10:08pm: I hear people talk about it all the time: button, button, button, button. Did I mention the button? Everybody preaches the importance of acting in position, and how acting last distinctly gives you an advantage in poker. As a result, according to most you should always take the initiative and put pressure on your opponent when you’re on the button, especially in heads up situations.

Is it really that important? It depends on your playing style — everyone is different. Some people feel in position when they’re in position, and some people feel like they’re in position when they’re actually out of position. For an example of how the button can be used to your advantage, look no further than the semi-bluff raise on the flop with the intention of getting a free card on the turn. I would venture to say that 80-85% of the time, when you raise the flop on the button in a heads up match your opponent will check it to you on the turn, leaving it completely up to you to take the free card on the turn. However, this only works when used in moderation, as your opponent will catch on a good portion of the time. One of the advantages of acting out of position is that when you lead out into an opponent who has raised pre flop, a lot of people freeze up in that kind of situation, and misplay their hand.

So which do I prefer? To be honest, both. I always feel like I can outplay my opponent from any position, and feel equally as comfortable being first to act as I do when I’m on the button. If my opponent is aggressive and I have a strong hand pre flop, I would much prefer the button. However, whenever my hand is strong post flop I actually prefer to be out of position. For example, let’s say you’re playing against an extremely aggressive opponent and you’ve been dealt pocket aces. In this situation with this kind of hand, being on the button enables me to limp pre flop knowing that I’m probably going to get a raise out of my opponent. How you play the hand from there is completely up to you, but the important thing is that most opponents don’t recognize that you’ve got a hand at this point and will continue to misplay their hand on every street. However, if you flop a set of deuces against an aggressive opponent, odds are they are going to bet if you check it to them, allowing you to extract even more value out of your hand.

So to that end, I say it’s completely a matter of taste and playing style to determine how much stock you should put into all the hype about how to play the button. Like I said, everyone is different and you’ve got to recognize what position makes you more comfortable in these key situations. Personally, I think the button is slightly overrated, as there are no “magic bullets” in poker.

Start a Clean Slate at a New Room, a New Sharkscope, and Keep HFL Free in the Process

10:33am: If you found this blog with a search engine, odds are you typed in something about Epassporte to get here. It would only seem fitting then that we now address what to do now that Epassporte is gone. What are the alternatives? Are they safe? Are they fast? Are they reliable? If these seem like questions you need answered, read on.

The UIGEA prevented you from using your credit cards directly to fund and receive cash outs from poker sites. To circumvent this, we needed a “middle man service” that didn’t directly link online poker with our credit cards — also known as an e-wallet. Epassporte was an e-wallet service, as it acted as an intermediary between your actual wallet/bank account and the poker site that you play on. Unfortunately, they voluntarily pulled the plug on servicing US customers recently, leaving us to fend for ourselves in funding and withdrawing from our beloved online poker sites.

First thing you should know is that it’s only a matter of time before another e-wallet service steps up and takes the place of Epassporte. There is simply too much money in the industry not to pique someone’s interest from a business standpoint, even if only temporary. There is no question that Epassporte made a killing in between the time Neteller went under and now, before pulling out of the U.S. market. In fact, they are still making a killing as everyone who had money in Epassporte made the mad dash to the ATM to withdraw all their funds. So why did they stop? It appears they just decided that it wasn’t smart business to continue to rely on these funds, so they cashed out while they could.

Fortunately, there are other options while we wait for the next e-wallet service to emerge. The easiest available option is eChecks. eChecks are available on both Full Tilt and PokerStars. An eCheck is an electronic check which allows you to make safe, secure and immediate electronic fund transfers (EFT) directly from your bank account to your Full Tilt/PokerStars account. eChecks work the same way paper checks do. When you deposit using an eCheck, the amount of your deposit is requested from your bank just like when a paper check you’ve written is deposited. Once the check clears, the funds are transferred from your bank account to Full Tilt/PokerStars.

Funds deposited via eCheck are immediately available in your Full Tilt/PokerStars account even though the funds aren’t received from your bank account instantly.

As it can take up to 10 days for the funds to be received from your bank, your deposit is in an ‘uncleared’ status at Full Tilt/PokerStars for 10 days after you make an eCheck deposit. While a deposit is uncleared, you may not cash out or request cash transfers unless you have a balance that is greater than the total of your uncleared eCheck deposits. Any portion of your balance that is more than the total of your uncleared deposits may be used normally including cashouts and transfers.

If an eCheck deposit is not honoured by your bank and is returned as unpaid, other restrictions will apply to future eCheck deposits including not receiving your funds instantly and instead only receiving your funds once your eCheck deposits clear.

How secure is eChecks?

eChecks is a highly secure and widely used method of electronic funds transfer. eChecks is compliant with strict processing rules. The security measures include ID verification, 128-bit SSL encrypted communications and industry standard data encryption of your personal information.

What about my cashouts?

Until an eCheck deposit has cleared, the amount of your eCheck deposit cannot be cashed out. eCheck deposits clear 10 days after the date of deposit.

However, once you’ve made an eCheck deposit which has cleared, you may choose to receive your funds credited back to your bank account on the Cash Out screen. This option will be available to you on Full Tilt/Pokerstars after they’ve credited all cashouts back to other methods you may have used to deposit which require automatic processing.

What will it cost me to use eChecks at online poker sites?

There are no fees for using eChecks at Full Tilt/PokerStars as long as your eChecks clear when they’re deposited. Players are responsible for any fees charged by their banks as well as fees incurred for eChecks that don’t clear due to non-sufficient funds.

If you’d like to get started playing using eChecks, start here.

Start a Clean Slate at a New Room, a New Sharkscope, and Keep HFL Free in the Process