Play Real Money Poker Online In Usa
If you’re a poker player and you want to make money, then you need to find the fish. Most players randomly play poker online, not even thinking about what kind of competition they’re going to be up against. This is a real error.
Half of today’s game is to seek and destroy. If you want to play online poker for real money, then you need to go to the sites that have the most traffic. By doing so, you’re going to find the largest pool of players. When you find the largest pool of players, you will find the most fish or the softest poker game. Let’s take a look at where to find the most fish.
The US online poker market has slowly expanded since 2011 with a state-by-state approach to legalization. Many in the poker industry expected more states to jump on board early, but it’s been a slow process to add real money online poker in more than a handful of US states so far. That doesn’t mean online poker hasn’t shown signs of life. Black Chip Poker is a legally licensed online poker real money site for US players. Licensed in Costa Rica, BCP is part of the Winning Poker Network. New players qualify for a 100% deposit bonus up to $1,000 or you can take advantage of the cryptocurrency offering, giving you a 200% match bonus when you make your first deposit with Bitcoin.
The best places to play poker online for real money are Ignition, Bovada, and Intertops.
#1 Ignition
Ignition attracts a lot of players because you can win 1,000 times your buy-in in a short period of time in a tournament. They will also run a tournament series from time to time in order to attract new players. These new players are often recreational. If you want to take advantage of someone who will be willing to call your all-in with AJ-off while you’re holding AA, then you might want to play poker for real money on Ignition. It is considered one of the best online sites because of all the fish swimming around.
#2 Bovada
Ignition might be one of the best online poker sites for US players, but Bovada can sure give it a run for its money. Bovada has an advantage because it has been around since 2004. Therefore, it has the most US players of all poker online sites. Bovada is also known for having the fastest payouts, which might make it the best online poker sites US players. Americans love money, and they want their money fast. They can find that at Bovada.
If you love Monster Stack tournaments and you’re seeking online poker real money, this is the place to go. You will find the game you want at 7 a.m., 7:00 p.m., and 7:30 p.m. All of those are Daily Monster Stack tournaments. This is a limited-time event, but you can safely bet that something similar will launch right around the corner on this poker online site. Bovada likes to take care of its players. Therefore, if the Daily Monster Stack tournaments are a success, they will bring it back or do something similar in the near future.
#3 Intertops
Intertops is a bit different. If you’re seeking a cash game, otherwise known as a ring game, then this is where you want to go. Cash game players tend to play online all day and/or night. It’s difficult not to do so if you know what you’re doing and your opponents don’t. When it comes to ring games, this is one of the top sites out there. Intertops also offers freerolls and sit & go tournaments.
Play Real Money Poker Online In Usa Near Me
Online Poker Strategy
The online game is a bit different than the live game. You see a lot more hands per hour online and people tend to be more aggressive. They also tend to make looser calls. This is because they’re hidden behind a screen and won’t be embarrassed like they would in a live setting. This is a tremendous advantage for a patient player. You don’t even need to bluff. With the online game, you can be the biggest NIT in the world and still make money. Just sit back and wait for an opponent to make an error. Then start counting your money.
Do you have the itch to play online poker for real-money? Good news as you have found the perfect resource for connecting with poker sites accepting Americans that still allows them to play cash games and tourneys.
This page will tell you everything you need to know when you are ready to jump into the online arena especially when it comes to risking real-money with your wagers. The OnlinePokerLaws.com staff, as you may already know, is well-versed when it comes to playing online. They have all the first-hand knowledge to prepare poker players that have never played online before and users that have never played poker before, online or live, for what to expect when playing in games or tournaments where real-money is on the line.
Is It Legal To Play Online Poker For Real-Money In The U.S.?
There was a lot of debate that swirled around this issue following the infamous 'Black Friday' when the biggest poker websites were seized by the Feds. That single event created a ton of misconceptions about the legality of real-money poker... misconceptions being the key word.
It turns out that these operators didn't go wrong by letting Americans play for money. Things went bad went those websites mis-appropriated player funds and the government had to step in before the situation was completely out of control.
But before this news came to light, the damage had already been done as many had already drawn their own conclusions about what happened. This was how the misconception of it being illegal to play poker on the Internet when betting with real money came to be.
Without going into all the specifics (which can be found on our 'is online poker legal?' page), you should know that it is not illegal to engage in online poker, for cash or when playing for free. There have been new re-interpretations of the laws that were used to shutdown the 'Black Friday' poker rooms which backs up the claim that real-money poker games are legal.
The bottom line is that actually playing online for real-world currency is not illegal when using off-shore poker sites like the ones we've listed on this page. They have friendly deposit methods which help them get around the UIGEA (U.S. players explicitly not liable for violations) and have all the games you want to play.
Bovada Poker - Open To U.S. Players (no New York, Maryland, Washington)
When you are ready to step your game up and play for cash, Bovada is one of the best sites Americans could possibly choose. There are many reasons, which we will get into below, but going forward you should know that this site is for more than just real money online poker as options for sports betting and real-money casino games are available to players with their poker account.
- $150,000 guaranteed weekly tournament every Sunday is one of the most lucrative events that U.S. players have access to
- Stakes levels as high as $30/$60 and as low as $.02/$.05 are sure to provide players at Bovada with a table that is comfortable for any size bankroll
- Over 100 daily cash poker tournaments (mainly no-limit hold'em) guarantees that tourney players will have ample opportunity to cash in and sharpen their skills
- Sit N Go tournaments with buy-ins as high as $200 and as low as $1 play all-day and start as soon as the table has been filed; heads-up matches and multi-table tourneys available too
- Bovada offers players a variety of games including Texas Hold'em, Omaha Hi/Lo, Omaha Hi, 7 Card Stud & 7 Card Stud Hi/Lo in No-Limit, Pot-Limit, Fixed limit formats
- USA Friendly Deposit Options: VISA only (credit cards/debit cards), some VISA gift cards, Rapid Transfer (Western Union), Money Transfer (Moneygram)
- 100% to $1,000 in welcome bonuses available; converted into cash as new players earn 'player points' within first 60 days of depositing (first 'player point' earned gets access to qualifier for $150,000 guaranteed Sunday tourney)
- USA Friendly Payout Methods: Checks thru courier service, Rapid Transfer + Money Transfer
5Dimes Poker - Residents Of All 50 States Welcome To Play Poker For Cash
When you're not able to play for money or even register at other places, 5Dimes is your next best bet. This poker room runs on a reliable network, the 'Winning Poker Network', which is shared by a variety of vendors of which this website is included. Players from other websites are combined with those that access the network through 5Dimes which means there are plenty of players on the tables any time you want to play.
Users should be aware that there is no poker bonus for making the first deposit or any deposit; bonuses come in the form of monthly promotions that give players a goal to achieve. With that said, 5Dimes poker account holders do get bonuses when depositing into the online casino or sports betting portion of the website.
- Expect no less than 5,000 players during off-peak hours; number could be as high as 15,000-20,000 players during peak hours on weekends
- 5Dimes no-limit cash poker games have stakes as high as $1-$2 and as low as $.01-$.02 in all formats: fixed limit, no-limit, pot-limit
- $200,000 guaranteed tournaments and tournaments with other great cash/entry prizes run throughout the year
- No shortage of sit n go tourney and multi-table tournaments that run daily means that players who prefer tournament poker should have plenty of opportunities to show their skills
- Real-money poker games include Texas Hold'Em, Omaha, Omaha Hi/Lo, 7 Card Stud, 7 Card Stud Hi/Lo, 3 Card Poker, 32 Card Draw & Telesina
- USA friendly deposit methods include VISA (credit/debit), prepaid cards, MasterCard, Western Union, Checks & Money Orders
- Payout methods for USA players include checks/bank draft through mail, debit-card credit, Western Union transfers
More About Playing Poker For Real Money On The Internet
If you've read most of what we've said on this site, you will already be keen to a lot of the info we're about to go over such as deposits and payouts. Of course we have full pages on each subject which are complete guides to the topics but this will be just a quick lesson on why they're important.
Deposits - You can't bet real-money if you do not deposit real-money... shocker!
This is obvious because nothing that is worth anything is ever free, online poker included. You're on this page because you want to play for real but first you need to know what you're doing.
Americans go to their wallets every time and pull out a credit card if they have one. Not a bad idea and it might even work but for all of us, it's simply not an option for one reason or another. Sometimes banks decline transfers to gambling sites, sometimes players do not own a credit card or even a debit card. That's ok because there are ways around it but you've got to read and read between the lines to figure out exactly what's going on.
Methods are sometimes disguised by other names but in actuality, these are companies that you've heard of before... like Western Union. Wire transfer services are notorious for not being referred to by name but poker sites always use the big-name providers.
Checks would seem like an obvious choice when credit cards aren't an option but not all sites accept them. Confused yet? Our page about online poker deposits will help you make more sense of it all.
Payouts/Withdrawals - If you win, you want to get paid right? Of course you do...
Another thing that should be easy when it comes to real-money play is actually getting paid but because of laws in the U.S., this too can be difficult if you don't know what you're getting into.
The Europeans have it made because they can usually just re-credit whatever they charged on their credit card to deposit but Americans will have no such luck. Getting credit or debit cards to work for deposits is hard enough and payouts would be that much harder. Still, with one of the best methods gone by default, there are still other options.
Waiting for a check or money order is usually a player's best bet however it is not uncommon to go the wire transfer route. For reasons ranging from lack of banking options to the time-frame the payout is needed influence this decision.
Another thing that has a strong influence on which method is picked are fees. You can learn more about how online poker payout methods work by following the previous link.
Know Your Limits - Get Help If You Need It
No, we're not talking about betting limits and help getting better at poker. For some, gambling for money can be an addiction that can ruin a life. While poker isn't necessarily 'gambling' in the truest sense, that same rush of adrenaline will wash over you. It's exciting, it's fun but it can also be a dangerous thing for others.
We encourage anyone that thinks they might need help with an online poker addiction to do so. There are several great groups out there like Gamblers Anonymous that treat problems such as yours everyday.
Play Real Money Poker Online
If you feel you are out of control or have a family member that is, don't wait... take action because online poker is not worth the headache when it comes to being home-less or ruining your family.