BY TOM SOMACH

A new Internet poker room that will allow U.S. customers to play for real money will soon open online at www.wasspoker.com.

United Kingdom-based Wass Poker will officially open for business in November, but the website is up now for an early look-see preview.

In addition, pre-registrations are already being taken by the site for an upcoming Wass Poker poker tournament.

David Sharpe, marketing manager for Wass Poker, said in a press release that the new online poker room “is going to be a name that’s synonymous with poker communities the world over.”

He continued: “We have a clean, friendly feel (and) are working hard to ensure that players really feel at home on Wass Poker. We are also working closely with several major forums to introduce community games and promotions for them into Wass Poker, making it the hub for community poker online…Wass Poker is the site where every player can feel at home whilst they play online.”

A visit to the Wass Poker website reveals a vibrant and colorful site, albeit not one in operation yet.

Besides the real-money and play-for-fun poker tables that will be in operation next month, a posting forum on the site is already in full operation.

The forum has different sections so users can post comments not just on all aspects of poker but also on subjects as diverse as sports, music and even competing online poker rooms.

Wass Poker’s entry into the online poker rooms wars will be happy news for online poker players in the U.S.

After the U.S. Congress passed the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) last year, which banned financial transactions with online gambling sites, many online poker rooms pulled out of the U.S. market, severely limiting where American players could play online poker for real money.

(E-mail Tom Somach at tomsomach@yahoo.com.)