Not so long ago, Party Poker was the name in online poker. They had total domination over the market – attracting scores of players to their tournaments and cash tables. The 2006 UIGEA changed all that, forcing them to withdraw from the lucrative US market and all but ending their reign as the prime force in the industry.

To think that Party Poker is a spent force, however, would be a grave error. These online poker veterans have been steadily building up their reserves and are once again poised to challenge the biggest sites in the world. If you want to get involved in the new PartyPoker revolution the quickest way is via PayPal.

The first step in becoming a PartyPoker player is to download the software. Instillation will ensue, in the usual way, at which point you will be asked to register a new account.

You’ll notice a bonus code box at the bottom of the screen. It’s here that you should enter the PartyPoker bonus code FTR500 to get the maximum $500 bonus! Following this form, another will pop up asking for your address and other personal details. As you will shortly find out, it’s very important that you enter all this info correctly. You don’t need to enter this information in order to create an account, but you do need to do so before you deposit.

Not a moment after registration is complete, the PartyPoker client will scoot you over to the cashier screen. Here you can choose you method of deposit, in this case, PayPal. It’s worth noting that all of the cashier functions can be performed in your browser via PartyPoker.com, if you’d prefer.

Select PayPal from the list of deposit options and then fill in the fields that appear on screen. You can choose to fund your account using dollars, pounds, or euros, but the actually cash in your account will always be in dollars. The PartyPoker client helpfully calculates the amount of currency in dollars for you as you enter it into the field. There’s also another chance to enter a deposit bonus code.

Clicking submit will open up a window where you are required to enter your PayPal username and password. A confirmation form will appear for you to give the final OK to the transfer and then you’re done.

Getting money into PartyPoker via PayPal is a very simple process, but getting it out can be a little more complicated. If you suddenly to decide to make a quick withdrawal after depositing for the first time, expect to get an unexplained error whenever you try and access the Cashout tab.

After a while you will be contacted by Pay-Pro – the PartyGaming company who handle all financial transactions for PartyPoker. They require that you send them a scan or photo of some photo id before allowing you to take money from your account. It is also possible to fax a copy of a bill or other identifying document.

After sending them your credentials you will need to wait between 24-48 hours for a representative of Pay-Pro to call you to confirm that your account has been give the go-ahead. From that point on it’s clear sailing, but be aware that PartyPoker’s dedication to account security and legality makes attempting a quick deposit first deposit and withdrawal all but impossible.