FAQ's

Here are some frequently asked questions about paddypowerpoker.com. If you still have any further queries then please don’t hesitate to contact us for further assistance.

 

Getting Started

 

How do I start playing paddypowerpoker.com?
To start playing poker you must first of all download the poker room software and then register a nick–name. This will enable you to play for fun. To play for real money you will need to register your details and a payment method in "My Account" (see below for more information)

How do I sit down at a table?
After you log in to Poker you will see the "Choose a Table" tree on the right side of the screen. This will give you a list of all tables in our poker room. From the options below you can select what type of game you would like to play. Select "Play Money" menu if you wish to play for fun. Select from the other options if you wish to play for cash or in a tournament. The six options below this offer you a choice of game type. Select your preferred game type ie Holdem and you will be presented with a list of tables in the window below. To Join a table simply scroll through the list until you find the table you wish to play at and either double click on it or highlight it and press the button on the bottom right of the screen, "Go To Table". When the table screen loads up look for a seat at the table that says, "Seat Open". If none of the seats say this then the table is full and you will need to press the button "Leave Table" on the bottom right hand corner of the screen and look for another table. You can join a waiting list for that table if you desire. If all seats are free you may wish to either find another fuller table or wait for others to join. Hit the button, "Seat Open" you will be presented with a screen asking you how much you would like to take to the table either from your play money account or in a cash game from your cashier. Choose the amount by pressing "ok" and get ready to play!

What is play money?
Play money chips enable you to play poker for free. Whether learning the ropes or low on bankroll these will always be available for you. If you run out you can simply top them up whenever you like. If you click on the cashier section of poker client on the bottom left hand side, then click "My Account" – you will see your play money chip balance. To select a Play money game go to the "Choose a Table" tree and select "Play Money", this will give you a list of fun tables for you to hone your skills at!

Setting up a Fun Poker account?
Setting up a new fun poker account on paddypowerpoker.com is quick and easy! Once you have downloaded the poker software, click on the register button, choose a username and password and enter your email address

How do I set up a real money account?
If you are an existing customer of Paddy Power Sports–book then you already have a real money account and all you have to do is login!

If you are new to Paddy Power then you should set up your fun poker account as stated above then visit the "My Account" page on the paddypowerpoker.com software. Click on the "Register now" button. From here follow the on screen prompts, fill in your details and choose a method of payment for your account. Once your Paddy Power account details have been successfully entered, you can play at any of our real money tables or tournaments.

Can I play more than one table at a time?
You may play up to eight tables at any one time.

What’s the difference between cash games and tournaments?
Cash games and tournaments are two different ways to play poker. The paddypowerpoker.com room offers both. In tournament poker you pay an entrance fee and take part in a last–man–standing knockout competition whereas in cash games you play with real money and can leave the table at anytime. For further information about cash and tournament games please click here.

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Playing Poker

 

If I run out of chips, can I get some more?
Yes. In cash games you can only purchase more chips after the hand you are currently involved in is over.

How do I tell how much is in a pot?
The amount of chips in the pot is displayed beside the main pot. If there is a side pot the amount in the side pot will also be displayed.

What is a side pot and who can win it?
When there are three or more players in a hand and one of the players is all–in, any further betting that takes place between the remaining players is known as the side pot. The all–in player cannot win the side pot but can win the main pot.

What is the rake?
Rake is the money retained from a pot by the House (Paddy Power) in a cash game. Usually this is a small percentage of the total size of the pot. Information on rake can be found here.

Why did my hand lose, it was the same as someone else’s hand?
If for example two players both hold the same pair, the winning hand is the hand with the strongest other high card or ‘kicker’. For more details on hand rankings click here.

Why has my chat facility been removed?
We ask all players to refrain from using foul or offensive language and to treat other players with respect at all times. Players who fail to do so may have their chat privileges suspended temporarily or permanently.

Minimize screen from full mode?
We would like to confirm the receipt of your email in regards in your technical query in minimizing your screen while playing poker.
In this concern, we suggest that you try this following step:
1. You may try to enter the alt + enter command keystroke
2. Un–tick the full screen mode at options>>game settings of the poker client
3. Or adjust screen resolution of your monitor to 1024x768.

What are High Speed/Turbo tables in Poker
These are high speed cash tables aimed at players that prefer a fast paced game. When playing at these tables you will have a maximum of 10 second to make your decisions in each round of betting. These tables are prefixed with the word “Turbo” to differentiate them from the regular cash tables. We offer all forms of Texas Hold Em and various buy–in levels are available. Regarding Turbo Tables, please note that any player leaving a turbo table with winnings is not permitted to join the same table within one hour unless he/she sits again with at least the same amount of chips that he left that table with.

How can I modify/disable my chat function?
You can alter your chat features by clicking on the "Options" button in the poker lobby and selecting "Game Settings". You may select to view your chat in "bubbles", and you may also choose between side chat (which appears on the right side of the table) or table chat (which appears below the table). In addition, you may also select to disable your chat entirely.

How to change the sound settings?
You may change your sound settings by clicking on the "Options" button in the poker lobby and clicking on "Audio Settings". You may select to turn on or off the music, the dealers voice, the player sounds (for example, when you place a chip on the table), and the sound all together. You may also adjust the volume for the sound settings you have left on.

How can I change or hide my avatar?
You can change or hide your avatar by clicking on the "Options" button in the poker lobby and selecting "Poker Options". You have the option to choose between ten (10) different images, and you also have the option to hide your avatar as well.
Please note that you can not change or hide your avatar settings while at a table.

Table balancing information
Whenever any table finishes a hand we perform a check if the number of players is unbalanced, meaning that:
* Current table has more than one player in excess to average player count in all tables or * Enough players have dropped out of tournament, so we can fit the remaining players in one less table (table breakdown).
If either of these checks has a positive response then players are moved out of this table.
* If a breakdown is not needed then the tournament moves as many players as necessary to bring the tables player count down to the average player count.
* On a breakdown the tournament moves all players out of the table and closes the table.
In either case the redistribution process fills the tables in random order up to average player count.
Players are removed from table starting in position before the dealer, moving counterclockwise.
Free position for players placed in the table is located starting in position before the dealer moving counterclockwise. These are the positions that receive the blinds in the last order. Note, that if player is placed between the BB and dealer then he does not pay the SB, but instead skips a hand or two until the dealer button passes over him.
For example: A tournament has three tables left – table A with 8 players, table B with 9 players and table C with 10 players. The average number of players per table is 9. Therefore the player sitting on the right hand of the dealer in table C will be moved to table A and placed to the first available seat on the right hand of the dealer.

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My Account

 

Where can I check my account balance?
The cash balance of your Poker wallet is conveniently displayed at the lower left corner of the lobby window. It can also be viewed in the cashier section

What is the difference between my nickname and username?
Your nickname is the screen name that you use at the poker tables. Your username is a string of letters and numbers assigned to you by the iPoker network or your SportsBook system, which you will use to log in to the poker client. The same username and password is used for playing Poker, Casino and using the SportsBook.

System tells me my account is locked, what do I do?
It is not permitted to have more than one poker account on paddypowerpoker.com. As such if the system detects that you have another account on the computer that you are currently using it will block this transaction and refer you to customer service. If you experience this for any other reason other than the above please contact a member of our customer service team via "Manager Chat".

What is Neteller and how do I use it?
If you have a Neteller account and wish to add this payment method to your account, you can do this by adding it through your Cashier page when you’re logged onto the Poker software.

As we don’t accept US based customers, we need to verify all Neteller accounts. Your account will be suspended for up to 36 hours, as soon as you make a deposit, while your details are verified. If you don’t want to wait 36 hours, you can send in a copy of your passport or driving licence AND a copy of a bank statement or utility bill to poker@paddypower.com or fax to 0035314045986.

If you have an existing paddy power account, contact Gaming support and we will add your Neteller account for you. You can contact us on the details on the bottom of the screen.

How do I earn Paddy Points?
Paddy Points are earned at ring games based on the "rake taken" during each hand (remember we operate a "no flop, no drop" policy). In order to get Paddy Points, the pot should reach at least 5$. For example, if $0.25 (the minimum) in rake is taken at a hand, all participating players, whether they contributed to the pot by placing a blind or a bet, or whether they folded, will receive 1 Paddy Point. If $5, the maximum rake, is taken at a hand, all participating players will receive 8 Paddy Points.
Clarification: "rake taken" refers to the entire amount of rake taken from all players during the hand, and not from any individual player.
Please refer to the table below on how a player earns Paddy Points based on rake:
Rake No. of Paddy Points for each participating hand
$0.25 / $0.50 1
$0.51 / $1.00 2
$1.00 / $1.50 4
$1.51 / $2.00 6
$2.00 / $5.00 8

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Promotions

 

How do promotions work and how do I enter one?
We offer regular promotions and special events. For details of our current offerings please click here.

Each one of our promotions have different terms and conditions, please examine all the rules of the promotion you are using.

Which currencies can I play?
All games in the poker room are played in US dollars. Your funds will be transferred to the poker room as US dollars using a fixed exchange rate and any refunds or winnings are transferred back to your account at the same rate.

What methods of payment can I use to put cash into my account?
Customers of Paddy Power can make a deposit via Debit or Credit card. Cheque, Cash via our shop network or An Post Bill Pay (to use An Post Bill Pay you must be an Irish customer). Details on the individual methods are listed below.

Depositing via Debit or Credit card
Paddy Power accepts the following credit and debit cards: VISA, MASTERCARD, LASER, SWITCH/MAESTRO and SOLO cards are all accepted. Deposits from debit cards (LASER, SWITCH and SOLO) must be in the currency of issue. At present we cannot accept AMEX (American Express) or Transactonline cards and we cannot accept credit cards from U.S. banks due to legal restrictions. The minimum deposit allowed is £10 or €10 depending on your currency of choice. The maximum deposits per day allowed are: Euro – €8000  GBP – £6000.  For all credit and debit cards, a typical transaction will take a 10–15 seconds to process, however at peak times this may rise to 1 minute.

Depositing via cheque
Please send all Euro and GBP cheques to the following address: PaddyPower.com Airton House Airton Road Tallaght Dublin 24 Ireland Please send cheque to the above address with a letter that states your Username, Full Name and Address. No 3rd party cheques will be accepted; this means cheques drawn on J Bloggs account can only be lodged to J Bloggs Paddypower.com account. All cheques sent to us must have the account holder’s username written on the back of the cheque. No other persons can send cheques on behalf of an account holder. Please allow 1–5 working days for EURO cheques to clear and 5–10 working days for GBP cheques to clear before any money is deposited to your account.

Depositing via An Post BillPay (Irish Customers only)
BillPay is a free service from An Post, which allows Paddypower.com clients in Ireland to deposit money into their Paddypower.com accounts. Send an email with your name, address, username, preferred email address and mobile/Phone number to support@paddypower.com . Our accounts department will record the assigned card details and send it to you in the post. Please allow for 3–5 working days for delivery. Once you receive your Paddypower BillPay card, you must visit your local Post Office and make the necessary deposits. The An Post clerk will swipe your Paddypower.com BillPay card and transfer your preferred deposit amount to Paddypower.com. Please allow for 2–4 working days before this money is credited to your online account at Paddypower.com. The minimum amount payable is €50 and the maximum amount payable is  €5000.

Can I put cash into my account through your shops?
Yes you can. Go into any Paddy Power shop, give them your Paddy Power Sports–Book user name and make a cash lodgment. Please note the shop must have your sports–book user name which is the name you used to set up your real money account, not your poker user name.  The minimum cash deposit in one of our shops is €50 /£50 (For London shops).

What methods can I use to take cash out of my account?
Customers of Paddy Power can make a withdrawal via Debit or Credit card or cheque. Details on the individual methods are listed below.

Withdrawing via credit or debit card
Withdrawing via credit or debit card is easy. Hit the Deposit button in the Cashier section of poker and follow the online instructions! When withdrawing funds back from Paddy Power to a credit card account it may take up to 5 working days before they are credited back.

Please note : European MasterCard holders have unilaterally decided that they will no longer accept withdrawals back onto their cards. Also, some Sterling customers with an address in Northern Ireland or outside the UK may not be able to withdraw funds back onto their mastercard either. In these cases, in order to make a withdrawal you will be given the facility to withdraw by cheque.

Withdrawing via cheque
If your account operates under a Cheque, Bank Transfer or BillPay system you can withdraw by cheque online by going to the Withdrawal section of the cashier screen. Please note that you can only withdraw one Cheque per day.

Can I take cash out of my account through your shops?
Unfortunately we currently do not have this facility available, however we are working on it and will let you know as soon as we do.

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Fairness and Security

 

Are the games fair?
We use highly sophisticated anti–collusion monitoring and Casino Pit Boss software. This enables us to keep a close watch on player activity and raises alarms when suspicious behaviour is detected.

Security and Integrity
We value your business and won’t risk compromising the security and integrity of our poker room. We use a sophisticated random number generation, 128–bit encryption and anti–collusion software to ensure that a high level of security is maintained at all times. To help you understand how this works we have a dedicated page to RNG. Learn more about our RNG.

Do you have a loyalty scheme?
paddypowerpoker.com pays you Paddy Points every time you play in a real money cash game or tournament. Paddy Points can be used to enter freeroll tournaments. We have also launched our new VIP loyalty scheme (C*A*S*H) which caters for every level of player. Paddy Power has also one the best points for prizes shops on the net, keep checking here for enhancements to our scheme. For more information on Paddy Points click here.

What measures do you take against people who are being rude or offensive?
It depends on the severity of the incident, but usually after the first offence, a player will be given a warning by one of our hosts. Repeat offenders will be punished with the suspension or permanent loss of a player chat privileges. In severe cases players may be banned from using the poker room altogether. The best way to avoid confrontational situations that may result in a chat suspension or ban is to treat all your fellow players with respect and be polite at all times…even if your pocket Aces have just been outdrawn by a pair of threes.

Can I see what games look like before I start to play?
Yes. As long as you have downloaded and installed the poker room client you can watch other games without participating. Simply select the table you wish to observe from the table lists or from a multi–table tournament lobby screen.

How do we prevent against cheating and collusion
Our poker site employs a combination of automated and human monitoring tools to identify and prevent any irregular play patterns or incidences of collusion between players, thus ensuring fair gaming and a pleasant, honest poker environment. Advanced algorithms designed by veteran poker professionals and industry experts are set to trigger system events should any such patterns be identified; all gaming activity – every card, hand, move, win, loss, etc. – is recorded by the system to aid investigation.
Player collusion is something that all players detest, and is a form of cheating whereby two or more players are working together to gain an unfair advantage over other players on a table. We have enlisted the services of a team of experienced Poker players utilizing a sophisticated monitoring system that automatically detects suspicious play patterns in the Poker tables. Players using Playtech’s software can be assured that the game includes a sophisticated suite of analysis tools used extensively by the Collusion detection team, and these tools, together with trained observers/surveillance executives working 24/7 will keep cheats where they belong – well away from our games!!

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Technical Problems

 

Will my PC support poker?
We currently support the following versions of Microsoft Windows (Microsoft Windows 98 SE, Windows ME, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows 2003 and Windows Vista operating systems). Currently there is no MacOS or Unix support.
Your processor should be Intel Pentium II 400Mhz or faster.

What kinds of browser can I use to play poker?
Many of the buttons in Poker open pages in a web browser. Only MS Internet Explorer is supported. You will need to have Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.2 or a later version.

How much memory should my computer have?
The poker software does not require much memory but older, slower systems will generally have problems if you are running other applications at the same time. The software must have at least 96 MB of RAM however we recommend a minimum configuration of 128MB of RAM and 400 MHz processor. If you want to run other applications at the same time as the poker room, you will have to experiment to learn what your particular configuration can support.

I can download the software but it will not run on my PC?
Some PC’s have firewalls and anti–virus software that may prevent running certain programs. If you are in a work or network environment you may also have proxy servers which prevent access to certain programs. In the event that you do not have administrative rights to your pc you would have to request our program is run on your pc. If you do have administrative rights and experience problems your firewall or anti–virus software may be preventing access to the program. The most common problem we have come across is issues surrounding PC’s containing Norton Anti–Virus Software and have listed instructions below on how to set up PPP as a trusted site:

If you use Norton Internet Security or Norton Anti–Virus software, Norton has recently changed the security settings which may prevent a connection between your computer and paddypowerpoker.com .

Please ensure that paddypowerpoker.com is set up as a trusted site on the Norton security settings on your computer, otherwise you may experience problems connecting.

To change your settings:

1. Open Norton Internet Security.
2. Select the Personal Firewall option.
3. Click the Configure button.
4. Click the Programs tab.
5. Click the Add... button.
6. Open the paddypowerpoker.com folder and then select the client file.
7. Click the Open button.
8. Ensure Permit is selected in the What do you want to do? field and click OK.
9. The Program Control screen is displayed. Click OK.

Why do I sometimes experience a slow or interrupted connection?
This could be due to many things: modem failure; ISP failure; problem with your PC or a server interruption.

What do I do if the game freezes or I lose my connection?
If you lose your connection, the game will wait a period of time for you to reconnect. In limit cash games, if you fail to re–connect, your hand will be deemed All–In. This means your last bet will be deemed to be taken as a bet made with your last chips, then the hand will be completed. If you win, you will be credited with whatever monies are in the main pot. A side pot will be played for by the other players. If you are not able to re–establish your connection in a timely manner, your chips will be automatically deposited to your account for you. In the unlikely event of the game freezing as a result of a server error, the hand will continue from where it left off after the server has been restarted. If you do not rejoin the hand, any money you may have bet will be refunded.

Why can I not log on to paddypowerpoker.com?
If you cannot log on please first check that you have entered the correct screen name and password and try again. If you are still unable to log in, please contact Paddy Power Customer Services

Could not communicate to the network server, error 26
If you receive this message during download of the poker software or upgrade to a new version of the software it means that you are unable to connect to the network website in order to download necessary files to continue installation. This could be due to firewall protection or administration permission issues on your computer ie work computer. Check Proxy settings (Internet Explorer) Check Firewall (Zone Alarm not letting Wise to connect?). Please scroll to the beginning of this section on how to deal with both of these issues.

Players encountering problems logging in
1. Check if you are connected to Internet
If you use a personal firewall (e.g. ZoneAlarm or Norton Security, etc) in the your PC or you have a corporate firewall in the computer network then this could prevent you from connecting to the gaming servers. In order to play in ... (insert poker name here) Poker TCP ports 443, 4400–4450, 4600–4630 and ... (insert port range specified to the poker below) must be open for outgoing traffic (no need to open ports for incoming traffic). If you do not know how open ports in firewall then please contact your computer administrator or ISP (Internet Service Provider).
If you have internet connection and the ports are open and you still cannot connect to ... Poker then it might be that the internet connection between your location and our gaming servers cannot be established for some reason, e.g. temporary issues with your ISP (please contact them in order to find out what could be the problem). (If you still encounter problems logging in then please e–mail us. In order to investigate please send us the exact error message you receive or a screenshot of the situation. Any details about how often does the problem occur, when exactly (time and date with time zone) and what other symptoms occur are welcome.)

Firewall issues with Windows XP users?
The installation of the Service Pack 2 (SP2) for the Windows XP operating system may cause some players to experience problems with their casino games.
The SP2 upgrade includes a built–in firewall. This is a program that restricts unauthorized Internet connections, protecting your computer from viruses and other potentially harmful software. You need to instruct your firewall to allow the downloadable casino client software to connect to the Internet.
The first time you launch the casino application after installing SP2, a dialog, like the one below, appears asking you if you want to allow this application to connect to the Internet. Click Yes. From now on, the firewall will consider the casino application a safe program and the Internet connect message will not appear again.
If you previously instructed the firewall not to allow the casino client to connect to the Internet, but have now changed your mind, you can add the program to the Exceptions list.
To do this, click on Start, then Settings, then Control Panel, then Windows Firewall to open the configuration window. Select the Exceptions tab. You will see a list of executable files that the firewall has noticed so far, as shown on the left.
Find the casino client in the list of programs and check the box next to it (in this example: casino_ndd.exe)
If you cannot find the executable file of the casino client, click Add Program. A dialog will appear with the list of all the programs installed on your computer. Select the casino client, or click Browse to find the executable file – which by default would be located in the folder C:\Casino\. If you manually chose a different location during the installation you will have to locate the executable file, as shown below.
Click OK to close the Add a Program dialog and again to close the Windows Firewall dialog.
Note for advanced users:
Users who use a third–party product or a hardware firewall will need to manually allow connections to the ports used by the casino client. Different casinos use different ports for their game servers, so you will also need to derestrict gameserver ports numbers between which were listed in the e–mail.

Page cannot be displayed error
Before you do all the troubleshooting steps on your pc close all windows, programs and make sure you have an internet connection. If you have a Firewall like Norton Internet security or Windows firewall etc. disable them for awhile.
Open an Internet Explorer browser and go to "Tools".
After clicking on tools go to "Internet Options".
Once your on Internet Options under general tab click on "delete files" (if player is using WinXP). Make sure to put a check on "delete all offline content".
Then click on "delete cookies". Then click "ok" and close all windows. Close and reopen internet explorer.

Download Problems
Open an Internet Explorer browser. Click on Internet Options.
On Internet Options go to "Security Tab".
Once there click on "Internet" then click on "Custom level".
On "Custom level" reset it to medium. Click ok twice.
These should fix the errors, if you still experience the errors we suggest that you get hold of a technician to look at your computer as it may be an Operating system error with Windows.

"active scripting must be enabled for the cashier to work properly.." as an error
1. Open Internet Explorer, go to Tools – Internet Options.
2. Choose the Security tab and first click on Internet and then on Custom Level.
3. From the Custom Level button the Security Settings will open up. >From there please reset the custom settings to Medium by choosing from the Reset to: menu Medium and clicking on Reset button.
4. Click Yes on the warning message.
5. Please click OK.
After this it’s recommended to restart the computer and start the poker game client again.

Incomplete Download
Following are the instructions on how to download and install the Poker software:
1. Go to our website (link to www.paddypowerpoker.com) and press the download button anywhere on the home page. In a few seconds a dialogue box will appear with a few options.
2. Choose the "Save" button and you will be prompted to select where you wish to save the installation file on your computer. By default, the installation file name will be "SetUpPoker".
3. Select the location you wish to save the file and press the "Save" button. Please make sure to remember the exact location where the file is saved.
4. The installation file will begin downloading and should be completed within a few minutes.
5. Once the installation file has been downloaded another dialogue box should appear. Click on the "Open" button and the poker component files will begin downloading. This should take anywhere from a few minutes up to 20 minutes; depending on your internet connection.
6. Next, you will be prompted to either browse, or select a location on your computer to install the poker components. We suggest you keep the default setting and simply press the "Install" button.
7. Next, click "I Agree" to the License Agreement and the remaining files will be installed.
The poker software will now open and you may begin playing at your soonest convenience.

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