EXPOSED: Playersonly.ag ᐈ Our Experts Give It 2 Thumbs Down!

PlayersOnly.ag Deposit Options

Playersonly.ag began its online life in 1996, meaning that it remains in operation as one of the longest-running internet betting sites. And we say that quite specifically because there are various types of betting available at the platform. While sports betting is the prime focus of the platform, it has also been providing its members with the possibility of playing poker, wagering on casino games, and more.

The Website of PlayersOnly.ag

The site makes up a part of the Merge Gaming Network, and along with its sister sites Sportsbook.ag and Carbon Poker, it provides its services to U.S. residents.

So that we are able to give you a full inside picture of what things look like at Playersonly.ag, we have reviewed each and every part of its sportsbook, poker room, and casino. This means that you will be able to get a completely accurate idea of what the site offers up in all areas. So, without any further ado, here is our complete and in-depth review of the PlayersOnly site.

PlayersOnly.ag Poker Review

The likelihood is that as a visitor to the ProfessionalRakeback website, you’re interested to learn more so about the Playersonly poker room than the other betting products. Fortunately, this is something that we have particularly focused on. While the number of games taking place at the site is fairly low, the software in operation is very appealing. Therefore, there’s a strong possibility of you finding something to take your fancy.

Welcome Bonus

If you choose to become a player at PlayersOnly, then you will also be able to benefit from a welcome bonus consisting of 100% up to $1,000 in bonus money as well as a tournament ticket worth $11. To receive this, you must ensure that your first deposit at the site is of $50 or more, and the bonus will remain operational for 60 days. The funds are unlocked in $10 stages whenever you reach 500 Player Points.

So, how do you gain these Player Points? Well, every single dollar in rake that is contributed or any tournaments fees that you pay equating to this amount is worth 10 of those points. So, to put this simply, you are required to rake $50 in order to amass those 500 Player Points and, subsequently, receive a segment of the bonus equal to $10. That’s a rakeback rate that stands at 20%.

Comparing this with other welcome bonus offers at online poker rooms, the Playersonly.ag $1,000 bonus is fairly average. So, you can find something similar at various other platforms. One of the big differences where this poker room is concerned, though, is that the Player Points don’t qualify you for any kind of VIP perks or points exchange setup unlike at many competing poker rooms.

PlayersOnly.ag Poker Games

When you check out the games available at PlayersOnly.ag, you’ll see that it provides quite a familiar triad incorporating cash games, multi-table tournaments and sit-n-goes for you to access. Naturally, these make for great options, but conspicuous by their absence are fast-fold ring games and lottery sit-n-goes, so if you’re a fan of such, PlayersOnly isn’t the site to join.

Cash Games

You’ll find that NL Texas Hold’em remains as the most popular and largest attraction of the poker room. This features stakes running from $0.05/$0.10 and up to $2/$5. You’ll find options for both 6-max and 9-max tables although there aren’t any heads-up cash games for you to participate in at the site.

There’s also the option of playing Pot Limit Omaha poker: another fairly popular variation. The stakes available for this are exactly the same as the aforementioned NLHE although you’ll only find that this is accessible at tables with positions for six players maximum. One thing you won’t find is full-ring PLO.

Fans of PLO/8 won’t find this platform to be of much assistance in this area, as it does not provide such games. There is the possibility of accessing Limit Omaha/8, and the stakes for this run from $0.50/$1.00 to $15/$30, so split pot four-card poker aficionados will likely find this to be of interest. Keep in mind that all LO8 tables are 6-handed as well.

And it’s quite nice to see Limit Hold’em being available to members of Playersonly too. Stakes are spread between $0.10/$0.20 to $15/$30. All of the highest tables in this type of poker feature seats for 6 players while full-ring is only offered at stakes of $0.10/$0.20.

Player volume used to be quite high in earlier years, but it has indeed decreased quite a bit since then. Going from being the largest poker gaming sites for Americans in the aftermath of Black Friday, it has now shrunk to the point that there are rarely as many as a dozen cash tables simultaneously active.

The Merge Gaming Network also had many different variations of poker for players to access previously as well. Formats like Badugi and 2-7 Triple Draw Low were not uncommon to see running, and there were even non-poker games, like Backgammon and Spades.

Therefore, the site held much more appeal back in the day, thanks to its various different game types, especially for fans of other forms of poker besides Texas Hold'em. Yet, as time passed by, these games were removed from the lobby, and in the end, just four styles of cash poker remain available for players to access and participate in.

It's likely that as traffic levels declined from their peak several years ago, the profitability of hosting other games became questionable. So with fewer people accessing them as frequently, it’s likely that there was no sense in continuing to offer them.

Rake

The rake will depend upon the betting structure and the stakes when it comes to ring games.

No Limit/Pot Limit Tables: $1/$2 and Below

The rake at PlayersOnly.ag could be considered as quite excessive. After all, a penny is dropped in $0.18 increments of the pot size instead of every $0.20. Therefore, the rake percentage actually stands out as being 5.56%, and this is above the industry average of 5%. The full-ring rake cap of $4 is worse than the usual $3 too.

NL/PL Tables:$2/$5

When it comes to the highest blind level, the single change is that the cap increases from $4 to $5 for those hands that feature at least five players. This seems to be a little nonsensical, and we’re quite surprised that Merge would even bother to have a third rake that pertains solely to acquiring an extra $1 from players.

Fixed Limit Tables: All Blinds

When it comes to limit games, you’ll find that the rake is 5% up to $3 and there’s a lower cap of $2 in three- and four-handed tables and $1 heads-up. This does stand out as being somewhat expensive when compared to other leading sites for Limit Hold’em. Those poker rooms tend to have much lower caps in terms of both shorthanded and full tables.

This is quite the turnaround, considering that years ago, the Merge Gaming Network LHE rake was among the best in the world. Yet, that seems to have done a complete U-turn and it is now one of the worsts.

Sit n’ Gos

You’ll find that the Sit & Go lobby at PlayersOnly features contests that are available between $1.50 and $60. That being said, the site also contains a selection of heads-up matches that are at higher denominations than this. Table sizes are 2, 6, and 9 players. Double or Nothing games can be found at the site too, which seat 10.

Generally speaking, most of the Sit n’ Go options are played as No Limit Hold’em games, although a few PLO Hi/Lo games are also available, oddly enough, considering that the format isn’t available for ring games. And while you won’t find any multi-table SNGs taking place at PlayersOnly.ag, you’ll have the opportunity to access games in regular speed, turbo and hyper-turbo speeds. Therefore, you can choose whichever suits you best.

Tournaments

There are many multi-table tournaments that you can join at Playersonly.ag, and these run daily. Once you start to browse through the options, you’ll find that buy-ins start from a minimum of $2.20 and then increase up to a maximum of $109.

The only exception to this is the Sunday Big Ticket, which occurs each weekend. You’ll need to buy-in to this one for $150 + $12, and it comes with a guaranteed $25,000 up for grabs. In terms of the daily tournaments, you’ll find that there’s the exciting $109 Nightly $5,000 Guaranteed event, and this occurs from Monday to Saturday, starting at 7 p.m. ET. So if you want to engage in some daily tournament fun, this is the mainstay.

Tournaments Available at PlayersOnly

The vast majority of tournaments at Playersonly have guarantees attached to them, and they sometimes overlay. However, these events have a minimum number of entrants, and if this threshold isn't met, the tournament will be cancelled. Thus, PlayersOnly.ag has taken steps to protect itself from being caught short.

Merge Gaming did, at one time, host its own selection of tournament series several years ago, although that’s not something that has occurred for quite a long time now. Disputes arose over certain financial arrangements related to tourney overlays, and this led to some of the most prominent skins choosing to omit themselves from participating in tournament series run by Merge. It’s perhaps due to this being the case that the network decided to stop hosting series altogether.

The tournament schedule as it exists today mostly consists of No Limit Texas Hold’em games. Yet, so as to provide at least a little bit of variety to the members of Playersonly.ag, a single PLO tournament is accessible every day, as well as a couple of PLO Hi-Lo options alongside.

Something else that’s quite interesting about the site’s tournament schedule is that it features a small collection of HORSE and 7 Card Stud options as well. Granted, these types of poker variants aren’t exactly at the peak of popularity anymore, but it’s nice to see them making up part of the roster at PlayersOnly.ag.

Poker Software

Playing games and entering tournaments at PlayersOnly will see you using the software from the Merge Gaming Network. This brand (as well as its predecessors) has been in operation since 2004, and this has given the programmers an ample amount of time to refine the client so as to run smoothly and effectively enough. That is certainly the case, and for all its faults, PlayersOnly's poker software is highly regarded by most players.

Lobby

Accessing the lobby will allow you to see four different tabs, and these allow you to navigate between the poker section, sportsbook, casino, and horse racebook in that order from left to right. Within the poker tab, you’ll see an additional three sub-sections, which include Quick Seat, Selectors, and finally, Advanced Filter.

They’re all fairly self-explanatory, with the Quick Seat option allowing you to choose what sort of poker game you want to access as well as the stakes. The software will then automatically place you at an appropriate table in a ring game or Sit & Go. Tournaments, on the other hand, are not present in the Quick Seat function.

Quick Seat Function

The main categories of poker can be found on the left-hand side of the Selectors section, and this allows you to locate specific formats as you move to the right.

Use the Selectors to Browse Through the Games

Alternatively, if you want to seek out something very specific, you can make use of the Advanced Filter instead. Various filters are usable so that you can seek out the game options for your own preferences. In both the Selectors and Advanced sections, you’re able to see a list of the tables/games towards the bottom of the window.

PlayersOnly Poker Advanced Filters

Additionally, if you look at the bottom of the lobby, you’ll get to see a scrolling ticker that displays a variety of sportsbook odds. Yet, if you’d rather not see this, you can disable the ticker via your settings.

Lobby Menus

To be able to have a more personalized experience while playing at Playersonly.ag, you can utilize the menus running along the top of the lobby. There is a four-color deck that you can enable or disable along with the possibility to alter your avatar, change your time zone, differentiate the auto-buyin and auto-rebuy values, and much more. Many of these basic customization options work in your favor so as to make the experience at the poker room more to your liking.

The Display Settings menu of the lobby includes the ability to see winnings percentages when all-in, make various adjustments to the chat box, and simply ensure that everything is displayed in a way that works well for you.

Display Settings Window

Via the Poker Settings interface, you’ve got some more possible adjustment capabilities. There, you’ll find the option of changing the way that the bet slider operates, alter the preferences for big blinds and auto post, for example, and choose other arrangements to suit your satisfaction.

Poker Settings

Tables

What the PlayersOnly.ag poker room provides in terms of the tables for its games are inline with the norm at other sites. So, if you’re familiar with how online poker works, this part of the platform should look quite familiar as well. You’ll see the chatbox on display in the bottom-left corner and actions buttons are displayed to the right. The rest of the space on the screen is taken up by the cards being played with and the players seated at the table.

$0.10/$0.25 NL Texas Hold'em Cash Game

The other players at the same table as you will be identifiable by their nameplate that displays their screenname. Other information about them includes their stack size and the accolades that they have already obtained. So, if a player has won a freeroll for example, this will be displayed. Accolades are also easily enabled and disabled as you like.

The chatbox isn’t fixed in position either, so you can relocate this to the side of the table, if you find it to be better placed there. And while chatting with others at PlayersOnly, you’ve got the option of using emoticons as well. We actually have a collection of Merge Gaming Network chat emoticons that you can read through to discover what else can be used. Keep in mind that the usable emoticons list is always changing, and therefore, some of the ones on our list may have been discontinued, and additional ones may have been added too.

If you’d like to cascade or tile your tables, then you have the option of doing this by using the Window Options button. You can also resize the windows and open additional tables in the same style this way.

Table themes are also selectable from this area – just use the Personalize Tables function for this. The software presents the possibility of selecting a premade theme or picking your own colors, card patterns, and other graphics relating to the visual side of things.

Customize Table Graphics in the Personalize Tables Area

You’ve got the possibility of engaging in multi-table play, although Merge does tend to restrict the number of these that can be in use at any one time. This is a method employed by the network so as to halt the money from being chewed up by poker sharks.

In some cases, the maximum number of games that can be joined at once has shrunk from four to two, and some players have even found themselves being limited to just one table. Other winning players were banned altogether from accessing poker on the Merge network.

Hand History

Should you wish to take a look at the history of the hands you have already played, you can do so by clicking on the previous hand number, which is displayed in the top-left corner of the table. This allows you to review your own played hands in either text or graphical format. If you’d like to change where hand histories are saved on your own hard drive, you can do so by clicking on the Hand History Settings button, found at the top-right corner of the window.

Notes and Player Tagging

If there are players at the same table as you whom you would like to make notes on, then you can double-click on their nameplate. This will display a box where those notes can be written, and you have a lot of space to fill, so if you need to be expansive on these notes, feel free.

Player Notes and Tags

Users can also be tagged with any of the 16 icons available, and these are displayed on the nameplate for the player in question. Tags can also be renamed at your leisure, simply by using the Tag Settings options, found under the lobby’s Settings menu.

That menu also comes with a selection of miscellaneous options to utilize if you so desire. These will adjust how you view and interact with other players at your table. The playerbox color can be changed, you can mute their chat, and you have the possibility of hiding their avatar too. What’s more, if you find another player who you enjoy gaming with, you can add them to your friends list in this section. This way, you’ll always know when they’re online and which tables they’re playing at as well.

Account Details Overview

There is a plethora of features and settings that you can find scattered throughout the lobby at Playersonly.ag, but you also have the opportunity to view and edit information about your own account via the Account menu. Simply select My Details there, and this will display the overview of your account.

On this page, you have the ability to not only change your account password, but also view other things, such as the cashier history, upload verification documents, and access the messaging system onsite.

PlayersOnly.ag Mobile Poker and Compatibility

PlayersOnly is accessible from both Windows computers and MACs, in either a desktop download version or an Instant Play mode. It is this same Instant Play mode that can be accessed by mobile gamers as well, and you only need to load it up via your Android, iOS, or Blackberry device’s web browser to experience it. Linux and other such niche operating system users can also take advantage of it this interface as well.

Mobile Poker at PlayersOnly

You’re not required to download any app to your mobile device in order to access Playersonly.ag on a smartphone or tablet either. Simply navigate to the website on your handset’s web browser and you’ll see the optimized version of the platform on your screen. All of the poker tables will also adhere to your screen’s dimensions easily enough this way. Mobile multi-tabling is supported with the hole cards on each table shown on a top bar across your screen.

HUDs and Tracking Software

Both the Merge Network and PlayersOnly.ag exist as long-running entities, meaning that they have had enough time to enable software creators to garner a solid understanding of how hand histories are formatted. It’s because of this that both the heads-up display (HUD) and tracker compatibility are at a high level.

The two main tracking packages can be used, operating smoothly without the requirement of any third-party programs to become involved. These tracking packages we’re speaking of are PokerTracker and Hold’em Manager. Alongside these, both Holdem Indicator and iHoldem Indicator support the Playersonly.ag platform also.

Yet, maybe you should hold your horses before you set off riding toward these trackers, at least if you intend to deploy them at PlayersOnly. Even though these are available on the Merge Gaming Network, it might not be in your best interest to utilize any.

The terms and conditions of PlayersOnly contains the following text:

Analysis of Personal Hand Histories:

Programs that analyze a player’s hand history may be used in conjunction with a player’s personal hand history. These programs/services may not be used with shared hand history data.

From this, we can deduce that trackers and HUDs are only permitted with the understanding that you don’t data-mine hands you don’t participate in. Yet, various players have gone through the trouble of inquiring specifically if tracking software is allowed. The response from the support team has varied quite enormously, with contradictory answers popping up all over the place.

When you consider that the Merge Network is quite well-known for seeking out big winning players to ban them, the use of a HUD would probably give much more cause for this to happen.

Poker Promotions

While the $1,000 welcome bonus is available for new players to take advantage of at PlayersOnly.ag, there are extra rewards for everyone else to claim alongside.

Monthly Reload Bonus

While the amounts and percentages relating to the monthly reload bonus for poker players has varied somewhat in the past, the norm for this promotion is a 100% reward up to $1,000. As the name suggests, this is available to claim every single month, and it will last for a 60-day period, just like the welcome bonus. And, in the same vein, it clears at a 20% rakeback rate.

A bonus code is required for each of these monthly reloads, and the site informs you ton insert this code on the cashier page when you make your deposit. Unfortunately, there have been frequent occurrences of the bonus not being added to user accounts properly even when the correct code has been entered. Should this happen to you, you’ll need to contact a customer support agent who should be able to add the bonus manually.

$100 Daily Freeroll

It’s always pleasing to be able to enter something for free, and that’s why the free poker tournament that takes place at Playersonly.ag every day is an inviting prospect. This is available for each and every registered user to enter and it contains a prize pool of $100. Unlimited $0.25 rebuys are available while a single $0.25 add-on is also usable. The additional funds from the rebuys + add-ons build up the $100 minimum.

Bad Beat Jackpot

While Bad Beat Jackpots may have been popular in the past across many platforms catering to U.S. players, they have since become fewer and far between. Fortunately, PlayersOnly remains as one of the few sites still offering a BBJ, even though it’s not a huge one, very rarely ever exceeding the $100,000 mark. On the other hand, the network funds this jackpot in its entirety, so there isn’t any extra Bad Beat Jackpot rake taken.

So how do you trigger this jackpot? Well, a four-of-a-kind or better has to lose at showdown on a non-heads up Texas Hold’em cash game. Both hole cards must be used in the winning and the losing hands, and a minimum of three players must have been dealt into the qualifying hand as well. Should these conditions occur, the Bad Beat Jackpot will pay out in the following way:

• The losing hand obtains a 38% share
• The winning hand obtains a 20.5% share
• The other players dealt into the hand receive a 20.5% share
• A new jackpot pool is funded with the remaining 21%

Player Point Challenges

Debuting in mid-2020, the Player Point Challenges represent one of the few ways to get any value out of the points you collect as you play. These consist of two freerolls every other Saturday, a Gold Tournament with a $500 prize pool and a Silver Tournament with $250 in prizes.

In order to participate in the Silver Tournament, you must have earned at least 1,200 Player Points in the 14 days leading up to the tourney. For Gold, the required amount of points gathered is 2,500.

This corresponds to rake figures of $120 and $250 respectively. You might find these totals challenging to achieve given the small level of poker liquidity at this room.

PlayersOnly.ag Rakeback

If you look back in history at PlayersOnly, it used to provide rakeback rewards, which continued up until 2013. It was at this time that the poker room, and fellow Merge site Carbon Poker, ceased to provide their players with rakeback. Nowadays, Playersonly.ag falls in line with sister site Sportsbook.ag, which has never offered rakeback rewards to its players in the first place.

Today, there aren’t any legitimate rakeback offers that can be obtained through PlayersOnly.ag, and this includes under-the-table deals. The site has no affiliate program in place, so RB remains an impossibility because nobody receives any sort of commission for referring people to the site. Therefore, rakeback has no source of revenue.

Something else to make mention of is the fact that there isn’t any sort of VIP system in place, there isn’t a points exchange operation in place, and there aren’t any weekly leaderboards either. Without these features being present at the poker room, there isn’t really any sort of possibility for a sort of pseudo-rakeback.

If you're perturbed by the lack of rakeback rewards at PlayerOnly, you’d be better off seeking out an alternative platform. To do so, we recommend browsing through this overview of legit rakeback poker sites as a starting point.

PlayersOnly.ag Shady?

It’s a common query of poker players to question the legitimacy of any platform, and this is something that we feel we must tackle where PlayersOnly is concerned. Is it a legal and legitimate online poker room? Well, we have encountered evidence pointing in both directions on this topic.

It can be said that Playersonly.ag provides honest gameplay and its pay-outs are fair as well. Yet, there are exceptions to this. The Merge Network tends to gravitate towards recreational players and bettors. However, when it comes to the sharks and those who can be considered skilled sports bettors, PlayersOnly does have a dim view of such users. This has led to various occasions where some players have been accused of bizarre things, just so that the network can justify banning them from the site.

Some sports bettors have been booted from the site after booking wins even if they had placed just a few bets since opening their accounts. At other times, site management has invoked tough rules regarding bonuses and promotions, but they have done this selectively, targeting those who have demonstrated skill in placing sports wagers. This organization used to also be notorious for slow-paying big wins although we must concede that it has been a while since there have been any new reports of this kind of underhanded activity.

Implausible Chip Dumping Accusation

Sportsbook.ag, which exists on the same Merge Network as Playersonly.ag, saw a disquieting poker-related incident in 2017. A poker player using the site at the time found himself up against a very bad opponent on a $15/$30 Limit Hold’em table. This led to him winning about $4,000 during gameplay. However, Merge’s fraud team outrightly decided that this player had been participating in chip dumping, and all $4,000 of his winnings were returned to the fish.

To try and justify this, Merge displayed some “proof” of this so-called chip dumping, stating that the winning player folded King-high during the middle of a session whilst involved in a three-bet pot. The poker room then requested an explanation for that type of gameplay from the player, and despite his informing them that he was using the strategy of folding air and going for solid value with his made hands, Merge didn’t accept such an explanation. His winnings were refused.

We have heard of other similar events occurring wherein a player is accused of cheating or otherwise breaking the rules. The evidence used to bring such charges against users is often flimsy or circumstantial. Despite this, the network doesn't hesitate to confiscate balances and prohibit customers from ever accessing its gaming products in such cases.

PlayersOnly.ag and its sister sites have therefore found themselves being blacklisted by various respected industry resources. We must sound a similar warning to our readers particularly those who consider themselves experienced poker veterans or sports betting sharps.

Deposits

PlayersOnly puts a focus on its users depositing at the site through Bitcoin. We can’t deny that this makes for the best payment method to use when it comes to transferring money into your poker account.

Bitcoin affords its users the possibility of depositing at a swift speed and in an anonymous state. There are only trivial fees attached to any Bitcoin transaction too. If you have never utilized this payment method before, then we have a guide to Bitcoin poker that you can browse through and uncover all of the necessary information.

Customers based in different locations may also have extra deposit methods at their disposal. Credit cards may therefore be usable via the cashier page. However, the default method for funding accounts at Playersonly.ag is BTC, and most users don't have any other ways of depositing cash by default.

To proceed with a transaction, you need to click on the button to take you to the cashier page, and this will display the deposit form in your web browser. From there, you need to follow these steps:

Decide upon the amount that you wish to deposit into your account – various values are displayed, or you can enter your own amount. Anywhere between $5 and $10,000 can be deposited into your account at any time. However, the minimum that you need to transfer in order to claim the welcome offer is $50.

If you have a promotional bonus code that you want to use while depositing, then you can enter it into the specified box. Even if you don’t want to claim a specific promotion though, you may still be able to benefit from certain rewards that will automatically be applied to your account.

Proceed by pressing the “Next” button found at the bottom of the page. This will then display the Bitcoin wallet address that you need to send your funds to for the deposit.

Open your own Bitcoin wallet, and send the amount of the cryptocurrency to the address that was displayed. Upon receiving confirmation of the transaction, you’ll see the funds be credited to your account instantly.

Withdrawals

When you want to request a withdrawal from the PlayersOnly.ag website, you will need to use a four-digit PIN code. The platform randomly generates this for every single member of the site upon account creation and sends it along via email. Another one can be created if you forget or lose this PIN.

Payouts at PlayersOnly can be done through one of the following advertised payment methods:

• Bitcoin: Between $50 and $2,500 per transaction
• Bank Wire Transfer: Between $300 and $5,000 per transaction
• Check: Between $250 and $2,500 per transaction

Some Playersonly.ag members will be restricted to solely using BTC for their withdrawals while a few additional payment methods are listed for other users. The likelihood is that this is determined by your geographic location or potentially the history of your player account.

Only a single free payment per year is available from PlayersOnly. Any other withdrawals that you make within that same calendar year will incur a fee of 3%. This does include transactions taking place via Bitcoin, which is a shame because they are usually free at other online gaming sites.

And while BTC withdrawals usually process through at quite a swift pace, such transactions at PlayersOnly have a lengthy timeframe attached to them. According to the website, payments through Bitcoin will be processed after two to three weeks. And this isn’t just a worst-case scenario. Numerous reports have been made of users experiencing processing times that have lasted for several weeks. Therefore, this is a common practice for sites on the Merge Network.

Due to the fact that there are long waiting periods, fees attached to cashouts and, at the same time, quite low maximum withdrawal limits, you could spend a lot of time waiting to receive your winnings from Playersonly.ag. The only way to avoid having to deal with these issues is to play at an alternative online gambling site that doesn’t have such limitations connected to its withdrawals. There are several platforms that can be considered reliable for payouts and that don’t have high fees attached to them.

Payout Speeds Slowing Down

The Merge Gaming Network has witnessed many customers having to wait an exceptionally long time for their money throughout history. At times, payments have taken months to arrive in player's hands. This continued on until the Bitcoin payment method was introduced to the site in 2015. And even though this sped things up more so than traditional payment methods, there were still circumstances where it took several weeks for pay-outs to arrive back with players.

This was improved upon dramatically in 2016, when users reported their cryptocurrency withdrawals were reaching them by the following day after requesting them – and sometimes on the same day.

Those particular circumstances didn’t last very long though, and reports in early 2017 suggested slower processing timeframes were once again being experienced by players. This prompted the site to state that expected BTC withdrawals would take anywhere between 24 and 96 hours.

That timeframe was again altered in the middle of 2018, with a period of between 5 and 7 business days being quoted. One year later, it became a period of 5-9 business days, and as of July 2020, this timeframe has been adjusted again to between 2 and 3 weeks.

As far as we’re concerned, there is zero reason why a cryptocurrency withdrawal should take up to three weeks to complete. The fact that the timeframe for these transactions has been on the rise over the past few years doesn’t bode well for Playersonly.ag either. Could it be that the site doesn’t have access to enough financial resources in order to provide pay-outs to its members?

Account Verification

When opting to withdraw from PlayersOnly site, you need to be aware that there is a verification process to go through beforehand. This ensures that your funds are being transferred to the right person, and if you fail to provide the necessary documentation for this, your request is likely to be declined and canceled.

To complete your account verification, it’s necessary for you to upload your photo ID and a utility bill with your home address on it. Additionally, you must verify your email address. If you are requesting a cashout via check or bank wire, then you must also submit a void check or copy of a bank statement.

Playersonly.ag History

So that you’re able to understand everything about PlayersOnly.ag, you’ll need to know a bit more about where it came from. In order to provide you with the necessary background on this organization, we have compiled a few pieces of pertinent information below along with key parts of the brand’s history for you to check out.

Origins of PlayersOnly

Canadian Patrick Callahan was the founder of PlayersOnly (originally known simply as “Players”), which he started in 1996 as an adjunct to a bar he opened in Venezuela called Fat Boys. In January 2018, Callahan figured out a way to process credit card gambling transactions, which had hitherto been beyond the abilities of then-existing sportsbooks.

Archived PlayersOnly.com Website From 1998

It's not exactly clear how Callahan was able to achieve this feat, but it stands to reason that he had familiarized himself with the sometimes-questionable offshore payment processing industry. Whatever the story behind this, PlayersOnly quickly grew to become one of the most well-known internet bookmakers.

SportingBet and Jazette

One of the key moments in the history of Playersonly was when it was sold to SportingBet in 2001. At the time, the site went under the name of PlayersOnly.com, and it was sold alongside its sister sites, Sportsbook.com and Wallstreet.com. In 2004, SportingBet also obtained Paradise Poker, and this allowed the company to incorporate poker to its collection of betting opportunities.

However, it was in 2006 that the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) passed into law in the United States. This caused issues for many publicly traded online betting sites, like SportingBet.

To avoid these problems, Playersonly.com and its partner sites were all sold on to Jazette Enterprises for a single dollar. Up until this time, Jazette had never been heard of before, and speculation arose that it was actually a creation of SportingBet’s own management team.

Enter the Cake Poker Network

Paradise Poker had departed the U.S. market with the introduction of the UIGEA, and this meant that PlayersOnly.com needed to locate a new partner for its poker options. This was what led to the platform uniting with the Cake Poker Network.

Unfortunately for PlayerOnly, the Cake Network was home to many bonus hunters and poker sharks. Therefore, the players who were signed up to PlayersOnly ended up losing quite a bit of their money to the members of other network skins, and this brought about plenty of worry for the Jazette management team. In a bid to counteract this, they launched special tables solely for their members to access. This way, they wouldn’t lose to ferocious poker grinders from other sites on the same network.

Merging with Merge

Jazette finally found itself being unhappy with the Cake Network and its operations, which is why it chose to move across to the Merge Gaming Network in April of 2010. This saw that particular network blossom significantly more than it ever had, thanks to the influx of players from Sportsbook.com and Playersonly.com. Yet, this wasn’t exactly something that remained as a positive outcome for Merge.

Things proceeded perfectly for about one year, including throughout the turbulent times of Black Friday in 2011, following which the Merge Network became the largest in the United States after an overnight disappearance of various competitors from the market. This included popular brand Pokerstars.

However, certain changes did have to be made as due to the increase in popularity, the PlayersOnly site had to be altered from its .com domain to a safer .ag setup. Unfortunately, even though Merge went through prolific growth, certain business happening did put a heavy strain on the company’s reputation. Several shady operators managed to make their way into proceedings.

For example, the Lock Poker site opted to reward its players in quite the extensive way, but this was also very unsustainable. Therefore, it lost a lot of revenue and as a result, eventually went belly-up (although it had left the Merge Network by that time). Owed payouts reached into the millions of dollars at one point, and CEO Jennifer Larson did very little to calm the situation of upset poker players. At the same time, various other skins went about trying to poach players from other Merge sites by offering exceptionally enticing deals that reduced margins and often couldn’t be sustained.

The Merge Network Gets a New Owner in Jazette

Merge soon found itself taking hits on its revenue thanks to the shady routes taken by various operators, and it was at this time that Jazette took the reins to provide some necessary capital. The company took an increasing level of control over the Merge Gaming Network and decisions relating to how things operated there.

Unfortunately, Jazette didn’t have a lot of experience where the poker side of things was concerned. It had been linked to sports betting primarily, and poker had sort of been stuck on to the side of this. Once it gained so much control over Merge, Jazette’s negative feelings towards poker were pretty much visible. The company tried to dissuade any successful poker players from continuing on with their gameplay on the network.

So why were such tactics pursued by Jazette? Well, anyone who is a poker winner basically gets their winnings from those who have lost. Naturally, those players then have less funds with which to place bets on sports and casino games, which is where Jazette wanted the main portion of money spent on its sites to go.

The Loss of Player Rewards

In 2013, the Merge Network ended its rakeback program. This applied to new players as well as those who already had rakeback accounts.

Playersonly.ag and Sportsbook.ag also opted to remove its “Ace High” VIP program in 2013. Through this, the higher-level poker players had the ability to trade in 60,000 accumulated points every month and obtain a maximum of $2,700 in cash credits from doing so. That stood as a 45% return rate. Yet, with the adjustments made, those same players were only able to receive a maximum of $1,200 each month by exchanging 90,000 points. That 13% return was, obviously, much lower, operating within the new system known as “The Players’ Club”.

Yet, it didn’t take long for the Merge Gaming Network to completely remove any sort of VIP points redemption system altogether. This took place in July of 2014, and afterwards, the most faithful players of the PlayersOnly site had no real incentive to continue playing there. That’s a circumstance that continues on even to this very day.

In an even more questionable move, Playersonly.ag halted its affiliate program in 2016, which went by the name of CommissionAccount. By doing so, it refused to pay affiliates for any newly referred customers and at the same time stopped payments for rake that was generated by existing players.

Through the termination of this affiliate program, a huge negative impact was suffered. Jazette Group may have renamed itself Domain Holdings, but the actions undertaken by the company under whatever name have been quite disastrous. Poker traffic went through a massive decline, averaging out at around 260 players being active simultaneously in 2016 down to around just 40 today. Quite a decline for a network that, in May 2011, recorded about 1,700 players simultaneously active.

PlayersOnly.ag Sports Betting Review

Having been setup initially as more of a sportsbook operation, Playersonly.ag does offer its members a big selection of different sports to wager on. American sports do take the primary focus of the platform although international events can also be found there too.

That’s not all, though, because PlayersOnly has a selection of events that you can wager on which don’t really have anything to do with sports. For example, the “Politics” category has a fair few options for you to bet on, such as the 2020 US Presidential Election and the State by State Electoral Vote. There’s also the possibility of betting on different occurrences within the “Entertainment” category, which frequently incorporates wagers on awards ceremonies and similar events.

eSports is also quite a major betting sector for PlayersOnly.ag, with possibilities for wagering on CS:GO, Rainbow Six, League of Legends, and others being available.

PlayersOnly Sportsbook

And in a bid to keep things moving and fresh at the site, it was in 2020 that Sports Sims betting was introduced. Through this, you’re able to bet on simulated sporting matches, with the results of such games being determined by video game engines.

So, you’ll be able to bet on events set up in games like NBA2K or MLB The Show 20, for example. Those games are also streamed live on Twitch, so the simulated action can be viewed for the bets that you place.

Bets Available

Playersonly.ag doesn’t deviate too much from what is considered the norm where sports betting is concerned. You’ll find that moneylines, teasers, spreads, totals, parlays, et cetera are all available for you to bet your money on at the site.

Something that does stand out about this sportsbook, however, is the props. These are available in quite an extensive number, which is clearly visible when you compare PlayersOnly with other bookmakers. You can also string these props together into parlays, which is not something that you’ll find at a huge number of other sites.

A note of importance relating to bets at the sportsbook is that you must wager a minimum of $1. While the maximum bet isn’t specifically listed at the site, generally speaking, you’ll find this to be around the $5,000 mark for the major sports, while niche leagues tend to have a lower maximum limit.

Something that you should bear in mind when betting at this site is that you are only permitted to withdraw a maximum of $2,500 through Bitcoin. So even though you can still win huge amounts on the sportsbook, you won’t be able to withdraw it all at once. In this respect, it would be ideal to maintain smaller wagers of no more than a few hundred dollars.

PlayersOnly.ag doesn’t appeal to savvy handicap bettors unfortunately. It tends to target the more casual bettor. Because this is the case (and because many of the bettors accessing the sportsbook are quite clueless in general), the odds can be fairly disjointed. Thus, you stand the chance of coming across some profitable betting opportunities from time to time. Looking at the proposition markets, you may also be able to exploit weaknesses if you’re aware of what you’re doing.

Granted, there may be the potential to win thousands of dollars as a sports bettor at Playersonly.ag, but it would be more beneficial to not win too much at once. Should you do so, you may find yourself on the other end of stalling tactics utilized by the site when you want to withdraw. And don’t forget about the potential for being banned by this brand either. For this reason, you may find it more convenient to locate a sports betting platform that doesn’t have such restrictions from this list.

Advanced Sports Betting Elements

A few additional features are included in the PlayersOnly platform, and these do help to give it certain appeal to stand out amongst others.

Cash Out

Should you ever wish to finish a bet before the event you’re betting on is over, you can do so by using the Cash Out function. This isn’t available on all betting markets and events, but will be marked on the ones that it’s accessible through.

To take advantage of this, you just need to look for the pending wagers found in the “My Bets” area of the platform. Then, if you see that a bet isn’t going your way and you’d like to cut your losses, or if a match isn’t over but you’re already in the money, you can use this function to lock in a guaranteed payout.

Live Betting

Pre-match betting is available at Playersonly.ag, but you’ve also got the opportunity to engage in live betting as well. Therefore, you can make additional bets beyond or instead of pre-match wagers. Doing so will allow you to bet on in-play events, and while not all matches and events are accessible this way, it does provide a different set of possibilities. You can view the schedule of upcoming events that are available in a live betting setup at the sportsbook.

Contests

You also have the chance to compete against other bettors at the site if you so wish, and this is done through contests. Again, it provides a different angle to the betting routine, allowing you to go against others instead of against the bookie.

The contests include March Madness brackets, squares pools, and other similar diversions. Basically, you get to select a team or players, et cetera and attempt to be at the top of the rankings for a large reward at the end.

Sportsbook Promotions

As a member of the site, you won’t find any permanent promotions on offer for the sportsbook at PlayersOnly. That’s quite the shame especially when we consider that the sportsbook is the main product of the site. Even though this is the case, you’ll have the opportunity to engage in frequent enough reload bonuses, and don’t forget to keep an eye on your email inbox. PlayersOnly.ag will sometimes send specific offers to you there.

If you do choose to proceed with a bonus that isn’t associated with poker, you will need to go through wagering of 20x the amount received. This isn’t such an appealing prospect though. Unless you’re really able to take advantage of certain unusually favorable odds, then clearing a bonus at the sportsbook isn’t something that's particularly rewarding.

PlayersOnly.ag Racebook Review

As a horse racing fan, you’ll be able to access events from over 250 tracks around the world. While many of these are located within the United States of America, others from the United Kingdom, Japan, and Australia for example, can also be found here.

You’ll have the opportunity to bet on thoroughbred and harness races with normal straight wagers being present alongside certain exotic bets. These include Exacta, Daily Double, Superfecta, and Quinella.

PlayersOnly Racebook

It’s normal that when it comes to pari-mutuel wagering, the odds on display within the racebook sector are displayed simply as estimates. The total action that is put on each type of wager will then determine the final odds. The racetrack will calculate these once betting on the events comes to an end.

The listed tracks are separated into five different categories, running from A through to E. Different maximums can be found at the site, relating to highest pay-out odds, bet size, the amount you’re able to win from an event, and so on. The details pertaining to each category are as follows:

Racebook Promotions

You’ve got the opportunity to take advantage of a few promotions relating to the racebook as well, and these can increase your overall experience and earn.

New Player Match Bet

Your initial wager at the Playersonly.ag racebook will see you on the receiving end of a 100% match bonus. To be able to qualify for this, you need to ensure that your first bet is somewhere between $1 and $50. Following on from this, an amount of money that is equal to your overall bet is added to your account as a bonus. You’re able to use these funds in the racebook, the sportsbook, or the casino section of the platform.

Racebook Rebate

A cashback rebate is handed out to every single active bettor at the site on their racing bets, and you don’t have to reach any minimum volume of bets in order to receive this. The refund itself is calculated based on the total amount you wager overall, regardless of whether those bets are winning or losing outcomes. However, it’s important to note that this only applies to races occurring in categories A, B, and C.

The basic rebate amount stands at 3% of the total amount you bet on races. That being said, category B tracks with exotic bets earn you a 5% rebate instead while category A exotics provide an 8% rebate cashback.

Racebook Bonuses

Most bonuses that you claim at PlayersOnly, other than those that are specifically for poker, are usable on the racebook. They do require you to complete a 5x wagering on horse races, and that’s much easier to get to than the 20x linked with sportsbook bonus funds.

Occasionally, racebook offers will be sent to you via email, through the site’s own messaging system, or through the “Promos” page of the site. These can frequently be beneficial to you to claim as well. However, don’t forget about the vig that the racetrack management retains. This can vary between 15% and 30%, and this depends upon the track and the type of bet you have placed. Thus, these racebook bonuses might not be quite as valuable as they might first appear.

PlayersOnly.ag Casino Review

For those people who also want to engage in some casino gameplay, the PlayersOnly.ag site does provide such as well. It isn’t something that you need to download with all of the games launching within your web browser through instant play. On the downside, the library of titles is not something that is hugely extensive if we’re honest. That being said, the games on offer are all of a good quality and operate smoothly.

Casino Lobby at PlayersOnly

Launching a game will see it appear on the right side of the screen while the casino’s menu shows up on the left of it. Alternatively, you have the opportunity to open a game up in its own window or new tab if you wish.

If you look at the menu on the left, not only will you see the different casino game categories, but a “Play for Fun” button too. Therefore, you can play the games with demo funds instead of your own money.

Games

Betsoft is the sole provider of the casino software at Playersonly.ag, and this means that the site has over 100 slots for you to access. Alongside these games, you’ll find a nice choice of table games, video poker and card games, such as blackjack and baccarat.

Slots

Various different slots are playable in the lobby, and these include numerous types of themes for you to experience. Betsoft’s own Slots3 engine can be found in operation, which is the proprietary creation of the developer. This ensures wonderful graphics and smooth gameplay are featured in all titles. While different setups can be experienced depending upon the slot you opt to play, most of them feature five reels and three rows.

“It Came From Venus” Video Slot

Some of the games in the lobby even have jackpots for you to try and win with many climbing into six figures. With this being the case, you stand to win a huge amount from playing these slots if you're lucky.

Table Games

Many of the standard table games that are associated with traditional casinos can be found at Playersonly.ag as well. So, you shouldn’t find it a surprise to locate blackjack, craps, baccarat, roulette, and others at the site.

The maximum bets within these games generally range between $200 and $500, depending upon the variation you’ve chosen. However, High Stakes blackjack offers the possibility of wagering up to $2,000 per hand.

Where standard blackjack is concerned, you’ll find six-deck shoes in place, the dealer standing on soft 17, and doubling being available on any two cards. If you incorporate optimal basic strategy into your blackjack gameplay, then you will see the house advantage sink to just 0.46%, which is a wonderful prospect.

Video Poker

The video poker that is available at PlayersOnly.ag encompasses a pretty diverse array of games. Regular single-hand video poker, multi-hand variations, and Pyramid Poker can all be found within the lobby. In the latter of these, the final hand is broken down into two sub-hands, and these have their own pay-out schedules, which are added on to wins generated from the main hand in play.

Jacks or Better follows the standard 9/6 pay-out scheme. This comes with a house advantage of just 0.46% although this depends upon you playing five coins at a time. The remaining video poker games are quite a mixture as far as the payout charts are concerned. Some of them actually have terrible odds attached to them while others offer much better prospects.

Other Games

The PlayersOnly casino has a couple of additional games that don’t really sit well in any category, which are Keno Jackpot and Virtual Derby. The Keno game operates like you might expect but with a progressive jackpot being attached to it. Meanwhile, Virtual Derby provides simulated horse racing for you to bet on and then watch as the computer-generated event plays out.

Casino Promotions

A few promotions exist at the platform that cater to casino players, and these often recur to keep you invested in the games. By cleverly combining multiple promos together, you can really enhance your ability to book a win.

Spin to Win

Anyone who has a particular preference for playing slots may find the Spin to Win tournament to be of interest. This takes place every Friday from 12:01am through to 11:59pm PST. To qualify for this, you are required to make 50 spins and bet at least $50 between those hours.

Participating in this gives you the chance to win part of the $500 prize, which is spread out over the top 40 ranking entries. Although the odd part of this is that to win, you need to record the lowest pay-out percentage in the tournament.

The prizes available as part of this come in the shape of bonus funds that have a 35x wagering requirement attached to them. These must be used within 14 days of receiving them. Unlike with most PlayersOnly bonuses, these tournament winnings must be used in the casino.

Blackjack Tournament

A blackjack tournament also occurs at Playersonly.ag, and this happens every Wednesday. It’s free to enter and provides $1,000 in bonus funds to the winners. This also runs between 12:01 a.m. and 11:59 p.m. PST. A minimum of 100 rounds must be played and a total of $500 placed in bets to qualify for the tournament.

A maximum win of $300 is handed out to the first-place player while 35 others will get at least $10 each. The winners are those with the highest pay-out percentages. Again, all the tournament winnings come in the form of bonus funds with 35x playthrough requirements in the casino.

Casino Bonuses

If you access the site’s “Promos” page, then you’ll see bonus offers aimed at casino players. Sometimes, these rewards are sent out to you through email, and if this occurs, you may seriously want to think of accepting them.

The standard wagering requirement attached to casino bonuses is 35x. If you receive a special promotional offer that provides bonus funds that can be used in any part of the site, the casino section is the best one to utilize it in.

Now, this may seem quite strange considering that the sportsbook’s playthrough is only 20x on bonus funds and the racebook’s is only 5x. However, there are various casino games that come with very small house edges, such as the 99.54% RTP rate attached to blackjack for example.

So despite the fact that games exist in the casino from just a single developer (Betsoft) and the fact that there are few payment methods available to use, the PlayersOnly.ag casino is quite handy for advantage players in this respect. Once you have collected all reload bonuses and succeeded with a withdrawal of winnings, there’s always the possibility of locating and joining a much better provider for casino gaming.

Casino Cashback

Every Friday, you can obtain a 10% rebate on your casino losses from Monday through Thursday. To receive this cashback, you must have wagered at least $50 during the Monday – Thursday period.

Casino cashback is capped at a maximum of $250 each week. There's a 35x wagering requirement associated with these lossback bonuses, which must be completed within seven days.

Customer Support

You don’t need to go through your betting journey alone at PlayersOnly. There is a support team for you to reach by sending an email to support[at]playersonly.ag, or you can fill out the provided contact form as an alternative. This is found via the “Help” menu on the site.

Live chat is also available, but this isn’t so easy to find. Navigate to the cashier page via the poker client to open up the deposit section. Enter any random amount and click “Next”. It is on the second page of the deposit interface that you will see a blue button for launching the live chat function. This puts you in contact with the support team.

Live Chat Window

The poker software also allows you to leave a comment or a specific suggestion. This should only be used if you’re not particularly looking for a response though. Simply navigate to the “Feedback” link in the “Help” menu and type your message in.

Players' Opinions

Our usual process before we put out our own verdict on an online platform is to see what other players have said about it. When it comes to Playersonly.ag, some members of the site have commented on it positively, but most of the recent reactions to this site have been fairly negative more so.

Further down, you’ll find just a few of the comments that have been left by users of PlayersOnly:

Final Thoughts

It’s clear to see why PlayersOnly.ag used to have such a large following especially when it switched over to the Merge Network and various other brands had to pull out of the U.S. market. It provided plenty of traffic, had intriguing and high-quality software, and a diverse collection of games alongside. Not only that, but there were many promotions and perks for players to benefit from. Yet, the issues started occurring when these rewards were pushed aside and a lack of customer consideration made its way to the forefront.

Questionable decisions regarding the progress of the site and the changes that were made were authorized and implemented by management. With this being the case, PlayersOnly and the linked sites have nobody to blame but themselves. Poker doesn’t really seem to be something that is cared about as it once was, and this is very evident from its player numbers today.

So, we would implore you to locate an alternative platform for your poker needs. It’s much better than dealing with a sub-par operation that doesn’t really care about poker players. To find a better poker room, why not browse through this collection of solid USA online poker rooms that we have put together?

Frequently Asked Questions

Should you have further questions regarding the PlayersOnly platform, then here is a FAQ that you can browse through to seek out answers.