Expert View of Sportsbook.ag Poker
Sportsbook.ag has been in business for over 10 years. It has been in the center of many controversies. Some involve its sportsbook voiding parlays after a win. Others have to do with how winning players are treated. The site has a reputation of banning winners at poker and sports betting. This makes it a site that we recommend avoiding. In fact, the entire Merge Gaming poker network is something we suggest staying away from.
More About Sportsbook.ag Poker
- Large player traffic
- Above average quality of games
- Social, recreational player focused
- Third largest U.S. facing poker room with growing traffic.
- Excellent and consistent payment processing.
- Relatively juicy games.
Sportsbook.ag Poker Summary
Sportsbook.ag is a member of the Merge Gaming Network. Owned by Jazette Enterprises, they acquired most of its players in 2006 for $1. As well as, player balances from Sporting Bet after the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act went into effect. The main focus of Sportsbook.ag is sports betting, but it also offers online poker and casino games.
Sportsbook.ag launched on the Cake Poker Network in 2006. It helped the network boom with the loose sports betting players and those accustomed to playing on Paradise Poker from the US. Sportsbook.ag only accepted US players at first due to its non-compete agreement with Sporting Bet. This got dropped after two years and now players from across the globe may play there.
The site has displayed issues in recent years. Most notably, it has a reputation of withdrawal issues about once per year. The fees on cashouts are ridiculous. This includes 3% on checks and 5% on Bitcoin. Players only receive one free withdrawal per year. The one good thing about the poker site at Sportsbook.ag is its high quality software.
A Personal Opinion on Sportsbook.ag Poker
What We like about Sportsbook.ag
The software at Sportsbook.ag is smooth and mostly bug free. Support is above average.
What We do not like about Sportsbook.ag
Sportsbook.ag’s sports book has been the site of many complaints. Players that have bet parlays have reportedly gotten freerolled as the sports book would take their bets and then cancel them if they won. Sportsbook.ag would void some bets this way by claiming that they were correlated parlays, meaning one bet was too close to others’ results.
Since the software is not setup to block these types of bets, players expect them to be booked. For this reason, many sports book rating companies give the book a D- grade. The poker room has never had these type of complaints so we suggest only playing poker at Sportsbook.ag.
There is no VIP program at Sportsbook. Players must rely on reload bonuses that only clear at 5% rakeback. Cashouts sometimes take months to arrive. Withdrawal fees are the highest in the industry. For all of these reasons, we suggest avoiding Sportsbook.ag and other Merge Gaming skins.
What Players Are Saying About Sportsbook.ag
Most of what you will read on the internet about Sportsbook.ag is negative. Most negativity is due to the sportsbook. Here are some examples:
The player had the good fortune of winning a prize during the Super Bowl through a squares pool and requested a withdrawal of $2,000 on February 6. He has not received his funds to date.– SBR News
“Hello…..I need help with a sportsbook complaint. I had around $10,000 at 6 different sportsbooks within the sportsbook.com group. They said they froze my accounts for “free bet” abuse and seized all funds…..I only made $200 – $300 off of freebets over the last two years….and they took $10,000. I can see if they wanted to take the $200-$300, but 10K? Is there anything that can be done?”
“Scenario: player comes to us with a complaint wherein they had requested a $1610 withdrawal some 4 weeks ago.– The support people repeatedly state “there is a system problem, we do not know when it will be fixed”.
– When we were asked to get involved they replied “We will only discuss an customer’s issue with that customer directly.”Not helpful!
So, for failure to ensure players are promptly paid and failure to respond to submitted complaints …
Warning: Sportsbook.com is not paying it’s customers and is not responding to complaints. Avoid Sportsbook.com.”
Sportsbook.ag Deposits and Withdrawals
Deposits and withdrawals are not easy or cheap at Sportsbook.ag. There are fees on most transactions.
Making a Deposit
Bitcoin is the best way to make a deposit at Sportsbook.ag. It is free and nearly instant. Visa is also accepted, though there are fees and a high rate of rejection. Most players outside the U.S. have Skrill and Neteller available.
Making a Withdrawal
There are only three ways for Americans to make a withdrawal at Sportsbook.ag. Bitcoin is the fastest option. It comes with a 5% fee though. Checks and bank wires have a 3% fee. Players may receive one free withdrawal per year. Most players outside the U.S. have Neteller and Skrill available, also with a 3% fee.
Sportsbook.ag Poker Bonuses
Sportsbook.ag Deposit Bonus
New Sportsbook.ag players will receive a 200% up to $1,000 first deposit bonus. The bonus clears at a rate of 200 VIP Points for every $1 in bonus. Earn a VIP Point for every $.10 in contributed rake or tournament fees paid. This means players receive about 5% of the rake paid back while clearing the bonus.
The bonus expires in 60 days and releases in $20 increments. Player would need to rake $20,000 in two months to clear the entire bonus. We recommend only depositing enough to cover a bonus that you can clear in that time. Unless you feel that you will need the extra bankroll for your limit.
Sportsbook.ag Poker Promotions
Reload Bonuses
Sportsbook.ag often offers reload bonuses. These have the same terrible terms as the first deposit bonus and are not worth claiming for most players.
Bad Beat Jackpot
Sportsbook.ag offers a bad beat jackpot. No additional rake is taken from the pot to support it. A player must lose four of a kind deuces or better to trigger the bad beat jackpot. Both players must use both hole cards. There must be at least three players dealt into the hand. The jackpot is paid in the following way:
- Loser of hand: 38%
- Winner of hand: 20.5%
- Table share: 20.5%
- Seeding of next bad beat jackpot: 21%
Sportsbook.ag Poker Game Selection
Most of the action at Sportsbook.ag is at No Limit Texas Hold’em. The only other games spread are Fixed Limit Hold’em, Pot Limit Omaha, Pot Limit Omaha High/Low and Fixed Limit Omaha High/Low. Merge Gaming dumped its wide variety of mixed games.
- No Limit Hold’em
- Fixed Limit Hold’em
- Pot Limit Omaha
- Limit Omaha Hi/Lo
- Other Games
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0.05 / 0.100.10 / 0.200.25 / 0.500.50 / 11 / 22 / 5
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0.10 / 0.200.25 / 0.500.50 / 11 / 22 / 44 / 88 / 1615 / 30
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0.05 / 0.100.10 / 0.250.25 / 0.500.50 / 11 / 22 / 5
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0.50 / 11 / 22 / 44 / 88 / 1615 / 30
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None
Has there ever been a scandal at Sportsbook.ag?
The scandals at Sportsbook.ag all revolve around the site not paying winning sports bettors or casino winners. If you choose to play poker at Sportsbook.ag, we suggest avoiding the other games.
Sportsbook.ag Poker FAQ
Does Sportsbook.ag accept U.S. players?
The Sportsbook.ag poker room accepts U.S. players from the majority of the states.
Is Sportsbook.ag the same site as Sportsbook.com?
Yes, Sportsbook.ag and Sportsbook.com are the same site. They started using the Sportsbook.ag domain when U.S. law enforcement started seizing .com domains.
Who owns Sportsbook.com?
Jazette Enterprises owns the Sportsbook family. Other brands include Super Book and PlayersOnly. The company, Sporting Bet, sold for $1 in 2006. Righgt after the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act became law.
Sportsbook.com is a member of which network?
Sportsbook.com is a member of the Merge Gaming Network. It uses the same software as other Merge Gaming skins but does not share its player pool. It was once a member of the Cake Poker Network. Before that, it was a skin of Paradise Poker.
How do US players deposit at Sportsbook.com?
Sportsbook.com accepts Visa and Bitcoin for U.S. online poker deposits. There is a low success rate for traditional credit cards. Bank issued debit cards are somewhat successful.
The best bet is to buy a prepaid Visa international debit card with a Green Dot or Netspend logo on it. Buy these may at drug stores, grocery stores, and big box retailers. Green Dot charges $5.95 per month. The fee gets waived if you deposit of $1,000 or more or there are 30 or more transactions during a month. Netspend charges $9.95 per month. Cut the fee in half if you deposit $500 or more during the month.
Bitcoin requires the purchase of the electronic currency through a wallet. The funds are then deposited into the site.
How do I withdraw from Sportsbook.com?
Sportsbook.com offers three withdrawal methods. Players may request a check for up to $2,500. Withdrawals have a 3% fee, except one per year is free. Withdrawals take about three months to arrive. Sportsbook.ag is the slowest paying online poker site in the world. Bitcoin users will transfer money to a wallet to sell the electronic currency for a 5% fee. Some players will have bank wires available.
What is the poker bonus at Sportsbook.com?
New players receive a 200% up to $1,000 first deposit bonus.
How does the bonus clear?
The bonus clears at a rate of 200 VIP Points for every $1 in bonus. It releases in $20 increments and expires after 60 days. It is equivalent to 5% rakeback.
How do I earn Sportsbook.com VIP Points?
You earn one VIP Point for every $.10 in contributed rake paid.
Are there any reload bonuses at Sportsbook.com?
Sportsbook offers an occasional reload bonus with similar terms to the first deposit bonus.
What games are available at Sportsbook.com?
Sportbook Poker offers Texas Hold’em, Omaha and Omaha High/Low.
Is there Sportsbook.com rakeback?
Sportsbook.com does not allow rakeback.
What percent rakeback does the Sportsbook.ag deposit bonus equal?
The deposit bonus is equal to 5% rakeback.
Is Sportsbook.com a reliable sports book?
Sportsbook.com and related sports books have refused to pay some winning players in the past. The players that get stiffed have usually bet what is referred to as a correlated parlay. This means that a player parlayed two bets on the same event like an under and a big underdog or an over and a big favorite. While we recommend Sportsbook.com for poker, we advise avoiding betting sports there.
Are there any modifications for Sportsbook.com tables?
There are several table and card mods available within the Sportsbook.com software. There are also mods available at some online poker and software forums.
Where is Sportsbook.com licensed?
Curacao is Sportsbook.com’s gaming regulator.
What online poker rooms are members of the Sportsbook Network?
Sportsbook.ag shares its player pool with PlayersOnly, Carbon Poker, and SuperBook.
Does poker tracking software work at Sportsbook.com?
Poker Tracker and a number of HUDs work at Sportsbook.com.
Does Sportsbook.ag allow data mining?
Tables may be data mined at Sportsbook.com due to the type of hand histories used.
Is there a mobile version of Sportsbook.com Poker?
There is no mobile version of Sportsbook.com’s poker platform.
What is Sportsbook.com’s phone number?
1-800-632-6088
Does Sportsbook.com offer live chat?
Sportsbook.com live chat is available.
What is Sportsbook.com’s email address?
support@sportsbook.ag
What is the maximum number of tables allowed at Sportsbook.com?
Players may open four cash game tables and unlimited tournament tables.
What states does Sportsbook.ag Ban?
Sportsbook is conservative with its banned states. Sportsbook.ag bans new players from Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, New York, Utah, Washington State and Washington State.
- Large player traffic
- Above average quality of games
- Social, recreational player focused
- Third largest U.S. facing poker room with growing traffic.
- Excellent and consistent payment processing.
- Relatively juicy games.