7/13/2022

Online Poker Rooms

Online Poker Rooms Average ratng: 3,5/5 331 votes

Welcome to Top 10 Poker Sites, as the name of our website suggests we are going to present to you the world’s top ten online poker sites. However, as you may or may not be aware, many` poker sites have different rules regarding whether players can sign up and play dependent on the country they are based in. With this in mind we have categorized the top ten poker sites for each part of the world!

Top 10 By Country

Bovada is a popular poker online location for people from the U.S. It has a lot of opportunities for real online poker options for making money. It started out in 2011, and it has a real email and phone contact info so that you know it’s legit. People love the racebook and sportsbook options along with casino options. A freeroll is a free online poker tournament that usually awards real money prizes. Sometimes poker sites will offer tournament tickets to players in lieu of cash. Free rolls are structured with standard tables and starting chips, but blind levels are often shorter to finish the game in a shorter timespan. Play Free Poker on Vegas World. Play free Poker with friends and win big! Have a winning poker hand? Win tons of Coins. Use your Gems to get Good Luck Charms, which boost your coin winnings from playing free Poker in Vegas World. Play multiple rounds of Poker, treat each other to special food and drink Charms, and have fun! Safety and Fairness of Pennsylvania Poker Rooms. All legal online poker sites in PA are safe and secure. The PGCB ensures that each licensee is legit and uses fair business practices. In technical terms, all accounts are password-protected and SSL encryption ensures your personal details are safe at all times.

All poker sites are reviewed and rated by Pro Poker Players

  • Safe & secure deposit and withdrawal
  • Fully licensed & regulated
  • Rated & Reviewed by PRO players

My list of the best UK poker sites which I consider to be the best rooms to play in 2021:

100% Legal & Licensed Verified Bonus Mobile FriendlyAdvertiser Disclosure. Must be +18 to participate.

RankPoker RoomsBonusReview...
1.
Bonus

100% upto £300

(T&C apply. 18+)
Deposit Options

Features

  • $88/£20 Free NO DEPOSIT BONUS, No Deposit Required (T&Cs apply)
  • Welcome Bonus up to $1000 (T&Cs apply)
  • First-Class Software
  • Rich Player Traffic

Payout Speed

1-3 days

Licensed by

2.
Bonus

Deposit $10, Get $10 in SPINS tickets

(T&C apply. 18+)
Deposit Options

Features

  • Cash Game missions
  • The biggest tournament prize pools
  • $10 in SPINS tickets for new players
  • Over a dozen regular promotions

Payout Speed

1-3 days

Licensed by

3.
Bonus

Visit bet365 for the latest offers

(T&C apply. 18+)

Features

  • Easy Wagering Requirements
  • Fast & Reliable Payment Methods
  • Highly Responsive Customer Service

Payout Speed

1-3 days

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Poker Sites that are legal to play in 2021 which we recommended are:

BetOnline Poker is licensed and regulated to accept players from all 50 states in the U.S. it is one of the best US Poker sites and provide an array of tournaments offering prizes that can be quite generous.

888 Poker is the third largest online poker sites famed for its quality services, software that offers hundreds of unique features, the largest selection of tournaments and is best for new and experienced players.

Our poker site reviews and ratings are based on every aspect of the poker room, including payment methods & payout speed, device compatibility, gaming selection, security & safety as well as licensing and regulations. We understand the need to be thorough when it comes to examining the perpetually changing, fast-paced online poker industry.
Several online poker sites are keen to welcome players preferring to use PayPal to top up their poker bankrolls and offers excellent tournaments and bonuses. PayPal friendly poker rooms include 888 Poker, BetOnline Poker, Ignition Poker Room, Intertops Poker, Bovada Poker, Americas Card Room and Black Chip Poker.
Each of the Poker Sites listed for US players have passed our strict ratings, offer fast payouts and are recommended for excellent member services. Highly recommended US-friendly Poker Sites include Intertops Poker, Ignition Casino Poker Room and BetOnline, American Card Room, Bovada, and Black Chip Poker.
The federal law does not prohibit players from the US to register real money online accounts at Poker Sites since the future of online poker regulation is still left in the hands of the state governments. Several Top Online Poker Sites servicing the US market include Intertops Poker, BetOnline, Bovada, Ignition and American Card Room.
BetOnline Poker is one of the top 10 Poker Rooms in the world and the Number One Poker Room in the USA. Launched in 2004, it is known for its super-fast payouts and for handling the highest number in USA poker traffic. Due to its excellent mobile app and outstanding reputation, BetOnline Poker earns our vote as the best online poker site.

No matter where you live you will find a range of the very best online poker sites who will allow you to play in your home currency and will more importantly, be able to process your deposits and pay you quickly whenever you request a cash out.

To ensure you are being introduced to only the highest calibre of sites, we have our very own check-list which guarantees the sites we showcase to you hold a current value gaming licence, and all poker listed have been independently verified as offering completely random poker games.

All of the rooms are about to be presented with also offer you a very diverse range of different poker variants, and as such no matter whether you are looking to play the more popular poker variants such as Texas Hold’em or Omaha Poker, or some of the more exotic variants such as Seven Card Hi/Low Poker, then you will find exactly the poker site at which to play.

Poker Bonuses and Deposit Options

You will probably be looking for some value for money poker bonuses and special exclusive promotional offers, and if this is the case then we invite you to have a good look around our site, as all of the poker sites will offer you a whole host of bonuses when you sign up and become a new player of that respective site.

Another box to be ticked in regards to where you are looking to play poker online will be the way in which you wish to make a deposit into that particular poker site through such as Paypal , bitcoin or other payment methods.

With there being so many different ways to fund an online poker account, everyone will have their own preferred methods, this could be via a credit or debit card, a prepaid voucher or even one of the many web wallets which are available online.

All of the reviews and articles we offer will allow you to find a site at which to play using a deposit method of your own choosing, which means you will be online and playing poker for real money in no time at all, at a poker site you can trust.

Just as important as being able to deposit in a hassle free fashion is being able to cash out your winnings and get them sent back to your rapidly. All of the top 10 poker sites listed throughout our website will let you cash out your winnings quickly and by a method chosen by you, and each and every one of them will pay you in a timely fashion.

Top 10 Poker Sites Players Checklist

Quick, Safe & Secure Payouts

Putting your safety and enjoyment first is the whole reason why we review these sites!

Unbiased Expert Reviews

Our experts have sampled every major online casino worth your time and present the best right here.

Licensed Poker Rooms

All our listed poker sites are fully licensed verified with their respective countries' official governing bodies.

Below we have compiled a checklist to help you make sure that every single poker site at which you are thinking of playing at ticks all of the right boxes in regards to the qualities listed below, as this will guarantee you will have the ultimate online poker playing experience.

Licensed Sites – You must check carefully each online poker site you play at holds a valid online gambling license, make sure that the poker site is licensed by a leading gambling jurisdiction as this adds another level of safety and peace of mind to all of your online poker play.

Poker Software – There are many ways in which you can play poker online, and as such stick to sites that give you the biggest range of ways to play, whether that be via a download poker platform, a no download software platform or even lets you play on your mobile phone or mobile device. This will ensure you can always access your favourite poker games whenever you get the urge to play.

Poker Variants – There are many different poker variants and as such you can often find plenty of different ones available to play at the better run poker sites. Make sure whichever poker site you are considering playing at offers the type of poker variant you are looking to play and will also let you play for stake levels of your own choose.

No Limit, Pot Limit and Poker Tournaments using your preferred base poker game should also be offered by the site at which you are thinking of playing.

Banking Options – It can drive even the most placid of poker players completely mad in regards to being able to deposit and cash out from online poker sites swiftly and in a hassle free fashion. This means you will often need to have several different deposit and withdrawal options available and set up before you choose a poker site at which to play.

We would suggest you have a credit or debit card at hand or have a web wallet available, this will ensure that you will not only be able to fund your poker account at your chosen poker sites instantly, but should you then go onto make a withdrawal you will have all bases covered in regards to how you choose to get paid those winnings.

Free Games and Free rolls – One thing to look out for when playing at any of our sites is whether the site in question offers you the ability to play poker for free or take part in free roll tournaments.

Make sure it does indeed offer you these free games and free roll tournaments as this is a great way to get a good feel for a poker software platform which you have never tried before, and by playing for free you can master the way the software operates without risking any of your own funds doing just that!

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Not all poker rooms currently accept US players, but thankfully there's still a handful of reliable places to choose from…

Best US friendly poker sites.

RoomReviewRatingTrafficCompetitionLicenseVisit
Ignition PokerA+HighWeakNo LicenseVisit
SwC PokerALowWeakNo LicenseVisit
Americas CardroomAHighTrickyCyprus Gaming AuthorityVisit
Nitrogen PokerBAwfulWeakCosta RicaVisit

These are the best real-money US friendly poker roomsthat I've played at. I think they're the most reliable online poker sites for American players as of February 2021 I haven't listed any poker rooms I don't trust, which is why this might be a shorter list than you find at other websites.

Unregulated and regulated states

Due to some states deciding to regulate online poker over recent years, your options for playing poker online vary depending on which state you live in.

Here's a colorful map to help you out:

Best Poker Online

Unregulated

These states have the most freedom. From here you are free to play at 'unregulated' rooms, which are currently the biggest and most popular destinations for playing poker online.

Paypal

Unregulated sounds like a negative word, but in this context these rooms have the freedom to accept players from multiple states, and so therefore have much bigger player pools. Basically, if you live in one of the green states, you are in the best position for playing online poker because you have access to the busiest online poker rooms available.

The biggest rooms in operation are currently:

Note: All of the US-friendly poker rooms I recommend on this site fall in to the unregulated category. I believe they are the best options for playing poker online if you can get to them. I do not believe regulated sites offer anything better in terms of safety.

Regulated

These states have limited choice. They have regulated online poker, which means they offer poker rooms that only accept players from within the same (or sometimes other regulated) states, and therefore have much lower player traffic.

GGPoker

Regulation sounds like a good thing, but really the primary goal for these states is to be able to profit more directly from the running of online poker. As a result you can only play at the regulated sites (usually), and so you have a much more limited choice in where you can play poker online. For example, these are your options in each of the regulated states:

  • Delaware (since 2012): WSOP/888
  • Nevada (since 2013): WSOP NV
  • New Jersey (since 2013): WSOP/888, PokerStars NJ, Party/Borgata/BetMGM
  • Pennsylvania (since 2017): PokerStars PA
  • West Virginia (since 2019):(none yet)
  • Michigan (since 2019):(none yet)

Ideally it would be good if the whole of the US could pool together at some point, but as it stands the small number of individually regulated states means that you end up playing against a much smaller pool of players than you would otherwise be able to.

Unfortunately the biggest US-friendly online poker rooms tend to avoid accepting players from states with active regulated poker rooms.

Other

These states are in a tricky spot. They do not have regulated online poker rooms yet, but for certain reasons some unregulated sites have chosen not to accept players from these states either.

This is usually because these states either have strong laws against playing poker online (e.g. Washington), or because there's some significant gambling organization already operating in the state (e.g. several state licensed casinos in Maryland). Either way, some unregulated sites feel these states are too risky to open up to, or don't want to step on anyone's toes.

Nonetheless, there are still some decent online poker rooms that accept players from these states:

These rooms are bitcoin-only and are much smaller than the biggest rooms, but they're still worth playing at.

Is it legal to play online poker in the US?

I'm a better poker player than I am a lawyer. So I wouldn't want you to completely trust everything I say on this topic. However, I've been involved with online poker for years, so I'm just going to give you my opinion on playing poker on the the Internet in the US anyway.

Aside from a few states (see below), it appears to be perfectly legal to play online poker for real money in the US. Thousands of American players play online poker for real money every week. No players have ever been arrested.

If online poker is was illegal, the online poker rooms would not be accepting US players. US-facing rooms are vigilant about staying on top of the law. So unless the poker rooms prevents you from creating an account, you are good to go.

It is safe to play online poker in most US states, which is why we have these US friendly poker rooms. If you would like further reassurance from a legal expert in this area, read this article by I. Nelson Rose.

Here's a reassuring quote for you:

You are not going to go to jail for merely playing poker online. It is not a federal crime to make a bet. Half the states do have ancient laws on the books making it a crime, sometimes, to make a bet. But these are never enforced. I have been unable to find anyone who has been charged, let alone convicted, for playing Internet poker.I. Nelson Rose (Is it safe to play poker online?)

And here's a couple more reassuring quotes from Micheal Bluejay:

No American has ever been arrested, indicted, or prosecuted by the feds for gambling online, because you can't break a non-existent law.Michael Bluejay (Is online gambling legal in the U.S.?)
Even in states where online gambling is illegal, prosecution is rare and penalties are usually slight.Michael Bluejay (Penalties for online gambling, state by state)

The UIGEA (2006)

The UIGEA was passed in September 2006. It stands for the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, and it was attached to the SAFE Port Act. Official details can be found between 31 USC § 5361 and 31 USC § 5367.

Contrary to what some people believe, this did not make online poker illegal. It simply made it a little more difficult to process transactions to and from online poker rooms and online casinos. It does not make the act of playing poker online for real money illegal, so it's not aimed at you.

Black Friday (2011)

On Friday 15th April 2011, the FBI seized the domains of the top 4 US-facing online poker rooms. This is known in the industry as Black Friday. The 4 main affected sites were:

  • UB Poker & Absolute Poker

These poker rooms were indicted for apparent bank fraud offenses, although it definitely appeared to just be an attempt to reduce the number of online poker sites that could cater to US citizens. You can't let that kind of money go untaxed, so best to slow the issue down until the Government can think of a solution for getting a slice of the action.

This did nothing to change the legality of online poker -- it simply resulted in these poker rooms no longer accepting or offering real money play to US poker players. This was the biggest change in online poker for US players since the UIGEA came in to effect in September 2006.

The major US poker sites were kicked out, leaving behind a handful of smaller US-facing rooms to soak up the remaining poker players.

US online poker law by state.

Each state has its own laws when it comes to gambling online. Here's a quick overview on playing online poker in the US by state.

States that have big problems with online poker.

  • Washington

These states have explicitly stated that online poker is a felony. Some online poker rooms that accept US players have restricted access to players in these states.

States that have issues with online poker.

  • Illinois
  • Indiana
  • Kentucky
  • Louisiana
  • Missouri
  • New York
  • Oregon
  • South Dakota
  • Utah
  • Wisconsin

These states have issues with online poker and online gambling, but it's a bit of a grey area. It may be the case that there are some sort of laws in place, but they are not heavily enforced. I'm sure that there are many people in these states playing online poker on a regular basis, but there must be some element of risk.

As you may have spotted, I'm not a lawyer, so it's definitely in your best interest to do a bit of research for these particular states. This state by state gambling law summary has a lot of helpful information, so check that out.

States that have regulated online poker.

  • Delaware
  • Nevada
  • New Jersey
  • Pennsylvania
  • West Virginia
  • Michigan

These states are beginning to allow regulated online poker through online gambling companies that have acquired permits.

It's early days though, so it's nothing to get excited about. Expect it to be a while before this regulated state-by-state poker situation gains traction and is a worth getting involved in as a serious poker player.

States that seem okay.

  • All the rest

As far as I'm aware, the states in white do not seem to have any problems or issues with online poker. You'd obviously want to do a bit of checking around first to be sure, but unless you find anything blindingly obvious on the Internet you're probably fine.

For even more information on the current laws in each individual state (and general thoughts on the risks in each one), have a look at my friend's site: pokerlaws.org/united-states/. He writes more about it than I do, and is also a lot more American than I am.

Why aren't all poker rooms US friendly?

In short, it's easier for some rooms to operate by not accepting any US players at all. The UIGEA has made processing deposits and withdrawals trickier, so some rooms prefer to stick with non-US players to make their life easier.

Poker companies have limited resources, so some have decided to focus on developing their product and servicing players rather than constantly dealing with difficult payment processing. Other's are happy to put up with the effort. Different poker rooms, different plans and ideas.

There are a lot of poker players outside the US, so some have just decided to focus their attention on other markets.

Best US poker deposit methods.

Reference

Although deposit and withdrawal options are slightly limited for US players, it is still easy to add funds and withdraw money from your online poker account. Some of the more popular deposit options for US players include:

  1. Bitcoin - This is the most utterly restriction-free way to send money across the Internet. You just have to be prepared to put up with the volatility of a fledgling currency. Having said that, I think it's amazing.
  2. Credit Card - The success rate of this method varies greatly from room to room. It's hit and miss, but worth a shot. VISA cards have the highest success rate.

Different poker rooms will have different deposit and withdrawal methods on offer for you, so don't expect to find the exact same methods everywhere. The poker room will let you know your options in the cashier, so your best bet is to just sign up and see what they've got. They'll usually highlight options for US players.

Note: Don't be surprised to have to pay fees for these methods, and higher ones than players outside of the US might be paying. They're not terribly large, but they're noticeable. If you make a deposit/withdrawal without paying a fee, consider it a bonus.

Other useful links.

Online Poker Rooms Usa

As I say, I'm not a lawyer (not yet anyway), so I don't have all the answers. Here are a few helpful pages with more in-depth information:

Online Poker Rooms Uk

Online Poker Rooms

Online Poker Rooms

Go back to the Texas Hold'em rooms.