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Best US-friendly Poker Sites 2025
Online poker has always been a favorite game for Americans, with pretty much its origin back in the US. Today, poker players are just a few clicks away from getting into a gripping card game. However, when choosing between the best US poker sites, users can feel intimidated. To help you find a legit, reputable, and friendly online poker room, we’ve compiled a list of the best brands that freely welcome aspiring players from the States.
Offshore poker sites for US players
Sites serving players from a particular region without being physically located there are known as international or offshore poker sites. In other words, sites that do not fall under US regulation. To date, the largest online poker rooms in the United States are located in other countries. Because they have a global player pool, these operators are ideal for Americans.
| Ranking | Poker site |
Welcome bonus
|
|---|---|---|
| ⭐ Best online poker site in the US | BetOnline | 100% up to $1,000 |
| ✅ Best poker games | ACR Poker | 100% up to $2,000 |
| ✅ Best crypto site | CoinPoker | 150% up to $2,000 |
| ✅ Softest games | Ignition Poker | 150% up to $1,500 |
| ✅ Big bonuses | Everygame | 200% up to $1,000 |
Offshore operators provide services in the United States in the absence of a federal ban in the country.
As long as online poker sites have a reliable background, offer tools to verify game randomness, and hold a license to operate legally in a jurisdiction, your money will be safe. Additionally, the poker community helps to self-regulate this market.
Some well-known operators in the industry are ACR Poker (formerly Americas Cardroom), Ignition Poker, CoinPoker, Black Chip Poker and BetOnline Poker. These offshore poker rooms are trustworthy and have maintained a reputation within the industry for many years. Although they don't charge taxes, online poker players should check local laws to avoid issues.
How do we select the best US online poker sites
Even if a offshore poker site appears to be in a good light, we thoroughly study each site under current conditions and evaluate various factors. Once the poker room meets strict selection criteria, we rank it and recommend it to our readers.
Each international US-friendly poker website we list must meet at least the following criteria:
- Trustworthiness: To earn a spot on our list, offshore poker sites must be licensed or highly "self-regulated." Here, you'll only find secure sites with measures like SSL certifications, state-of-the-art firewalls, and certified random number generators (RNGs).
- Bonuses and promotions: We know bonuses make everything sound better, so we're constantly looking for poker rooms with the best welcome bonuses and rewards programs.
- Game variety and traffic: At the sites we recommend, you'll find a wide range of games, from traditional Texas Hold'em and Omaha Poker to Draw Poker, Razz, and Seven Card Stud, all in tournament and cash game formats.
- Skill level: Another essential factor to consider when evaluating a poker site is the opponents' skill level. We test play at different levels to ensure the sites balance professional and recreational players appropriately.
- Payment methods: Rooms should be equipped with various methods, such as credit cards, debit cards, e-wallets, cryptocurrencies, and more. Only sites that process payments quickly and hassle-free make it onto our list.
Review of top real money US poker sites
Below, we'll give you a brief taste of what you'll find in each of the US poker sites we've selected:
ACR Poker
The Evolution of Americas Cardroom is perhaps one of the market's most famous US-friendly poker rooms, operating since before Black Friday. It is backed by the Winning Poker Network and is based in San José, Costa Rica.
This site is world-renowned for its generous welcome bonus (100% up to $2,000), its rakeback program that provides up to 60% cashback, and for hosting the largest online poker tournament with Americans: The Venom, which has even earned a Guinness World Records Award.
During peak American hours, you'll find games such as Texas Hold'em, Omaha, Seven Card Stud, Spin & Go, fast-fold poker, and much more.
BetOnline Poker
BetOnline is a brand more familiar to sports and betting fans, who have surely seen the red-lettered logo at various boxing matches, hockey games, or basketball games. Because of this, BetOnline's poker room guarantees a very user-friendly playing field.
New users receive a 100% welcome bonus of up to $1,000, while cryptocurrency is the preferred payment method. You can use some local payment methods from the United States, which you'll find at the cashier.
It's one of the online poker websites with the most traffic at full-ring (9-max) tables in NLH, PLO, Spin & Go, MTT tournaments, and SNGs. All of this is backed by over 20 years of operation, timely payouts, and a good reputation in the market.
Ignition Casino
Behind this name lies Ignition Poker, one of the softest online poker sites on the market, a pioneer in cryptocurrency payments, and a favorite in the United States for its high level of reliability.
Its software is designed to be friendly to recreational players comfortable with the 4-table limit, random seating, and anonymous games. They frequently organize tournament series with multi-million dollar guaranteed prize pools.
New players are welcomed with a 100% welcome bonus of up to $1,500, provided they use Bitcoin for their first deposit.
CoinPoker
CoinPoker has become the largest cryptocurrency poker site on the market. The project is fully developed on the blockchain and is the best alternative for those looking to combine their crypto investments with poker.
Traffic has grown significantly in recent years, with active tables now available in the US in afternoons and evenings in formats such as Texas Hold'em and Four- and Five-Card Omaha (PLO4, PLO5), while tournaments guarantee several hundred thousand dollars in USDT.
On your first deposits, you'll receive a 150% bonus of up to $2,000, accompanied by a rakeback program that will reimburse you up to 33% weekly if you hold the room's proprietary CHP token.
Is real money online poker legal in the United States?
The reality of the legality of real-money online poker sites in the US varies from state to state. While federal laws don't specifically prohibit online gambling, most US poker sites operate in a gray area. Residents aren't punished for participating in platforms based abroad.
Consequently, it's safe to play in most states through offshore operators as long as they have a good reputation.
The Wire Act of 1961 was passed many years before the existence of the Internet. It prohibited various forms of gambling, including sports betting and vaguely mentioning other games. The second law is the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA), passed in 2006.
This law prohibits all forms of online gambling in the country and was responsible for the closure of several operators in the US. However, it's worth mentioning that virtual gaming room profits are also subject to tax.
To date, eight states have legalized online poker. However, not all of them have developed a legal industry as many had hoped:
- Nevada
- Delaware
- Pennsylvania
- New Jersey
- West Virginia
- Michigan
- Rhode Island
- Connecticut
In some states, such as New York, Arkansas, Illinois, Texas, Wyoming, and Indiana, recent laws have been introduced to regulate online gambling, some even starting with the legalization of online sports betting, but to date, these efforts have not materialized.
One of the main shortcomings of the nascent online poker industry in the United States is that some states prohibit the creation of shared pools, resulting in small playing fields. To solve this problem, the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA) was created, allowing poker rooms from different states to pool their players. Delaware, New Jersey, Nevada, and Michigan already belong to this agreement, and Pennsylvania and Connecticut are expected to join soon.
Where can I play legal online poker in the United States?
| State |
Legal poker sites
|
|---|---|
| Nevada | WSOP |
| Delaware | Delaware Park Dover Downs Harrington Online |
| Nueva Jersey | PokerStars BetMGM Poker WSOP Borgata partypoker |
| Pensilvania | BetRivers PokerStars BetMGM Poker WSOP Borgata |
| Michigan | PokerStars BetMGM WSOP |
Since 2011, the year Black Friday occurred, the path of the legal online poker industry in the United States can be described as winding. Although only two years later, the first states had already legalized online gambling (Delaware, Nevada, and New Jersey), Pennsylvania took another four years to join the group.
West Virginia, Michigan, Connecticut, and Rhode Island followed, although in these last two states, even several years after the regulations were approved, no online poker room has opened its doors.
Nevada
The epicenter of world poker was the first state to legalize online poker in 2011. However, the offering is not as extensive as one might think, as to date, only the WSOP Nevada offers its services in the Silver State, although it belongs to the MSIGA and allows competition for gold bracelets online.
Delaware
Although Delaware passed the Gaming Competitiveness Act in 2012, the industry's development has not been as expected, partly due to the specifics of the regulation. The entire operation is concentrated in a single software provider (888) and is operated by the Delaware Lottery. Poker sites like Delaware Park, Dover Downs Online Gaming, and Harrington Online fill the market.
New Jersey
One of the most critical states for the legal online poker industry in the United States. Since the passage of Act 2578, several operators have established their headquarters there, including PokerStars NJ, BetMGM Poker NJ, WSOP.com NJ, Borgata Poker NJ, and partypoker NJ, which have the opportunity to share their player pool with other states thanks to the MSIGA.
Pennsylvania
Another stronghold of online poker in the USA, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PCBG), was created in 2017 to oversee and provide local operating licenses. Currently, sites such as BetRivers Poker PA (Phil Galfond's poker room), PokerStars PA, BetMGM Poker PA, Borgata Poker PA, and WSOP Poker PA operate.
Michigan
The Christmas present for Michigan residents in 2019 was the passage of the law allowing legal online poker in the state. Since then, operators such as PokerStars MI, BetMGM Poker MI, and WSOP MI have arrived in the state, pushing the MSIGA to have larger playing pools.
Connecticut
Act 6451 was signed in 2021 and allows, among other things, legal online poker. However, to date, no online poker sites serve residents. Lawmakers recently introduced a bill to join the MSIGA and be able to play against opponents from other states.
Rhode Island
In 2023, the Rhode Island Legislature passed the law allowing legal online poker in the state, and since then, residents have been waiting for the first legal poker platforms to open.
West Virginia
Laws regulating online poker were passed in 2019, although due to the state's size, the industry has not grown, as there are currently no legal online poker rooms established there.
Free poker sites in the United States
| Free poker room |
Sweeps Coins bonus
|
|---|---|
| ClubWPT Gold | 203 GC = 20 SC |
| Stake.US | 200,000 GC = 20 SC |
| Global Poker | 10,000 GC = 5 SC |
| ClubsPoker | 25,000 GC = 4.5 SC |
| PokerStars Free Play | NA |
| ClubGG | NA |
The concept of "free poker" or "social poker" has an entirely different meaning in the United States. While in all other countries, it's reduced to playing with worthless, fictitious chips with no currency equivalent, in the US, an entire industry is flourishing around Sweepstakes poker sites.
By registering at a sweepstakes poker room, you can receive free Gold Coins, with which you can play poker games free of charge among residents of almost all US states, with a few exceptions (Idaho, Kentucky, Michigan, Nevada, New York, Washington, Vermont, among others).
The magic is that when you purchase a pack of Gold Coins, you usually receive a free promotional pack of Sweeps Coins as a bonus. These Sweeps Coins can also be used to play against other opponents at special tables, and your Sweeps Coin winnings can be exchanged for real money prizes. Quite a trick, right?
Many consider Sweepstakes poker legal and protected by laws that allow companies to use this promotional mechanism to promote their products. This is one of the most popular forms of gambling in the United States, and operators such as the World Poker Tour have decided to open their sweepstakes promotion site.
Another way to play free poker with friends in the US is to use the PokerStars Free Play platform, which emulates all the excitement of a real game but with play-money chips.
The third and perhaps final alternative is club-based apps like ClubGG, through which you can create private clubs free of charge and play with play money chips, without risking any money, in a safe and friendly environment.
Deposit and withdrawal methods for US players
Considering the restrictions, deposit and withdrawal options for US players are limited. However, you won't face many problems loading chips into your account.
The preferred payment method is cryptocurrencies, which allow for semi-anonymous transactions to your favorite poker rooms. The most commonly used are Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Litecoin (LTC), and Tether (USDT).
Other payment methods include Visa or Mastercard cards or bank transfers, although you should remember that these may involve high fees and additional processing times.
We recommend that those living in the United States use cryptocurrencies to play online poker.
Brief history of online poker in the USA
Poker has a long history in the United States, having been played since the 19th century in the Mississippi region. With the passage of time and the arrival of the Internet, its development was meteoric. Around 1997, the first online poker room, Planet Poker, was launched and quickly became the largest offering real money games. During these years, the backbone of our industry was formed, thanks to PokerStars and partypoker.
In 2003, Chris Moneymaker qualified for the WSOP Main Event and won the $2,500,000 tournament via a $40 satellite. This became known as the "Moneymaker effect," and his story was a true catalyst for poker in the United States. Tournaments eventually became popular, and traffic skyrocketed. This period is known as the "poker boom."
It wasn't until 2003 that the UIGEA made it illegal for Americans to play online poker. Several operators withdrew from the market at that time. However, the pivotal year was 2011, when three major operators — PokerStars, Full Tilt, and Absolute Poker — were criminally charged for violating the UIGEA. This is known as poker's Black Friday.
Shortly after that same year, a change was made to the Wire Act, limiting it to sports betting, paving the way for several states to follow New Jersey's lead and legalize gambling. In parallel, an offshore industry developed with rooms that accept cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and are supported by many players.
After the pandemic, the poker industry began to experience a new boom. Attendance records were broken at events like the WSOP and the WPT World Championship, poker cruises were organized, and even new operators like BetRivers entered the legal market in addition to the massive surge in sweepstakes poker with sites like ClubWPT Gold.
Summary and outlook
Online poker in the United States remains a complex issue, as some states have decided to regulate it while others have no legislation at all. The Wire Act is still under review, and this could significantly impact the industry's future development.
To date, there are no specific federal laws regulating or prohibiting online poker in the United States. Furthermore, the main sites operating in the country are located in "international waters." Since they are licensed by their country of operation, they can accept players from all over the world, including Americans.
With this in mind, the prospects are that online poker regulation in the United States will continue at the same slow pace it has been in recent years, with a couple of states joining the group from time to time, hoping to join the pool-sharing agreement, although with no hope of legal poker integrating into the .com market in the future. For the latter, the only solution will continue to be the international offshore rooms, which continue to grow by leaps and bounds.
Poker sites by state
Due to the United States federal structure, online poker regulation can vary from state to state. The key factor is that there is no general prohibition at the federal level, so our team has studied the specifics of each state in detail:
- Poker sites in Florida
- Poker sites in New York
- Poker sites in California
- Poker sites in Illinois
- Poker sites in Ohio
- Poker sites in Georgia
- Online poker in Texas
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