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7 Best US Online Poker Sites for Real Money 2023

USA Best Real Money Poker Sites 

 

We have selected the 8 Trustworthy Online Poker Real Money Sites for US Players based on various criteria such as Popularity, Bonus Attractiveness & Easiness of Winning on top of Safety. 

Since each player has unique preferences when choosing a poker site, we highlight the Key Distinctive Feature of each poker site.

We list the world’s best offshore (see reasons why & how to start) poker sites accepting US citizens. 

 

 

List of Best Poker Sites for US Citizens

 

Ignition Casino Poker – Softest Poker Site

ignition casino poker logo

Snapshot
  • Ignition Casino Poker was founded in 2016, and belongs to Lynton Ltd, regulated in Costa Rica.
  • Same as Bodog & Bovada, Ignition belongs to Paiwangluo Poker Network and is famous for the softest games.
  • Offer Poker, Casino & Bingo (Sportsbook is provided by Bovada, and the same poker rooms are shared among Paiwangluo poker skins)
  • Banning HUD (heads-up display) & provide an Anonymous table (called Shark-Free zone).
  • The preflop rate is said to be pretty high, even for the higher stakes, No Rakeback offer is available (not favour for pros)
  • No download is required
  • Hybrid (Fiat & Cryptocurrencies) – Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Zelle, Mastercard, American Express & Visa are accepted
  • Accepting countries: Only USA & Australian players are accepted.

 

 

Ignition Sign-Up Offer

 

100% Deposit Bonus Up To $1,000
No Code Required, Tap/Click this entire box to claim!!

 

ongoing offers

Total $2 million Guaranteed Tournaments Every Week, Earn Poker Points, which you can accumulate and convert to tournament tickets or casino bonuses, Royal Flush (x50 bb up to $200) and Bad Beat Jackpot (x50 bb up to $1,000)

 

 

Bovada – The Most Successful Offshore Gambling Site in the USA

Bovada Bookmaker for US Players

Snapshot
  • Bovada was owned by Mohawk Morris Gaming Group (MMGG) rebranded Bodog to Bovada in the US Operation in 2011, licensed in Costa Rica, has become one of the most respected online betting brands in the US, and now belongs to Paiwangluo Poker Network that also operates Bodog & Ignition
  • All-in-one service including Casino, Sportsbook & Racebook
  • Probably the most popular online betting site & the highest poker traffic in the USA.
  • Bovada Poker bans HUD (heads-up display) & provides an Anonymous table (Only ongoing session stats can be seen), the flop rate often shows 40%+, so the games are easier, looser & wilder.
  • Hybrid (Fiat & Cryptocurrencies) – Bitcoin, Credit Cards & Western Union/MoneyGram are accepted
  • Restricted Countries: Available ONLY for the USA but don’t accept players from the states of New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, and Nevada

 

 

 

Bovada Poker Sign-Up Offer

 

100% Deposit Bonus Up To $500
No Code Required, Tap/Click this entire box to claim!!

 

Ongoing offers

Weekly $2,500 freeroll,
Bad Beat Bonus (x100 bb up to $1,000),
Royal Flush Bonus (x50 bb up to $200),
and Casino Bonuses From Poker Points etc!!

 

 

BetOnline Poker – The Best All-In-One Site

betonline ag logo

Snapshot
  • BetOnline was founded in ‘91 & licensed in Panama, fast-growing in the US with the business principle of “1st priority Service over Sales”. Together with SportsBetting & Tiger Gaming, It belongs to the Chico Poker Group.
  • All-in-one betting site offering both sportsbook & casino.
  • BetOnline Poker has softer games than many other poker sites, and high traffic without being a pro-infested site. Looks predominantly populated by players from their other gaming platforms namely sportsbooks & casinos and the cash tables are fairly loose.
  • The Voluntarily Put In Pot (VPIP) rate often exceeds 35% – 40% 
  • Overlay seems to be fairly common
  • It allows HUD but overall every table is very soft, which means you take advantage of using HUD.
  • Hybrid (Fiat & Cryptocurrencies) – 7 Cryptocurrencies, Credit/Debit Cards, Wire Transfer, Money Order, P to P, & Cashier’s Cheques are accepted
  • Restricted Countries: Australia, UK, France & Panama

 

 

 

BetOnline Sign-Up Offer

 

100% Cryptocurrency Deposit Bonus Up To $1,000
use code   * NEWBOL *  

 

Ongoing offers

Weekly $2.5 Million Guaranteed Tournament, $10k Cash Race, $5k Sit ‘N Go Leaderboard, Bad Beat Jackpot, Jackpot Sit ‘N Go, Sunday $150k GTD (Guaranteed Prize Pool) & 20% Balance Boost (crossover promotion casino, sports & poker)!!

 

 

Sportsbetting Poker – Clone of BetOnline 

Sports Betting BetOnline Group Bookmaker Logo

Snapshot
  • Sportsbetting was established in 2003 & licensed in Panama, expanded the services including Poker now belongs to Chico Poker Network located and is run by Julian International Holdings Ltd
  • Tiger Gaming & BetOnline share the same Poker player pool, so very soft
  • Sportsbetting is, in fact, identical to BetOnline (can even describe Betonline Clone site), so if you’re satisfied with Betonline, strongly suggest you register Sports Betting as well to double all the promotional benefits
  • It allows HUD, which means you can use HUD to evaluate other players’ details
  • Hybrid (Fiat & Cryptocurrencies) – 7 Cryptocurrencies, Credit/Debit Cards, Wire Transfer, Money Order, P to P, Cashier’s Cheques & EcoPayz are accepted
  • Restricted Countries: Australia, UK, France & Panama

 

 

Sports Betting Sign-Up Offer

 

100% Cryptocurrency Deposit Bonus Up To $1,000
Use Code *  NEWSB  *

 

Ongoing offers

Windfall Sit ‘N Go’s (prize pool up to x2,000 buy-in), $2,000 Weekly & $5,000 Monthly Mission Grinders, $10,000 High Hand & $5,000 Iron Man Leaderboard, and Bad Beat Jackpot etc.

 

 

Intertops Poker – The Most Mobile Friendly Site with Longest History

everygame logo

Snapshot
  • Everygame is one of the oldest sportsbooks (back to 1983) officially founded in ’98, launched poker in 2003, licensed in Antigua, and is known as one of the most mobile-friendly online bookmaker sites, belonging to Horizon Poker Network.
  • All-in-one betting site including sportsbook & casino
  • Cash games’ main traffic is small-stake games, with very low traffic in high-stake games like NL100+, so despite its 36% Rakeback offer there seem to be very few regulars, which means soft & easy
  • Hybrid (Fiat & Cryptocurrencies) – Bitcoin, Litecoin, Visa, Mastercard, Skrill, NETELLER, Paysafecard, Sofort, ecoPayz, and Wire Transfer are accepted
  • Restricted Countries: UK, France, Austria & Australia

 

Everygame Sign-Up Offer

 

200% up to $1,000 + 25 FREE Casino Spins,
Use bonus code *   1000ITP   *

Click/Tap this entire box to claim!! Use code  *  1000ITP   * 

 

Ongoing offers

Non-Deposit Bonus (based on FPPs), Reload Bonus (e-mail invitation), Many GTD Tournaments including Depositor Freeroll!!

 

 

America’s Card Room – The Best Rakeback Offer

america's cardroom logo

Snapshot
  • Americas Cardroom (ACR) was founded in 2001, licensed in Costa Rica, and is a flagship poker site of Winning Poker Network (WPN) sharing the players’ pool with Black Chip Poker. ACR is the oldest US poker site still in operation and the 2nd largest traffic in the USA, Blog is informative.
  • 27% flat Rakeback based on the weighted contributed model
  • HUD is allowed and players can change the name just once
  • There are grinders in high stake games but many fishes in low stake cash games
  • Hybrid (Fiat & Cryptocurrencies) – Over 60 cryptocurrencies & ecoPayz are accepted (over 60% of transactions are BTC)
  • Restricted Countries: Sweden, Guadeloupe, French Guyana, Mayotte, Réunion, Martinique, France, Spain, Italy, Turkey & Australia.

 

 

 

America’s Cardroom Sign-Up Offer

 

200% Deposit Bonus Up To $1,000 using Cryptocurrencies
No Code Required, Tap/Click this entire box to claim!!

 

Ongoing offers

The Beast Weekly Cash Game Leaderboard, Sit ‘N Go Jackpot Poker & Sit & Crush Cash Prizes, Many Freeroll Tourney & $1 million GTD Tournament, etc.

 

 

Black Chip Poker – The Preferred Poker Site by Grinders

black chip poker logo

Snapshot
  • Black Chip Poker (BCP) was established in 2012 and get licensed in Costa Rica.
  • BCP belongs to Winning Poker Network, the same as Americas Cardroom and they share every table and tournament
  • All player’s stats including names, flop percentages & average pots, etc are published in the lobby. Pre-Flop percentages (Voluntarily Put in Pot – VPIP) seem to be 25 – 35% depending on 6 seated or 9 seated
  • There are grinders in high stake games but a lot of fish in micro-stake cash games
  • Many juicy tournaments with unique promotions are filled up by recreational players
  • HUD can be used to evaluate all players’ further details
  • Hybrid (Fiat & Cryptocurrencies) – BTC, Skrill & Neteller are accepted
  • Restricted Countries: Sweden, Guadeloupe, French Guyana, Mayotte, Réunion, Martinique, France, Spain, Italy, Turkey & Australia.

 

 

 

Black Chip Poker Sign-Up Offer

 

200% Deposit Bonus up to $1,000 using Cryptocurrency
No Code Required, Tap/Click this entire box to claim!!

 

Ongoing offers

$50 On Demand Freerolls 24 hours a day, $10 million GTD High Five Tournament, Sit ‘N Go Crush Cash Prizes, Cyclone MTTs, $1 Million Jackpot, The Beast Leaderboard Cash Prizes & Elite Rewards!!

 

 

 

 

USA Online Poker Legality

 

In a nutshell, there are only 6 states that legally accept online real money poker, which are Nevada, Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Michigan.

However, basically, a player can only play against other players located within that same state although the liquidity-sharing agreement inter-state has been gradually made. 

 

Regulated Poker Sites

 

There are a few approved and verified poker brands such as PokerStars NJ & Party Poker NJ, but only WSOP/888Poker established the solid multi-state poker network based on Interstate agreements signed between Delaware, New Jersey, and Nevada for online poker purposes.

888Poker 

888Poker Logo

Snapshot
  • 888Poker was founded in 2002, licensed by Gibraltar Gambling Authority & UKGC (UK Gambling Commission), and owned by 888 Holdings.
  • 888Poker is one of the highest-traffic independent poker brands in the world and yet maintains the status of very soft rooms with an above-average flop rate (VPIP seems to be higher than PokerStars by 5-10%). 
  • NDB (No Deposit Bonus), many low-stake games & excellent educational info (888poker eMagazine) fit beginners to intermediaries who want to improve their skills. 
  • HUD is partially restricted, which means you can yet use it widely, suits for some reg
  • Restricted Countries: Israel, Turkry & the USA (except DE, NJ, & NV)

 

 

 

888Poker Welcome Offer

 

£20 ($32) No Deposit Free Play & 100% 1st Deposit Bonus up to $888 with promotion code of “NEW888”

 

Ongoing offers

888poker Club Freeroll events, full range of cash games & big weekend tournament schedule

 

But regulated doesn’t mean the best site.

 

 

Is Offshore Poker Site Safe & How to Start?

 

Offshore Poker Sites for US Residents

 

So, at this stage, the online poker business is pretty much banned in most of states.

However, players are free to access offshore online poker rooms, which means that Americans can access foreign-based platforms, which the US authorities don’t really have any control over.

In fact, there is no single federal law that specifically makes it illegal for US Citizens to bet online offshore. (see Bitcoin Sports Betting USA for details)

That’s the reason why despite the fact tens of millions of Americans bet over $150 billion through offshore sportsbooks every year, we never heard of a single case where an individual has been prosecuted for placing a sports wager offshore. Online poker is exactly the same. 

Top-Level Safety & Long Established Reputation

People often ask “What is the safest online poker site for US players?”.

The safety of poker sites should be verified by both legality and financial soundness.

All the bookmakers we list in this guide are not only licensed & regulated (mainly in Caribbean jurisdictions such as Curacao, Antigua, Panama & Costa Rica, etc.) but also rated A+ in many reputable review sites.

One of the important attributes that have led to their success over the decades (many of them were founded in the ’80 & ’90) is their financial health.

In short, the payout from these poker sites is ultra-speedy & flawless.

Besides, such offshore sites tend to be a bigger players pool, which can create larger tournament prize pools and a wider selection of cash games, etc. 

BTW, some poker players are concerned about “Are online poker games rigged?”. No, any questionable software or practices don’t allow these offshore poker sites to maintain a world-class reputation. 

How to Start an Offshore Poker Site?

The process to open an offshore poker account is more or less the same as any other online registration though, the followings are the general process & points you may want to pay attention to;

  • Firstly, all the sites in this guide accept US residents. Just in case, you’re not from the USA, check if they accept your jurisdiction. If not, don’t register using the VPN suggested by the irresponsible sites, because you need to go through the KYC process at some stage except Nitrogen
  • Second, don’t overlook the welcome bonus and check T&C carefully. Each site requires different conditions & possibly unique code as seen from the above list (if not shown, then not required), I know it’s boring but Essential to avoid any unpleasant surprises later.
  • Thirdly, probably the best & only deposit/withdrawal for US residents is Bitcoin betting (deposit BTC, Play in USD & Cashout in BTC) or any other accepted Alt Coins like Ethereum. Watch the below BetOnline Cashier Video, which may give you a good insight into how it works (it shows the Sportsbook section but the Poker section works exactly the same)

 

 

A Few Other Key Criteria on Best Poker Sites for US Players

 

On top of the safety, we use the following factors to list our Best Online Poker Sites for US Residents;

 

1) Popularity (Traffic)

 

As said before, a poker site with large traffic can create bigger tournament prize pools and a wider selection of cash games. 

The below table from Poker Scout shows the world’s top 15 high-traffic poker sites;

Poker site world traffic ranking

Currently, the biggest poker networks accepting Cryptocurrencies, which means the sites the US players can access are the below 3 poker networks

 

2) Many Fishes & Fewer Sharks

 

As you imagine, poker sites with the highest traffic have many fishes because beginners feel safe in a big poker room. However, at the same time, there are many best players.

In case you are a Poker beginner, suggest taking a look at the Texas Holdem Strategies For Beginners – 15 Minutes Crash Course (this guide will take you to the level to beat most of the recreational players) before you spend your hard-earned money. 

The sharks tend to play lots of games. Playing 5, 10, or 20+ tables at once is normal for a full-time professional. Only the highest-traffic poker sites offering lots of game selection & high stakes games can accommodate such professional activities. Thus the poker sites with the highest traffic have many pro-infested tables.

Generally, you will find a lot of unskilled players on fewer traffic sites.

I’m sure you prefer online poker sites/tables filled by inexperienced or low-skilled casual players to consistently win. In other words, we need the Shark Free sites that provide anonymous tables like the below Ignition;ignition shark free anonymous zone

The poker sites belonging to Pai Wang Luo Network & Chico Poker Network are very soft while the ones from Winning Poker Network are relatively tight.

For this particular factor, strongly suggest you go through “Softest Online Poker Sites – Latest List to Prey Fish“.

  •  

3) Attractive Welcome & Recurring Bonuses

 

Deposit bonuses are a great way to build your bankroll and earn extra spending money. Loyalty programs are based on frequent player points and those points then determine what types of benefits/bonuses you get.

intertops poker welcome bonus

The more points you earn, the more free cash, free items, and free tournament entries you receive.

When it comes to online poker bonuses, you may want to go through Complete Guide to Online Poker Bonus Hunting for Dummies (find online poker bonus types & learn how to evaluate each bonus to rake them efficiently). 

Incidentally, fishes love playing the sites offering juicy bonuses/jackpots and they pursue a huge score on a long shot. Obviously, those players are not sharps and would be good for you to play against.

Best Deposit Bonus

Deposit bonuses are a great way to build your bankroll and earn extra spending money. The best bonus ranking of the poker sites for US players are;

  •  

 

Best Online Poker Sites for US Citizens Wrap Up

 

You Americans are historically poker lovers and actually, the USA is supposed to be the largest Poker market in the world.

Poker is regarded as gambling in the USA but actually, it’s pretty much a skill-oriented game. 

Some of you may aim to live off poker, see Play Online Poker For A Living – The Most Practical Solution (verified the realistic way to develop a nice monthly income stream from online poker cash games) by dreaming to become Daniel Negreanu, Phil Ivey, or Erik Seidel. 

Then, surely you need to use the best HUD (Head-Up Display) as a grinder like the below;

poker tracker logo

Since: 2012 (by PokerTracker Software)

License: Lifetime up to 3 PCs

Feature: Light Software / Compatibility with Windows & MAC

Support Sites: Major Poker Sites

+ Free Hand Grabber

Price: $99.99 for the most popular package (see a full price list)

Payment: Card, PayPal, Neteller& BTC

Offer: 14 Days Free Trial

Note: With in-depth analysis of wide data collection coupled with real-time adjustment function during in-play & Free New Features for Heavy Serious Grinders, PT4 is next to none (Active forum is available).

Some of you want to play for fun. But you want to use the below best Poker Tracking Software to improve your skills constantly;

holden manager logo

Since: 2007 (one of the HUD pioneers)

License: Lifetime up to 3 PCs

Feature: Easy to install / Multi-language support

Support Sites: 12 Major Poker Sites + Free Hand Grabber

Price: $100 for the most popular package (see a full price list)

Payment:Card, PayPal, Neteller & BTC

Offer: 15 Days Free Trial 

Note: With all the features of Full stats (customizable to make the feed less cumbersome), In-depth analysis (adjustable based on skill level) & Post Game Analysis (focusing on your core skills by finding your leaks) make HM3 the best HUD for Beginner/Casual Players (Active forum is available).

These are the poker tracking software not only for HUD but also can analyze your poker hands namely finding your leaks & studying opponents to spot their weaknesses. 

We explained in full detail about these excellent tools as well as a multi-tabling tool in Best Hud for Poker – Head-Up Display Software.

 

Hope you will find the best poker site that fits your unique needs & preferences in this guide. 

 

BTW, in case you want to be a sharp casino & game bonus hunter, strongly suggest taking a look at the List of 52 Best Bitcoin Casino Bonuses and for those who appreciate the highest privacy, go to the List of Best Anonymous Bitcoin Casinos & Bonuses, just FYI.

 

Good Luck!!

 

Joshua Walker (bio)

Editor – Global Extra Money (GEM)

 

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