- Easy to Beat Poker Sites
- Real Money Poker Sites
- Texas Holdem Poker Sites
- Most Popular Poker Sites
- USA Poker Sites
- Credit Card Poker Sites
- 888 Poker
- Bovada Poker
- BetOnline Poker
- Party Poker
- BWIN Poker
- Winner Poker
- Lock Poker
- William Hill Poker
- Sit and Go Strategy
- "How To" Poker Articles
- NL Hold'em Strategy
- PL Omaha Strategy
- Tournament Strategy
- General Poker Advice
- Heads Up Poker Strategy
- Online Poker Training
- Online Poker Bonus Guide
- Online Poker by Country
- Poker Game Types
- Online Poker Currencies
- Poker Deposit Methods
- Best Online Casinos
The Best Online Poker Sites for USA Players
The online poker sites listed here are the best ones for players from the United States. Not all poker sites accept US players, but these sites welcome players from everywhere. These poker sites have US-friendly deposit and withdrawal options, native English-speaking support, and high levels of player traffic.
There are several dozen poker sites for US players out there but these top real money usa poker sites are generally considered to be the best. It’s important to stick with well known poker sites because these sites have proven that they aren’t going to disappear overnight or take forever processing your withdrawals. Plus, these USA poker sites have enough members online at all times to keep the poker games running around the clock.
Reviewing the Best US Poker Sites Online May 2013
| Rank | Poker Site | USA | Sign Up Bonus | Bonus Code | Play Now! |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Bovada
Poker |
 |
100% up to $1000 | n/a - use links | » www.Bovada.lv |
| 2 |  Bet
Online
Poker |
|
25% Instant Cash | n/a - use links | » www.BetOnline.com |
| 3 |  Lock
Poker |
|
150% up to $750 | n/a - use links | » www.LockPoker.eu |
| 4 |  Carbon
Poker |
|
150% up to $750 | CPBONUS | » www.CarbonPoker.com |
| 5 |  Juicy Stakes |
|
110% up to $1,100 | n/a - use links | » www.JuicyStakes.com |
- Location: Antigua
- Established: 1994
- Promo Code: n/a
- Traffic: 12,129 Players
- Mac Friendly: Yes
Bovada Poker is one of our top rated poker rooms. Bovada has been in business for over fifteen years, and in that time has built an iron-clad reputation for providing fair online wagering to all players, regardless of nationality. Although several online poker sites were shut down by the FBI on April 15th, 2011, Bovada continues to service the USA poker market and plans to continue doing so.
Plus, Bovada is currently running a special promotion for all BestPokerSites.org visitors - sign up through any of the Bovada.lv links on this page, and automatically receive a 110% up to $1,100 bonus on your first deposit.
- Location: Antigua
- Established: 2011
- Promo Code: n/a
- Traffic: 4,129 Players
- Mac Friendly: Yes
Bet Online Poker is a brand new USA friendly poker room catering to both Mac and Windows users via a download client. The poker room is the only US brand offering an instant cash bonus with new deposits and continues to provide instant bonuses with each subsequent deposit. Bet Online features the standard games mixed with proprietary software and 24/7 customer support. The poker room is one of three sites owned and operated by BetOnline.com, which also includes an online sports book and casino. All three sites are accessible from within the poker client.
Bet Online accepts multiple payment methods from American players. Players will have no problems funding their accounts using eChecks or Visa deposits. Alternative methods include bank wires, and money transfers through Western Union and MoneyGram.
- Location: Kahnawake
- Established: 2010
- Promo Code: n/a
- Traffic: 7,129 Players
- Mac Friendly: Yes
Lock Poker is one of the largest US poker sites. The poker room supports more variations of games than any other site for Americans and provides one of the most unique and efficient platforms. Lock Poker offers a download for both Mac OS and Windows operating systems. The poker room hosts regular tournaments in a variety of formats. This includes guarantees, freeze outs, bounty tournaments and heads up along with re-buys. Lock Poker hosts an exclusive rake race available each month, whereby all real money players can qualify for their share of a $350,000 guaranteed prize pool.
Join Lock Poker through BestPokerSites.org and receive a 150% to $750 bonus with your first deposit. This US friendly poker room accepts Visa, MasterCard, Western Union, MoneyGram and bank transfers for payments.
- Location: Australia
- Established: 2007
- Bonus Code: CPBONUS
- Traffic: 5,236 Players
- Mac Friendly: Yes
Carbon Poker has been operating since 2006, provides the best rewards program in the industry for American players and has no problems with processing payments. Carbon offers Hold'em and Omaha games in ring, sit n go and MTT format with stakes ranging from micro limits up to $25/$50 for cash games. The software recently went through a much-needed upgrade and provides a cleaner look and increased speed. CarbonPoker provides 24/7 customer service through email and live chat. US players can deposit using their credit cards, Western Union or bank wires.
- Location: Canada
- Established: 2009
- Ref. Code: n/a
- Traffic: 3,236 Players
- Mac Friendly: No
Juicy Stakes Poker is a fairly new poker room on the Cake Network that offers plenty of traffic, especially for a USA-facing poker site. Juicy has around 3,000 players online during peak hours. Juicy Stakes Poker still accepts USA poker players post-Black Friday.
If you sign up at Juicy Stakes Poker through BestPokerSites.org, you automatically qualify for a 110% bonus up to $1000. The bonus is easy to clear and is released in $5 increments.
Online Poker History in the USA
The USA has a confusing legal landscape when it comes to online poker. In 2006, the government passed the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA), which attempted to prevent online gambling in the United States. Not surprisingly, the law was poorly written, vague, and unenforceable. Although this law did not specifically outlaw online poker, it made it difficult for some poker sites to process transactions for players located in the USA.
The purpose of the UIGEA was to force banks to block transactions to online poker sites. Banks process countless transactions every day so this measure has been largely toothless. Some credit card transactions are blocked, but most other transactions slip through. Banks have been fighting this bill for a long time because it’s impossible to enforce.
Poker players themselves are not the target of any federal law that we know of. Washington State passed a law that made it a felony to play online poker but this law has never been enforced. Quite simply, the legal landscape of online poker in the United States is a joke. These so-called “poker bans” were enacted by politicians with questionable motives and no intentions to actually change anything.
We aren’t lawyers and this doesn’t count as legal advice, but we can tell you that millions of Americans play online poker without a problem. The federal laws on the books only target financial institutions and not individual poker players. We’ve played online for years and so have many other USA players, and we’ve never had a problem (other than the occasional blocked credit card deposit).
4/15/2011 Update
On April 15th, 2011, the FBI seized and shut down the websites of four of the major online poker sites that accepted USA players (Full Tilt, PokerStars, UB, and AP). We're not sure where this leaves USA players moving forward, but we will do our best to monitor the situation. For the time being, USA players can continue to play online poker on the websites listed on this page.
USA Poker Deposit Methods
In pre-UIGEA days, USA players were able to easily deposit to/withdraw from online poker sites with their PayPal account, which made things extremely easy. Nowadays, however, there are less deposit options available for USA players. Here are a few deposit methods that still work for players from the USA:
Credit and debit cards are the easiest way to deposit to USA poker sites, but they don't always work. This article explains how to deposit to USA poker sites with your Visa or MasterCard, as well as what withdrawal options are available.
eChecks are another instant deposit method with little or no fees. USA players can use eChecks to directly transfer money from their checking account to their online poker account. Only a few poker sites accept eChecks.
More USA Online Poker Resources:
- My friend Roger at Compatible Poker offers a complete USA poker guide which provides visitors with up-to-the-minute information on USA poker legislation, USA deposit methods, and USA-friendly poker sites.
- Steve over at PlayWinningPoker.com has an excellent writeup on the UIGEA, in case you still had questions.
- More reviews of USA poker sites, including PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, Absolute Poker, Bovada, and Aced.
