Some online poker players like to play against the odds and gamble on unregulated online poker sites
Those that have been playing on the Equity Poker Network, or specifically Full Flush Poker, may wind up paying the ultimate price.
Full Flush Poker has been offline since the beginning of the month and it appears that the site may wind up similar to Lock Poker.
Full Flush Poker Offline - Gaming License Suspended
Earlier this month Full Flush Poker went offline and since that time players have been unable to get answers as to the status of the network.
After a delayed period of inactivity, the site finally came back online, at least somewhat, with the following notice:
"We are in the process of updating our gaming solutions to offer a new, more exciting platform to meet the needs of our players and an ever changing industry. We will have updates on this change each day for you, and we apologize for any inconveniences we have caused during this period."
Live support for the site is offline but they do have an email and a telephone number listed.
The number is a Dallas, TX number and when we attempted to call and hit 1 for support, we simply experienced hold music and nobody ever answered.
What's even more interesting is something Ivan Potocki reported on at BeatTheFish.com.
It appears that the Equity Poker Network, including Full Flush Poker, has had their Curacao Gaming License suspended.
Considering the fact that Curacao is very lenient on whom they issue licenses to, this does not bode well for the site.
Full Flush Reportedly Owes over $5 Million to Affiliates
Full Flush Poker has suffered from a history of slow or non-payments. Some sources even indicated that the company owes over $5 million to various affiliates.
Other players have reported waiting for more than a year for payouts, seeming to indicate that the site has liquidity problems. There have even been reports that FullFlushPoker.com is for sale at just $1,500.
Should this prove true it would all but confirm that the company is unable to pay out player accounts.
Looking at the current site, the homepage defaults to FullFlushPoker.com/Wordpress, which is quite unusual for a site to do.
It would appear that Full Flush is just trying to hold off public backlash until they can "get out of Dodge."
This is Why You Don't Play on Unregulated Poker Sites
While this may sound like we're beating a dead horse, we cannot stress the importance of staying away from unregulated online poker sites.
If Full Flush Poker indeed stays offline, players have no recourse whatsoever in recouping their funds. Look back at what happened after Black Friday and with Lock Poker.
The only reason that Full Tilt Players received funds was because PokerStars cut a deal with the DOJ to buy the assets of Full Tilt.
A large number of U.S. facing online poker sites that have completely shut down following Black Friday have failed to pay players.
The only way you can ensure your funds are safe while playing online poker in the United States is to play in Nevada, Delaware or New Jersey on sites that are regulated.
Otherwise, Full Flush Poker should serve as the latest example of why you need to stay away from unregulated sites.