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Last week, Bubble Protection launched Bubbleprotection.com. The site is the first in the world to offer tournament players “insurance” on their tournament buy-in if they happen to land on the bubble.

The bubble in an event in which players purchase insurance is no longer one static position but now 10% of the total field.

Will this become the next big thing in bankroll management, or will the bubble burst on this one?

When a player purchases insurance for an event and he finishes in the event’s “bubble range”, his buy-in and entry fees are returned automatically to his account.

He can then either request a check or be paid by Moneybookers.

Here are what I see as the pluses and the minuses behind Bubble Protection:

Pros:

• Reduced variance for serious or professional tournament players
• Larger bubble field allows good players to start making moves during “bubble range” since they are essentially freerolling
• Numerous options for depositing money on site for premium payments
• Users can make special requests for coverage on tournaments not listed.
• No apparent minimum for account deposit.

Cons:

• Not available to United States (not shocking there)
• Increased cost per event due to premium
• Player has no recourse in recovering premium if he or she is unable to play an event with the exception of the site canceling event.
• Only events $20 and up currently offered.
• Only Moneybookers or check offered for payout
• Players unable or unwilling to use service are at a disadvantage

I should know that upon speaking with Bubble Protection officials, they told me that if they get more interest in covering events under $20 they would do so.

Personally, I think that Bubble Protection is a great idea for those that either seriously play tournaments or that are professional players.

Since those players will be getting close to the bubble much more often, this type of coverage makes sense.

With that said, I am concerned about the type of future this site will have once the US regulates online poker.

There is already talk about requiring the elimination of player transfers and while this is not a “player transfer”, it is a way to get around the American banking system.

This may cause problems down the line for the company with US poker sites. Granted, that is assuming player transfers are blocked.

In the meantime, you should definitely check out this site if you are a tournament player.

There are no minimums for a deposit to an account so if you want to do a couple of events to try things out you can easily do so.

It will be interesting to see whether this concept takes off.

The concept is unique and appealing for tournament players, but will enough players take advantage to keep the company profitable?

Time will tell.