** Disclaimer: It is your responsibility to know the laws in your state. Use of this article is at your own risk.**

Home Poker in Wisconsin

The law in Wisconsin is very straightforward. Bets (and wagers) are considered gambling. And a bet is defined as a bargain in which the parties agree that, dependent upon chance even though accompanied by some skill, one stands to win or lose something of value.

So as you can see, no matter how you classify poker (luck or skill), it’s considered a bet, so therefore it’s illegal. That makes home games off limits. Participating and being caught in a home game will result in you being charged with a misdemeanor.

It’s even worse if you decide to run a home game for profit. That’s a class I felony.

Playing Online Poker in Wisconsin

It doesn’t get any better for online poker. Although it’s hard to catch, Wisconsin’s law does state that using a wire communication facility for the transmission or receipt of information assisting in the placing of a bet or offer to bet on any sporting event or contest is considered commercial gambling. This is also a class I felony if caught.

Since it’s a felony to play online, what we suggest doing is playing at a free (play) money site like www.LockPoker.net. Since you’re not placing actual wagers, it should be ok. The play money games run regularly and they offer fun incentives for accumulating a ton of play money chips. All poker games are offered as well including holdem, omaha and stud.

Do keep in mind that although playing free should be ok, not all sites will give you the option. Many poker sites completely block out new players from signing up to their site when the state is so strict towards gambling. You’ll know if this is the case when you go to sign up and your state isn’t available in the drop down menu.

Live Casino Poker in Wisconsin

The only option for players to play real money poker in Wisconsin is to play in a brick and mortar casino. You’ll find that there are a handful that offer holdem, omaha and stud cash games and tournaments. We’ve made a list of some of the casinos that offer poker below.

Oneida Casino: Oneida hosts holdem tournaments. They have several promotions including a $100 aces cracked bonus, $200 royal flush bonus and a bad beat jackpot that increases by $200 daily.

Lac Courte Oreilles: Here you’ll find holdem tournaments, some with rebuys and add ons.

Menominee: Menominee offers holdem, omaha and stud tournaments with buy-ins ranging from $20 to $50 on average. They also havesatellites to the WPT.

North Star: The North Stars offers holdem, omaha and stud.

** Disclaimer: It is your responsibility to know the laws in your state. Use of this article is at your own risk.**

Home Poker Games in Utah

Utah’s law states that:

(2) (a) “Gambling” means risking anything of value for a return or risking anything of value upon the outcome of a contest, game, gaming scheme, or gaming device when the return or outcome:

(i) is based upon an element of chance; and (ii) is in accord with an agreement or understanding that someone will receive something of value in the event of a certain outcome.

While most of us would agree that poker is a game of skill, it’s not viewed that way by many states. As far as we know, this includes Utah. Therefore, home games are not legal.

Generally, home games are where most of the leniency is. But not in Utah. In Utah, it’ll get you a class B misdemeanor. It’s a class A misdemeanor if you’re convicted more than once.

Playing Online Poker in Utah

This may come as a shock, but there are no laws in regards to playing online poker in Utah.

Now, does this make online poker legal? Well, not necessarily. It just means that you might be able to find an online poker site to play at.

If you really want to play poker online, I would suggest doing one of two things (or both). The first being to check with local law enforcement or legislation to ensure that playing poker online is legal. This will help you to avoid any consequences if online poker is in fact illegal.

The second thing I would consider doing is just staying on the safe side and playing online poker for play (free) money. You can do this at a site like www.LockPoker.net. They have Holdem, Omaha and Stud play money games, tournaments and SNGs running 24/7. Since you’re not risking anything of value, playing free should be ok.

Live Casino Poker in Utah

Utah does not have any casinos. The closest thing you’ll find to gambling in Utah is bingo.

If you want to play live in a casino, you’ll have to make a trip to one of Utah’s neighboring states such as Nevada (Las Vegas), Arizona or New Mexico.

** Disclaimer: It is your responsibility to know the laws in your state. Use of this article is at your own risk.**

Home Poker in South Dakota

Gambling in South Dakota is not legal. South Dakota defines gambling as any person engaging in gambling with cards, dice or other implements or devices. Since poker falls under this category, home games aren’t allowed. If caught participating in a home game, you may be charged with a class 2 misdemeanor.

This law also applies to those hosting the games. More specifically, “keeping gambling establishment–letting building for gambling.” This is also a class 2 misdemeanor.

This law is strange when compared to other states. Most states allow home poker games as long as the host doesn’t benefit financially from it.

Playing Online Poker in South Dakota

Internet gambling is specifically mentioned. In fact, it’s an odd law.

Apparently, online poker is only illegal for those who run gambling businesses. A gambling business is defined as someone who conducts business of placing, receiving or making bets or wagers. This is law is odd because gambling businesses are illegal too. So, maybe this is just extra punishment for those breaking the law in the first place? Either way, the punishment is being charged with a class 6 felony for first time offenses and a class 5 felony for 2 offenses.

For the rest of you, online poker is legal. If you’re interested in playing online, we suggest trying out Lock. They have 5,000 to 10,000 players on their site at any given time spread across their holdem, omaha and stud cash games, tournaments and SNGs. All new players that sign up to Lock will be eligible for a 200% deposit bonus good up to a maximum of $1,200. You can read more about Lock’s bonus or visit their site at www.LockPoker.com.

Live Casino Poker in South Dakota

If you’re upset about not being able to play live in a home game, don’t be. South Dakota has over 10 casinos with most offering live poker. Here is a short list to get you started along with some info about each one.

Cadillac Jack’s Gaming Resort: Cadillac Jack’s offers holdem and omaha tournaments 7 days a week.

Dakota Sioux: Dakota Sioux spreads stud, omaha, holdem and dealer’s choice cash games. They also run tournaments. A few of their promotions includes hand of the day and a royal flush bonus. Something worth noting is that Dakota Sioux also adds money to the games after 5 hours of play.

Silverado Franklin: The Silverado Franklin offers both tournaments and cash games. The games played include holdem, omaha and dealer’s choice. Limits played are $3/$6 and $5/$10.

** Disclaimer: It is your responsibility to know the laws in your state. Use of this article is at your own risk.**

Playing Home Games in Oregon

Hosting and/or playing in home poker games in Oregon is perfectly acceptable. The reason why it’s fine is because the law doesn’t consider “social games” a form of gambling. And poker falls into the category of social games, which is interpreted from the following snippets:

(a) A game, other than a lottery, between players in a private home where no house player, house bank or house odds exist and there is no house income from the operation of the social game; and

(b) If authorized pursuant to ORS 167.121, a game, other than a lottery, between players in a private business, private club or place of public accommodation where no house player, house bank or house odds exist and there is no house income from the operation of the social game.

The one exception is that you cannot charge players for playing, whether it’s by charging an entry fee or raking the pot. So as long as you’re not doing that and/or running a lottery, home games in Oregon are fine.

Online Poker in Oregon State

“Internet gambling” is specifically mentioned in Oregon’s laws. But the law doesn’t target players; it targets businesses. It’s against the law to run a gambling business where you accept payments from players partaking in illegal gambling activities. So accepting payments in the form of checks, credit cards and advances are violations of the law which is considered a class C felony.

So in short, it’s fine to play online poker in Oregon. And with that said, we suggest that you check out Lock Poker. They offer all the game formats such as holdem, omaha and stud. Lock also receives quite a bit of traffic — around 10,000 players on a regular basis. So there are plenty of games running. And for new players, they’re offering a 200% deposit bonus, good up to $1,200. Visit www.LockPoker.com now to get started. Alternatively, you can read our Lock review.

Live Casino Poker in Oregon

You can find live casino poker in Oregon, amongst other games. Most of them will be along the coast though, so for many residents of Oregon it’ll be a road trip. Below is a list of the few that offer live poker along with the games they offer and any promotions they may be running.

Chinook Winds Casino: Chinook Winds hosts both cash games and tournaments. A few interesting promotions include KO bonuses for knocking out casino personal, dealer appreciation bonuses and royal flush bonuses.

Seven Feathers: At Seven Feathers you can play both limit and no limit holdem as well as omaha. They’re open 7 days a week and offer a $4 side table menu.

Spirit Mountain: Spirit Mountain spreads holdem, omaha and stud cash games. Limits include $3/$6 to $40/$80 limit and $1/$3 to $5/$10 no limit. Spirit Mountain hosts weekly tournaments and has a bad beat jackpot.

** Disclaimer: It is your responsibility to know the laws in your state. Use of this article is at your own risk.**

Home Poker Games in New York

While most states allow you to have or play in home games as long as no rake is taken, in New York you cannot. New York’s law is straightforward:

Illegal wagers, bets and stakes. All wagers, bets or stakes, made to depend upon any race, or upon any gaming by lot or chance, or upon any lot, chance, casualty, or unknown or contingent event whatever, shall be unlawful.

Then it’s backed up by this:

1. “Contest of chance” means any contest, game, gaming scheme or gaming device in which the outcome depends in a material degree upon an element of chance, notwithstanding that skill of the contestants may also be a factor therein.

2. “Gambling” A person engages in gambling when he stakes or risks something of value upon the outcome of a contest of chance or a future contingent event not under his control or influence, upon an agreement or understanding that he will receive something of value in the event of a certain outcome.

Poker is not considered a game of skill in New York, but a game of chance. In my research, I read that home games aren’t targeted as often as underground games. So it’s likely that you can have a home game without any issues. But they’re still illegal nonetheless.

Playing Online in New York

If playing in a home game in New York is illegal, you can bet that online poker is illegal too. In fact, New York has even gone as far as to try regulating whether residents can even gain access to sites that offer or promote gambling. They haven’t managed to succeed – yet.

Play money poker might be an option in New York. But you’ll have to find a site that will allow you to open an account though. One site you might consider trying is Lock Poker. Lock has play money games running around the clock and offers all the major game formats and variations. You can visit the play money site at www.LockPoker.net.

Live Casino Poker in New York

The only legal way to play real money poker in New York is live in one of the very few casinos in the state. Below are the details on where you can play as well as the games being offered.

Akwesasne Mohawk Casino: Akwesasne Mohawk offers holdem, pineapple, omaha and stud in both tournaments and cash games. Players get special deals for registering 2 hours in advance.

Seneca Niagara: Seneca Niagara spreads holdem, omaha and stud over 16 tables. A few promotions they run include ladies night and their bad beat jackpot.

Turning Stone: Turning Stone offers tournaments, cash games and SNGs. A couple of their promotions include a bad beat jackpot and $100 for making a royal flush during live play.

As you might expect, gambling in the Silver State is perfectly acceptable. This includes poker. But not all forms of poker are legal — yet.

** Disclaimer: It is your responsibility to know the laws in your state. Use of this article is at your own risk.**

Lists the Best Legal Poker Sites in Las Vegas, Nevada

Below we’ve listed the best poker sites for playing online poker in Las Vegas, Nevada. The poker rooms below have no problems accepting USA players including those that reside in the state of Nevada. The rooms provide at least Texas Hold’em and Omaha, if not other variations of poker online.

Rank	Poker Site	USA	Sign Up Bonus	Bonus Code	Play Now!
1	Bet Online Poker		25% Instant Cash	n/a – use links	»www.BetOnline.com
2	Lock Poker		150% up to $750	n/a – use links	» www.LockPoker.com
3	Bovada Poker		100% up to $1000	n/a – use links	»www.Bovada.lv
4	Carbon Poker		150% up to $750	CPNOW	» www.CarbonPoker.com
5	Cake Poker		110% up to $1,100	CAKEPS	» www.CakePoker.com
6	Intertops Poker		110% up to $600	n/a – use links	» www.Intertops.com
7	Juicy Stakes		110% up to $1,000	n/a – use links	»www.JuicyStakes.com

A few benefits include new VIP programs, which pay you cash back into your poker account daily based on the previous days rake. In addition to this you will receive the absolute best bonus available, which can include instant cash or huge match offers.

Our legal Nevada poker rooms offer 24/7 live customer support via a toll free number for Nevada players as well as prompt payouts.

Home Poker Games in Nevada

Home poker games in Nevada are fine. There is no problem with them as long as you’re not making money from them other than from the game itself. You can’t charge an entry fee or rake the pot(s).

The law specifically points out that a game in a private home or residence is fine. What is important for you to interpret here is that you shouldn’t be gambling out in public (other than inside a casino). So be sure to keep your game(s) indoors.

Playing Online Poker in Nevada

Believe it or not, online poker is the one thing in Nevada that’s illegal — for now. According to the law:

(a) From within this state, place, send, transmit or relay through a medium of communication a wager to another person or an establishment that is located within or outside of this state; or

Or maybe it is easy to believe:

(a) The gaming industry is vitally important to the economy of the state and the general welfare of the inhabitants.

In other words, Nevada’s livelihood is dependent on the revenue brought in by live gambling. So they protect their interests by making online gambling illegal.

That might change soon though, at least for poker players. Early in March 2011, there was news of Nevada starting the process of trying to regulate online poker. They believe that it would increase state revenue. The bill was just introduced though, so we’ll have to wait and see what develops.

Until then, if you’d like to play online you’ll have to play with free (play) money. We suggest playing free at www.LockPoker.net. They have plenty of free money cash games, tournaments and SNGs running regularly. What they offer free mirrors their real money site. To learn more, be sure to read our real money review of Lock.

Live Casino Poker in Nevada

It should go without saying that there is live casino poker in Nevada. There is so much in fact that we won’t list any of the casinos. Just simply step outside of your hotel, walk the strip and you’ll find several casinos offering live poker. You won’t have any problem finding hundreds of tables running holdem, stud, omaha and mixed poker cash games, SNGs and tournaments.

** Disclaimer: It is your responsibility to know the laws in your state. Use of this article is at your own risk.**

Home Poker Games in New Jersey

Home games are definitely legal. The rule of thumb is that home games are fine as long as you’re not earning money from them. You can’t charge an entry fee or rake.

The other thing that you want to be careful of is promoting home games. You cannot solicit or market your home game in any way. You also cannot help others promote their game. Failure to comply will result in a punishment of up to 5 years and/or up to a $35,000 fine.

Playing Online Poker in New Jersey

Playing online poker is fine in New Jersey. In fact, it’s more than fine. Earlier in 2011, they passed a bill to legalize and regulate online poker. However, two months later it was vetoed by the governor. You can’t be too shocked though. The governor’s campaign(s) is partially funded by Caesars in Las Vegas, so you could assume that the vetoing of the bill was a conflict of interest.

But since you can play online in New Jersey, we would have to recommend trying out www.LockPoker.com if you don’t have an account there already. They offer a large $1,200 deposit bonus, have over 10,000 players on their site at any time and have a large variety of games. For more details, please see the Lock review.

Casino Poker in New Jersey

There is definitely live poker in New Jersey — does Atlantic City ring a bell? You’ll find that a majority of casinos in New Jersey offer live poker. We’ve listed a couple of them along with the games they offer below.

• The Borgata: At The Borgata, you’ll be able to play holdem and omaha in the tournament, cash game and SNG format. There are plenty of promotions too including bad beat and high hand jackpots.
• Tropicana: The Tropicana spreads holdem, stud and omaha cash games and tournaments. They have bad beat and high hand jackpots as well as an appealing food menu.

Everything outside of casino walls is considered “gambling” and therefore considered a misdemeanor at best. So for poker players, this means no home games or online poker. If you’re a poker player and looking to play, your only option is to play live. And from the looks of it, you’ll probably need to make a road trip at that.

** Disclaimer: It is your responsibility to know the laws in your state. Use of this article is at your own risk.**

Home Poker Games in Missouri

As I mentioned above, home games aren’t really an option. The law covers this in two ways:

• “A person commits the crime of gambling if he knowingly engages in gambling.”
• “Any room, building or other structure regularly used for any unlawful gambling activity prohibited by this chapter is a public nuisance.”

The consequence of having a poker game running in your home is that the court can hold your home for up to one year. During this time, it cannot be occupied — you’d have to move temporarily.

If you were to run poker games and somehow earn from it (fees or rake), you would be charged with promoting gambling in the first degree. This is a class D felony.

Playing Online Poker in Missouri

The law isn’t very specific in regards to online poker. So the argument can definitely be made that online poker is not illegal or that there are loopholes.

However, I would still lean towards the fact that it’s illegal. There are two reasons for this:

1. The law I quoted in the first bullet point above. Gambling in general is illegal.
2. I tried to open a new account at a couple sites and Missouri wasn’t an option for a state to live in. Sites don’t generally remove states as an option unless there is a problem with playing on their site in that state.

If you already have an account at a site, I can’t say whether your IP will trigger anything, therefore making it so you can’t play. I don’t live in Missouri, so I don’t know. The best way to find out is to try to play for real money. But since it’s likely to be illegal, we suggest that you don’t bother.

However, from my experience, a majority of poker sites will allow you to play for play money. This is assuming of course you already have an account or have found a site that will allow you to create one for play money.

If you’re looking to create a play money account, we suggest trying www.LockPoker.net. They have plenty of play money games running and offer incentives for collecting massive amounts of play chips.

Live Casino Poker in Missouri

Live poker is going to be nearly non-existent in Missouri, at least from what I saw in my research. There are casinos in Missouri, but few (if any) of them offer live poker. So instead, you’re going to have to plan a road trip. Below, I’ve listed 2 casinos that you might consider traveling too if you want to play live poker.

• Sam’s Town Casino (Tunica): Sam’s Town offers holdem, omaha and stud in both cash game and tournament formats.
• Downstream Casino Resort: Downstream Casino has holdem, stud and omaha games in cash game, tournament and SNG formats. Their games run 24hrs a day.

It’s sad that Missouri residents will have to travel so far to play poker. But I suppose if you were to weigh the options of not playing, traveling to play and moving permanently, it’s an easy choice to make.

For the finer details on the legality of poker in Michigan, please read on.

** Disclaimer: It is your responsibility to know the laws in your state. Use of this article is at your own risk.**

Home Poker Games in Michigan State

Hosting and participating in home poker games is legal in Michigan State. That being said, there are a couple of provisions.

The first one is that you cannot make any money from the game. You can’t charge people to enter your home to play. You also cannot rake the pot. Failure to comply with this rule will land you a fine of up to $100k and up to 10 years in prison.

The second provision is that players under the age of 21 cannot play. You are responsible for this if you’re running a home game. If you’re caught with players that are underage, you may face the consequence of up to a year in jail and/or up to a $10k fine. So it should go without saying that it’s well worth your time to card everyone who comes through your door.

Something also worth noting is that cheating in home poker games is not prohibited — the law only applies to games of chance. However, it’s probably worth your time to look into this further to see if you’re covered in any other way.

Playing Online Poker in Michigan

Online poker also seems to be legal in Michigan. Once again, the only “if” to this is if you were trying to run a poker room for profit. But chances are that this won’t apply to 99% of you.

If you’re interested in playing poker online, we suggest playing at www.LockPoker.com. They have a large 200% deposit bonus up to $1,200, plenty of traffic, and are USA friendly. Lock also has several deposit options which is very important to players in the US, regardless of the legality of poker in your state. For more details, you can read our Lock review.

Live Casino Poker in Michigan

Michigan has several brick and mortar casinos, almost all of which offer live poker. Here is a partial list of casinos and the games they offer.

• Bay Mills: The Bays Mills Casino offers dealer’s choice, stud, omaha and holdem. Stakes range from $2/$5 to $10/$20 for limit and only $1/$2 is offered for no limit.
• Island Resort & Casino: At Island Resort & Casino, you’ll find primarily holdem tournaments. What stands out to me is that they offer a $35 WSOP ME super satellite.
• Greek Town Casino: The Greek Town Casino offers holdem and omaha tournaments and cash games. Stakes are $1/$2 up to $5/$10 for cash and up to $340 for tournaments.
• Motor City Casino: Motor City spreads $10/$20 up to $20/$40 limit holdem and $50-$200 up to $500/no max no limit holdem.
• Soaring Eagle Casino: Soaring Eagle has both cash games and tournaments where you can play holdem, omaha, stud, crazy pineapple and mixed games. They also have SNGs and bad beat jackpots. Soaring Eagle is also a part of the Heartland Poker Tour.

These are only 5 of the several casinos offering live poker. As you can see, you have plenty of choices when it comes to playing poker in Michigan State.

** Disclaimer: It is your responsibility to know the exact laws in your state. Use of the information in this article is at your own risk. **

Home Poker Games in Louisiana

From the looks of it, playing home poker games in Louisiana should be fine. Here is a section of the state law to back that up:

Gambling is the intentional conducting, or directly assisting in the conducting, as a business, of any game, contest, lottery, or contrivance whereby a person risks the loss of anything of value in order to realize a profit.

As you can see, the law clearly targets “businesses.” So, you would be committing a crime only if you were to charge a fee (rake) to play in your game. As long as you don’t do that, you should be fine. If you do, you can be fined up to $500 and/or serve up to 6-months in jail. If you’re trying to illegally run a (poker/gambling) business, you can be fined up to $20,000 and may have to serve up to 5 years in prison.

Keep in mind too, that you’ll want to keep your home game out of sight (or play in games that are out of site). Gambling in public (or disturbing the peace via gambling in any way) will land you a fine of up to $500 and/or up to 6-months in jail.

Online Gambling in Louisiana

The only thing that Louisiana drops the hammer on is playing poker online. It’s illegal, and if caught gambling online, you’ll be fined up to $500 and/or have to serve up to 6-months in jail.

In many cases where it’s illegal to play online poker, you can’t even open an account at a poker site. However, in the few trial tests that I ran, you still could in Louisiana. This isn’t so you can play poker for real money — but so you can play for play money.

If you don’t have an account at a poker site online, we suggest you try out Lock Poker. Their play money games see a lot of traffic and there are incentives for accumulating a massive amount of play chips. You can learn more at www.LockPoker.net, Lock’s site dedicated to play money.

Live Casino Poker in Louisiana

Another option that you have in Louisiana is live poker. Only a few casinos have live poker, although that seems to be gradually increasing. If interested, here are a couple of casinos in Louisiana that offer live poker action:

• Cypress Bayou Casino: Cypress Bayou Casino spreads holdem, stud and omaha games. A couple things worth mentioning would be that they hold bounty tournaments and have 6-figure bad beat jackpots.
• Paragon Casino: Paragon Casino spreads holdem $2/$5 cash games and holdem tournaments. They also have a bad beat jackpot promotion.