Are you a US online poker player looking to play your favorite game on the virtual felt? You have come to the right place as we offer you a complete overview of the online poker industry in the US and all the legal poker sites and apps where you can play best online poker games.
Online poker has been in the US since its very inception, but in 2011 all the major operators were banned from the country for failing to respect the ambiguous laws and regulations in place at the time. It took a while, but in 2013 the first 100% legal and regulated online poker sites launched in Nevada, Delaware and New Jersey.
Today, regulated US online poker sites are available in several states.
In this guide to online poker in the US, we bring you a full list of states in which you can play online poker, the operators which you may have access to, and everything else you need to jump right into the action.
Keep reading to find your way to the best online poker sites in your state where you can feel safe playing poker for the first time since the Black Friday.
Online poker is booming in the US, with new operators entering the market every year. Here is the list of the online poker operators that currently offer legal online poker within US:
Poker players in the US are presented with many options to play the game online, with both legal and illegal offshore sites offering their services. Of course, we always recommend playing at a regulated poker site for many different reasons.
Here are the main things you should look at when picking the online poker site to play at:
Are you interested in playing online poker in the US and are looking to set up your first account? Here are the general steps you will need to follow to get started as an online poker player in the US.
With so many different operators out there, and many advertising to be the best US poker site, how can you actually be sure which sites are regulated and which are not? Here are a few things to look out for in your pursuit of a legal place to play online poker:
Since online poker sites are still so few and only available in a few states, you may be wondering why you should go through the trouble of finding one. After all, you have heard of people playing at offshore sites and having a decent enough experience. However, there are clear advantages to playing at regulated poker sites, and here are a few of them:
Regulated US online poker sites offer some of the biggest and most lucrative bonus offers and promotions in the world. As the sites compete for traffic and new players, welcome bonuses have never been juicier and players can benefit from a host of valuable promotions and reload bonuses as well.
The first thing to welcome players at practically every regulated US poker site is a welcome bonus. Often worth as much as a $1,000, welcome bonuses are a great way to start building an online poker bankroll in the US.
Online poker bonuses are generally issued to players as a form of rakeback, which means you will have to play real money games to get your hands on the bonus. As you play real money poker and accumulate loyalty points, your bonus will be released in increments of 5%, 10%, or more. In either case, expect a high return on any rake paid while your welcome bonus is active.
While getting a welcome bonus when you make your first deposit is a common practice around the world, no deposit bonuses have been less common outside of the US lately. At US poker sites, however, you can get some free cash or tournament tickets at most sites just for signing up.
These no deposit bonuses are given to every player who signs up as a chance to try playing real money poker without any real risk and a great opportunity to explore the site. If you live in a state where online poker is legal, you should look into the no deposit offers that are available.
Another great way to benefit from playing real money online poker in the US is through the various loyalty schemes and programs that the operators have in store for you. Loyalty points are awarded based on how much you play and the rake you pay, and they can be converted into cash, bonuses, and other real rewards.
Make sure you understand the loyalty scheme of the site you plan on playing at before you commit any significant funds to it. After all, the difference between a good loyalty program and a poor one can be a very big factor in your bottom line.
Live poker is available across the country and no matter where you live there is likely a live poker room close to you. Now that online poker is also becoming more widely available, lets weigh the pros and cons of playing at online poker sites and figure out what advantages you may get from playing online poker.
The history of online poker in the US is as long as the history of online poker worldwide as some of the first operators launched in the US at their inception. Here is how we got from there to here in a few simple footnotes.
The one thing US players have been dreaming off since 2011 is a shared liquidity pool in which they could play poker against other players from all over the US.
Recently, the DoJ decided it would not appeal the Supreme Court decision which stated the Wire Act only applies to sports betting, which now opens the door for online poker sites to share their liquidity between different states.
With many sites already operating in multiple states, it is only a question of time before the likes of PokerStars, WSOP.com, and partypoker will start sharing liquidity between their various sites.
With interstate poker finally looking likely to become a reality in the near future, the months and years ahead should be very exciting for all US players who have been waiting to experience the full scope of online poker they were used to in the pre-Black Friday era.
Yes, online poker has been legal in the US for almost a decade now. However, the game is not regulated on the federal level. States have the right to pass their own online poker laws and so far, only a handful of states have regulated online poker in the US, namely Nevada, New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and West Virginia.
You can sign up with any US poker site by visiting the operators page and filling in the required details to open your account. While its possible to sign up from pretty much anywhere in the US, you should keep in mind that you will only be allowed to play for real money while physically present in the state where the particular room is regulated. So, for example, you can only play on PokerStars PA while in Pennsylvania.
Every state has a body in charge of licensing and regulating poker sites and other forms of online gambling. US online poker sites are regulated on the state level and there is no overarching federal body that would oversee their operations.
The best way to know if an online poker site is legal in the US is by checking out their licensing information. This info is available on the page, usually in the footer, and it clearly indicates what organization is in charge of licensing and regulation. In New Jersey, for example, this would be the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (NJDGE).
On top of this, regulated US sites are owned by well-known companies and do not cater to players from the entire country but rather from the individual state where the operator is licensed. Licensed US poker sites also do not accept bitcoins.
There are several major operators present in regulated US online poker markets in the country, including PokerStars, WSOP.com, BetMGM, Borgata, and partypoker. Not all of them are available across all regulated states, but you can rest assured these are your best and safest picks.
Read more here:
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