We are also talking about the fact that more and more states are jumping on the notion of legal online poker in United States. Currently, online poker can be played legally by all 50 states in some form at various websites, and it's important for players to understand the options that are out there for them. Nevada online poker Nevada is the third-largest state with regulated online gambling, but its industry does not include online casinos. Apart from sports betting, poker is the only form of gambling available over the internet. The NV online poker industry is essentially limited to one operator.

1. Online Poker Sites In Usa
2. Online Poker Usa Freerolls
3. Online Poker In Usa
4. Best Online Poker Sites In Usa
5. Online Poker In Usa

Online poker in the United States has changed drastically in the last decade. There was once a time when the biggest and best poker sites were open to US players. That’s no longer the case.

American poker players have a difficult time finding a safe real money poker site to join these days, especially one that has plenty of banking options, games that run, and reasonable promotions.

Since it’s so tough to find a legit site, we suggest you save yourself the time and headache by using our recommendations instead. We’ve listed the best USA poker sites below.

We’ll explain how we came up with our recommendations in the next section.

Following that, we’ll explain what kinds of games, software, and promotions Americans can expect to find at US-facing poker sites. We’ll also share some of the biggest pros and cons to playing at these poker rooms.

The goal here is to educate you on what you can expect if you choose to play online poker from the US, which can be a gray area for many players. And we want to make sure you join the only safest and best real money poker sites.

Online Poker Sites In Usa

Without further ado, let’s jump right into it.

Choosing which real money USA poker sites to recommend is no easy task. While there are several sites that accept US players, only a few of them are worth your time.

What we want to do now is give you a brief explanation of why we selected the top online poker rooms to recommend to our readers. The goal is to show you that there was real effort and thought put into our reviews and ratings.

However, the following information will also help you find a real money online poker site if for some reason you don’t want to choose from one of our recommendations.

Okay, so when selecting a USA poker site to join, what variables or attributes should you look for?

We believe the following three factors are the most important.

Online Poker Usa Freerolls

We use multiple sources to determine a site’s reputation. This includes poker forums, industry insiders, our own contacts, firsthand experience, and more.

We specifically make sure that they are properly licensed to provide online poker for real money, and that they’re regulated by a reputable gambling authority.

There are two things we look for here.

The first thing we look for is whether the poker site has banking options that we can use to make a deposit. The best options today for US poker players is a credit card or Bitcoin.

The best options for cashouts are Bitcoin, followed by wire transfers, paper checks, or money transfers.

The second thing we look at is whether the poker room has a reputation for cashing out US players within a reasonable timeframe.

Traffic or player liquidity is the next important attribute to look for. That’s because poker is unique from most other forms of real money gambling in that you need other people in order to play.

There are some USA poker sites that prohibit players from certain states from joining. And you’re not going to find many players from countries outside the US on these sites for various reasons.

This leads to most poker websites having hardly any traffic. These rooms aren’t worth joining.

The attributes above are the most important. However, they’re not the only ones we consider when ranking the best USA poker sites. Nor should they be all the you look if you’re deciding where to play real money online poker yourself.

We also recommend you consider the following.

This encompasses everything from the types of games and formats the room offers to the variants and stakes that you can play.

You’ll obviously want to find a site that caters to your specific interests, whether that’s playing mixed game cash games or deep stack Hold’em tournaments.

Can you play poker on a mobile device? What’s more, is the room compatible on your specific device?

The top online poker rooms, for the United States or anywhere else, should all be compatible with a wide range of mobile devices nowadays.

Do you have to download the software, or do you play from your browser? Do you have a preference?

Beyond that, you also want to look at the features the software has. For example, can you use four-color decks, auto-top off your stack, and do you have the option to set up your table layout however you want?

• What kinds of deals can you claim?
• Can you claim a deposit bonus?
• Do they have leaderboard contests?
• Do they have free plays?
• Can you earn extra rewards through a VIP program?

The leading real money poker sites for the USA are all generous in terms of the extra value they offer players.

• What kinds of tournaments can you play?
• Are there guaranteed tournaments?
• Does the poker room offer satellites to live events?
• Do they have satellites?

We also recommend looking at previously scheduled tournaments. Did the guaranteed tournaments get enough registrants to meet the guarantee or did the poker room have to cover the difference for most of them?

If it was the latter, which is called an overlay tournament, then you should strongly consider joining. Those are valuable tournaments to play since you’ll have fewer players to fight through for the same prize pool.

Does the poker room offer any kind of poker education or training? Are there any tools or resources to help you learn the game and get better at it?

This is a general idea of what we look for and the questions we ask whenever we review a poker room. We recommend you do the same. It’ll ensure that you enjoy whatever US poker site you join.

One of the challenges to playing real money poker online from the US is that there’s a shortlist of quality sites for you to join.

However, does that mean your options are short? Are you automatically limited on the games you can play, the features available to you, and the stakes you can play for?

That’s what we want to explore in this section.

You won’t have a problem finding Texas Hold’em. That’s the most popular poker game in the world. You’ll also find Omaha games running too, depending on the site you join.

However, you’re going to struggle to find other games such as Stud, Razz, and mixed games. These games aren’t nearly as popular and there’s not enough player liquidity for them to run often.

That’s assuming the poker websites you join even offer them. Not all of them do.

As for stakes, most cash games will start at $0.01/$0.02 or $0.02/$0.05. The stakes don’t peak as high for US players as they do players around the world. That’s okay, because you’ll find most games running at the micros and small stakes.

The tournaments that you can buy into cost about the same as other major tournaments at European poker sites. The difference between these tournaments, though, is that the guarantees usually aren’t as large at US poker sites.

For example, you can buy into a $100k guarantee for $162 on Bovada where first place will receive around $20,000. This pales in comparison to the Sunday Million on PokerStars that you can buy into for $109 and possibly win more than $100,000 for taking the whole thing down.

The point? Well, you’re risking more to win less money. That said, the upside is that we’d expect Bovada’s tournament to have a smaller and softer field compared to PokerStars. That should help balance it out.

Overall, players in the United States will have a smaller selection of real money poker games to choose from. There will be fewer tournaments running and the guarantees will be smaller, too.

However, that’s to be expected, considering the player pool is much smaller compared to the player pool outside the US. We don’t think it’s that big of a downside in the grand scheme of things anyway.

This is one area where US players won’t have to compromise too much on. Several of the top US poker sites have done a great job updating their software. They look modern and offer plenty of features.

Here are a few examples of what you can expect.

• The ability to scale your tables to fit your screen. You can also tile, cascade, or stack your tables, which is handy for people who multi-table.
• You’ll have the option to play five to ten tables simultaneously, and some sites allow for more.
• Most top poker sites will offer features such as four-color decks, different card designs, easily readable pot and bet sizes, multiple languages, hand history replayer, and more.
• Some rooms offer anonymous tables which is great for recreational players. You don’t have to worry about sharks preying on you.
• Most sites offer built-in casino games and sportsbooks.
• You can use third party software at some poker rooms.
• You can play from your browser or download their software. Either option will be compatible with PCs AND Macs.

And more. The bottom line is that you’re not getting short-changed here. The best USA poker sites for real money have done a great job with their software.

US poker sites offer plenty of promotions, too. The following are a few examples of promotions you’ll be able to claim.

• Deposit Bonuses – Some of the deals we’ve seen include a 100% match up to $1,000 and a 100% match bonus up to $500.
• New Player Freerolls – These are tournaments that cost nothing to enter and offer a real money prize. Entry is limited to only those who signed up and made a deposit recently.
• Free Play – Get a free tournament ticket or free money to use in the poker room’s casino or sportsbook.
• VIP Program – Many sites will reward you for your loyalty. Perks can include exclusive bonuses, cash back, tournament tickets, and more.
• Bad Beat Jackpots – Play on a BBJ table and you can win a piece of a jackpot if your hand (usually quad 2s or better) lose to a better hand.

And so on. The one thing you’ll want to pay attention to when it comes to promotions are the playthrough terms. Specifically, you want to look at how much money you need to spend to clear every $1 or $10 of your bonus, and if there’s a timeframe you need to do it in.

There are some sites that make it incredibly difficult to earn their promotions. It’s one of the biggest downsides to poker promotions but you can usually avoid it if you stick with the top poker sites and do your homework first.

We also cover this information in detail in our reviews.

It’s not easy to play real money poker online in the United States when compared to playing poker online elsewhere in the world. However, it’s not impossible, especially after reading this guide.

While you might not have all the options that other players have, such as high stakes action, tons of games running, and enough traffic for games like Pineapple and HORSE to run, there’s still plenty of action to be had.

For example, you can play Hold’em and Omaha cash games and tournaments at the micro and small stakes levels. The software you’ll play on is top-notch and both serious and recreational players will be able to find a site that caters to them.

If that sounds good to you, then the first step to getting started is to find a site to join. To ensure you enjoy playing online poker for real money, join one of the best USA poker sites.

Here’s a reminder of our top recommendations. Remember, each one has been thoroughly vetted and we’re confident you’ll have a good experience.

Enjoying online poker while residing in the U.S is not as difficult as one might think. Most online poker sites will turn down any registration from the United States, but there are still several leading poker sites that do indeed accept U.S registrations to this day.

And, contrary to widespread belief, most of them are also operating legally within a regulated and licensed environment. The purpose of this article is to offer you all the information you need to have a safe and secure online poker experience while playing from the U.S.

To start things off; you will need to find a legit online poker site that is both trustworthy and reliable.

Top American Poker Rooms for December 2020All Poker Rooms are Licensed , Mobile Friendly Advertiser Disclosure

Contents

• U.S Legislation and Online Poker
• Frequently Asked Questions

With so many online poker sites available on the World Wide Web, it can be quite a challenging task to separate the good from the bad by yourself. That’s exactly why we decided to publish this article at Top10pokerwebsites to assist you in making a more educated decision before registering with an online poker room.

We’ve tested each online poker room extensively, completed in-depth research into the numerous options available, and compared how each of them performed in a variety of key areas. Only the top performers have managed to make it onto our list, and these don’t just accept customers from the U.S, they generously welcome them with open arms.

Read our comprehensive online reviews surrounding the best U.S facing online poker rooms right here at Top10pokerwebsites. You will find everything from the history of the online poker room to its current reputation. We also go into great detail regarding the poker network, the software used on the site, and the overall graphics you can expect once your account has been registered.

Furthermore, we take an in-depth look at the current welcome package and the on-going promotions on offer and include the wagering requirements tied to each of the spectacular offers. We then dive into the list of deposit and withdrawal options available at each online poker establishment and provide the processing times on each payment method to assist you in choosing the right method for your deposit and withdrawal needs.

Lastly, we give you an honest and unbiased review surrounding the security measures in place at each online poker room and the level of customer service you can expect when dealing with a problem on your account.

U.S Legislation and Online Poker

Online poker in the United States has never been illegal and will probably never be either. While outsiders, and possibly some insiders, will declare that enjoying online poker in the United States is a crime, the reality is that it’s not. Even though it’s virtually impossible for online operators to provide online poker games to U.S players due to certain legal restrictions, online players were never breaking the law by playing at a virtual felt.

When you look at the U.S legislation, online poker encountered several problems when the U.S government decided to implement the Unlawful Internet Gaming Enforcement Act (UIGEA) that formed part of the SAFE Port Act. Online poker was thriving before politicians decided to disrupt the online poker community by making it impossible for U.S poker players to deposit. Mainstream advertisements, generous giveaways, and big money tournaments ensured millions of online players enjoyed the virtual edition of poker. However, after the U.S online poker legislation transformed into a ‘grey area’, the total number of players and operators have dropped significantly in the United States.

Fortunately, that dark grey cloud is starting to disappear and things in the United States are beginning to look a lot brighter. To get a better understanding of U.S legislation and online poker, let’s look at the main factors, starting with the implementation of the UIGEA to the changes that are currently taking shape in the United States when it comes to poker regulation.

What is the UIGEA?

Online Poker In Usa

In 2006, the Unlawful Internet Gaming Enforcement Act was passed, outlawing the processing of funds between U.S citizens and online poker establishments. This made it almost impossible for online poker players to play online. Although the bill excluded wagers between tribal gaming operators and fantasy sports betting, it essentially rendered the entire online poker economy of the U.S obsolete.

After this U.S legislation piece came into effect, the online poker community took a serious nosedive as most online poker operator’s in the North American market had to pull out. In fact, not only did the poker economy in the U.S suffer but the overall industry too. However, even though online operators were facing legal repercussions, there were no online poker players that were being prosecuted. Therefore, although the UIGEA made it impossible for poker sites to process gaming funds, players were not being arrested if they played online. This made it possible for a handful of operators to remain active in the United States.

Black Friday

Even though the online poker sites that remained active in the U.S were technically banned from hosting real money poker games due to the U.S poker legislation, the online operators continued to argue that they weren’t actually doing anything wrong. This defence managed to keep them safe from the DOJ’s firing line for a couple of years. However, in 2011, three major online poker sites, including Absolute Poker, Full Tilt Poker, and PokerStars were shut down.

This momentous day in the history of online poker is now referred to as Black Friday which sent the online poker community into a downward spiral. With online players from the U.S facing lengthy delays before they could get their funds, the poker industry suffered its second significant slump. In fact, Full Tilt Poker and PokerStars had to pay a hefty fine to the DOJ to remain operational, and have a chance at re-entering the U.S market in the future.

Absolute Poker, at the time, was, unfortunately, unable to meet the demands of the DOJ and went into liquation with Full Tilt Poker also struggling. Luckily, PokerStars managed to build an enormous fortune and not only paid the DOJ, but also managed to cover Full Tilt Poker’s fine as well. This gave the Rational Group, a parent company to PokerStars, take full control of Full Tilt Poker.

Online Poker in the U.S: Then and Now

Prior to the UIGEA and Black Friday dealing powerful blows to the online gaming industry, online poker was an impressive enterprise. Investors, operators, and players all enjoyed several years of prosperity. The most notable aspect, prior to the U.S legislation of online poker, was how easy the games were as poker is a mainstream game and considered a national pastime with casual players being common.

Unfortunately, the U.S legislation caused professional players to stay and the fish to swim away. This developed a significant rise in the way online poker is being played, and therefore made it much harder for inexperienced players to be profitable.

However, as time goes by, the U.S climate has gradually started to change for the better. Although you could play online poker at a couple of dark corners of the internet over the last few years, there seems to be some much-needed light at the end of the tunnel. Online poker is still far from being a regulated industry when it comes to the U.S legislation. However, things are starting to look a lot more positive when compared to how they once were.

Online poker in the U.S initially sat with regulation at a federal level, but it has recently been taking shape on a state-by-state basis, allowing U.S players to gain access to the virtual game once again. Despite this being a less effective route of regulating online poker, most online operators are quickly seizing the opportunity by forming partnerships with land-based casinos to re-enter the U.S market.

A New Era

Only three U.S states currently offer regulated online poker, including Delaware, Nevada, and New Jersey. However, as these markets grow, more governors are starting to exhibit an interest in regulating online poker. U.S states such as Iowa, California, and New York are all looking at the endless benefits of regulated online poker in 2017.

The main reason why U.S states are starting to regulate online poker is the power they enact with their own unique laws. Although the UIGEA is still in place, it will essentially be ruled out once a state passes a bill allowing online gambling in their respective state. For this reason, the likelihood of more states allowing regulated online poker looks promising, giving players access to online poker in the next few months.

In addition, the U.S legislation of online poker is moving towards online gaming at an intrastate level. This allows regulated states to essentially share their players that can link the entire country, and bring a rush of liquidity to the United States. Obviously, international connectivity is still years away. However, if regulators can assist in creating a stable online poker community across America, then a re-entry into the global market will undoubtedly follow.

How about US Online Casinos?

If you are from USA and looking for casino sites to play live dealer blackjack or any casino games have a look at CasinoUSA.com which we highly recommend.

Licensing Jurisdictions

When you do want to start playing poker online it will be dependent on just which US State you are living in or visiting in regards to just which licensing jurisdiction will be overseeing and regulating the poker sites you can legally play at.

Currently there are three US States that have embraced fully online gambling, and as such there are two different licensing jurisdictions that vet each poker site and then issue gaming license to poker sites based n three of those US States.

With that in mind please do pay carefully attention to the following section of this US online poker player guide, and always make sure you only ever play at poker rooms and poker sites that are displaying the logo and gambling licenses of the respective gaming commission or licensing authorities mentioned below depending on which US State you are in and wish to play online poker from.

Failing to follow our advice could see you playing at a poker site that has no safeguards in place in regards to you seeking help and assistance if you do every experience any problems playing at an online poker site.

New Jersey Casino Control Commission – If you live in new Jersey or the neighbouring US State of Delaware then you are going to find that you can legally play at any online poker site that has been granted a full gambling license.

Those sites will therefore be run and operated to the very highest of industry standards and you will be assured that every single poker game or online poker tournament you take part in is offering 100% fair and random games, and you will of course have no troubles getting pad your winnings speedily too.

Best Online Poker Sites In Usa

Nevada Gaming Control Board – If you are living within the State boundaries of Nevada then you will be pleased to learn that there are now numerous online poker sites that have all applied for and have been granted a full online gambling license.

That is of course the very same gaming control board that licenses, regulates and oversees the running of all licensed gambling venues and casinos throughout Nevada and as such all sites that have obtained and have been granted one of their licenses is very highly regulated.

Costa Rica – If you live in any other US State other than the three mentioned above then you will be more than welcome to sign up to any online poker site that hold a Costa Rica license to operate.

There will be quite a number of different poker sites offering you all manner of poker games and poker tournaments licensed and regulated in Costa Rica and as such you will have no difficulties finding such a poker site online. However, do make sure you take a look at our range of approved poker sites licensed in Costa Rica as we have picked all of them out based on their track records.

Curaçao eGaming – One final online gambling licensing jurisdiction that has issued licenses to quite a number of online poker sites that are available to play in most US States is Curaçao, and those sites will allow you to fund your poker site accounts using US Dollars and will also allow you to play in any of their poker games or poker tournaments using US Dollars too.

You’ll be guided on how to access poker games in the United States, as well as the different game variants available. Whether you’re a Texas Hold ‘em fan or enjoy the challenge of H.O.R.S.E poker, there is a site out there for you.

Read on for to find the best US online poker room that checks all your boxes for the ultimate gaming site.

Frequently Asked Questions

This final part of our guide to licensed and legal US online poker site is dedicated to getting you the answers to a range of different questions that we do know many poker players will be seeking, if they have not yet experienced the delights of playing poker online.

All of the questions listed below are answered fully, and as such do have a good read through all of them as you are bound to find those answers of interest. Also do consider taking a look at our individual US poker site reviews as you will find a plethora of additional information in regards to what each of those sites has to offer you too.

You will find that when you sign up to any of our top rated US player friendly online poker sites then you will be able to play on both their online poker playing platforms and also on any mobile apps or mobile web compatible poker platforms those sites have on offer, if they do offer a mobile poker playing platform that is!

Your online or mobile log in details will work on both platforms and as such that does of course mean you will not have to register again to use the other type of platform!

We have spent a great deal of time picking out and selecting just which poker sites to showcase to all of our US based website visitors and with that in mind you should have no problems what so ever being able to play poker at our featured and approved poker sites!

One thing that we are aware of and one thing that you as a player may also be more than aware of is that when you sign up to some online poker sites that cater for US players you will not have the option of picking form a very large range of different depositing options, and as such you may be limited in regards to what banking options you can pick and choose from.

However, it has been found that by using a pre paid debit type card which you can buy form a lot of retail outlets you will have a much greater approval rate and success rate when using such a card to make a deposit, so please do consider using such a deposit option for a hassle free way of playing real money poker online!

We are pleased to let you know that every single one of our featured online poker sites are going to allow you to find your poker site account using a range of different banking options, and one of the main attractions of selecting one of our featured sites is that your deposit you make into your account will be done so in US Dollar.

Some online poker sites will force you to have to make deposits in a different currency other than USD and those sites should always be avoided as there will be lots of charges and extra fees you will have to pay when not only depositing into those poker sites but when you wish to make a withdrawal too!

It will be dependent on just which method you have chosen o get paid your winnings by in regards to just how long you are going o have to wait to get pad out your winnings at any US player friendly online or mobile poker site, so always pick a method that will allow the poker site you have played at and have won at that will allow that site to pay you in the very fastest possible time frames!

US based online and mobile poker players do have a huge range of different poker tournaments that they can take part in and enter, both mobile and online US player friendly poker sites have plenty of tournaments up and running throughout the day and night.

If you are living in the US and want to find out just when any poker sites poker tournaments are up and running then visit the poker sites websites and take a good look through the poker tournament schedule as that will enlighten you on how every poker tournament has been structured and designed and when it will be going live too.

Competition is of course very strong between online poker site that offer US players a range of different poker games and poker tournaments and a such you are going to find there are some very high valued sign up bonuses and ongoing bonuses that you are going to be able to claim when you sign up to any poker site online.

However, as part of our selection process for picking out US player friendly poker sites we have made sure that every single poker room and poker site we present to you have its own unique poker rewards scheme in place. As such based on the level of real money poker playing action you give any of our featured US player friendly poker site you will be earning additional comps and bonus credits too.

The licensing commissions and gaming authorities insist that both free play poker games and the real money version of those game much play and pay in the exact same way except when playing for free you will be winning demo mode credits, unless you play in a freeroll poker tournament!

There are not that many brand new poker game variants being launched online or at any mobile poker sites and as such you may not find a large number of brand new poker game variants being offered to you.

However, all of our featured and top rated online poker sites will of course give you access to every type of poker game you can think off and you may occasionally find some brand new types of poker games available to you at some of our selected and approved US player friendly online poker sites!

One final thing worth knowing is that even if you are living in the US you are going to get access to just as many very high valued poker site bonuses players based in any other country of the world, and all of our featured and approved US player friendly poker sites will be giving you access to both huge and generous new player welcome sign up bonuses and also a range of ongoing bonuses too..

Online Poker In Usa

So look around and do make use of those generous poker bonus offers as soon as you possible can do as they are all there for the taking and you can claim them all with no delays too!