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Things are changing fast for online poker.

There are four states that have regulated games — Nevada, New Jersey, Delaware, and Pennsylvania – plus legal, sweepstakespoker games in other areas. While the boom of 10 years ago is over, online poker for real money in the US is on the rise again.

This is a detailed guide to legal poker sites in the United States. We’ll provide you with information on the current legislative landscape, the best sites to play online poker and the different types of poker bonuses.

Best Online Poker Sites in 2020

Free poker vs. real money poker

As soon as real money is at stake, the game of poker transforms.

Play money poker involves seeing a flop, hitting hands and never folding when there is even a shot at winning the pot. With no incentive to fold or think strategically, it provides light entertainment at best.

Once real cash is involved, poker changes into a mental battle. Playing every hand and trying to hit, will quickly become a losing strategy.

Conversely, playing too few hands becomes predictable and easy to exploit. You’ll need to play a position, work out what your opponents’ bets mean and understand math concepts like odds and equity.

You can play online poker games for real money or for free. I can assure you that once you try for real money, free games will quickly lose its appeal. The beauty of real money poker is that you’ll never stop learning.

Even the biggest stars of the game are working on their strategy; poker takes five minutes to learn and a lifetime to master.

Is online poker legal in the US?

Poker has a long tradition in the US, from boom to bust. There is a new era in real money USA poker games as individual states license and regulate the games.

So far, there are four legal states for real money online poker: Nevada, Delaware, Pennsylvania (where sites have entered a testing phase on November 4, according to the PGCB) and New Jersey. These states require that a brick-and-mortar casino licenses the poker sites.

Three states share players – Nevada, Delaware and New Jersey — at 888 and WSOP online poker rooms. Players from all three states will meet at the tables, which allows for bigger tournaments (many with large, guaranteed prizepools) and a more extensive selection of cash games.

Pennsylvania online poker sites

Online gambling is already up and running in Pennsylvania in the form of PA sportsbooks, casinos and lottery games, but PA online poker is the latest to join the party. On Nov. 4, PokerStars began a soft launch phase that completed two days later. It is now fully operational, and more operators are expected to follow shortly, including WSOP and partypoker.

It has been more than two years since the omnibus gambling expansion was signed into law by Gov. Tom Wolf in October 2017. This legislation made online poker in PA legal, along with online sportsbooks and casino games. Therefore, licenses for sites will be available to PA brick-and-mortar casinos.

In Pennsylvania, you’ll be able to play cash games and tournaments against other players through player pools; however, not with players from other regulated states.

Poker is already successful in states with smaller populations than Pennsylvania. The bigger pool of players will likely mean more choice, bigger tournament guarantees and more generous promotions compared to NewJersey and Nevada.

Seven casinos have Pennsylvania online poker licenses. Of these, several have announced partnerships with the major brands active in other states. Here are the known partnerships:

• MountAiryCasino: PokerStars
• SugarHouseCasino: Rush Street Interactive
• HollywoodCasino: IGT
• Harrah’sCasino: 888 (WSOP-branded)
• ParxCasinoandRacetrack: GAN/custom platform
• ValleyForge: partypoker
• WindCreek: TBD

When will online poker launch in PA?

PokerStars launched online poker on Nov. 4, becoming the first operator in the state.

Some sites are already in beta-testing mode but will need to get approval from the Pennsylvania Gambling Control Board (PGCB)before an official go-live. The board stated (in relation to casinos and sports betting) that it is in no hurry and want to ensure things are working 100% correctly before they give approvals.

That said, some of the popular PA poker sites may be available before the end of the year.

Most Popular Texas Holdem Site

Here is what we know about each of the sites:

PokerStars PA (live): Its partnership is with Mount Airy Resort and Casino, where you can use the casino cage for deposits and withdrawals. PokerStars offers the best software of any online poker room, which includes apps and a downloadable desktop client. Innovations, including ZoomPoker, Spin and Go’s and progressiveknockout tournaments, will come with this new platform.

WSOP.com / 888 Poker: This brand uses the 888 Poker software along with the World Series of Poker branding. WSOP will partner with Harrah’s to bring a mix of tournaments and cash games to Pennsylvania. Unlike New Jersey, Nevada and Delaware, the player pools will not be shared. WSOP.com PA will be a stand-alone poker site and for use within state lines only. In Nevada, WSOP host online WSOP bracelet events. These are not expected in PA, though there should be plenty of qualifier games ready for the next series.

Partypoker PA: The “original” poker site is also active in New Jersey. In Pennsylvania, it will partner with the ValleyForge. You’ll be able to deposit via the casino cage there (as well as using electronic methods). Party is famous for its easy games. New and recreational players receive priority to promotions and the novel formats. In other states, players are pooled between separate brands, which work on the Party software. So far, there will only be a single poker site in PA.

Other poker room partnerships in PA which have been announced include Parx Casino with GAN. This will be a new platform, though the popularity of the live poker room at Parx should ensure that it gets plenty of traffic.

Another new platform will be through the Rush Street Interactive platform, which is operational for casino and sports betting (via SugarHouse and Rivers Casino), though poker will be new. Finally, there is a proposed poker partnership between Hollywood Casino and IGT.

New Jersey online poker sites

While New Jersey was not the first state to launch online poker, it was the first state with a large enough population to ensure numerous players in the games.

Following successful launches in Nevada and Delaware, 888 was among the first wave of NJ poker rooms. By the end of 2013, the competition was heating up. PokerStars then joined the fray late, after making a deal with the Department of Justice.

While PokerStars is the most influential single NJ online poker site, there are more players at the WSOP and 888 sites combined. Those sites share players from sites in Nevada and Delaware.

Another shared network includes partypoker, Borgata Poker and BetMGM. These brands only share players in New Jersey.

After this list, the other poker sites are too small to host more than a table or two at any one time.

More detail on the biggest poker sites in NJ:

• 888 Poker / WSOP.com: Experience in Nevada and Delaware meant that 888 was able to get up and running quickly in New Jersey. These poker rooms partner with Caesars Casino Atlantic City. Players share a common back end, which includes players logging on from WSOP.com in Nevada and three Delaware poker sites, too. You’ll get $20 free at either of these poker sites, plus a wide range of player promotions and specials.
• PokerStars: This site started later than the others, in 2016. It grew fast and now has a 38% market share. PokerStars partnered with Resorts Casino, where you can deposit via the casino cage. Using amazing software and events like the New Jersey Series of Online Poker helped catapult this brand over its longer-running rivals. New players can get $20 in free play simply for registering.
• Partypoker, Borgata Poker and BetMGM: Before the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) in 2006, partypoker was the most prominent poker site in the US. It returned in 2013, in partnership with Borgata Casino. The software might have changed, though this is still a popular site for recreational and amateur players. Borgata Poker and BetMGM combine players with partypoker within New Jersey. You can get a generous combination of a $25 no-deposit bonus and a $1,000 matched deposit to your first deposit at partypoker NJ.

Pala Poker also welcomes NJ players. Unfortunately, this site never got much traction, and games rarely run there.

Traffic at the more prominent sites will peak at around 250 cash-game players, and several times more at poker tournaments. While this is enough for the NJ online poker rooms to be able to offer lower- to mid-stakes games, it is not sufficient traffic for high stakes or too many poker variations. If you enjoy Texas Hold ’em at $1/$2 and below, you’ll be able to find plenty of action.

Tournaments feature a lot of smaller guaranteed pools throughout the week. The SundayMajor events have prize pools of around $100,000. There are events, including WSOP qualifiers and the New Jersey championship, that offer higher guarantees. You’ll find some innovative formats for tournaments, which include the popular progressive knockout tournaments, where your bounty increases the more players you knock out.

The major poker rooms in NJ are available via apps for Android or Apple mobile devices. For the best experience (especially if you play multiple tables), you can also download a desktopclient for Windows or Mac computers.

Nevada online poker rooms

There was a lot of excitement in 2012 when the first poker rooms went live in Nevada.

Before then, only tiny Delaware had online poker, which was limited by the population size. Nevada saw the first WSOP-branded poker room, which uses the popular 888 Poker software.

Initially, there were two competing online poker rooms in Nevada. UltimatePoker did not last, failing to gain traction and closing in 2014. There is a new poker site in Nevada in the form of real money online poker that South Point Casino owns. It has yet to gain any traction, and so it is not a viable option if you are looking for action.

WSOP, 888 and Caesars Entertainment

WSOP.com is a partnership with Caesars Entertainment. It runs the World Series of Poker and has successfully moved bracelet events online. These games feature part of the WSOP events, which run from May to early July each year.

At 3 million, Nevada does not have a significant population. It does benefit from a lot of visitors. You only need to be within state lines to enjoy poker at WSOP.com NV, with no requirement to be a permanent resident.

In 2016, player pools were combined with the 888/WSOP-powered poker sites in Delaware and New Jersey. This merger created the single biggest US-wide site. If legal clarification on the WireAct moves forward, WSOP.com is in a great position to add other states quickly to its player pool.

While the traffic is not high, there is no shortage of features at the WSOP.com Nevada online poker room. You’ll be able to enjoy cash games, tournaments and sit and go’s along with innovations, including Blast! sit and go’s, which have random prize pools that are only revealed after the game begins.

As you might expect, there are a lot of qualifier tournaments for the World Series of Poker at this site. New players get a 100% bonus matched to their first deposit at this site.

State poker sites: What are the differences?

To the untrained eye, all the legal US online poker sites look similar.

They all offer cash games, tournaments and a few novelty games. They all have comparable welcome bonuses, often mixing free play with big deposit offers.

When you get into the details, there are some essential differences. Aside from the different software, apps and promotions, here are the things that set the sites apart from each other:

• PartnerCasinos: Each regulated poker room needs a license holding partner from a brick-and-mortar casino. These vary, depending on the state. For example, PokerStars work with Resorts Casino in NJ, and Mount Airy Casino in PA.
• PooledPlayers: These work in two ways. Some combine players at two or more sites within a state. For example, you’ll play at the same tables via partypoker, Borgata Poker or BetMGM in New Jersey. Some brands also pool players across state lines. WSOP.com combines players from New Jersey, Nevada and Deleware, along with those playing at 888 NJ. WSOP has created the single biggest player pool in the US.
• Events and Specials: Tournament events are big news in the poker world. These allow for bigger buy-ins, bigger guaranteed prize pools and promotions like event-long leaderboards. Examples include the bracelet events at WSOP.com NV and the Championship of Online Poker event at PokerStars NJ. As the sites come into more states, expect these events to become even bigger.
• Games: Smaller player pools mean it is only possible to run the most popular formats for now. As online poker grows, or further states can pool their players, we can expect today’s Texas Hold’em and Omaha to expand into stud, draw and even mixed games.
• HowEasy: Poker is a game of relative skill levels. To win, you need to consistently play with people who are not as good as you. In Nevada, there is only one viable site, so making a selection of the individual tables are important. Where you do get a choice, you should be continually assessing which site(s) have the weakest player pools. Sites like PokerStars tend to attract more experienced players, while sites like partypoker (that restrict third-party software tools) tend to host more recreational players.

Outside of the regulated states, sweepstakes gambling laws allow for “real money” poker action.

Global Poker works by giving free virtual currency called “Sweeps Coins” to players that purchase play money coins.

With more states considering licensing poker, casino and sports betting online, the range of legal US poker sites will only grow in the future.

How do sweepstakes poker sites work?

Global Poker uses state gambling laws that cover sweepstakes contests. It brings real money poker action to states that have yet to regulate. While this is a workaround, it is perfectly legal and is becoming popular.

Since this poker room can’t take real money deposits for gambling, it gives you free Sweeps Coins alongside the purchase of play money coins. You can use Sweeps Coins to play poker. Each hand (or tournament) is considered to be an individual sweepstakes contest.

Once you have accumulated enough Sweeps Coins, you can swap it for dollars in the cashier and withdraw them to your bank account.

Taking advantage of poker bonuses

With the poker rooms competing to grow in the most prominent player pools, there are plenty of poker bonuses. These options range from free cash deals to matched bonuses and loyaltyschemes.

Keep in mind, you should always read the terms and conditions before accepting a poker bonus. You will find some significant variations in playthrough requirements and time available to complete the wagering.

You’ll see the most common types of poker bonuses to take advantage of in this list:

• No deposit bonuses: Some poker sites offer you a small amount of free cash to try out their real money games. This bonus is only for new accounts and gives you up to $30 for play. You’ll need to wager this several times before you can withdraw it. If you are good enough, you might be able to build a bankroll without needing to deposit at all.
• Matched welcome bonus: This is the industry standard bonus offer. Most sites give you a 100% matched bonus on your first deposit of up to $500. You’ll need to earn points from playing real money games and tournaments, which will incrementally clear your bonus.
• Free tournament entries: New depositors often get entries into free tournaments with guaranteed prizepools. Some poker rooms run these freerolls regularly.
• Loyalty bonus schemes: With loyalty schemes, you collect points while playing. These can move you up tiers or it can be a flat rate. You can cash in points for bonuses or tournament entries.
• Reload bonuses: If you ever deplete your poker bankroll, reload bonuses can help. These work in the same way as the welcome bonus offer, though sometimes have lower percentage matches.
• One-off promotions: What separates the good from the great poker rooms is the promos. Look for sites that look after their players with plenty of offers. These can include satellite qualifiers to the biggest live events.

Remember, you are not restricted to a single poker room. To get the best offers, it can pay to be selective, shifting your money around to take advantage of the best deals.

Which US poker sites offer real money poker apps?

Several of the state-regulated poker sites offer mobile poker apps alongside their desktop-software client. These apps allow for limited access, as it is hard to multi-table on a small screen.

If you do want to enjoy poker on the move, here are the best real money poker sites in New Jersey and Nevada:

• 888 Poker, WSOP-branded sites in Nevada and New Jersey
• Partypoker, Borgata Poker NJ

How to deposit at a real money US poker site?

To enjoy real money poker, you’ll need to get that initial bankroll on board.

When you choose legal, regulated poker rooms, a lot of options open up for you. By sticking to the best-known brands, you can be sure your funds are secure.

The easiest option is merely to use your regular debit or credit card. Making a poker deposit works precisely the same as making any purchase online. Inside the regulated states, nearly all banks will approve these transactions.

If you prefer it, you can buy prepaiddebit cards, or for some sites, you can apply for a branded debit card for their license-holding casino that guarantees fast deposits and withdrawals from then on.

Another set of deposit options using your bank account includes e-checks, bill pay or wiretransfers. The combination that is accepted will depend on which state-regulated online poker real money USA site you are playing.

With e-checks, a third party (usually a company called VIP Preferred) will verify you, allowing for instant transfers.

Bill pay works with a list of banks provided by each site. You follow the same process as for paying a utility bill. Wires are slower, though still have a place for large deposits.

Third-party-wallet services are perfect for poker fans that prefer to keep their banking separate from their gambling.

The best-known service is PayPal, though you will find Skrill and Neteller welcomed by poker rooms, too. While there is a small downside in terms of fees, the additional security these wallets provide makes them popular choices.

If the electronic options are not for you, you’ll be able to deposit with cash. Again, this does depend on which poker site you choose. Options include taking cash to the casino cage or using PayNearMe, which is available at 7-Eleven stores.

Software options at real money poker sites

Most poker rooms provide a few ways to access their games:

A full download: This is the ideal method if you are playing from a desktop computer or laptop. Once you download the software package, you get full functionality and smooth gaming (there is no need to initialize the games from scratch each time). Downloads are generally available for Windows and Apple computers.

Poker apps: The biggest brands, like 888 and PokerStars, have online poker apps. These offer a limited number of games you can enjoy on the go. It is hard to multi-table using an app, so expect a single-game format. Android poker apps are not available via the Google Play store; you’ll need to get those direct from the poker site.

Instant play: This is the least popular way of accessing the software. Sites allow form-limited gaming action in your web browser. These games will respond to your screen size, though they are not suitable for the smallest (smartphone) screens.

While the branding of each site is unique, there are some commonalities when it comes to getting around.

Sites split the major poker variations with cash games, tournaments and Sit ‘n Gos (SNG) at the top level of their navigation.

Once you access each area, you’ll find tabs or checkboxes that will help you narrow your search. This can be by buy-in level, table size or speed. Tournaments have further navigation to separate qualifiers and major events.

What separates the good from the great is the small software features. Smooth gaming, resizable tables and easy options to top up your stack make for a far better experience. PokerStars is considered by poker players to have the best software client. I also like the interface at the 888 Poker/WSOP brands.

Poker variations available

Traditionally, there are four types of poker you can play online with cash. Note that these are broad categories, each of which contains multiple poker game variants, speeds and small table size/rules/betting format changes.

No Limit Texas Hold ’em dominates the real cash poker scene. At least 80% of the action is in this format. Omaha follows, with the popularity of Pot Limit Omaha, Pot Limit Omaha 8 and Omaha 8 variants growing. Other forms, including stud and draw poker, are tiny by comparison.

The 4 main poker variations you can play online:

1. Cash games: This is the traditional poker format, where the chips you play with have a direct monetary value. You’ll find full-ring and six-max games to be the most popular, though you can find other table sizes. You can find most of the cash game action at the micro stakes ($25 buy-in and under).
2. Poker tournaments: This format has the most rule, structure variations. The basis is that you buy in for a pile of chips and play until one player has them all. The bet sizes increase to ensure action. Usually, 10% of the field are paid, with the biggest prize going to the winner.
3. SNGs: While poker tournaments have big fields and scheduled start times, SNGs have a fixed size and start when all the seats are full. The basic format is one (nine-seat) table. Three players get paid in this format. Lottery SNGs, which are three-handed games with randomly selected prizepools up to 10,000x your buy-in, are now popular, too.
4. Fast Fold Poker: This variation crosses cash game and tournament formats. Instead of sitting at a table, players are in pools. Each hand sees six to nine players combined from each pool (which is by buy-in). When you fold, you go straight to a hand with new players from your pool. This format requires a lot of players and is not widely available at the regulated US sites just yet.

A big appeal of the online poker real money USA sites is the range of buy-ins available. You can enjoy cash games where the blinds are pennies (as little as 1c / 2c or 2c / 5c). That means you can buy-in for a full stack for just $2. Most of the action is in the 5c / 10c to $1 / $2 blinds range. There are bigger buy-in games – especially at the 888/WSOP or PokerStars NJ.

You can join tournaments for $1 or less. The biggest weekly games take place online on Sundays, with guarantees of up to $100 available. Bigger real money poker rooms have special events, for example, the New Jersey Spring Championship of Online Poker, aka NJSCOOP, which features a week or more of significant guaranteed events.

How to cash out quickly

If you win a tournament or accumulate money in the cash games, you’ll need to get your money safely out of the poker rooms.

As a rule of thumb, the sites will ask you to use the same method you initially deposited with to return your money. This will not always be possible, in which case, an alternative (for example a paper check) is an option.

You can withdraw quickly using the e-wallet services like PayPal, Skrill or Neteller. If you are verified, then an ACH transfer will also send the funds to you quickly. Alternatives include paper checks, which they can send to your home.

All poker rooms will take a day or two to verify your withdrawal request. You will also need to have completed the ID verification process before you can withdraw.

Are poker sites safe? Are the deals fair?

If you have been around online poker for long, you are sure to have come across at least one player who is convinced that “online poker is rigged.” The fact is that billions of hands have been dealt, and tracking services (including individual player databases) have uncovered zero anomalies with the deal.

Add to this the requirement for regulated, legal sites to have their Random Number Generator software audited. You can feel 100% certain that you are getting a fair deal.

Safety and security of your deposit can depend on individual sites. With some of the biggest and most reputable global brands providing the technology for US poker rooms, I have absolutely no concerns in this area.

You can take simple security measures, for example, by not playing on shared machines, and making sure that the https header is showing on the poker site’s homepage.

Understanding KYC requirements at USA real money poker sites

Many players are happy to join a legitimate, regulated, legal USA poker room and then are surprised when it asks for backup documentation.

ID checks are part of a process of keeping online poker clean. Money laundering and fraud on any scale would mean online poker simply could not happen. Everyone has a role to play, and providing backup documents is a vital part of this process.

These legal poker websites will ask for proof of ID, proof of address and backups for your deposit method. Examples include a photo of the front of your credit card. You are welcome to black out all but the last four numbers if you prefer.

Know Your Customer, aka KYC, also helps prevent underage gambling, which is a critical component of responsible gaming. Other parts of this include links to help organizations, and the ability to self-exclude from a poker site.

Wrap up of online poker in 2020

Poker has come a long way since the dark days of 2011 when the Department of Justice chased away the remaining global giants. Four states have legal online poker (with Pennsylvania about to go live).

Also, sweepstakes poker is available in many more states under existing laws. Better still, there is a growing list of additional states considering their regulation.

You can take advantage of bonus offers which range from entirely free cash to matched offers and free tournament entries. Once you join, you’ll find a lot of action focused on Texas Hold ’em and covering many poker formats.

As the player pools grow between the states, the choice of game, size of the tournaments and number of niche variations can only get better.

Over the past two decades, we’ve seen Texas Holdem explode in popularity
among gamblers and gamers of all ages from all over the world. Most of this
explosion can be attributed to the growth of online poker and its ability to
enable anyone with a computer and an internet connection to get in on the
action.

Thanks to there being no need to pay for dealers for additional tables,
online poker also allows players to play for much lower stakes and for much less
money than they would have to in a brick-and-mortar setting. No matter how new
you are to the game, you can get realistic practice with real money, without
putting your whole bankroll on the line.

If you’re here looking for the best Texas Holdem poker sites available
anywhere on the net, you’re in luck. Below you’ll find a list of the top rated
and most trusted sites available that are sure to give you the experience and
opportunities you’re looking for.

Why These Sites Are the Best

If you make a habit out of blindly trusting every recommendation you read on
the internet, you’re going to have an awful time. You always need to ask whether
you can trust the recommendations and information you’re getting or if there is
an ulterior motive you need to be aware of. Sadly, in the online review world,
many review sites are paid for more favorable reviews or higher placement in
recommendations. Effectively, you’re just looking at an advertisement, and not
an honest and accurate review.

That’s not how we operate here.

The sites you see recommended above are the
best the web has to offer.

We continuously monitor and update the list as poker
sites better their product or lose some steam and fall from the list. We never
have and never will allow a site to pay us for a better review or for higher
placement on our recommendation lists. The only way for a Texas Holdem poker
site to increase their stock with us and how we view them is by putting out a
better product for you, their customers.

It’s as simple as that. You can take our reviews to the bank knowing that
you’re getting an honest and accurate view of how things are with each of these
sites. We take our review process seriously because we know you take your money
seriously. In order for us to succeed, you need to have the best online gaming
experience possible, and that starts with playing at a site that carries its own
weight. With so many options to choose from in the poker world today, there is
no room for mediocrity.

Criteria for Selecting a Texas Holdem Betting Site

We didn’t just pull these recommended sites out of thin air. Our experts use
a long list of criteria to identify the winners and the losers within the
industry. As is the case with any industry, there are some great companies and
some serious bad apples within the online poker industry. This is why we take
our review process so seriously.

For those of you that are curious what we like to look at, we’ve included a
list of the most important criteria below. While these are not all of the
factors that we look at, these are the big ones that we feel are the most
important and play the biggest role in our decisions.

If you happen to be living life on the edge and trying a site that we haven’t
recommended here, you can use these criteria to try your best to form an opinion
on whether or not the site is worth your time and should be trusted. While we
know you’re all smart cookies, some of this information is more challenging to
find, and you may struggle to get an honest under the hood look. This is why we
strongly recommend you take advantage of our expert recommendations. If you’re a
free spirit and need to be out on the range by yourself, we hope this list helps
protect you.

Trust and Reliability

The number one factor in deciding the value of an online poker site is the
trust and reliability of the company running the show. If the owners and the
management of the site can’t be fully trusted, you’re putting yourself and your
money in danger.

While we’re willing to accept less than perfect marks on some
of the factors on this list, with trust and reliability, we are not. An online
poker site needs to be able to be trusted 100% with no red flags or warning
signs, or it’s a no-go from our team.

In order to calculate trust and reliability, we look a lot of places. We look
at the management and ownership of the company and what their track record
within and outside of the industry is. We utilize several different means of
gauging the company’s current industry reputation and look into any complaints
that have been filed against them in the past.

On top of this, we look through their public company records, licensing
regulations, terms of service, and anything else we can get our hands on to make
sure that everything they are doing is on the up and up.

Again, if there is even
the hint of something not right, the poker site will not be receiving a
recommendation from us.

Speed of Payouts

How much fun is winning on the felt if you don’t actually get your winnings?
The correct answer is 0% fun. In the early days of online poker, there were
issues with the processing of money. It would take a while for you to get your
money and that left a pretty sour taste in a lot of player’s mouths. As more and
more transfer options became available and the online poker world grew, these
problems started to diminish.

Nowadays, there are plenty of great mainstream mediums for you to get your
money fast from online poker sites. That being said, these options only work if
the site you’re requesting your winnings from has its processes set up properly.

If they’re lazy, slow, or disorganized, you’re going to be waiting a while to
get your money. This is not okay with us.

One of the most important factors we look at when selecting our favorite
online poker sites is how quickly they process and pay cashout requests. If
you’re going to be an old man or woman by the time they get you the money, we’re
not going to recommend them. You shouldn’t ever have to worry about the speed at
which you receive your cashouts. This is why payout speed is high on our list of
important factors when choosing the top online poker sites.

Volume of Action

You can’t win any money playing Texas Holdem if you don’t have anyone to
play against. It’s important that an online poker site have enough active
players to run games regularly. This goes for cash games, sit and gos, and for
tournaments. If a site is too brand new or not doing a good enough job
recruiting players, it’s most likely not going to be a site that you want to
waste your time on. Nobody wants to sit around at empty tables waiting hours for
action.

Does this mean that we only select the sites with the most players? Not
necessarily. For some people, the goliath poker sites with hundreds of thousands
of players are great. For others, though, they like the smaller sites because
they attract more fish and have tournaments that don’t take nineteen years to
complete. This all comes down to personal choice. For that reason, you’re going
to see us recommend sites that are large and sites that are smaller. You’ll
never see us recommend a Texas Holdem site that is too small that there’s no
action whatsoever.

Types and Stakes of Action

This criterion is a continuation of the one that we just covered. If you’re
looking to play $1/$2 Texas Holdem, but every single player on a particular
site only plays up to the .05/.10 level, you’re not going to be a happy camper.
Not only do poker sites need to have a decent volume of players, but these
players need to be spread out amongst the different buy-in and stake levels.

There doesn’t need to be an even distribution or anything like that as we
know that the higher stakes will inevitably have fewer players. We don’t even
need there to be any players at the super-high, nosebleed levels. What we’re
looking for is a site that offers as much as possible to different levels of
players. If they only have enough players to sustain one or two buy-in levels,
we’re not going to be big fans. But, if they have games running all across the
buy-in spectrum, we’re going to be pretty pleased.

This goes for tournaments as well. While some tournament players prefer
smaller field sizes, there is such thing as too small.

If you’re someone who is
looking to potentially make a living or at least some significant extra cash
playing Texas Holdem, you aren’t going to be too pleased if the largest
tournament a site offers is a $50 guaranteed, $1 buy-in.

Again, we aren’t saying that we need $10k, $1 million guaranteed tournaments,
but we would like to see some tournaments where you can buy more than a
McDonald’s extra value meal with first place money. Variety and consistency are
the names of the game here. If an online Texas Holdem poker site can offer
plenty of options more than just a few specific times a week, we’ll be happy. If
they can offer a lot of different options all the time, well, now we’re talking
quality.

User Interface

When it comes to the user interface of an online poker site, we get picky.
When you’re spending hours at a time doing something, it better be set up well
and organized in a way that makes your life easier. The games need to be
organized well, and the different stake levels should be easy to find. When
you’re playing, it shouldn’t be a challenge to figure out how to raise, call, or
fold. Cruddy user interfaces are not only annoying and not fun to use, but they
can also set you up to make mistakes which can be very costly.

Outside of trust and reliability and speed of payouts, the user interface is
the most critical factor for us. The only exception to this is if there is an
online poker site that is so full of fish and bad players that we’d be willing
to accept a less than favorable user interface. Still, in those rare occasions,
the interface has to be good enough to prevent any mistakes. The only things
we’d skimp on for a fish-happy environment are graphics and overall feel. The
core functionality of the site still needs to be top-notch, or it’s a no from
us.

Bonus Promotions

The very last thing that we look at when determining the quality of a Texas
Holdem site is what sort of bonus promotions they have for players. This
includes deposit bonuses, forms of rakeback, guaranteed tournaments, VIP player
programs, and anything else creative they have to try and win your business.
This is certainly the least important factor on this list, but one that we still
want to take a look at, especially if we have a close decision between two
sites.

One thing we do want to point out is that you’re careful not to make this
your number one determining factor. Just because an online poker site offers you
a bunch of freebies does not mean that it’s a quality site. On the flip side,
just because an online poker site does not offer you a ton of freebies does not
mean that it’s NOT a quality site. Some sites are so established and so packed
full of fish that we would be willing to pay them some bonus money just for the
chance to play there.

Bonuses are great and should definitely be looked at, but they most certainly
should not be your top criterion.

Tips for Selecting a New Texas Holdem Poker Site

Once you think you’ve found an online poker site that peaks your interest,
it’s time to get started! Should you close your eyes and run into the fire
blindly? Of course, you shouldn’t! While we don’t want to hold up your poker fix
any longer, we do want to give you a few quick tips that can make your
experience at the new site that much better.

If you skip these tips, your world is not going to catch on fire. You will,
however, possibly set yourself up for some disappointment, and we’d really like
to help avoid that if at all possible. Unless you’re a glutton for punishment,
take these tips we’ve provided for you to heart.

Utilize the Play Money

We get it. You’re big time, and you don’t have time to play around with the
kiddie games. We’re NOT telling you that you have to start at the play money
tables and work yourself up to real money. What we are telling you is that you
can use the play money tables to learn the user interface. Each online poker
site has different controls and different ways that you raise, fold, and call.

Taking the time to learn how these work with no real money on the line can go
a long way to save you cash.

Imagine if you’re in a big pot and you accidentally
fold when you mean to call because you don’t fully understand how to use the
buttons. This is why we are recommending you start at the play money tables.
Spend five minutes clicking around and getting comfortable with the buttons.
Once you confidently know how to do everything, then you can move over to the
real money tables without fear of making a silly and costly mistake.

Fill out Withdrawal Forms Early

Since you aren’t physically in a casino or card room, the poker sites are
going to need to verify that you are who you say you are. This is not for tax
purposes or reporting. This is to protect you so that when you go to withdraw,
they know that they are sending the money to you and only you. The way they do
this is by having you fill out a few forms the first time you go to make a
withdrawal.

People tend to get annoyed by this because when they make their first
withdrawal, they want their money quickly. Here’s a great tip. As soon as you
create an account with an online poker site, request any documentation they will
need to process withdrawals. You can fill this all out on day one and then when
you go to make your first withdrawal, you won’t have to wait at all. Waiting a
few extra days when you aren’t withdrawing any money is no big deal, but it can
be a real headache when you want your money.

Do yourself a favor and take care of this as soon as you join a new site. You
will thank us later.

Best Online Texas Holdem Sites For Us Players

Understand Promotions

10 Best Free Poker Sites

While we said that the promotions aren’t high on our list when selecting an
online Texas Holdem site, that does not mean you shouldn’t take full advantage
of the ones offered to you. In a highly competitive market, online poker sites
are constantly throwing free money and free things at players to try and steal
them away from other sites and to make sure that they stay.

Here are a few tips for promotions that will make your life a lot smoother
and help to put more money in your pocket. First, always pay attention to the
promotions page of the website. You should also join any mailing lists that the
site has. This is how you will find out about new promotions. Promotions with
online poker sites are not always the same. They change, and new ones are added
all the time. You need to be aware of this as much as possible.

Why? Well, some online poker sites require that you “opt-in” to a promotion
to take advantage of it.

This means that you have to check a box in your member
area that says you want to get some of that free money. If you don’t do this,
you can fulfill all the requirements for the promotion, and you’ll get
absolutely nothing.

Furthermore, you need to make sure you read the terms associated with each
promotion you are interested in. In order to protect the site from people trying
to game the system, each promotion is going to have some specific rules and
parameters that you’re going to have to follow. If you don’t follow these rules
to a T, you will not receive your free money. These things are a lot easier to
fix before the promotion runs. If you were unclear about something and did it
incorrectly, you won’t be able to convince the poker site to give you the
promotional bonuses.

It doesn’t take much extra time or effort. Read the promotional rules, and
rake in that sweet, sweet free cash and bonuses.

Ask Questions

The last bit of advice we can give you that will help you to succeed at a new
online poker site is to ask questions if you’re confused about something. Not
sure how to use the software? Ask for help. Don’t understand a particular
promotion? Ask for help. Not sure how to deposit money? Ask for help.

The online poker sites that we’ve recommended have fantastic customer service
departments. They have FAQs with the most common questions you might have, well
written out terms of service for their site and for promotions, and they also
have staff members ready to answer any other questions you might have. If you
are unsure about anything, just ask. Finding out how things work before there is
a potential problem will make your online poker experience that much more
fruitful and enjoyable.

Getting Started

You’re just about all set to get started playing Texas Holdem online. Before
we send you on your way to crush on the felt, we wanted to give you a few last
minute words of wisdom and encouragement to keep you on the right path to
success. Remember, Texas Holdem is a game that takes a minute to learn and a
lifetime to master. Make sure that you take your time and understand that you
are not going to be the best overnight. This means that you shouldn’t
immediately jump into the biggest games. Stick within your bankroll and allow
yourself the proper time to learn without losing all of your money.

With patient hard work, focused study, dedicated practice, and solid bankroll
management, you have no reason that you can’t become a very successful Texas
Holdem player.