1. What's The Best Online Poker Site
2. Best Online Video Poker Sites
3. Online Poker Sites
4. Best Website For Online Poker

Most poker players don’t live in one of the four states where online poker is legal, but there are other options out there. While online poker for real money is only available in New Jersey, Nevada, Delaware, and Pennsylvania, sweepstakes poker or social gaming can also offer a fun alternative. Some even feature a chance to win real prizes and cash payouts.

And don’t forget you can always make an account and play play-money poker at real money online poker sites, too. Here’s a look at some of the best free poker sites & apps available.

Global Poker

One major positive for Global Poker is that it offers players all across the U.S. and Canada a real opportunity to play 100% legal poker online. Through its unique free sweeps casino model, players use virtual chips (Gold Coins), which they accumulate and play with but cannot redeem for real money.

However, when purchasing Gold Coins, players receive bonus sweepstakes prizes called “$weeps Coins.” This virtual currency can then be used for $weeps Coins tournaments and ring games. $weeps Coins is considered to be “bonus sweepstakes prizes” and so Global Poker avoids being classified as gambling.

As a player wins, $weeps Coins can be cashed out through WorldPay, which offers several withdrawal methods. Players who play enough gold coins can qualify for real money freerolls – the Daily Hundo and Daily Five Hundo – as well.

Starting chips: 5,000 gold coins

How to Choose the Best Online Poker Game for Real Money. With so many online poker games on the internet, it is wise, especially when the stakes involve real money, to choose the right gambling platform. Here are some factors we considered when choosing the best real-money online poker sites. Use our list of the best online poker sites to browse through all the bonuses available in 2020 and read the in-depth reviews of all the top poker rooms in the world to find the right room for you. The best USA-friendly online poker sites for credit card processing are typically the ones who have been in business the longest. Year gained popularity: 1998 Typical fees: None Typical success rate: 50-80% depending on the poker site.

How to get more chips: Purchase more for cash (as low as 5,000 for $1), earning $weeps Coins in the process, which can be used to earn more of the cash.

Games offered: Texas Hold’em, Omaha, Crazy Pineapple.

Pros: The tables feature smooth gameplay and fun avatars. Games can be played easily within a web browser and don’t require a program download. Thousands of dollars are given away each week via the $weeps Coins. Players can cash out for real cash when they reach at least $50 in $weeps Coins. Those who play regularly have some $weeps Coins freeroll opportunities pretty regularly.

Cons: Action moves very quickly from player to player – don’t dawdle too much or your hand will be killed. That’s tough if you have a nice hand and considering tables can even be four-handed. Multitasking while playing isn’t really an option.

PokerStars Play

While Black Friday may have ended your game on one of the biggest sites in poker, the PokerStars free play offers a chance to relive some of those 2000s poker boom years. The action may not be for real money, but PokerStars offers plenty of fun and a chance to work on your game.

Players can join leagues or start their own, and move to bigger tournaments on the poker trail – ending up in Las Vegas of course. There are also numerous player challenges. Along with poker, those players who become a little bored can also switch to several slot machine games.

Starting chips: 50,000 (with Facebook login).

How to get more: A daily spin earns a player more, and 1,200 chips are always free. More chips are available for purchase starting at $1.99.

Pros: The PokerStars app interface works well with easy finger swipe motions – betting, calling, raising, and checking is very easy. The music and sound effects also give off a kind of retro Las Vegas vibe. It’s overall a smooth game one would expect from PokerStars.

Cons: The addition of Omaha is nice, but the game can only be unlocked after reaching Level 10.

PlayWSOP

Playing for a gold bracelet at the Rio in Las Vegas may not be a reality for some of us. But with this social game offering from the World Series of Poker, every player has a chance at some poker glory. While the WSOP offers real-money poker in the state of Nevada, PlayWSOP offers a chance to work on your game in a fun virtual atmosphere. Players advance along the international poker circuit – beginning in Atlantic City and culminating in Las Vegas.

Starting chips: 500,000 and player get an extra 250,000 with Facebook login.

What's The Best Online Poker Site

How to get more: Free daily Mega Bonus Spin. Purchase also available beginning at $2.99.

Pros: The game comes with all the music and sound effects that seem to define the game on ESPN. Gameplay is fairly easy and the dealer at the table is a nice touch. Cash games and tournaments are easy to jump into. The WSOP also offers Omaha for fans of other forms of poker. Sorry though, no Omaha Hi/Lo yet.

Cons: Simpler keystrokes would be a nice addition and just a bit more time for raising. Text showing names and chips is a little small also

Zynga Poker

Zynga now has the largest poker site in the world with millions and millions of players online 24/7, 365. The partnership with the World Poker Tour makes for even more options – including tournaments and sit and gos. It may not be real money, but chip challenges keep players hungry for more.

Starting chips: $60,000

How to get more: Numerous options to earn more including purchase for as low as $0.99. Daily free slot spins also add to your total.

Pros:Easy interface and plenty of player options – leagues, cash games, tournaments, and more. The Hand Strength Meter offers a nice way for beginners to gauge their starting hand value.

Best Online Video Poker Sites

Cons: If you’re a fan of Omaha or Seven Stud, this might not be the game for you. Only Texas Hold’em is available.

Online Poker Sites

PlayWPT

The World Poker Tour took the world by storm in 2002 and helped launch the poker boom with players dreaming of big money and poker fame. The tour and television show debuted the hole-card cam, helping to launch the sire of televised poker that continues today. This game attempts to recreate a WPT final table right down to the television set backdropping the players. PlayWPT allows players to play cash games, tournaments, and sit and go’s. Fittingly for the World Poker Tour, players can advance to events at locations around the globe from Tokyo to Rio de Janeiro.

Starting chips: 25,000 with bonuses for new players.

How to get more: Available for purchase for as low as $1.99 with regular free games to earn more as well. Complete missions to earn more also.

Pros: Gameplay is smooth and simple, and the avatars and graphics are nice. The game offers something truly unique – video replays of WPT events while playing hands – complete with commentary from longtime commentators Vince Van Patten and Mike Sexton. Play poker while watching some WPT, nice!

Cons: Again it’s only Texas Hold’em in this game. A few more avatars available for newbies would be nice.

Other Options

While these are some of the more popular free and social game offerings, other opportunities to play exist. That includes some nice poker apps not affiliated with major tours that still get nice reviews. Here’s a look at a few other options.

• Scatter Hold’em Poker – This unique game offers more than just poker. Scatter Holdem combines elements of a fantasy game as well. Players must “navigate mysterious worlds filled with magic skittish fairies, blazing elementals, and other fantasy creatures.” New characters and worlds are constantly added and updated. You can even throw fireballs at opponents.
• Red Dead Redemption II – Video game fans will be pleased to check out this game from RockStar Games. RD2 offers players a trip to the Old West in 1899. As an outlaw named Arthur Morgan, gamers ride horseback across the range, stage train robberies, shoot it out with lawmen, and travel through forests, deserts, and towns. The trailer notes that the game creates “a living world that’s not simply open, but deeper. And more interactive and detailed than ever combining action, storytelling, and gameplay in new ways.” And that Old West world includes poker. Players can challenge fellow outlaws to some Texas Hold’em and accumulate funds for use throughout the game. The poker scenes feature these tough outlaws in cowboy hats around an old wooden table. It a fun twist on a video game with poker playing a major part of the action.

Safe poker in the old days of Maverick and the Wild West meant guns, fast horses, and a good lookout. Today, the importance of safety when playing poker is still high, but it looks a little different. The safest online poker sites may not require a speedy horse, but they do require things of equal importance. Safe poker sites require high levels of encryption, secure banking integrations, and third-party auditing. If you’re looking for the safest online poker rooms available, you can relax, because you’ve come to the right spot.

Eight Traits of the Safest Online Poker Sites

In the age of technology, society gets to experience a whole host of new conveniences. The problem, though, is that those conveniences sometimes open up the door to threats and dangers that could put you or your money at risk. Luckily, the safest poker sites for real money are on the leading edge of the technology and have things in place to mitigate the risks.

What does that look like? So glad you asked! Here are eight common traits found in the safest online poker sites.

1. A Proactive Stance Towards Bots and Collusion

The plagues against online poker sites that payout real money come in the form of bots and collusion. A bot is a computer player that is used to make money by leveraging technology to beat real players. Collusion is when two or more players work together at the table to gain an unfair advantage over the other players at the table.

Both of these things are no good for the poker industry. Thankfully, the safest US poker sites work hard to eliminate bots and combat collusion.

2. Third-Party Auditing

Trusting United States online poker sites because “they tell you to” is nothing short of silly. Ask any poker site if its software is safe, and you will get a resounding yes. Anything less than that is bad for business. What you can trust, though, are online poker rooms that use third-party auditors. The sites will have outside companies come through and assess the current level of security. It’s the only way to get an accurate look at the security levels.

3. Regularly Scheduled Internal Security Audits

Not only should the poker sites have outside people looking at their security processes, but they should be regularly auditing internally. This means constantly checking technology, servers, programs, procedures, and processes to make sure they’re offering you the safest way to play online poker for real money. Usually, this necessitates the use of a dedicated security team.

4. Proper Data Encryption

The biggest threat to United States online poker sites and players is in the data. When the data leaves the real money poker site and travels to you, it’s “out in the open.” The same is true when the data goes back to the poker site. If the roadways that the data travels on are not properly protected and encrypted, there may be issues.

5. A Trusted Management Team With Experience

The software and the banking integrations can be safe, but that all becomes pointless if the poker room is run by untrustworthy individuals. When we are assessing our list of secure poker sites, we look at the management and ownership teams behind the scenes. Thanks to industry contacts and unique resources, we’re able to find out who is running the show and what their pasts look like.

6. Positive Industry Reputation

The best way to judge the safety and reliability of online real money poker sites is by looking at its history, track record, and industry reputation. While there are always going to be some haters, negative trends should raise concern. Before we give a poker room the title of one of the safest online poker rooms, it must pass the sniff test with industry reputation.

7. Secure Banking Integrations

While keeping your information safe and maintaining the integrity of the games are both important, the real security needs come with the money. We live in a world where hackers and online thieves want to get their grimy hands on every last dollar that isn’t rightfully theirs.

The safest online poker sites must keep your money safe while it’s on the site but also while it is in transit to and from your bank and the site. This means that the poker rooms need to choose high-quality banking partners and integrate the banks into the software securely.

8. Adequate Contact and Customer Support

Safety is an active process. US poker sites need to have adequate customer service in place to handle security concerns in real-time. If you bring something to the attention of the poker room and they don’t have the time to handle it, it can become dangerous.

Tips to Keep Safe Playing Online Poker

The burden of online poker safety falls heavily on the poker site operators. However, that does not mean that you don’t have a role to play in the process. There are several things you can do to make your online poker playing time much safer. Here are the top five things you can do starting right now.

Don’t Engage in Collusion

You may be tempted at some point during your online poker career to make some easy money colluding at safe online poker sites. If you don’t think so, that’s great! But do remember that “taking it easy” on a buddy at the tables is a form of collusion at US poker sites.

What does this have to do with safety? If you’re caught or even suspected of colluding, you could see your real money poker funds disappear. While this is done to keep the other players safe, it won’t be a happy day for you. Make sure you play against other opponents fairly and stay away from the allure of easy money.

If You See Something, Say Something

This phrase has been touted by police departments and safety officials for years. It fully applies to the online poker world as well. If you see something that seems unsafe, say something. It’s up to us as poker players to protect our ecosystem and keep things as safe as possible.

Who do you say it to? Contact the site’s customer service department. If it’s one of the safest online poker rooms, the staff will take care of it immediately.

Keep Your Antivirus Software Up to Date

You have got to ensure your computer software and antivirus software are completely up to date to safely play online poker. Why? Anything you do on your computer may become vulnerable if unwanted software is able to make its way onto your hard drive. This can happen by visiting questionable poker sites, opening an email attachment, or by someone deliberately putting it on there. While antivirus isn’t perfect, it can go a long way to catch threats before they cause major problems when you are trying to play poker safely online.

Best Website For Online Poker

Use Proper Password Safety

Your password is the first and last line of defense between the world and your account at poker sites accepting US customers. Because of this fact, it’s imperative that you practice proper password safety. Here are a few of the most important and must-follow tips when making your password at reliable online poker sites.

• Always use a strong password.
• Never store your password to real money poker sites on any of your devices.
• Change your password regularly (minimum every 90 days).

Follow All the Safe Poker Sites Guidelines to a T

If the poker room staff gives you a directive regarding safe play, you should follow it to a T. Failure to do so could open up your account to an unknown threat, or it could open your account up to potential termination.

Get Started Playing Poker Online Now!

Now that you know where to find the safest online poker sites and what you need to do to keep safe, it’s time to get the cards in the air. Head back to the top of the guide and select one of the options we’ve picked out for you. You’re only about five minutes away from safe and secure real money online poker action right from home.