Global Poker Review

The American online poker market is pretty complicated with only a few states having officially regulated the activity, leaving many players without a place to play poker online. Fortunately, there’s one site out there that provides a legal option for players all over the United States (and Canada), as Global Poker users a unique sweepstakes format on its online poker platform.

At Global Poker, players can experience all of the same thrills that they would when playing at any other online poker site. With busy traffic, plenty of cash games and various tournament formats, Global Poker provides a great solution for American online poker fans.

How It Works

Global Poker is not your typical online poker site, in that you don’t play with “real money”. Instead of depositing to the site using your debit/credit card or e-wallet account, you buy play money called SweepsCoins (SC). Then, you use these coins to play in various poker ring games and tournaments. Your winnings can then be redeemed for cash prizes, which would be similar to the cashout process at online poker sites.

Due to its sweepstakes-style format, Global Poker is a legal gaming option for American and Canadian players. According to this other review by Beat The Fish, the only state where you cannot play from is Washington. Also, if you’re located outside of the United States or Canada, you won’t be able to redeem your prizes for cash.

Global Poker Software

Global Poker is a browser-based site, so you don’t have to actually download any software to play. You can play on the site using either your mobile device or desktop computer, making Global Poker accessible to all types of players.


The interface is a very clean and simple, making it easy for you to find what you’re looking for. You can filter through ring games, tournaments and sit’n gos by format, limit and buy-in. It’s quick to get around the site and find games that you’re interested in.

Once you’re inside a game or tournament, you won’t notice much difference from any other downloadable poker site. Global Poker games run smoothly and with an intuitive interface that keeps things moving along nicely. You can also easily multi-table by playing in different browser windows.

Heads-up Displays (HUDs) are banned on Global Poker’s platform, as well. This helps to ensure that there is an evenly playing field across all of the players on the site.

Game Selection and Traffic

The selection of games and tournaments at Global Poker is pretty barebones, but it’s got all of the basics that every poker player enjoys. So, you’ll be able to play no limit, pot limit and fixed limit versions of:

• Hold’em
• Omaha
• Crazy Pineapple

You can also choose from a number of different types of tournaments. There are actually quite a few options on offer, which makes Global Poker great for tourney players. These include:

• Turbos
• Rebuys
• Bountys
• Sit n Gos
• Deepstacks

When it comes to traffic, Global Poker is a very busy site. In fact, it is one of the top five poker rooms in American with the highest traffic. So, you won’t struggle to get a game going here.

Bonuses and Offers

You might notice that the Bonuses section is missing from Global Poker. It’s likely that the site doesn’t have any promotional offers in order to maintain its legal status in the United States – but, it’s not a huge loss, since online poker bonuses can be quite difficult to clear.

There is a “no purchase package” available, however. Once you verify your account, you’ll receive $20 in Sweeps Coins totally free.

Special freerolls are also available. Every Saturday at 3pm, new players can take part in a 1000SC freeroll, and there are free tournaments that can be access by players who complete special challenges.

Purchasing Coins

Players who want to purchase coins can do so by clicking “Get Coins” in the lobby. Here, you’ll be redirected to a screen where you can purchase gold coins or redeem prizes that you have won in ring games and tournaments.


If you want to purchase coins, there are three options:

• Visa
• MasterCard
• American Express

Your purchase is processed using WorldPay, the leading payment processor that guarantees safe and secure transactions. So, you can rest assured that your money is going to the right place and that your details cannot be accessed by any third-parties.

There are no fees involved when you purchase coins on Global Poker, and the processing time is minimal. At most, you’ll have to wait 10 minutes to see your coins in your account.

Remember – you’ll have to wager your purchase before you can withdraw it. So, if you’ve bought $100 in coins, you have to play through $100 before you’ll be able to redeem your winnings.

Redeeming Prizes

Redeeming your prizes (cashing out) is an easy process. Simply visit the Redeem Prize menu and select how much money you would like to have deposited into your bank account.

This means that all of the prizes and money that you win will be sent to your directly via bank transfer. Global Poker states that it can take between 5 and 10 business days, but most players receive their transfers in 3-5.

One thing that players should keep in mind is that ID verification is required before you any prizes can be redeemed. You’ll need to send in a photo of your identification and a bank statement to confirm that your money is going to the right person.

Conclusion

Combining social gaming with online poker has been a winning formula for both Global Poker and its players. Players across the United States finally have a legal gaming option, thanks to the site’s sweepstakes format, with a wide range of poker games and tournaments to choose from.