Watch out for the Metro Poker (Prima site) fine print!

[TimsterToo]

Watch out for Metro Poker!

I'm a Dutchman and although I believe that I'm pretty fluent in English I might get lost in the finer print every now and again.

I deposited 200 at Metro and got a 50 bonus for that.

The T&C says this:

In order to qualify for this offer, players must generate a Rake amount equal to or greater than that of the bonus amount received. For example if you receive a bonus for $50 then you will need to generate $50 in Rake before making a withdrawal. A raked hand is a hand which you contribute to the pot, and the Poker Room has collected a rake (fee) from the pot.

Note that if you play at the Tournament tables the income will not be counted in the Minimum Level of Play calculation.

The welcome Bonus may not be cashed in until the minimum level of play has been achieved, and must be put into play once received.

I initially thought that I had to play at most 200 raked hands at 0,50/1,- but after trying to cashout my deposit (not the bonus!) I got a mail that I didn't meet the requirments yet. I mailed them back asking for an explanation as to why I couldnt cashout my deposit (and to be completely honest I'd was down 2 dollars and a bit on the bonus so they could argue that I was trying to cash in two dollars and a bit of the bonus) and they said that my rake wasn't enough. They didn't provide me with a way they calculate rake as I requested but my idea is that if the rakes 0,25 and there's 10 people sitting at the table you've earned 0,025. This means that you need at most 2000 raked hands to make the bonus.

No big worries there, I can see how I've misinterpreted the matter and it's a good lesson to learn. Should have asked here before going in!

Then I asked them why they didn't at least cashout my deposit as that was what I was trying to do. I got a reply that I couldn't cashout ANYTHING until I met the rake requirment!! This blew me away, I mailed them again to double check it and they rephrased it so there was no room for fault anymore and it really is like this. You cannot cashout ANY OF YOUR INITIAL DEPOSIT until you've played 2000 RAKED HANDS at 0,50/1,- (well a bit less because sometimes you'll rake more than 0,25)

The support was very fast and very friendly, I'm impressed by that. I don't feel ripped of but I somehow keep reading in the T&C that you can't cashout your bonus before you've done the raked hands, keeping the initial deposit seems so very harsh! Even if I win a ridiculous amount, say 2000 I wouldn't be able to touch it before I've done the requirment.

I know this is not a big deal to a lot of you but my complete pathetic little bankroll being stuck is pretty annoying as it will bring my pokerplay to a screeching halt for the cashout time whilst waiting for it to arrive at Neteller.

I certainly am not saying Metro Poker is the Devil incarnated, I'm just giving a fair warning to other newbies that there are a lot of easier sites to go to before stringing your bankroll up at Metro.

[playersare]

I think the fine print was perfectly clear. Aztec Riches is the same setup, and I think most people only sign up at those sites to get PSO or ECD points on the side. I don't know where you saw it advertised where you thought it was a good deal compared to the many other Prima sites which are better.

with a $250 bankroll on one site you should be relatively safe bumping up to $1/2 limits (or perhaps half 50c/$1 and half $1/2). this will cut your approximate raked hands requirement down to 1000-1500. you will also earn higher attributed rake if you play shorthanded 6-max tables instead of full ring.

if you really don't want to go on, you might request that you withdraw your original deposit amount with the bonus funds forfeited. or negotiate a reasonable "penalty fee" deducted from your withdrawl amount (I dunno, like $20?). if they are really giving you a hard time, then you can try sending a complaint to the primapoker.com corporate site.

[TimsterToo]

I'm ok with biting the bullet and hanging around this site for a while. It's a good learning process and teaches me to read more carefully.


I disagree with the T&C being crystal clear but I'd sooner blame it on my inability to read legal stuff in English correctly then on anything else.

Please see my post as trying to be helpfull to other foreigners as many non Americans also play poker as you might be aware of.

I'm certainly not trying to bash Poker Metro as they've been swift, friendly and most helpfull in their responses.

[Folding Pete]

Just because they have a clause in the T&C doesn't make it just, ethical or fair. It is blatant abuse of their fiduciary position to withhold the customer's own money in this fashion.

You trusted them with your business and they proved to be not trustworthy. You are right to be upset.

Just to be slightly off topic, there does seem to be a trend for some on this forum that anything an internet room does it is okay once it is in their T&Cs (or for some anything they do is okay).

The XXXX internet room has, at their discretion, 'the right to kill my first born child!'.

'Don't be such a whiner, it's in all there in the T&C!s.'

I would of thought that the fairness of the situation would be the important factor, and situations unfair to the player would elicit forum support. That doesn't seem to be the case. The first re-action of many is to say the player must have been up to no good. It doesn't make sense to me why they, so readily, take the part of the casinos unless they are, in fact, closer to them than to the players.

Always be folding

[Synergistic Explosions]

I am doing Metro at the moment. But I did read about their bonus clearing requirements before hand. I decided it would be better to not ask for the bonus and instead just play the 250 raked hands for the $60 comp from the affiliate offering it.

I agree, those type of bonus requirements are time consuming and not competitive.

[sumdumguy]

This must be a language issue because the Bonus terms are crystal clear. But you are still being too nice. You should have the right to surrender the bonus and cashout your balance (up or down). There are no terms that prevent this. It is unreasonable for them to hold your money.

[TimsterToo]

You're contradicting yourself.

Either the terms are crystal clear and I can't cashout ANYTHING as the terms according to you clearly say, or they are stated in a way that is prone to misinterpretation and it's unfair that my deposit is stuck. Ín any case I'm going to finish the required hands and not worry about it anymore. I can still use plenty of practice. I've played about 600 raked hands and I'm up 30 (200 deposit, 50 bonus, 30 profit = 280) so I should be able to make the 2000 raked hands without having to eat in on my initial deposit.

Anyhoo, this was meant as a fair warning to people like me who are not native English speakers. I have the simple track of thought that if it happened to me, someone else might make the same mistake. I would have been happy to read my mail two weeks ago.

I've stated in every mail, as I will again in this one that I'm very happy with the swiftness and friendliness of the replies I got from support. If the way the T&C work out are to your liking I can wholeheartedly recommend them.

Let's assume from now on that all native English speakers on this forum will have never made the same booboo to prevent every single one having to state it.