Merge Poker Network Opens Back Up To Americans

Six months after it stopped allowing U.S. players to sign up to play at its site, Merge Poker Network has re-opened to Americans.

The poker site, which had originally allowed Americans to play at its poker tables, was overwhelmed by the flood of U.S. players after the events of Black Friday. Facing severe network and infrastructure problems, Merge shut its doors to the Americans; although it appears the issues have been worked out.

Players from the United States are once again allowed to register on the site, provided that they aren't from Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, New York, or Washington.

The good news of a major online poker site opening its doors to Americans was tempered by reports that the website is carrying unauthorized player seals from eCOGRA. When asked about the seals, eCOGRA's Andrew Beveridge said that Merge had not been certified by the compliance company.

He wrote: "We will be insisting each of these entities immediately remove any reference of this nature from their websites, and to cease making claims relating to eCOGRA compliance on the forums."