The Gift of Poker - Published: 1/8/2006
As more evidence of its transformation from a seedy card room gambling game to the accepted skill game of the present, poker accessories have filled the stockings this year. It was no surprise to see poker books, tables and chips sell like hotcakes this past holiday season, but a unique item that has just started to gain popularity is the online poker gift certificate.
Gift certificates were often shunned upon in past years as a way to easily get out of needed shopping, but the modern day consumer has found a new appreciation for receiving a present that holds the flexibility to be used how and when they want. Many new players receiving an online poker gift will appreciate the fact that they will have a real money funded poker account without trusting the card room with their own personal banking or credit card information. This gift is an opportunity for many players unfamiliar with the online poker scene to get comfortable with the industry as a whole.
There are still some technical steps that have to be completed before an online poker gift certificate can be used. The receiver must already have an account at the particular card room, if not they will need the instructions on how to download and create a new account. This is a simple enough process and I suggest including the steps in the contents of an e-mail with the gift certificate included as an attachment. Once the gift certificate is received a link will have to be followed whereupon the receiver must verify it’s legitimacy with the gift certificate registration number. Alternatively, the gift certificates offered by Full Tilt Poker are accompanied by a printable file which can be used to be put inside a Christmas card, giving the gift a slightly more real and personal touch than a simple electronic e-mail.
The amount of the gift certificates is often quite flexible. Although the minimum for the gift certificates offered year round by Ultimate Bet and Full Tilt Poker is $25 USD, you could choose an amount from as low as $10 up to $200 for the holiday gift certificates that were offered by Absolute Poker this past December. One item to note that this gift won’t count as a first deposit amount, so don’t expect to get any extra bonuses on the certificate amount.
With minimal management expense needed, poker gift certificates are a feature that benefits both the card room and its players looking to share their poker experience with friends and family. Although only a handful of card rooms offered them for the 2005 holiday season, you can expect to see almost every poker room on the net offer some type of gift certificate option next year.
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