We all know about the existence of shady online poker sites.

And most of us know that multi-level marketing schemes are generally a scam.

But what if someone combined the elements of BOTH the lack of trust of a sketchy online poker site AND the unsustainable pyramid model of multi-level marketing? Doesn't sound like a place you'd love to play?

Introducing JaoPoker -- a poker site combining both of these exciting elements!

Here is a nice boy named Tam Nguyen, explaining all about JaoPoker:




Jump to about the 3 minute mark if you want to hear about the LOL affiliate stuff.

The site is at https://jaopoker.com ... but they also run the Jao Network for the "business side" of the network. On the Jao Network site, you can watch some more videos about the marketing part.

JaoPoker requires an affiliate code to sign up. This guarantees that everyone playing is under some affiliate, and thus the pyramid begins.

As with all multi-level marketing schemes, you supposedly get rewarded both when people sign up directly under you, as well as when they sign up under those who originally signed up under you. See, each new player can also get his own affiliate code, and they are encouraged to sign up others. Therefore, if a player you referred then refers others with their code, you still get a piece of the action. Sweet, amirite? And totally sustainable, of course, just like all multi-level marketing schemes!

Now, before you run over to Jao and sign up, figuring, "What do I have to lose?", there's a bit of a problem.

You need to pay money to be a recruiter and get your own referral code. So if you really do want some of that sweet referral money, you need to pay up front. This is often the hallmark of a multi-level marketing scam. You have to pay into the wonderful, can't-miss moneymaking scheme before attempting to sell it. In most cases, you're actually selling the opportunity to sell, rather than a viable product.

But what if you just want to skip all the referral stuff and just play poker? Is it at least a decent and reliable site?

Well, let's see...

It's based in Cambodia and supposedly licensed there. Feel safe yet?

You are allowed to play from the US.

But you might wonder about payment processing. How is a new site, illegally operating in the US, processing payments?

They're using Paypal!



Not kidding.

PayPal, which has a very strict anti-gambling stance, is JaoPoker's method of payment.

Sounds like a great long-term plan, huh?

Nevertheless, there are lots of get-rich-quick wannabes promoting Jao Poker behind the scenes, and attempting to present it as a legitimate poker (and affiliate) option.

Apparently people are mostly marketing this through Facebook poker and gambling groups, fearing that forums full of more experienced players (such as PokerFraudAlert, 2+2, and Pocketfives) will laugh them off the page.