $2 free no deposit bonus via snail mail
- Kicked out of PayPal
- Confusing business model
- Possibility of future legal trouble
- Frequent rigged RNG complaints
- No HUD or tracking compatibility
- Software is quite basic with few frills
- Terms & Conditions: real money expires!
In February 2017, a new poker room hit the U.S. online scene. Global Poker is a division of VGW Holdings, which also runs Chumba Casino.
Global used to allow you to deposit via PayPal and withdraw your winnings back to your PayPal account: very convenient for users. However, this functionality has now been disabled! Although we don't know for sure, we speculate that PayPal has deemed Global's services to be a disallowed form of gambling. This is just one instance of Global not being all that it was billed as being.
We have prepared this review so that, if you should elect to play at Global, you'll be going in with your eyes fully open and won't be blindsided by anything unexpected. We do recommend that poker players stay away, especially newcomers to the game. You can find a list of reputable internet poker rooms that accept Americans and allow real money play in our guide to the best online poker sites for US players.
GLOBAL POKER ALTERNATIVES w/ THE:
Global Poker Business Model
Most online poker operations have certain similarities in the way they're set up. Users deposit money, play with it at the tables, and then cash out any winnings they're fortunate enough to collect. We feel that this way of doing things goes without saying, and so we don't mention much about it in most of our poker site reviews: It's just a given. Not so in the case of Global Poker.
You see, PayPal does not allow U.S. residents to use its services for internet gambling, so Global has come up with workarounds that it contends makes its games fall outside the category of gambling. You can deposit real money and cash it out like normal at Global, but what happens in between is unique to this poker room.
Unlawful internet gambling notice
Restricted transactions as defined in Federal Reserve Regulation GG are prohibited from being processed through your PayPal account or your relationship with PayPal. Restricted transactions generally include, but are not limited to, transactions in which credit, electronic fund transfers, checks, or drafts are knowingly accepted by gambling businesses in connection with unlawful Internet gambling [1]
When you fund your Global account, you are really buying practice chips, called "Gold Coins." These are just like the chips found at Zynga Poker or the play money section of PokerStars. There are play money games running around the clock at Global, both cash games and tournaments, and leaderboards even reward those who display the most acumen in these not-for-real tables.
Additionally, you also get "$weeps Cash" when you buy Gold Coins. There are separate games that demand $weeps Cash buyins, and they're shown in different lobbies than the Gold Coin tables. You can cash out $weeps Cash at a 1:1 exchange rate for U.S. dollars. It's also possible to complete a process of mailing in forms to get a small sum of $weeps Cash for free each month. Global contends that this arrangement makes its poker games a type of sweepstakes, not gambling.
Global states that its lawyers have carefully constructed these plans to ensure that they're in compliance with all relevant statutes. The firm asserts that PayPal has looked over its operations and approves of them. We don't know, however, how closely PayPal has examined what's going on.
It may be that PayPal personnel just took a cursory glance at Global before giving it a tentative nod. Perhaps when they found out what's really taking place, i.e., barely disguised real money gaming, PayPal had a change of heart, possibly the true explanation for Global ceasing to feature PayPal anymore as a payment processor.
What happens when a Federal judge applies the 80/20 rule?
How "barely disguised" is this real money poker? Some further insight was to be found when Jonas Odman, General Manager of Global Poker, gave a talk on February 9th, 2018 at an industry conference in London, England. When asked what percentage of the site's volume was Gold Coins versus $weeps Cash, he visibly stuttered and then stated "roughly have 20 percent of our tables, Gold Coin play, and 80 percent $weeps play."
Yes, you read that correctly. Only 20% of Global Poker's volume is their proposed purpose, and the remaining 80% of their action is essentially real money gambling hiding in plain sight! You can listen to the relevant segment of Jonas' presentation below:
It's important to note that whenever PayPal detects that something is amiss, it typically cracks down not just on the offenders themselves but also individuals who have engaged in transactions with those parties in the past. If it was really PayPal who severed the business relationship rather than Global, any deposits and withdrawals you made at the poker site could conceivably be caught up in the dispute too. Your money might be frozen for a long time or even removed from your PayPal account entirely though this hasn't happened to anyone yet.
Another element to consider is that the money you deposit is used to purchase Gold Chips. The $weeps Cash is just an added bonus granted to you when you buy Gold Chips; it's not considered something of value in its own right. This means that in the event that Global Poker gets shut down, you won't be entitled to a refund of your $weeps balance. It also means that Global's parent company, VGW Holdings, is under no obligation to keep player funds segregated or to maintain enough cash reserves to pay them out.
Speaking of getting shut down, what happens when this goes to court? When a judge sees this complicated legal trickery and decides to apply the good old 80/20 rule, what do you think is going to happen?
Global Poker Signup Offers
Global doesn't exactly provide a wealth of benefits to new customers. With every registration, the user gets $2 in $weeps and 10,000 Gold Coins. This at least gives newcomers the chance to check out the poker action in both currencies on the house albeit for very small stakes. There's no deposit bonus of any kind.
Global Poker Software and Games
The software used at Global Poker was developed by Cubeia, a Swedish enterprise that focuses on building applications for the online gambling industry. This platform was designed to be fully mobile-compatible, and it uses only HTML5 and JavaScript, so there's no bulky download to install.
This means that it works on virtually every computing device, but there are certain shortcomings. Waiting lists are absent, so if you want to sit at a full table, you'll have to open it up and hope that another player departs soon. There are only a handful of lobby settings, like four color deck and mute sound, as opposed to the dozens of configurable options at mainstream online poker sites.
It's not possible to download hand history files. Instead, you can view a listing of the hands you've played within your browser and then select them one at a time to replay. Needless to say, HUD trackers don't work at all on Global Poker.
Global Poker Cash Games
The $weeps ring games run from the equivalent of $0.05/$0.10 up through $10/$20 in NL Texas Hold'em. There are six-max, eight-handed, and nine-player tables, but heads-up games are absent. PL Omaha is available at the same blind levels although the action is a bit less bustling than it is in NLHE.
Limit Hold'em was added to Global in August 2017, but there was hardly ever anyone playing it, and all tables were eventually removed from the lobby. Crazy Pineapple is present too. Originally spread only for Gold Chip play money games, Crazy Pineapple was added to the $weeps Cash section in November 2018 at stakes from $0.02/$0.04 to $1/$2 in No Limit form. However, in October 2018, it went the way of LHE and was eliminated because there was hardly any participation.
In April 2021, Global added a new game format perhaps to replace those that have disappeared, and this one looks like it might actually have some staying power. PLO/8 is offered at eight-player tables from $0.10/$0.20 to $2.50/$5.00, and there are usually a few tables active. FLO/8 was also added as part of the same software update, and it can be found, also in eight-max form, at $0.50/$1.00, $2/$4, and $5/$10.
$10/$20 20BB No Limit Texas Hold'em Ring Game at Global Poker
Below, we have prepared a video showing the cash games at Global both for $weeps and Gold Coins. Check it out if you want to know more about the Global Poker tables:
Global Poker $weeps Cash and Gold Coin Ring Games Video
Surge Poker
In December 2019, Global Poker introduced Surge. This is a form of fast-fold poker wherein participants can fold their hands at any time to move immediately to a new table with new hole cards. This eliminates much of the downtime in cash game poker, allowing users to see three or four times as many hands in a given time period than at a normal table.
Surge Poker at Global
There were two pools that players could join: $0.02/$0.04 and $0.05/$0.10. They were all NLHE games.
Surge disappeared from the poker client in May 2020. Despite assurances that it was returning, it still has not reappeared as of August 2020.
Global Poker Ring Game Rake
The rake in Global Poker ring games is 5% across the board. The maximum possible rake taken varies from $0.75 to $4.00 depending on the stakes and the number of players in the hand. Taking 5% for the house is pretty standard across the internet poker industry although there are a few rooms that rake less.
Versus their competition, GP is mediocre in this department. It's generally about the same as industry peers at most blind levels and numbers of players although there are a few combinations where Global is slightly worse than is the norm. You can learn more about online poker rake and the lowest-raking sites in our comprehensive comparison of the rake charged by leading internet poker organizations.
Global Poker Rake Schedule (All Figures in $weeps Cash)
| Stakes | 2 Player Cap | 3, 4 Player Cap | 5+ Player Cap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.05/0.10 | 0.75 | 1.00 | 1.50 |
| 0.10/0.20 | 1.00 | 1.50 | 2.00 |
| 0.25/0.50 | 1.00 | 2.00 | 3.00 |
| 0.50/1.00 | 1.00 | 2.00 | 3.00 |
| 1.00/2.00 | 1.00 | 2.00 | 3.00 |
| 2.50/5.00 | 1.25 | 2.25 | 3.50 |
| 5/10 | 1.50 | 2.50 | 4.00 |
| 10/20 | 1.50 | 2.50 | 4.00 |
Global Poker Sit & Gos
Global's $weeps SNG lobby starts at the low $0.50 + $0.05 level and climbs up to $50 + $3.50. Most games are NLHE, but a few PLO possibilities exist as well.
There are regular-speed, turbo, and hyper-turbo contests, but unfortunately, both regular and turbo games charge a full 10% fee. Hyper turbo players do get a small rake break down to 7%, but this is still higher than at competing sites. For a rundown of sites for sit-and-goes that don't charge such exorbitant fees, look at our list of best SNG sites for Americans.
Jackpot Sit'N'Go
In February 2019, Global introduced "lottery-style" sit-and-goes to its lobby. Called "Jackpot Sit'N'Go," these hyper turbo contests seat three and use a random multiplier to determine the size of the prize pool.
The buyins for these Jackpot games are $0.50, $1, $2, $5, $10, and $20. There used to be $50 and $100 games, but they have been removed. Multiplier values range from 2x up to 10,000x.
All Jackpot Sit'N'Gos are winner-takes-all apart from when the highest multiplier is hit. When this happens, all three participants win something with a 75%/15%/10% breakdown of the cash.
Global Poker Tournaments
The daily tourney roster at Global has events priced from $2.20 through $110. There are guarantees on many of these MTTs, but they're pretty small. For instance, the $50 + $5 daily tournament guarantees only $4,000, which corresponds to a field of just 80 entrants. On the weekends, the MTT lineup grows and distributes greater amounts of money.
However, some of the most interesting events on the schedule aren't open to all – hopeful participants must complete challenges (see below) to gain the opportunity to join these tournaments. The Weekly $5,000 Bonanza is one such event. Before being able to pay their $0.11 and enter, players must see 500 flops in Gold Coin or $weeps cash games previously during the week.
The Tournament Lobby at Global Poker
From time to time, Global Poker also runs tournament series with larger guarantees than the normal, everyday schedule. Here is a list of the last few MTT series at Global Poker:
- Micro Thunder II: 26 events from Jan. 10 - 17, 2021 - $50K guaranteed
- Eagle Cup IV: 103 events from Oct. 26 - Nov. 22, 2020 - $1.2 million guaranteed
- Bounty Series: 33 events from Oct. 4 - 11, 2020 - $500K guaranteed
- Micro Thunder: 25 events from Sept. 6, 2020 - 13 - $50K guaranteed
- GOAT II: 102 events from Aug. 3 - 23, 2020 - $1.1 million guaranteed
- Summer Series: 45 events from June 22 - July 12, 2020 - $2+ million guaranteed
- Rattlesnake Open III: 170 events from May 3 - 21, 2020 - $1.5 million guaranteed
- Home Series: 28 events from March 30 - April 26, 2020 - $2+ million guaranteed
- Grizzly Games III: 156 events from Feb. 3 - 23, 2020 - $1.1+ million guaranteed
- Eagle Cup III: 156 events from Oct. 21 to Nov. 11, 2019 - $1.1+ million guaranteed
- GOAT: 156 events from July 28, 2019 to Aug. 25, 2019 - $1+ million guaranteed
- Rattlesnake Open II: 158 events from May 6 - 26, 2019 - $1+ million guaranteed
- Grizzly Games II: 158 events from Feb.3 - 24, 2019 - $850K+ guaranteed
- Eagle Cup II: 135 events from Oct. 1 - 21, 2018 - $750K+ guaranteed
Some of these tourney series feature additional prizes, like trophies for the winners and leaderboard giveaways. In some cases, there's a Tournament of Champions that hands out extra cash and is only open to those who placed highly in series tournaments.
Global Poker Casino Games
In early 2020, Global Poker began adding casino games to its portfolio. This only makes sense as its parent company, VGW Holdings, has plenty of experience running the social Chumba Casino.
As of August 2020, there are three slots listed: Diamond Panther, Lightning Nudge, and Lucky Show. In addition, there are two types of Blackjack, Blackjack Classic and Blackjack Premium, along with Caribbean Poker.
"Diamond Panther" Video Slot at Global Poker
Unfortunately, Blackjack Classic comes with an unfavorable set of house rules, which leads to a house advantage of 0.78% with proper basic strategy. This is higher than most other blackjack tables found online. Blackjack Premium, by contrast, has a house edge of only 0.46%, but the minimum bet is SC 25! So you get to pick your poison here: bad odds or high minimums.
Suffice it to say, six games isn't really enough to appeal to serious casino gamers. At the same time, the presence of any casino within Global Poker will serve to distract and annoy poker buffs who have no interest in slots or casino table games. It may even indicate that Global is moving in the direction that PokerStars began heading in several years ago wherein it shifted its focus from poker, at which it previously excelled, and toward higher-margin casino operations.
If you are searching for a place to indulge in your fondness for slots, blackjack, video poker, roulette, and many other such games, then we recommend that you read our list of the best online casinos for Americans.
The majority of the promos at Global Poker come through the challenges system. By completing certain tasks, players can earn rewards. Most of these perks are entry into tournaments whether freerolls or contests that require that a further buyin be paid. The challenges typically reset every day or week, so you have to keep playing to re-earn the same rewards each time you wish to partake in them.
From time to time there are special deals awarding free $weeps, social media promotions, and freeroll tickets. These promos are short-lived, however, and during most of the year, you'll find only scant opportunities for complimentary rewards at Global Poker.
In March 2020, Global added a Daily Login Bonus that grows the more consecutive days you sign in to your account. The bonus consists of a small amount of Gold Coins and $weeps Cash. You can claim your bonus every day within the cashier:
Go to the Global Cashier Every Day for a Free Bonus
The amounts involved are pretty tiny, but it's totally free. This is a way for you to grow your balance a little bit at a time risk-free.
Global Poker Cashier
At first, all transactions, deposits and withdrawals, were handled exclusively through PayPal at Global Poker. Besides the reasons we enumerated before as to why PayPal might not have been the best processor to use, there was also the further demerit of trusting in a single third party for payouts. Even without considering the more worrisome aspects of Global's sweepstakes vision, relying upon one and only one partner for cashouts is courting trouble. Payment firms come and go all the time, and even those that endure often change their rules and restrictions from time to time.
It turns out that our fears were warranted as Global ended support for PayPal at the end of June 2018. It's not exactly clear what went on behind the scenes to cause such a step to be taken, but we highly suspect that it was PayPal that booted Global and not the other way around.
We've long felt that the addition of multiple payout channels, perhaps including Bitcoin, would help to insulate Global Poker and its customers from any falling out with PayPal. This would have prevented users from being at the mercy of PayPal's decisions regarding their money. We covered the case of Stefan Christopher, a high-stakes pro that has had his money tied up for more than six months because of PayPal's actions.
Global seems to have learned from its experiences albeit after much time had passed. For about nine months, it conducted all money transactions through Worldpay. Again, it was relying upon a single avenue for payments and putting all its eggs in one basket. With the March 2019 decision to add Skrill as a deposit method and the debut of gift card cashouts in December 2019, this situation has been alleviated somewhat.
The Worldpay Connection
Global Poker swapped over to using Worldpay for its transactions near the end of June 2018. Worldpay is an experienced payments firm that does more than $700 billion in transaction value annually. After it announced the news via email, "GlobalPoker_Joey" said on Twoplustwo:
However, it turned out that the changes at Global were not just confined to expanding the payment options available to users. The initial batch of customers who gained access to Worldpay-based credit card deposits and bank transfer withdrawals were banned from PayPal transactions! Even worse, Global decided for each user which cashier method that person would be able to employ! Individual players had no input in this decision. Check out this email that was sent to the "lucky" users who were selected for Worldpay deposits and cashouts:
The Email Global Poker Sent to Certain Customers
Notice the Troubling Text Highlighted in Red
Some affected users contacted support and asked to be returned to PayPal, but no dice: They were informed that they had been permanently flagged to use Worldpay. This is a problem for people who don't want to receive their withdrawals back to a bank account either because they lack such an account of because they don't wish to commingle the other funds in their account with online poker money.
Another issue is that these bank transfers take between three and five business days to be completed whereas Global used to offer same-day or next-day payments through PayPal. Before making a cashout through bank transfer, players must submit a bank statement showing their banking details, which introduces further delays into the process.
Instead of increasing the number of payment channels from one to two, Global merely switched some users, without their consent, from one to another. Whatever the reasons for this adjustment, the way the company went about it was deceptive and shows a lack of concern for customers.
In any event, Global soon moved all customers over to the Worldpay system and discontinued support for PayPal entirely. Account holders were informed of the change June 26 – with the effective date of June 30 just four days away!
Needless to say, there was a lot of outrage at this decision. Because all Worldpay withdrawals occur through bank transfers, anyone who wanted to keep his or her bank accounts separate from online poker activities had to find another place to play besides Global. The short notice Global gave of this move has probably led to a few players not making their final PayPal cashout in time and having to either use a form of payout that they would rather have avoided or else forfeit their account balances.
We have a copy of the email Global composed announcing the change, and you can take a look at it below:
Email Sent by Global Poker Explaining the Forced Migration to Worldpay
Skrill Added
On or around March 18, 2019, Global Poker added Skrill as a payment option for its customers. Skrill is an e-wallet, kind of like PayPal, that lets users move their money around the internet and spend it with participating merchants. Players now see Skrill (formerly known as Moneybookers) along with credit card as valid deposit instruments in the Global cashier:
Skrill Is Now Listed in the Global Poker Cashier
At around the same time, mainstream news outlets started reporting that Global Poker's existing payment processor, Worldpay, was being acquired by Fidelity National Information Services (FIS) in an extraordinary deal valued at $35 billion.
Almost immediately, speculation started that the new owners of Worldpay don't want to have anything to do with Global, and this was the reason for Skrill now being accepted. Site rep Kimber was quick to deny that anything like this was taking place:
There's another problem with this Skrill news. While this firm is one of the leading gambling transaction portals around the world, it strictly prohibits its services from being used by United States customers for such purposes. Here's the relevant section of its U.S. Terms of Use page:
"Unlawful Internet Gambling, Sweepstakes" is the very first item listed as prohibited! Global is probably relying on its argument that its $weeps games are not real money poker but rather a form of sweepstakes to get around this clause.
The fact that "Sweepstakes" is specifically mentioned as a disallowed activity doesn't look good for Global's future with Skrill. We wouldn't be surprised if Skrill eventually opts to bar Global and its customers from transacting through its products in a reprise of the PayPal debacle.
Global Poker says that it is investigating other payment channels also. We hope that the company eventually provides a well-rounded menu of cashier options, but it seems that so far, most of the processors Global decides to partner with have come with significant drawbacks.
Prizeout Redemptions
In December 2019, Global Poker announced a new way to redeem $weeps Cash. It's now possible to receive gift cards for popular merchants, like Walmart and Amazon. Gift card fulfillment is handled by a third party, an NYC-based firm called Prizeout. It connects brands seeking exposure with gaming, payroll, and gig worker sites, allowing users to redeem their virtual credits for cards issued by retail outlets.
Global Poker said that this method would be "significantly faster" than Worldpay bank transfers. Actual reports from players who have requested gift cards tend to indicate that there is little, if any, difference in speeds for cashout approval between these two methods. However, after a payout is approved, gift cards are generally processed within a few hours whereas bank transfers take a few business days.
To browse through the cards that are available, go to the "Redeem Prize" tab in the Global Poker cashier. Then select "Prizeout a Gift Card." The Prizeout site will open up in your web browser, and you will be presented with a selection of gift cards to choose from. They are divided into "Trending Now" and "Tailored for You" categories with the latter containing more options.
Prizeout Gift Card Redemption Page
Each gift card has a maximum amount allowed and a minimum of $50. The highest value you can typically get is in the ballpark of $450 - $500, but there are a number of cards that support only a lesser denomination, like $250 or sometimes just $50.
A few of these cards come with a discount, which is indicated by a blue-and-white "P+" icon followed by a percentage value. When you redeem one of these offers, you get a discount on the $weeps cash you must exchange for the full face value of the card.
If you find a gift card that you're interested in receiving, click on it. Then you will be presented with several available denominations as well as any Prizeout Bonus (discount) that applies. When ready, press the "Prizeout My Gift Card" button to exchange the indicated number of $weeps for the gift card.
Gift Cards Are Each Denominated at Several Distinct Values
Merchants Listed
The impression we got from both the Global Poker site and Prizeout's web pages is that the list of gift cards on offer is constantly changing. It's in fact not uncommon for a few options to change if you open the Prizeout window again after several minutes have elapsed. We looked on Jan. 7, 2021 to see what possibilities were available, but the list below should be viewed only as a general guide to the kinds of merchants likely to be shown and not as an exhaustive list of gift cards available:
| Merchant | Max Redemption | Discount |
|---|---|---|
| AMC Theatres | $50 | 3% |
| App Store & iTunes | $200 | None |
| Apple Gift Card | $500 | 1% |
| AutoZone | $200 | None |
| Bass Pro Shops | $525 | 5% |
| Best Buy | $500 | None |
| Bitcoin Solutions | $500 | None |
| Burlington | $500 | 3% |
| buybuy Baby | $300 | None |
| Cadillac Bar | $500 | None |
| CVS Pharmacy | $500 | None |
| Darden Restaurants | $500 | 3% |
| DoorDash | $200 | None |
| Fazoli's | $250 | 5% |
| Foot Locker | $500 | None |
| Home Depot | $500 | None |
| Hotels.com | $500 | 1% |
| JCPenny | $500 | 4% |
| Kohl's | $500 | None |
| Landry's Inc | $100 | 5% |
| Lowe's | $459 | 2% |
| McAlister's Deli | $200 | 1% |
| Nordstrom | $454 | 1% |
| Papa John's | $500 | 3% |
| QVC | $500 | 1% |
| Ray-Ban | $500 | 5% |
| Sam's Club | $50 | None |
| Seasons 52 | $500 | 3% |
| Sephora | $250 | 4% |
| Starbucks | $500 | None |
| T.J. Maxx | $500 | None |
| Taco Bell | $500 | None |
| The Container Store | $500 | None |
| Uber Eats | $500 | 1% |
| Ulta Beauty | $459 | 2% |
| Xbox | $50 | 3% |
One of the frequently displayed Prizeout choices is a Bitcoin giftcard redeemable at Mybitcards.com, and this is a very popular option among players. However, the exchange rate used is roughly 10.5% worse than market rates, so you'll be paying a heavy vig if you intend to withdraw your Global Poker winnings to crypto-currency.
Gold Coins, $weeps, and Other Cashier Details
As we mentioned before, $weeps is basically the equivalent of U.S. dollars while Gold Coins represent play money. Global's cashier interface offers several packages of Gold Coins that one can buy at tiers from $2 to $2,000. For example, for $20, you'll get 100,000 Gold Coins. With this purchase, you'll also receive an amount of $weeps equal to the sum you paid, i.e., $20 in $weeps.
Packs of Gold Coins + $weeps That You Can Order at Global Poker
It used to be the case that all SC awards corresponded exactly to the sum you laid out to obtain Gold Coins (apart from a few GC-only options). This has changed, though, because Global now provides fewer $weeps for small GC packages and more if you make a large purchase. So if you buy the $5 bundle of 25,000 Gold Coins, then you will only get $4 in $weeps. Conversely, if you can commit the $100 required to get 500,000 Gold Coins, then $103 is the number of $weeps that will be added to your account.
This may seem great because you can stack up extra $weeps Cash merely by making fewer, larger transactions rather than dealing with piddling sums of money. But we must consider that these tiny purchases are likely the most popular among regular recreational players who perhaps don't wish to devote $100 or more at a time to their online poker hobby. Thus, this menu of Gold Coin choices with their corresponding free $weeps figures doesn't fit nicely in Global's overall marketing strategy of appealing to novices and part-time poker enthusiasts.
The smallest Gold Coin stack that you can buy costs just $2, but this deal doesn't come with any $weeps included. We hesitate to speculate on how many people, intending to make the minimum possible investment, failed to read the fine print and thereby were fooled (whether intentionally or not) into paying good, hard cash for play money chips.
The minimum withdrawal amount is $50, and there is no stated maximum, but we have heard from credible sources that payouts of $50,000 at a time are not unknown.
$weeps Expiration
If you have any $weeps Cash in your account, whether granted upon deposit or built up from your initial $2 free, you have to log in to your account at least once every 90 days. If you fail to do so, Global Poker reserves the right in its terms and conditions to declare your account dormant and zero out your balance of $weeps.
This is an extremely short period of time before an account is deemed dormant. At other online poker sites, you have to remain inactive for six months or a year before you're at risk of having your funds voided.
Should your $weeps balance be removed, you will have little recourse. Because Global sells you Gold Coins and throws in the $weeps for free, you won't really have any case supporting the argument that you paid for the $weeps. Thus, even if you go to the effort of raising a dispute with the Malta Gaming Authority or other government agencies, your chances of succeeding will be almost nothing.
Identity Verification
Before a cashout will be sent to them, players must enter in their personal info and submit corroborating documents. At most internet poker sites, this is a mere formality, but at Global, it can lead to trouble. Many people have had to send in their paperwork multiple times, often without Global Poker even acknowledging receipt of it. On the upside, once all this identity verification is finally completed, users report getting paid within a few days although it takes a longer time now than it did with PayPal.
There's something even worse about submitting documents to Global Poker: The company has inadvertently revealed ID, proof of address, and banking information to outside parties. The reason for this is that the firm failed to tick a box in its ZenDesk software that would have required customers to be logged in before viewing their own documents. As a result, anyone possessing the URL pointing to the files could access them.
This security hole was finally plugged in June 2018 after being brought to the attention of Global Poker management on the Twoplustwo forums. You can read more about this topic in our article on the Global Poker document security failure.
ROTW Players Beware
There's something else that's extremely relevant to the topic of Global Poker cashouts, and this is that only people in the United States and Canada can request them. Actually, there is even some debate on this because Jonas Odman, the room's general manager, has stated publicly (in the video posted above at the 16:07 mark) that $weeps tables are only available to players in the United States. However, other comments from Global staff indicate that Canadians are welcome to play for $weeps and cash out except for residents of Quebec.
Perhaps Jonas and his confederates don't think of Canada as a real country? Maybe, as a native of Norway Sweden, Jonas is confused about North American geography? For those of you in Canada, we highly recommend you read our guide to the best Canadian online poker sites and avoid the ambiguity about whether or not Global will actually pay you if you win or not.
Washington State was added to the list of jurisdictions in which Global Poker does not transact in June 2018. Players from the state were allowed to continue playing and redeeming their $weeps from the site until July 31, 2019. Management decided to exit Washington in the wake of a case involving Big Fish Casino, which is a play chips casino that was deemed to be violating the state's anti-gambling laws. Learn more about online poker in Washington state.
Then in July 2021, Global decided to no longer allow $weeps Cash payouts to residents of Idaho. This is a strange decision because Idaho is not known as a state with particularly severe anti-online gaming laws.
Those from countries outside North America can play at the site, and even make deposits, but they are currently unable to claim any of their winnings. This dubious policy can lead to unhappy situations, like one that was posted on Twoplustwo wherein someone from the United Kingdom deposited a four-figure sum only to find out later on that he could not ever withdraw any of his winnings nor receive a refund of his deposit.
Global would probably contend that it allows players from most of the world to purchase Gold Coins for the purpose of enjoying the play money games, but this is a deceptive line of reasoning, and there are probably quite a few people from outside North America who are fooled in this manner.
At Least Global Started Showing Customers a Popup Alerting Them to the Geographic Restrictions on Cashouts
Here at Professional Rakeback we maintain a payout report that is updated monthly and covers a wide range of websites that offer poker, sports betting, and casino games. In this report we also cover Global Poker cashouts, so take a look for yourself if you are curious how we score them and various other gambling sites.
Global Poker Complaints
Many players at Global have raised concerns about the way this operation does business. Although for its initial few months, the room appeared to be doing things totally legitimately, its decisions since that time have left many disappointed.
The entire cashier and payouts situation has subjected many users to inconveniences and irritations. Identity verification often requires multiple submissions of documents, which are sometimes rejected for inexplicable reasons. PayPal users who appreciated the speed and ease-of-use of this processor are livid at the switch over to Worldpay transactions.
Apparently random account suspensions, player-unfriendly handling of technical glitches in MTT series, security holes with customers' personal documents, and declining player liquidity have users worried about the long-term future of Global. Occasional snafus are bound to pop up from time to time at any internet poker site, but the management of Global seems utterly clueless as to how best to address these issues, causing plenty of ire in the player community.
Global Poker Rigged?
We're always cautious when confronting accusations of any poker site's random number generator (RNG) being rigged. In almost all cases, there's no real evidence of the game being rigged but rather plenty of evidence that the accuser is a losing player with a faulty understanding of statistics.
Yet, when it comes to Global Poker, the sheer number of players saying the room is dealing out hands unfairly is remarkable. As of November 8, 2019, 36 of the comments left by our readers at the bottom of this review have mentioned rigged RNGs and/or superusers. Here are a few examples:
This sites algorithms are complete and utter nonsense. Almost all hands are won on the river, many times runner runner. I bought in but will never play it again.
I have played a ton of live poker over the last 10 plus years. Sometimes 4-6 nights a week for the span of months.
I realize that on occasion and sometimes a bit more than that there are freakish wins but on this site it is filled will baffling "one outers" that just seem to happen continually against you.
I HAVE made money here and cashed out three times but I quit for 4-5 months because of the unbelievable weirdness that isn't consistent with real poker.
I have never in my life had so many bad beats that happen over an over an over. There at the hands of bots and god knows who else I can't tell you how many times I've pushed the action with odds of 80/20 and loose every time and I mean every time over the last 9 months.
I well never play there again players be warned.
We don't necessarily agree with any of these posters. After all, they're merely providing anecdotal evidence without solid statistics or extensive hand histories to back up their claims. It's true that Global appears to see a higher frequency of rigged stories than other sites, but then again, this might be due to their marketing more toward casual players rather than sophisticated poker veterans.
We also must take into account the fact that Global's software is based on that released by Cubeia, a Swedish gaming software firm. While it might be possible to alter this third-party code in order to introduce a bogus RNG, we believe that anyone attempting to rig the games would rather develop their own application from scratch instead. Fiddling with Cubeia's supplied RNG would just add one more stakeholder that's incentivized to expose any wrongdoing so as to preserve their own reputation. Indeed, the fact that Cubeia has not leveled any such accusations against Global is a point in favor of the games being fairly run.
We actually find it ironic that so many cautionary tales about Global's supposedly rigged games have sprung up. As we have covered in other parts of our review, there are plenty of legitimate reasons to avoid Global other than over-exaggerated tales about improbable sequences of bad beats. To find a better online poker room to call home, head over to our guide to the leading USA-friendly online poker sites.
Players
Mixed reviews from players. There are complaints about everything from the RNG to, tough games, to a confusing lobby where people accidentally spend hours playing play money games instead of the real money games they intended to play. On the plus side, players in some regulated states appreciate having another place to play (if only for a while before the regulators notice what is going on).
Global Poker Customer Support
Users can contact support through email 24 hours a day. There's also an active Global Poker Facebook profile that responds to messages. Global sponsors its own forum at Twoplustwo, but it's not as good as it could be. Sometimes days or weeks go by before the forum reps address player concerns. There is no telephone number that players can call to speak directly with customer service personnel.
Conclusion
Global Poker aspires to provide fully legal online poker to the United States by adhering to a sweepstakes model, but many entities have endeavored to do so in the past, and their efforts have come to naught. Global may have violated PayPal rules, which is probably the reason it no longer transacts with this respected e-wallet organization. Customers have been greatly inconvenienced not only by this sudden switch in payment processors but also by having their personal information visible for the world to see.
There are too many red flags with the Global Poker brand for us to recommend it to any of our readers at this time. Instead, you may wish to try our top recommended site, Ignition Poker.
Global Poker FAQ
If you still have any questions about Global Poker and the way it's set up, then look below in our FAQ because we've collected a wealth of information on this topic. Click on each question to view the answer.
Global Poker is a division of VGW Holdings, which was founded in 2010. Before going live with Global Poker, VGW opened the Chumba Casino, which operates according to a similar sweepstakes model and is still going strong today.
Where are they located? - VGW is an Australian company. There are VGW personnel in many places around the globe, but there are large concentrations of them in Sydney, Perth, and Manila. The address of the VGW head office is:
Level 8, 191 St. Georges Tce
Perth
WA 6000
Australia
Global Poker opened its doors in February 2017.
Many players at various poker sites enjoy the use of PokerTracker 4, Holdem Manager 2, Holdem Indicator, and other hand tracking and HUD packages. However, these programs don't work at Global Poker, so there's no easy way to maintain a database of your hands or get stats on your opponents.
There is no support telephone number listed anywhere on the Global Poker website.
You can get assistance with your queries by sending an email to support[at]globalpoker.com. There's also a dedicated support forum for Global Poker over at Twoplustwo, but it may take a while to receive a response from company representatives if you choose to make a post about your issue.
Apart from a free 2 in no deposit $weeps Cash and some complimentary Gold Coins, there's no welcome bonus at Global. You'll have to earn your cash directly at the tables by defeating your opponents because the rewards provided by Global are very paltry.
No, it's not possible to obtain rakeback at Global Poker. This room has never been known for offering lucrative rewards to its player base, and rakeback is no exception to this general rule.
There are sometimes delays of up to 5 days in the process of verifying your personal information by submitting the appropriate documents. Once this chore is completed (it only needs to be done once), withdrawals take between a couple of days and a week. You can stay on top of Global's cashout speeds by checking our online poker payout report and learn about the fastest paying online poker, casino, and sports betting sites. The report is updated monthly.
Global Poker does have an affiliate program, but it's only open to larger sites rather than being available to smaller affiliates like most poker rooms are. More worrisome, perhaps, is the fact that Global doesn't do traditional deals for ongoing revenue share. This means that affiliates don't have any incentive to follow up with Global and make sure its players are being properly taken care of after they're signed up.
If you are interested in obtaining free $weeps Cash, then there's a procedure you can follow to get $5 worth at a time by sending in envelopes as long as you reside in the United States or Canada (excluding the Province of Quebec). In order to claim this free $weeps, you must have previously created a Global Poker account.
You have to use hand-written, stamped #10 envelopes. Put your return address on the front of an envelope along with the words "Sweepstakes Credits." Then on a 4" x 6" postcard or white piece of paper of the same size, hand-write the following:
- Your full name
- The email address used to register your Global account
- "I wish to receive Sweeps Coins to participate in the sweepstakes promotions offered by Global Poker. By submitting this request, I hereby declare that I have read, understood and agree to be bound by Global Poker's Terms and Conditions and Sweeps Rules."
Put the postcard or piece of paper inside the envelope. If you live in the United States, mail it to:
VGW GAMES LIMITED
GLOBAL POKER SWEEPSTAKES DEPARTMENT
PO BOX #8486
PORTSMOUTH, NH 03801
If you live in Canada (outside the Province of Quebec), then send the envelope to:
VGW GAMES LIMITED
GLOBAL POKER SWEEPSTAKES DEPARTMENT
PO BOX #990
135 WEST BEAVER CREEK ROAD
RICHMOND HILL, ONTARIO L4B 4R7
Your account will then be credited with $5 in $weeps. In order to cash out any winnings from these $weeps, you have to play them through a minimum of 1x, but Global reserves the right to demand a higher playthrough, up to a max of 20x.
Actually, Global claims that it can enforce this 20x rollover requirement for any $weeps whether obtained through mailing in envelopes or via other means. In practice, this term is invoked almost exclusively for $weeps obtained via mailed-in envelopes.
Global Poker claims that this rather unusual way of denominating its games makes it legal as a form of sweepstakes rather than gambling. We have our doubts about this, which you can read about above in our review.
We are going to leave the comments section open for a while in case any of you wish to chime in and share your own personal experiences. If you happen to be a Global Poker employee, affiliate, or owner, we would be especially keen to hear from you either publicly in the comments, or privately (just contact us).
Do You Get Your Money Back From Global Poker
Source: https://professionalrakeback.com/global-poker-review
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