Real Money Poker Us Legal

The only state that has legal restrictions on poker with a certain real money is Washington State, but these two ten-year old laws have not been applied once and may not be appropriate to be forced due. Online poker in Pennsylvania is played strictly on licensed sites, and owners paid huge application fee to offer these games to public. Participating is safe for both sides - casino and player. Fast and guaranteed payments via different methods are distinctive features of online poker for real money. Real money online poker is legal in six states in the US right now: New Jersey, Nevada, Michigan, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. Gaming regulators in each state are responsible for.

Online poker has changed a lot since I started playing in the mid-2000s. Maybe I shouldn’t be surprised by this; after all, it has been close to 20 years.

I thought it would be fun to reflect on some of the changes in online poker, though, so here’s this post with some observations and thoughts about the state of online poker today.

Recreational Poker Online Is Still Alive

On April 15, 2011, the Department of Justice indighted Absolute Poker, Full Tilt Poker, and PokerStars. These were far and away the biggest three companies offering recreational poker online to United States players.

It didn’t take long for these sites to respond by pulling access to US players to their real money poker games. Online poker had been booming until that point, but it came crashing to a near-halt at that point.

After all, you didn’t have many places left to play.

Absolute Poker, which also owned Ultimate Bet, went out of business soon afterward. PokerStars acquired what was left of Full Tilt Poker, but they still don’t offer real money games to United States players.

This doesn’t mean you can’t play recreational poker online if you’re from the United States. Many – if not most – online poker sites will let anyone play their “free money” or “play money” games regardless of where they live. Global Poker is one of the biggest outfits specializing in play money poker, and they have a unique sweepstakes-based poker model that enables them to offer games that are almost just like real money poker games.

But you can also find a handful of sites still offering real money poker for recreational players in almost any jurisdiction. These are usually attached to a sportsbook of some kind, like Bovada.

In some of these states, recreational poker online for real money is still new. I expect more states to follow suit, which will expand the availability of online poker for actual cash.

The Offshore Poker Sites Accepting United States Players

Presumably, the United States government was acting to protect gamblers from shady offshore gambling sites that were going to take their money. Their legal action had the opposite of the intended effect, though.

When you outlaw the operation of an online poker site, only outlaws offer online poker.

Of course, there’s honor among thieves, but it’s hard to beat the kind of reliability and trustworthiness you saw from operators like PokerStars.

Online Poker Legal In Usa

Of course, the newly legalized and regulated poker sites in the states I mentioned in the last section are trustworthy and reliable.

But as I write this, only five states have legalized and regulated online poker.

Poker players in the other 45 states only have a couple of options when it comes to online poker.

They can skip it entirely and just play in person. This is increasingly unrealistic as I write this in the middle of a pandemic.

Or they can roll the dice and play at one of the offshore sites that have so far managed to evade US law enforcement.

Some of these sites are reliable and pay out in a timely manner. They offer excellent customer service, too. Bovada is a good example of this.

But it behooves you to proceed cautiously.

When Black Friday rolled around before, many poker players had tens of thousands of dollars tied up in online poker accounts and had to wait months before getting their cash. I know one player who had over $100,000 in his PokerStars account.

I’m not the only one who’s noticed that you should be cautious with online poker from the United States these days. In fact, you’ll see a noticeable shortage of high stakes poker games happening online that are available to United States players.

It’s Not as Bad as It Might Seem

You might think that player pools are really small since the state gambling laws with legal poker restrict play to people playing from a computer in their state.

But this year they created an interstate agreement — a “compact” – which allows them to share player pools between the following states:

The other states that have legalized online poker are mostly still setting things up. I’m assuming they’ll enter into the compact with the other states. After all, that’s good for everyone participating. Larger player pools mean more action.

And that means more tax revenue for everyone involved.

Also, and just because I’ve characterized many of these poker companies as “outlaws,” who do you think are running the poker sites in the states that have recently legalized online poker?

Many of them are sites that used to offer poker “illegally” from offshore. Yes, that includes Party Poker and PokerStars, among others.

The Poker Bot Scare

I’ve only recently started dipping my toe back into the online poker waters, and I’ve stuck with the play money games for a couple of months. One reason I have trepidations is the rise of online poker bots.

An online poker bot is just software that makes poker decisions on behalf of a player. They’re not actually robots like C-3PO. They’re just programs that run on someone’s computer next to the game they’re playing, and they tell the player what the mathematically best move is. Sometimes they actually make the moves, too.

You can imagine how helpful a HUD might be. How you handle a bet from someone who’s categorized loose-aggressive by your HUD and how you handle a bet from someone who’s categorized as tight-passive by your HUD might be entirely different.

The idea that someone is using a HUD to beat me scares me.

The idea that someone is using an artificial intelligence to actually play against me scares me even more.

What Do I Do if I Want to Play Online Poker for Real Money?

My suggestion for what to do if you want to play online poker for real money is simple and straightforward:

Stick with low stakes games and only play with money you can afford to lose.

That way you can have fun without trying to earn a living from gambling online.

I don’t have much respect for anyone trying to make their living by running a poker bot on their behalf, by the way. It’s cheating, and nothing angers me more than a cheat.

I even frown on using a HUD during play. I prefer my contests to be a fair test of my abilities versus the abilities of my opponents. If you’re using a computer to help you make decisions, well… I’m not really competing with you anymore, am I.

How much pride can you take in winning a contest against another person when you’re not actually calling the shots yourself?

You might have an entirely different opinion about all these issues, and that’s okay with me, too. I can only advise you based on my own life experience and opinions.

Live Poker Really Is More Fun

I’m a big fan of live poker. You’re less likely to face cheaters. You don’t have to worry about the online cardroom being unable to process your withdrawal because they faced legal action from the US government.

And I’ve played live poker in casinos and in home poker games alike.

If you decide to go the live poker route during the pandemic, I encourage you to take appropriate steps to protect your own safety. Most casinos have strict procedures in place, but home games might be trickier.

Find out beforehand if masks are allowed and/or required. I won’t be playing in any games without masks, personally.

Also, if I do play in a home poker game, I’m going to bring a big bottle of hand sanitizer with me.

If the host is willing to open the windows and limit the number of players – even better.

Conclusion

The world of online poker in the United States keeps limping along. It might never reach the dizzying heights that it saw during the early 2000s during the poker boom, though.

This doesn’t mean the game is dying out. At least five states have legalized internet poker, and I expect more to follow.

And even if you live in a state that hasn’t legalized online poker, you have options.

Today, we’re going to talk about real money online poker. If you think you’ve got what it takes to take on the fishes of the online poker world, you’ve come to the right place. We’re going to give you all of the best real money poker sites to get you started, as well as some other information you will need about online poker.

Best US Real Money Poker Sites

If you’re in the US, you have plenty of options for playing real money poker. All of the sites that we recommend accepts US players. A common question we get is whether or not it is legal for players in the US to play real money poker online. So, we’re going to cover that question and go over online casinos by state.

Is Playing Online Poker for Real Money in the US Legal?

Depending on which state you live in, there may be different laws about sports betting or playing casino games. However, no one in the USA has ever been prosecuted from playing real money online poker at safe sites like the ones we recommend.

Legal Online Casinos by US State

We have a dedicated section that lays out different legal online casinos for USA players based on their state. So whether you live in California or New York, there is an online casino to play real money poker for you!

How to Get Started With Playing Poker for Money

Now, it’s time to cover a few basic tips you need to be aware of before playing poker online. These are essential things to keep in mind that you shouldn’t gloss over if you are serious about wanting to win real money playing poker.

Why Site Selection Matters

If you don’t select the right real money poker site, you’re going to have a bad time. Why? Well, because of how many untrustworthy sites that are out there, it’s easy to get scammed. Our dedicated team spends hours vetting online poker sites that offer real money play to find ones that are legit and safe to play at.

After a grueling vetting process, the online poker sites we’ve recommended are ones you can absolutely trust with your money. These sites will pay you your winnings and have excellent customer service teams. They’re just all-around great sites!

Poker Terms You Should Know

• All-In – You go all in when you bet all of your bankroll on a hand.
• Ante – The ante is a bet you’re forced to put into the pot so the hand can begin.
• Blinds – These are required bets by two players left of the dealer.
• Bluff – This is the act of trying to trick other players that you have a good hand when you don’t.
• Flop – The flop is the first three cards dealt.
• Pot Odds – This is the ratio of money that it takes to call the bet on the table.
• River – The fifth of the five cards dealt in a hand.
• Tilt – This is when you, as a player, become visibly upset and starts making bad decisions based on your emotions.
• Turn – The fourth of five cards dealt in a hand.

How to Stay Safe Playing Poker Online for Real Money

Before you start playing poker for money online, you want to make sure you do the proper research to make sure you know how to stay safe.

Play at Safe US Online Poker Sites

This one should be self-explanatory. You need to be very careful about the US friendly online poker site you choose, and that’s where we come in. Our team of experts has already gone through the painstaking process of finding safe poker sites for real money, so you don’t have to worry about playing at the wrong ones.

Start out Small

Before you jump right in and start giving real money poker sites all of your bankroll, stop and consider a few things. We recommend starting out small and only depositing a little bit of money at a time. This will potentially help protect your bankroll if you are at all worried about losing your money.

While the real money poker sites we recommend are very safe, this is just a measure we recommend for anyone who might still have concerns, just for their peace of mind.

Real Money Poker Us Legal Real Money

Bank With Cryptocurrency

This isn’t a must, but it’s highly recommended by our team at BestUSCasinos.org. Cryptocurrency is a fantastic way to keep your money safe when dealing with online banking. It also gives you the option of maintaining anonymity.

Real Money Online Poker Bonuses

One way to enjoy US online poker to its fullest is to take advantage of online bonuses and promotions that are offered. Here is an example of an online poker bonus found at Ignition Casino:

As you can see, you have the option to receive up to $1,000, or even more if you deposit with Bitcoin. There are many other bonuses like this at other casinos, most often a welcome bonus of some kind.

Other types of bonuses you’ll see are things like the following:

• “Bad Beat” bonuses
• “Royal Flush” bonuses
• And others

Free Poker Tournament Entries

Another thing many real money USA poker sites will do is have recurring tournaments. Here are a few online poker tournament examples, courtesy of Ignition Casino:

Real Money Us Poker Sites

Again, many sites will have different promotions, there are just two examples of real money poker tournaments happening at the time of this writing. Many US poker sites for money will also have bonuses that may allow you to enter for free or match a deposit you make into the tournament.

Poker tournaments for real money are a great way to get your feet wet with online poker if you are new.

Online Poker Real Money Apps

You’ll find many apps on the App Store or Google Play store, but most of them will not be for real money. If you’re looking for a real money poker app, we recommend checking to see if it’s an app from one of the casinos we recommend.

If you’re just looking to play poker for fun and not worry about real money, then any of the free to play apps would be perfectly fine. Just be careful about what company you would be giving money to if you aren’t familiar with them, especially if it isn’t one of our recommended best United States online poker sites.

Start Playing Poker Online in the USA

Well, that about does it for today. We hope you have found the US online poker site of your dreams. Be sure to check back regularly as our rankings change quite a bit. Our team continues day after day to make sure we recommend only the best real money online poker sites out there.

Have fun, stay safe, and win big!

FAQ About Playing Real Money Online Poker

Now, we’ll cover a few of the questions we get asked most often about playing poker online for real money. If we haven’t covered your question here, please feel free to reach out at any time.

• Of course you can! To get started playing poker for real money online, just follow the steps outlined in this guide. And, make sure you stick with our recommended list of sites to ensure you are playing at only the best and safest real money poker sites.

• A growing trend today is the use of virtual reality for online poker games. Right now, many online casinos have not caught up with this trend of technology yet, but they’re not far behind. To find real money VR poker games would be a stretch, but if you do find someone offering real money games, just proceed with caution.

• Where Can I Play Real Money Online Poker in the USA?

  For online poker real money USA, you can play at any of the sites we recommended at the top of this page! All of these sites are safe for US players to use and vetted by our team of experts.

• As we stated earlier, unless they’re apps directly from the casinos themselves, we would hesitate before depositing any real money. However, there are real money poker apps out there that are safe to play at.