Fastest Paying Online Poker Sites
Which online poker sites have the fastest processing for paying out players?
It's all well and good to win money playing online poker, but it doesn't do you all that much actual good unless you can easily - and quickly - get the funds from the online poker site into your possession. Unfortunately, withdrawal (or cash out) speed is one of those qualities that it's quite difficult to test until you actually need to make a withdrawal, which happens to be a supremely inconvenient time to learn that a room is lacking in this regard.
Solving this conundrum is the aim of our guide to the fastest paying online poker sites. Rather than simply list a bunch of different sites that pay out quickly, we're also going to provide you with a bit of context regarding online poker cash outs and some simple but powerful tips to help make your withdrawals from poker sites go more smoothly.
Different Methods Have Different Time Frames
This is perhaps the number one rule of cashing out from an online poker site - not all withdrawal methods are equal when it comes to speed. Generally speaking, paper checks tend to be the slowest method of getting money from an online poker room, while bank transfers or ewallet withdrawals (using services like Skrill) are at the fastest end of the spectrum.
Credible rooms will usually post some sort of general time frame by method for withdrawals. While these are only estimates, they can still be good starting points for your research on the subject. If a room doesn't provide the information, you can always use this as an opportunity to test the quality of their customer support by asking them for details.
Some players make the mistake of just skimming the withdrawal methods, seeing one time frame and assuming that time frame applies to all methods. That's simply not the case. It's also important to note that if you use a third-party service like PayPal or Skrill, there may be an additional amount of time involved in getting the money from that service to your bank account - time that is not included in the estimates provided by the poker room.
What Are the Average Cashout Times for an Online Poker Room?
For international rooms in regulated jurisdictions, cash out times can be as quick as a day or two. For rooms operating in countries where the legal picture is less clear, cash out times are a matter of weeks instead of days.
Players who are making their first withdrawal from an online poker room are a special case and should expect unusual delays. The first withdrawal request on an account often triggers security procedures at a room, and the room may ask you for additional information to verify your identity as a result.
How to Make Cashing Out From a Poker Site Easy
By following a few simple rules, players can make the withdrawal process at an online poker room a relatively quick and painless one. The first rule: Always read the terms. Know what the minimum withdrawal amount is, the maximum withdrawal amount and be familiar with any potential delays due to the terms of the room. This will help you to avoid making requests that can't be fulfilled and save you a good amount of frustration by largely removing the element of surprise from the process.
The second rule: Don't use money to play online poker that you might need to be available in a hurry. The fact of the matter is that even fast poker rooms will still take a day or so to get your money from your online account to your bank, and that additional delays will sometimes occur in the natural operation of things.
The final rule: Do a quick survey before you request a withdrawal. Is your personal information correct with the poker room? Does it match - to a letter - the information on file where the withdrawal is heading? A shortened name or misspelled address has sidetracked many a withdrawal, and once there's a problem with the request you likely won't be able to access any of your funds until that problem is resolved.
Quickest Withdrawal Times Overall: PokerStars
With dozens of options for withdrawing your funds and turnaround times that are at the top of industry averages, PokerStars has earned their reputation as the site with the fastest cash outs. As mentioned earlier on, cash out times do vary by payment method, so it's impossible to say that all withdrawals from the room will occur in a specific time frame, but many major payment options have estimated windows of under 48 hours.
PokerStars also wins points for their excellent customer support staff, which helps to quickly and correctly resolve those rare issues that do arise during the cash out process at an online poker room. With rapid withdrawal times, the widest array of withdrawal options and the crack support staff to help out when a glitch occurs, PokerStars is rightly at the top of our list for fastest cashouts at an online poker room.
Best Cashout Times for a US-Facing Poker Room: Carbon Poker
The payment situation in the United States is ever-evolving. Rooms with fast turnaround times one week may find themselves back toward the rear of the pack the next week. We certainly keep our information as updated as possible, but we still encourage players to contact support directly for the most current withdrawal time frames.
With all of that said, as of the writing of this guide, Carbon Poker is topping most estimates when it comes to cash out speed. Our survey of player feedback and media reports on the issue confirms that Carbon Poker processing time for withdrawals is, by a fair margin, the quickest among rooms currently serving the US market.