Real-money prizes are rarely offered in live poker freerolls and players often receive entry into larger tournaments. Safety and Security at the Best Freeroll Poker Sites As always, safety is of the utmost importance while playing at online poker sites.

1. Best Real Money Poker Sites In Usa
2. Best Real Money Poker Sites In Usa
3. Best Real Money Poker Sites For Us Players

1. Yet, the best real money poker options aren’t so difficult to find, especially with so many reputable US poker sites available today. There are established online poker sites, such as those we’ve listed above, where all important criteria are met and players have a variety of games, tournaments, and even some free play options to enjoy.
2. While the boom of 10 years ago is over, online poker for real money in the US is on the rise again. This is a detailed guide to legal poker sites in the United States. We’ll provide you with information on the current legislative landscape, the best sites to play online poker and the different types of poker bonuses. Best US Poker Sites in 2020.
3. Many of the best online poker websites have launched a dedicated real money poker app that you can easily download and install on your device. The best poker apps are available for both iOS and Android operating systems. In order to find the best poker app, make sure you visit one of the websites we listed at the beginning of our review.
4. Use our list of the best online poker sites to browse through all the bonuses available in 2020 and read the in-depth reviews of all the top poker rooms in the world to find the right room for you.

At the moment, four states have regulated and legalized online poker on their territories: Nevada, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. We’re making small steps towards progress, but we’re getting somewhere. The good news is that if you’re located in any of these states, you can access legal online poker rooms and enjoy time playing against other gamblers. Do you want to learn more about legal poker in the United States? We’ll talk about the legislation, the websites that are currently available, your ability to play via mobile, and the variety of games you can access.

What Are the Top Recommended Poker Sites in the US?

Currently, there are a few legalized sites that enable playing online poker for real money in the US. Not all of them are available in the four states that legalized online poker. Feel free to read our detailed reviews on each site. They will make it easier for you to make a choice. Three of these sites are the major players:

• PartyPoker – The service is available only in New Jersey. It gives a $25 no-deposit bonus, which is a nice opportunity to test the site’s features and improve your poker skills. This used to be the preferred site for NJ players during the early years of online poker. Lately, the company has shifted its focus on sports betting and other casino games, which it provides on an international level.
• WSOP – This is the World Series of Poker-branded online poker site. It’s available for gamblers from New Jersey, Nevada, and Delaware. New players get $10 as a free no-deposit bonus. This is the biggest brand in online poker. You get to enter real tournaments. The winner of the yearly Main Event wins a massive prize, which depends on the state of the prize pool.
• PokerStars – PokerStars is another mega-popular website. It’s available in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. It doesn’t have a no-deposit bonus, but its deposit matches are great. The advantage of this site is its huge selection of poker games and tournaments.

In addition to these websites, New Jersey has three other legalized websites: BetMGM Poker, Borgata Poker, and 888 Poker. In Pennsylvania, PokerStars is the only website that currently operates. But there are six other options expected to launch soon: WSOP, Party Poker, Hollywood Casino, BetMGM Poker, Parx Casino, and Rivers Philadelphia.

What States Have Legal US Online Poker Sites?

We already listed the four states that allow playing online card games for real money. Let’s talk about their legislation.

• Delaware

Delaware was the first state to legalize online gambling back in 2012. It may be a small market, but it’s a leader in the gambling industry. It took nearly a year for licensed websites to start offering their gambling services. The Delaware Lottery is the institution that regulates the industry and ensures the credibility of the games.

• Nevada

Nevada also passed an online gambling bill in 2013. Operator licenses are granted by the Nevada Gaming Control Board. Ultimate Poker was the first site to show up in April 2013, but it’s no longer active. The current laws permit poker as the only form of online gambling for real money.

• New Jersey

2013 was a great year for U.S. gamblers. New Jersey also passed legislation for online poker in the same year. It has the greatest number of available websites. The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement is the regulating authority. NJ is the most liberal state regarding online gambling. All casino games are allowed, and the industry has generated over one billion dollars since it was legalized. That’s hundreds of millions in taxes for the state.

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• Pennsylvania

Currently, Pennsylvania gamblers can access a single website: PokerStars. New options are expected to launch soon. Why haven’t we seen other websites so far? The state imposed a $10 million license fee for entering operators, in addition to the 16% tax on earnings. Here’s something interesting: Michigan also legalized poker. In December 2019, the state introduced the Lawful Internet Gambling Act. However, it will be a while before we see any legit websites offering online gambling. It’s a process, and we have to be patient about it. West Virginia gamblers are in a similar situation. Online gambling was also legalized in December 2019, but the process of legalizing websites and offering online poker rooms for the players is taking longer than expected.

US Online Poker Overview: What’s the Deal with Poker in Other States?

Why isn’t gambling with real cash allowed across the USA? Are there any federal regulations limiting our opportunities to play online?

• The Wire Act

The state of online gambling was regulated for a long time by this federal act from 1961. It forbade any bets or wagers through a wire communication facility. In 2011, the U.S. Department of Justice issued an opinion that this act was only relevant to sports betting. That’s when the states started introducing legislation to liberalize online poker and other forms of gambling. However, in January 2019, the Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel issued a different opinion: The Wire Act applied not only to sports betting, but to all forms of gambling as well. This is just an opinion. It’s not the law. However, it blocked the liberalization of online gambling in other states, and it makes the future of poker sites uncertain.

• The UIGEA

The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 was specifically meant to ban the entire online gambling industry. Online gambling is defined as accepting money for online games. If this federal law forbids it, then how can online gambling be legal in individual states? The legal system in the USA is complex. Although this is the presiding act, the states also have the right to make laws on their own territory. A few states already started making those steps forward.

Why Play Poker Online on Legal Sites?

The federal ban on online gambling is aimed at the services that accept money for games of luck. The gamblers, on the other hand, are not sanctioned for engaging in such activities. Offshore sites are also allowed to offer their services to U.S. players. That’s why so many gamblers turn to these websites with foreign licenses.

They fit in the grey area. But if you live in a state where you have the option to play on legit real money poker websites, we recommend you to stick to them. They are regulated by an authority of the State, so you get guarantees for secure and fair play. If online gambling is not allowed in your state, you have another legal option: sweepstakes websites. You won’t play with real money; you’ll purchase coins and you still have a chance to win.

What Poker Variations Can You Play Online?

• Texas Hold’em

You’ll find this version of the game in all online poker rooms. The dealer deals five cards face-up across the table, and two cards face-down for each player. Your goal is to make a winning five-card hand out of the two cards that you hold and the five open cards.

• Pot-Limit Omaha

The dealer deals five open cards, similarly to the Texas Hold’em version. However, each players gets four instead of two hands. They must use two of their own cards to make the winning combination of five, including cards from the open selection. In the pot-limit version of the game, the maximum bet to the amount that’s in the pot is limited.

• Seven-Card Stud

As the name reveals, it’s a game of seven cards. Each player gets one card face-up and two cards face-down. After the first round of betting, the players continue getting cards (seven in total). The point is to get the winning five-card combo.

• Razz

It’s a strange game: you’re supposed to end up with the lowest hand of five cards.

• Omaha Hi-Lo

Omaha Hi-Lo awards both the highest and the lowest hands by halves of the pot.

• 2-7 Triple Draw

This is a game of limit poker, featuring a small and a big bet. Each player gets five cards. They can exchange any of those cards during the draw rounds. The goal is to get the lowest hand and win the pot.

• Five-Card Draw

This is the most basic poker game. Each player gets five cards face-down. Throughout the hands, they can change any cards they want. The goal is to make the strongest hand.

• Chinese Poker

Each player gets 13 cards, and they should divide them into a setting of three poker cards (one containing three and two containing five cards). Then, the players announce if they will play the hands.

• HORSE

HORSE is a combination of different poker games throughout the rounds: Hold’em Limit, Omaha Limit, Razz Limit, Seven-Card Stud limit, and Seven-Card Stud Eight-or-Better Limit.

• Badugi

Each player gets four cards and a chance to exchange three of them with new ones during the hand. The goal is to make the best low hand. Some websites include video poker games, but that’s not a card game. It’s a video slot based on poker rules.

How to Play on Mobile Poker Apps

Applications are brilliant for those who want to play card games at any time. If you live in a state where online poker is legal, you’ll see that all sites offer downloadable apps for iOS and Android.

As an example, WSOP offers an app for both platforms. It uses geo-location software, so you can only access the tables if you’re located in a state where the service is legal. To play through a mobile app, you should download it according to the website’s instructions. Apple’s App Store allows applications of this type, but Google’s Play Store doesn’t. You can still download it if you allow third-party software on your device and install the application directly from the website. Then, all you’ll need to do is create a real profile and make your deposit. These games are perfectly tailored to suit the mobile screen.

Are There Any Online Poker Bonuses and Rewards?

Yes! The best poker sites offer a no-deposit bonus, too. It means that you’re getting free cash just for signing up. When you do make a deposit, the platform will usually match it by a bonus. You can use these rewards as real money, for placing bets and winning games. However, keep in mind that there are tied to playthrough requirements. Unlike online casinos, poker websites don’t impose demanding playthrough requirements. They have a different policy: they slowly release the bonus amount into your account, as you keep playing and earning player points. For example, WSOP will release $5 of your first-deposit bonus for each 50 Action Player Points you earn.

What Are the Banking Methods for Playing Poker Online?

When you play on legal sites, you gain a serious advantage: you can use the online poker PayPal payment method. PayPal is restrictive to online transactions. It allows them only if you’re engaging in legal activities. That’s why it’s not available on off-shore sites. In addition to PayPal, online poker websites offer other payment methods, too: ACH e-check, credit/debit card, PayNearMe, and cash at casino cage. Since the sites are usually associated to land casinos, you can make your deposit at the cage and withdraw your money there.

Sweepstakes Internet Poker: Is It Legal?

Yes; sweepstakes poker is legal. Technically, you’ll not playing with and for real money. You’re playing for another type of reward: coins. With this model, you can still win cash prizes. Global Poker is one of the best online gambling sites that follow the sweepstakes model. If real-money online poker is not allowed in your state but you really want to play, check it out!

Summing Up the History of Online Poker in the U.S.

Let’s go through the most important points in history, which led to the current legal online poker status if in the USA:

• The first online casinos started appearing in 1994. They worked on an international level, and they all accepted gamblers from the United States.
• Planet Poker, a Canadian site that was launched in 1998, was the first online poker website.
• In 1999, the U.S. Senate tried to block all online gambling activities through the Internet Gambling Prohibition Act. It didn’t pass the procedure, so U.S. gamblers kept using foreign websites.
• In 2002, the Court of Appeals decided that online gambling was not prohibited under the Federal Wire Act of 1961, since it was specific to sports betting. However, the Department of Justice issued an opinion that claimed online gambling was illegal under that act.
• In 2003, Chris Moneymaker, a U.S. poker player, won the Main Event of the World Series of Poker through an online satellite. That was a defining moment in history: everyone understood how big and important this industry was. Suddenly, online poker was in all the news.
• In April 2011, the three major poker sites (Absolute Poker, Full Tilt Poker and PokerStars) were accused of illegal activities and violations of the UIGEA. They were blocked for access from the USA.
• In 2011, the DOJ finally released another legal opinion: the Federal Wire Act did not apply to online casino games. From that moment on, the states started making their own legislation to legalize online poker. Delaware was the first state to allow online poker in 2012.

We are still writing history. Legislators across the USA are finally realizing that this is a productive industry that the states can benefit from. If they don’t regulate it and collect the taxes, gamblers turn to offshore sites.

You’ll find no shortage of live poker cash games and tournaments in California. But these games are expensive between their multi-hundred dollar buy-ins and their flat-fee rake structure.

Why not make the switch to online poker? The buy-ins and rake are reasonable. There are more games and variants to choose from. And you can claim a deposit bonus, which no live cardroom offers.

All you need is an account with one of the best California poker sites online.

We strongly recommend you join one of the real money poker sites we endorse. We explain why, what we look for, and more in the next section.

Then, we’ll show you why you should consider switching to playing online poker in CA, including how it can save and make you more money compared to playing live.

If that sounds good to you, then let’s get started.

If you want to play real money poker online in California, your first step is to find a safe and reputable poker site to join. This isn’t a step you want to take alone. Here is why.

Poker is unique from most other gambling games in that you’re not playing against the house but other players like yourself. The site you join needs to have adequate traffic, otherwise, you won’t find a game to play.

This information is available online if you know where to look. And when it’s not, there are usually a few tells you can pick up in the online poker room’s lobby.

If you don’t know how to find this information, or how to interpret the clues, you might as well choose a poker site blindfolded. There’s really no difference if you insist on finding your own CA poker site to join.

On top of that, there’s other criteria you should consider, such as the poker room’s games, variants, stakes, rake, promotions, and more. It’s a lot to uncover.

That’s why we suggest you rely on us. We have decades of online poker experience. And we’ve researched and tested almost every online poker site in existence, so we know exactly which ones Californians should join.

Here’s what we look for in the best online poker sites for California.

• The poker site’s license and the commission that issued it
• The banking options you can use
• The withdrawal limits i.e. how much of your winnings can you withdraw each month?
• Can you claim a deposit bonus or participate in a VIP program, guaranteed tournaments, etc.?
• Are they trustworthy? What do other poker players think of them?

This covers the basics and tells us whether the poker room is safe, secure, trustworthy, and reliable enough to join.

But we’re not done yet.

We also need to make sure they’re a GREAT poker site, especially for poker players in California. Here’s what else we look at.

• What features does the room have? Do they have hand history players, four-color decks, odds calculators, quick play, etc.?
• Can you use a HUD?
• What kinds of tournaments can you play? Can you play guaranteed tournament? Satellites? Knockouts? Turbos? 6-max?
• What real money poker games and variants can you play?
• Do they allow multi-tabling? How many tables can you play at once?
• Is their rake reasonable?

We compare every site we review, take the top choices, and order them from best to worst. The result is a list of the top poker sites or, in this case, the best California poker sites.

We’re thorough in our research and testing, as you can see for yourself if you read our poker room reviews.

The goal is to save you all that time, money, and energy, then help you find a California-friendly online poker room as quickly as possible.

We think we achieved that. But you’ll only know for sure once you choose a CA poker site to join, create your account, and get some real money hands and tourneys under your belt.

Rake at California Poker Sites

One unique thing about playing live poker in California is how you pay rake. The rake is the money the poker room collects as their fee for hosting the game.

Most poker rooms charge you a percentage of the pot and cap how much they can rake. For example, a poker room might take 10% of every pot up to $10.

Many cardrooms do not rake the pot if no one sees a flop. This is known as a “no flop, no drop” policy.

California flips all this on its head. Here’s how.

By law, California cardrooms cannot rake a percentage of the pot, so they charge a flat rate and/or charge an hourly fee instead.

For example, you might pay $10 every hour to play. Or you might as much as $7 (at $5/$10) plus whatever the room takes for their promotions, such as a bad beat jackpot. They also rake the pot even if no one sees a flop.

Now, let’s compare this to online poker.

One of the California online poker sites we like charges 5.5% rake for their highest limit games and even less for their micro stakes.

If you play $5/$10, like our live example above, you’ll pay $0.01 for every $0.18 in the pot (5.5%). You’ll pay $1 to $5 max per hand depending on the number of players in the pot. That’s 70% less on the high side, just for playing online.

That’s not all the money you’ll save either. Here are the other ways you’ll save by choosing to play real money poker online instead of live.

• Not having to travel
• Not wasting time waiting for a game or seat to open
• Not playing at rooms without a no flop, no drop policy
• Choosing whether to play bad beat jackpot games

You’ll save money, but you can also make more money playing poker online because you can play more than one table at a time and you can participate in promotions like deposit bonuses and VIP programs.

The bottom line, you’ll increase your hourly rate and take-home pay. And all you have to do is choose to play games at the top CA poker websites instead of live.

This doesn’t just apply to cash games either. It applies to tournaments, too.

California is also known for their poker tournaments. They host some of the largest and most popular poker tournaments in the world.

• WSOP circuit events
• WTP tournaments such as the WPT Deep Stacks Championship
• Battle of the Bay
• California State Poker Championship
• Memorial Day Tournament Series
• Bay 101 Summer Open
• Commerce Hold’em Series
• A. Poker Open
• Gold Rush Poker Series

These are great live tournaments to play in. They can add a nice boost to your total live earnings column, especially since they routinely pay six and seven-figure prizes to the winner.

There’s also a little prestige and notoriety in doing well in these tournaments, which some poker players care about.

But do they offset the downsides?

• Buy-ins range from several hundred to several thousand dollars.
• The rake is expensive. You should expect the cardroom to collect $15 to $20 for every $100 you pay to play.
• The bigger tournaments can take days to complete.

Now, these will apply to live tournaments. But you also have the fact that you can spend hours playing, bust the tournament, and walk away with nothing.

This will apply to online tournaments too, but they have advantages that California poker tournament players do not have.

If you want to play real money poker tournaments in California, we recommend you play online. Here are a few reasons why, relative to the points made in the last section.

• The largest tournament buy-ins online are between $215 to $600 (with a few rare exceptions).
• The prize pools still reach six and seven figures because online poker sites aren’t confined to California or a specific square footage. They can allow a larger number of players to play, which increases the prize pool without increasing the buy-in.
• You pay less rake. You’ll usually pay $9 to $10 for every $100 you pay to play.
• Most tournaments are done in a (long) day.

Now, we mentioned that you can play a tournament for hours only to bust and walk away with nothing. That’s possible in any tournament, online or live. But here’s why online poker tournaments are better.

Online poker rooms can run more tournaments since they’re not limited on space. This means you can play more tournaments. And most CA poker sites let you play more than one tournament at a time.

Since you can put in more volume (play more tournaments), you can get through your variance (losses) faster. This enables you to cash out and win more often. You don’t have to go weeks, months, or years without a score. You’ll cash out far more often than that.

There are many other benefits to playing poker tournaments online instead of live, too.

• You can earn VIP perks.
• You’ll have a larger variety of tournament games, variations, and stakes to choose from.
• You can satellite into larger poker tournaments for much less than you can online.
• You can buy into many tournaments for less than $20. Many of these have three- or four-figure prize pools/payouts.

While there’s more money, prestige, and notoriety to gain playing in California’s live poker tournaments, it also costs a lot of time and money to play these tourneys.

Online poker tournaments are a middle ground. You can still play in tournaments with large prize pools. But you won’t spend as much to play them. And you have the added benefit of multi-tabling, which will enable you to play, cash in, and win more tournaments than you ever could offline.

Yes. We highly recommend it. The traffic at each poker site fluctuates, both in terms of overall traffic and traffic to the specific game you want to play.

You’ll have better odds of finding a profitable game or tournament the more poker site accounts you have.

The most common is the deposit bonus. Make a deposit and the poker room will match a percentage of it up to so many dollars.

For example, if the poker room you join is offering a 100% match bonus up to $500, then they’ll give you $1 for every $1 you deposit. You can get as much as $500 free.

Best Real Money Poker Sites In Usa

Poker rooms also offer VIP programs, rebates, tournament tickets, guaranteed tournaments, VIP exclusive freerolls, and more.

It depends on the poker room.

A typical guaranteed tourney during a Sunday schedule is $100,000. That said, we’ve seen guarantees as high as $1 million.

You should take a two-pronged approach.

One, figure out what you want in a poker site — the games, variants, stakes, promotions, etc. Then, read the reviews for every site we recommend and choose the site that offers the closest to what you’re looking for.

Yes. Most poker sites offer mobile poker.

Some poker sites offer a native app. Others have a browser-based setup where you’ll play poker in your mobile web browser.

There are tons of variables to consider, too many to cover here. If we had to give a sweeping statement, it’d be the one below.

If you play medium stakes or higher, chances are you’re better off playing live. You can find games like $5/$10 or $10/$20 online, but you’ll probably find more consistent action offline. And depending on where you live in California, it might even make more sense to drive to Reno or Las Vegas.

For micro and small stakes players, as well as tournament players, we think there’s a lot of value in playing at online poker sites for all the reasons mentioned above.

Poker is popular in CA. You’ll find loads of live cash game action and poker tournaments. Many of these poker tournaments pay life-altering sums to the players who win them.

But live poker in California is far more expensive, less profitable, and less convenient compared to playing online.

Best Real Money Poker Sites For Us Players

There’s no reason you can’t play both formats, both live and online. But if we had to choose, we’d choose to play real money poker online.

If you see where we’re coming from and want to make the leap to playing poker online, then join one of the best California poker sites and create your account now.

Cash games and tournaments are running all day every day. Are you going to be part of the action?