How to Cash Out Your Online Poker Money

So you’ve put in your work, grinded out a profit at the tables and are ready for a little relaxation and recreation. Cashing out your poker funds is the most rewarding and exciting part of poker – it’s the whole reason we all play poker in the first place! If you make a little money at the tables and are ready to put that money in the bank, the following withdrawal methods will help you do just that (but never leave yourself with too short of a bankroll!).

eCheck Poker Withdrawals

This is the easiest and most preferred withdrawal method of them all. When you withdraw via eCheck, all you have to do is type in your account info (checking account # and bank routing #) and tell them how much you wish to withdraw. Your poker site will then send the money straight to your bank account. There are no middle men to worry about or fees to pay; just hit that withdraw button and go on your merry way.

If you’re from the United States, you will find that only a few poker sites offer eCheck withdrawals. At the moment, PokerStars and Full Tilt are the only two poker sites that offer these for US players. The legal situation in the United States makes it difficult for poker sites to process eChecks so this deposit method comes and goes in spurts.

eWallet Withdrawals

eWallets are another great method for withdrawing your funds from poker sites. If you have an account at an eWallet, you can simply log in to your poker site, ask for a withdrawal, and then submit your eWallet information. They will then credit your eWallet account within the next day or two. After that, you can send the money from your eWallet to your bank account.

Using eWallets to cash out adds an extra middle man to the process but that’s ok. Once you have your money in your eWallet account, you will have even more cashout options. eWallets don’t face the same challenges as poker sites when it comes to banking so they make it easy to cash out to your bank account. This is especially good news for players from the United States.

Almost all online poker sites allow eWallet deposits/withdrawals, but they do come with a fee. eWallets such as Moneybookers and Click2Pay either charge flat rates around $5/transaction, or percentage fees around 1-5% per transaction. These fees can get stiff if you withdraw a lot, so make sure to plan your withdrawals accordingly.

Wire Transfer Withdrawals

Wire transfer withdrawals are a little more expensive but they are the fastest and most secure withdrawal method. Most poker sites only offer wire transfers if you have a large balance and need to cash it all out at once. All you have to do is submit your banking information and then wait for the money to appear in your account.

The wire transfer option isn’t always listed in the poker software because it’s mainly reserved for large account players. If you need to cash out several thousand dollars and don’t have a wire transfer option, try sending an e-mail to your poker site support team.

Cash Transfer Withdrawals

Cash transfer withdrawals are perfect for medium-sized withdrawals. This cashout option uses a service such as Western Union or Moneygram to send your money to you in cash. When you request this withdrawal option, you will be given information and a confirmation number via e-mail. After that, just take that information to your nearest Western Union and they’ll give you your cash.

Paper Check and Courier Check Withdrawals

I’m not a big fan of paper check withdrawals, but I’ve received a few in the past. It’s not fun checking the mail every day and hoping for that check but it’s a reliable cashout option. Paper checks are fairly cheap and don’t require anything from you (other than a bank account to deposit the check).

Courier checks are basically the same thing as paper checks except they arrive at your front door and require a signature before they are delivered. They are also much faster than paper checks. If you have the option to receive a courier check, I recommend you go this route. The extra layer of safety is great for your piece of mind (although courier checks usually carry a $20 to $50 per check fee).

One thing that always bothered me in the past was the possibility of my checks being lost in the mail. This has never happened to me before but I recently found out that if you never get your check, all you have to do is ask the poker site to cancel the lost check and send you a new one. You won’t just lose your money.