We all have our favourite banking methods for poker playing. For many, the banking method will drive the site you play on. It’s not uncommon for the modern era players to disregard a site that doesn’t accept Bitcoin. We’ve found that there is not much literature on PayPal as a payment option for poker players. So, in this article we will give an over view how to create a PayPal account, share some advantages and disadvantages to using PayPal and list a few of the best PayPal poker sites to play on.
Creating a PayPal Account
To get funds to your poker site, you need funds in your PayPal account. One of the largest payment merchants, PayPal have made creating an account swift and secure. The first step is to visit PayPal website and register an account. You’ll need to enter some personal information e.g. Name, address, email address etc. Once you’ve done that, you’ll have to link your bank account or credit card to PayPal. Doing this by bank is safe as they send you a few pennies with a code that you use to authenticate your account. Once verified you’re good to go.
Advantages to Using PayPal
The main advantage to using PayPal is the security and speed of transaction. A deposit or cash out from PayPal is practically instant. I’ve made cash-outs in the past and had a push notification before the confirmation email has been sent! PayPal is certainly one of the safest deposit methods around.
PayPal also has a great app which removes the nuisance of doing everything on the browser. I don’t even need to enter password to access my account as you can login by fingerprint.
Another benefit to using PayPal is the privacy and anonymity you’re afforded. Transactions are within your own PayPal account and not visible on credit card statements or bank statements. This is a perk for poker players who like to keep their favourite hobby private.
Finally, most PayPal casino and poker sites let you deposit from PayPal without charging a deposit fee. Make sure you read the small print first but this is generally the case for the sites we tested with PayPal.
Disadvantages to Using PayPal
There are a few drawbacks to PayPal too. During our research for this article, we discovered that some sites could charge on withdrawals. This was not the case for the ones we recommend later but it’s important you check first. PayPal charge a few percent as a merchant to the poker site who could in theory pass this on to customer.
Another disadvantage is the limitation on PayPal in terms of amount that can be cashed out. You can potentially get this lifted but it requires PayPal to approve. The current daily limit for UK accounts is £7,500 per day. So, if you like to play high stakes or bink a big win, contact PayPal ASAP to arrange a greater limit.
Finally, having been an active PayPal user for years, we feel their customer support is mediocre. Like many companies, their customer support is running very much on FAQ and HQ sections. They deter you from contacting them by email or chat as much as possible. This can be frustrating if you urgently need to get clarity on something.
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The Best PayPal Poker Sites
There a decent number of online poker sites that grant deposits and cash-outs via PayPal. However, most due to legislation most don’t accept Americans. The top 3 below are primarily for UK, Irish and European poker players.
PokerStars
The biggest poker site of them all has to accept PayPal, doesn’t it? PokerStars caters to proper grinders so they need to ensure they accept as many payment methods as possible. They have amazing volume, decent tournaments and plenty of cash tables. We don’t consider PokerStars one of the softest sites around but they are certainly up there for traffic.
888 Poker
One of the softest poker sites online, 888 is a great option for PayPal users. What’s awesome about 888 is that they offer PayPal to most European countries, unlike many other sites we researched that only accept UK or Ireland. Cash outs might take a little longer from 888 but its worth it when you consider the competition level is lower and thus your win rate should be higher.
Coral Poker
Coral is one of the oldest and most trusted UK brands and quite rightly accept PayPal. We always recommend this site to our readers as the software is neat and the opposition are fishy. You’ll get the chance to play against mostly sports bettors who barely know the rules of poker so it’s certainly worth trialling Coral. As with 888, they don’t appear to charge players for depositing or cashing out via PayPal. The minimum deposit by PayPal is only £10.
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Narciso Baldo
Narciso Baldo is the Director and Head Coach of Texas Hold'em Questions. He has been playing poker for over 16 years. After spending many years as a professional, he now runs UK poker training site Texas Hold'em Questions. Narciso regularly writes poker articles sharing tips, strategy, news and experience with gambling enthusiasts. Narciso also writes for reputable gambling portal Casino City Times, (bio here). Contact: info@texasholdemquestions.com
