eCheck Poker Sites
Echecks are one of the easiest and fastest ways for Americans and Canadians to deposit money at online poker rooms. With a limited number of options for North American players to choose from when depositing money on an online poker site, eChecks are becoming a more attractive option because of their ease of use and speed of delivery.
The only online poker site accepting E-check deposits is Absolute Poker.
Click here now to use Echeck at Absolutepoker.com.
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Echecks are down at major poker sites including PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker.
I have just been alerted that all online poker rooms are currently experiencing difficulties processing instant echeck poker deposits. I am in contact with the major online poker sites, but have not been informed what the problem is or when they expect Echeck deposits to be active again.
As of this time no online poker rooms besides Absolute Poker are accepting echecks. I will stay up to date on this and change this page to inform of any developments. I have a bad feeling about this.
In the meantime, I recommend you use your credit card or debit card to deposit at Sportsbook.com Poker. Sportsbook Poker has the highest credit card acceptance rate for Americans of any online poker site.
This is probably nothing major to worry about, but could be a sign of long-term outage of Echecks. As many US poker players know, functional and reliable deposit options are in a constant state of flux from month to month and year to year.
Echecks down at Poker Stars and Full Tilt Poker is extremely unfortunate because Echecks have become the easiest way to deposit at online poker rooms and casinos for United States citizens. For more info on poker deposit deposit options for Americans, visit my Poker Deposit guide.
Most eChecks are processed and sent instantly to your online poker account.
Which Online Poker Sites Accept eChecks?
There are only a few online poker sites that accept eChecks as a deposit method:
| #1 |  PokerStars – 100% approval rate. Only site that accepts E-checks from new players. Instant deposit of funds – No waiting for funds to clear your bank. Click here to visit PokerStars.com. |
| #2 |  Full Tilt Poker – Full Tilt recently started accepting eChecks from existing players only. Echeck deposits are instant and have a high approval rate.Click here to visit FullTiltPoker.com. |
| #3 |  Bodog Poker – Bodog only accepts E-checks from existing players. You must make a deposit by another means before you may deposit using an eCheck. Click here to visit BodogLife.com. |
The three online poker sites that do accept e checks are all high quality in my opinion.
How eChecks work
Using an eCheck is very simple. Sometimes the e-check process can be called EFT (Electronic Funds Transfer) or ECP (Electronic Check Processing).
When you input the information from your checking account into the deposit screen of your favorite poker room, the bank initiates and sends the funds through an electronic transfer. The money is usually sent and shows up in your online poker account instantly. Most rooms simply make you wait until the check clears the bank before you can cash out your winnings.
The money is processed by your bank like a normal personal check would. It usually takes 7-10 days for the money to be withdrawn from your bank account, but the poker room fronts you the money instantly. They trust that your eCheck will clear your bank.
How do I deposit using eChecks?
Each online poker room has it’s own process and information that it needs to process an E-check deposit, but most should look somewhat like Pokerstars’ Instant eCheck deposit process below:
You will probably need most of the information above for each individual poker room.
- You can find your “Routing Number” and “Account Number” on one of your paper personal checks.
- The poker room needs your Social Security Number (SSN) to make sure you are who you say you are and you are not trying to commit fraud. I like this security measure, since you can’t be too careful about online identity fraud these days.
- The poker room will compare the date of birth and phone number you input against the information on your bank account, so make sure you use the same info that is on your bank account.
- Charge amount – This is the amount you want to deposit. See the section below for eCheck deposit limits.
- For Pokerstars, make sure to use the bonus code “PAWSUB464” to get your free $50 when you deposit for the first time. For other poker rooms, read my online poker bonus codes page.
- Click “Submit” and you are all done. Your money should now be in your online poker account and ready to play with.
How much can I deposit with an eCheck?
It depends on the poker room, but most will limit how much you can deposit the first time. Once you have made a successful e-Check deposit, the poker site will increase your limit. For VIP or high volume players, larger limits can be negotiated.
For new depositors, usually you can deposit a maximum of $600 in a 7 day span, while depositing no more frequently than every 48 hours. This is to protect the room against “hit and runs” where someone will deposit a large amount of money with a fake account and the disappear before they can get the money back.
Once your first eCheck clears, the poker room knows that your account is good and you can use the Echeck deposit option more freely.
Are eChecks safe?
eChecks are one of the safest forms of payment for playing poker online. Some rooms require a copy of your ID. (Pokerstars does not.) With the deposit limits I discussed in the previous section, the possibility of fraud is greatly reduced. After all, who would want to go through so much trouble for not very much money?
For more detailed information for each room, go to a specific poker site and go to the “more information” section of their “deposit options” page.
If you would like to start playing online poker using an eCheck, download PokerStars right now. Pokerstars is my highest rated online poker room for players from North American and also internationally. Use the bonus code PAWSUB464 when you make your first deposit with an eCheck to get a $50 bonus. Download Pokerstars by clicking here.
