In this article I’ll take a look at the options still open to US readers and what Omaha games are available at each site. It is early days of course, which means that this page will need further updating. I’ll review daily for the first week, then add new information as the sites release it after that.
** Update May 2013: We are all guns blazing at Carbon Poker on the Merge network and at Bovada.lv where US players are welcome, and able to deposit and withdraw freely.
** Update End Of 2011 – Merge (Carbon) Poker have reopened for players in most states, and are once again the biggest poker site for US players. While the options for US players are now far more limited than pre Black-Friday, there are still some great choices on the Merge, Bodog and Winning Poker Networks.
** Update Early June 2011– Carbon (Merge Network) have temporarily stopped new US sign-ups… Leaving Bovada Poker as the only real option, I’ll update this page as soon as Carbon open up again **
US Players – Best Options For PLO Post Black Friday
Since Black Friday, the 3 largest US facing poker sites have all left the market – Full Tilt Poker, Pokerstars and Cereus (UB and Absolute Poker) have all left. Bodog have seen a huge boost in numbers and my strong feeling here is that this they will remain one of the top choices due to their long standing reputation in the industry. While we might see some serious alternatives get established, I fear that the majority of sites will suffer the same fate as the likes of the always destined to fail Everleaf – the network of a million skins, which to me does never looked like a viable long term choice.
This leaves us with 2 clear selections; Carbon Poker on the Merge Network and Bovada Poker. A snapshot of the number of Omaha games at each then a word on the promos / bonuses below.
US Omaha Poker Sites #1 – Bovada Poker
Bovada Poker saw their player numbers gradually increase recently, mainly due to some their extremely fast cashouts and the fact players are now looking for a more trustworthy and reliable place to call their online poker home. Black Friday has given a big boost to what was already a fundamentally solid little network. One thing to bear in mind with Bovada is that they do not allow tools including ‘heads-up-display’ software… you’ll have to make reads the old fashioned way. The tables there are anonymous anyway, so while you might be able to find HUD that works, it will be of little use other than for tracking session stats.
As of Tuesday afternoon, there were 18 Omaha tables running, plus a selection of heads-up games. The highest stakes available was $5/10. There were SNGs available up to huge stakes, with only a couple of lower limit games showing players registered. Just the one tournament was registering, a $5 rebuy.
While not a massive choice, the liquidity of the Omaha games is much better than the likes of the Winning or Revolution networks where you will only ever find a couple of PLO games running. Bovada offer some excellent ongoing promos including their 100% to $1000 match bonus.
US Omaha Poker Sites #2 – Carbon Poker
The games have definitely got busier since I last looked before the DoJ seizure. Even in the afternoon (eastern time) there are more than 25 tables of PLO High (+ several more heads-up games) and 10 of high-low. Most are 6 max with the biggest stakes $2 / $4 (2 tables of this). There are a small number of PLO SNGs running ($5 and $10 level) and several Omaha tournaments with entry fees between $3 and $11 available for registration.
If you have not checked out Carbon Poker then you will find several good reasons why this might turn out to be a big winner from the current situation. First is the software, which is simply excellent. Their promos are also world class including a generous VIP deal, and plenty of 1-off promos linked to the season / sport events which keep players bankrolls well topped up.
That’s that for the moment – remember to bookmark this page, which I will keep updated with the latest news for US Omaha fans.
In the meantime here are my existing Omaha reviews for these sites:
Bovada Poker Omaha Review
Carbon Poker Review
