Real Money Online Poker Sites For Us Players
There has been so much confusion and misinformation over poker sites in the United States it is entirely understandable that many people are confused. In some ways, you get the impression that this is the outcome that many legislators were hoping for because it has certainly caused a lot of potential US poker players to shy away from playing online poker games and tournaments.
It is very important to be aware that it is not illegal to play online poker games when you are in the United States. It is also crucial to be aware that individual states may have a different opinion about the legality of online poker, so there is always a need to check out state laws but as for a country-wide ban on poker, it doesn’t exist.
Much of the confusion can be found in the fact that a legislation change was introduced regarding payments. This meant that increased pressure was placed on preventing payments being made from banks that went to online gaming institutions. This meant that many online gaming sites, including poker sites, decided it was no longer in their best business interests to provide services for US players and withdrew from the market.
Best Poker Sites For Usa
This has led to the situation where many people believed that it became illegal for US poker players to play online. It hasn’t but there is a need to be smart about playing online.
If you don’t live in a fully legalized and licensed online poker state, Global Poker is a trusted and safe sweepstakes poker site many players use. So far, these are the operators that offer legal and safe real money online poker in the US. 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.
Best Online Poker Sites for USA Players
- #
- USA Poker Room
- Mac
- BONUS AMOUNT
- KEY HIGHLIGHT
- PLAY NOW
- 1
- 100% UP TO$1,000
Play poker, casino or bet on sports in USA
Huge $1,000 bonus + excellent VIP rewards
- 2
- Bonus of $2000
Provides a great VIP program with cash back
Accepts USA credit cards & Bitcoin
- 3
- 100% UP TO$600
Offers a casino, poker and betting site
Operating since 1996
Playing United States Online Poker For Real Money
Even though poker can be a game that is fun to play, there is no getting away from the fact it can be a lot more enjoyable when you are playing for real money. The psychology of playing poker for real money is very much different from playing for free or fun, which means that some players will miss out if there is not money at stake.
All of the recommended sites above provide real money poker options and there are a number of incentives for choosing a particular site. There is definitely a need to find the poker bonuses that are right for you and again, it is good that there is such an element of choice open to US poker players.
You should be aware that managing your bankroll is important if you want success when playing poker and getting a good bonus can really help when you play real money poker.
How Do USA Poker Players Deposit?
With their being a number of real money poker options to choose from, players have to consider the different deposit methods that are available to them. It has already been pointed out that the number of deposit methods open to US poker players are limited compared to what used to be available but there are still a number of options available to choose from. Even the UIGEA has not been able to block or limit every deposit method, so why not have a look at the following options.
Visa Card: Using a Visa card to fund your online poker accounts are the number one choice for the majority of poker players in the US. Of all the different methods available to players, Visa is the one that is most commonly accepted and it seems to have provided the most consistency with regards acceptance rates.
MasterCard: Given that the MasterCard option is similar to the Visa option, you would also expect this to be a popular choice. It is certainly an option that many people choose but it seems as though there are more difficulties associated with this card than with Visa. MasterCard is a good option to have but it may not be your first choice for depositing funds.
Top Real Money Online Poker Sites For Us Players
Western Union: It is always good to have variety with your deposit options and this is definitely the case when it comes to Western Union. You can use this method online but you also have the option to fund your account from any Western Union store. This means that players can use cash to fund their online poker playing, which is certainly a good option. Players should be aware that Western Union charge a fee for providing this service but if it is your only chance to play online poker, many players will accept this fee.
After you have deposited funds, hopefully you will need to think about withdrawing funds too. Unsurprisingly, depositing funds is more straightforward than getting your hands on your money and it is important you check the withdrawal methods and terms & conditions for every site. No matter the good points of a site, if it doesn’t let you get your hands on your money in a way that suits you, it is not a good site for you.
The Role of the UIGEA And USA Poker Sites
These changes came about after the introduction of the UIGEA and it is their role that has caused so much confusion and consternation for US poker players. The UIGEA came into being as part of the Port Security Act and its main focus was on the shut-down that came about on the US banking system. The UIGEA was behind the legislation that made it illegal for banks in the US to process any payment that was being made to a gaming site. This is where poker players struggled to find ways to pay and play online.
It is important to make it clear that the UIGEA has never attempted to make online poker illegal for US players but as is so often the case in law, this may be viewed by some as semantics. Making it so difficult to fund payments to an online poker account definitely makes it harder for players to play and it certainly takes away much of the incentive or enjoyment that can be gleaned from playing online poker.
However, there are still online poker options for US poker players to choose from. Yes, there are no longer as many payment methods available to choose from but if you are a US based poker player, you will still be able to find some good online poker options.
Poker Sites That Are Legal For US Players
The fact that there are a number of US friendly poker sites to choose from is good news for poker players. Having flexibility in choice is always going to be beneficial for players and this is definitely something that brings merit to the industry. Some of the top poker sites for US players include:
- BetOnline
- Sportsbook.ag
- Carbon Poker
- Sportsbetting.ag
- Bovada
- Lock Poker
Different players will have their own opinions about each site and what they provide but at least with these sites to choose from, you should be able to find a poker site that meets your needs and expectations. It may not be too easy to find the best US friendly poker site but the fact that you can play poker games is a great bonus for everyone.
Even with all the blocks and barriers in place, there is still a great opportunity to have fun when playing online poker in the US.
Opening a new account
If you are new to online poker you might become a bit lost when it comes to finding an online poker room and setting up an account. Here is a walk through for new players:
The first thing you need to do is decide which online poker room is right for you. You’ll need to find a poker room that has a long standing reputation, such as Bovada, and also offers a quality game and software. Make sure you spend some time reading the reviews on this site of the different poker rooms in order to find a room that works for you. If a bonus is important then you’ll also need to make sure that the room you choose offers a good bonus program.
Once you’ve chosen the online room that you want to play in you’ll need to download the software which is always free and a quick. After downloading the poker room software onto your computer you’ll be able to visit the poker room lobby which is where you can set up your account.
After creating your account you can either start playing for free with play money or register for a real money account by making your first deposit. There are always dozens of options for depositing money into your account. There are different options for different countries and I’m sure they’ll have a method that you can use. The easiest methods are credit cards or Bitcoin.
Depending which method you used to deposit money into your account you will be able to play almost instantly. Most rooms have filters which you can use to narrow down the list of tournaments or regular table games. Once you’re sitting down at the table everything is self-explanatory with regards to Call, Raise or Fold. It doesn’t take long at all for a new poker player to get set-up online and start playing. The entire process can be completed within minutes which is one of the reasons online poker is so popular.
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