Sep 12 2010

Intelimax Media Offers Legal Online Poker Alternative

written by: Haylie under News, Poker Law Comments: Comments Off

In a recent statement made by Intelimax Media, they may have developed a form of real money online poker play that does not violate United States law while allowing players to compete against each other for cash in poker tournaments and ring games. A prominent figure in iGaming, Intelimax Media has introduced subscription online poker play that bypasses US law in regards to what constitutes illegal online gambling. Although subscription online poker play is by no means a new development, Intelimax is the first company to argue that their presentation of the online poker play engine could become a viable replacement for traditional real money online poker.

Subscription based online poker works similarly to other similar games based on a massive multi player format – with a monthly subscription fee that each player must pay in order to participate in any games on the web site. Instead of each chip in a poker game being backed up by a real monetary value, Intelimax uses a flat prize for the winner (or pool of winners). In addition, players can accumulate credits during play at the site that can then be traded in for cash or merchandise. The World Poker Tour has been operating a similar type of online poker site for some time now.

One of the major criticisms of this type of real money online poker play is that it can never be as lucrative as playing a more traditional version of real money online poker. Credits are awarded based on the amount of time you spend playing and your overall performance. However, there is no simulated player economy where the amount of credits available can be exchanged back and forth from player to player – a system replacing money with an obvious credit alternative and still landing such a site in legal trouble with the US.

A noticeable advantage of this type of real money online poker site is that the operators have absolutely nothing to gain by using player bots or cheating you out of your money. This results in poker sites that can be more trusted than some other online poker companies. If there is some block on the progress of legal online poker in the United States, these types of sites could someday become a viable and available alternative to more traditional online poker sites. By offering cash prizes that can be won frequently and on a measurable scale (if you win the game, you win the money), such sites could inspire similar loose play to that of free poker while allowing each player the opportunity to continue playing online poker as a professional.

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