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Best Online Poker Real Money Sites 2025
Playing online poker for real money is a different experience compared to a casual home game or playing at a casino. It can be intimidating and some players struggle taking their first steps into the world of online betting.
With such a wide array of operators, game types, and variations, it’s tough to know which poker room is ideal for your skill-set. This guide will provide you with tips on choosing a poker site and avoiding common mistakes when starting to play online poker with real money.
Best Online Poker Sites for Real Money in 2025
Things to Know About Playing Online Poker for Real Money
Online poker gives players more flexibility, bigger bonuses, and around-the-clock action compared to live games. In the video below, we’ll walk you through what to expect — including how to fund your account, why online play has strategic advantages over casinos, and how to confidently get started playing poker for real money.
Why Play at an Online Poker Site?
Playing online poker for real money offers players certain perks and learning experiences that are difficult to replicate when there is no money on the line. There is a reason the best players play online for real money: it makes you a better player. Players are much more cautious and protect their chips with smart play.
This is how you learn how to utilize basic strategy in real time, because you are putting yourself in situations where careless play will cost you money. This will force you to start considering position, calculating pot odds, assigning ranges, and using other strategic tools in order to make better decisions.
How We Review Real Money Poker Sites
When we sit down to review online poker sites, there are 9 elements that Legal US Poker Sites team evaluates:
- Licensing and Security
- Reputation
- Software & Functionality
- Game Selection
- Bonuses / Rewards
- Competition
- Rake and Fees
- Payment Options
- Site Traffic
Each of these criteria help us determine whether an online poker site is worth our money. Let’s take a look at each of these elements in more detail:
1. Licensing and Security
A crucial aspect to consider when evaluating poker rooms is the regulatory and legal status of the platform. While there isn’t a universal regulation governing online poker real money globally, numerous poker sites obtain licensing from European Union (EU) jurisdictions. The presence of a license at a poker site helps to ensure legal assurance for players accessing these platforms. Some of the most popular jurisdictions include Curaçao, Panama, The Isle of Man, Malta, and Kahnawake in Canada.
2. Reputation
When considering a real money poker site, we take a close look at their reputation. We examine the site's history, including its record for fair play and security measures. User feedback and reviews are also important, as they provide valuable insight into player satisfaction and trustworthiness. A positive reputation indicates that a site is reliable and provides a safe environment for players. We prioritize those with solid reputations to ensure a positive experience for our users.
3. Software & Functionality
When assessing real money poker software, several crucial aspects come into play:
- Firstly, an intuitive interface is paramount, ensuring ease of use for players navigating the platform.
- The software should offer customization options. This allows users to adjust color schemes, hotkeys, and betting amounts to suit their preferences.
- Availability of a dedicated real money poker app for both Android and iPhone devices enhances accessibility and convenience for on-the-go players.
- All available games should be accessible and easy to find.
- A straightforward layout of the poker tables further enhances user experience.
- Lastly, the presence of a downloadable poker client for desktop provides an additional layer of convenience for players seeking a seamless gaming experience across devices.
4. Game Selection
We ensure that the site offers a wide range of games and variations to suit a wide variety of player preferences. It's vital to have a variety of options such as cash games, sit-and-go tournaments, multi-table tournaments, and heads-up matches to ensure an engaging poker experience.
We look for popular options like:
- Texas Hold’em
- Omaha Hi-Lo
- Seven Card Stud
- Five Card Draw
- Short Deck
5. Bonuses / Rewards
Every real money poker site tries to attract new players with poker bonuses. It’s essential to take a close look at these bonuses. We rank platforms based on their bonuses ability to help you grow your bankroll and reward your play.
Speaking of rewards, considering a reward system is crucial as it can significantly impact your overall experience and profitability, providing additional value for your time and investment in the platform. These programs reward players for their play through various perks such as cashback, freerolls, or loyalty points.
6. Competition
An essential factor to consider in online poker platforms is the caliber of your opponents. The profitability of your games often hinges on the skill level of the players you’re up against. We favor poker rooms that cater more to recreational players, with a minimal presence of professional players, as opposed to those with tough competition that make it much more tough to turn a profit.
7. Rake and Fees
Playing real money poker online or in live casinos incurs costs in the form of rake in cash games and fees in tournaments. In tournaments, a fixed percentage of the buy-ins, typically ranging from 5 to 10 percent, is collected as fees. Cash game rake involves two key elements:
- Rake Percentage: A set percentage is deducted from each hand, usually falling between 3 and 5 percent in online cash games.
- Rake Cap: There’s a limit to how much rake can be taken from a hand, typically ranging from $3 to $5. Once this cap is reached, no more rake is deducted.
Poker rooms are rated higher by us if they take less rake.
8. Payment Options
We thoroughly assess the payment methods available. We take into account the efficiency and safety of both withdrawals and deposits to ensure transactions are fee-free. Poker players need to know about any and all fees related to depositing or withdrawing from their online account. An unanticipated charge or an unfavorable currency conversion rate can act like a secondary rake to your bankroll.
When it comes to the available banking options, most real money poker sites will offer options like:
- Credit Cards: Widely accepted for deposit but rarely accepted for withdrawals. Credit cards are quick and easy when available.
- Bitcoin / Other Cryptocurrencies: One-off setup needed, though once you have a cryptocurrency ‘wallet’ these coins will solve your deposit and withdrawal problems completely.
- Money Transfer: Send cash from your local Western Union or MoneyGram office. This is great if you don’t use crypto, but is often subject to high fees and limits.
Make sure you check for minimum withdrawal amounts and any fees. Withdrawal options and administration charges may differ.
9. Site Traffic
Our priority lies in assessing the active player base engaged in real money poker games on the platform. A larger player pool translates to more vibrant cash game tables. With increased participation, you can anticipate encountering a higher number of inexperienced players, and a richer array of table dynamics.
For instance, some poker rooms host daily tournaments with thousands of participants. In saying that, smaller sites with limited tournaments have their appeal; they offer a higher likelihood of claiming top tournament spots, with overlays occurring more frequently. For a full rundown of site traffic, check out PokerScout.
Where to Legally Play Poker for Real Money in the US
So, you’ve picked a well-reviewed poker room that meets all of your requirements. But what if you can’t access it from your state?
The largest and busiest poker rooms operate from offshore locations. They are licensed by their host country, but welcome players from all over the USA. While there are no federal laws against individual players enjoying online poker, state laws do vary. Some states have already legalized and regulated online poker rooms:
- Nevada
- Delaware
- New Jersey
- Pennsylvania
- Michigan
- West Virginia
- Connecticut
- Rhode Island
For players in those states, online poker is available from sites like BetMGM and WSOP. For everyone in the remaining 43 states, there’s offshore poker sites like the ones we review.
If you’re unsure about the state of online poker where you live, then check it out in the table below:
Poker and Gambling Laws by State
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Real Money vs. Free Play Poker Sites
| Aspects | Real Money | Free |
|---|---|---|
| Stakes | Higher stakes due to involvement of actual money. | Lower/no stakes due to the involvement of ‘play money’. |
| Skill Level | Players tend to be highly skilled and competitive. But all skill levels are welcome. Some sites are even geared towards new/beginner players like, Ignition and Bovada. | Players can vary from beginner to expert. |
| Availability of Seats | Availability of seats vary based on site popularity, time of day, game type, and player competition. Popular sites may have limited seats during peak hours, while less busy sites offer more open spots. | Unlimited availability. Play anytime. |
| Prize Pool Size | Large prize pools based on a number of things including the number of players participating, the buy-in amounts, and the rake collected by the platform. | No prize pool, due to the fact you’re playing with ‘play money’. |
| Required Personal Information | Requires personal information such as; name, address, and payment details. | Does not collect sensitive information and usually anonymous. |
| Legal Status | Regulated by gambling laws and is subject to poker tax. | Not regulated by gambling laws and no poker taxes apply. |
| Purpose | To win real money. | For fun, practice, or to learn the game. |
| Examples | Ignition, Bovada, BetOnline. | Zynga Poker |
Real Money Poker Games
Depending on the game and tournament, the stakes can vary greatly. Here’s a breakdown of the different games and tournaments, along with their buy-in costs and stakes:
Cash Games
A cash game is a poker game where the chips on the table are worth real money. These games are often played short-handed online, with a maximum of six players. This creates a lot more action than nine-handed games. You’re free to come and go as you please, so you’re not locked in for hours when you start playing. You can also buy back in if you lose all your chips. These games are great if you want to make some money without being tied to a long commitment.
- Buy-In and Costs: Buy-in costs for cash game tables have a wide range. Players can find games for as low as $1 at some real money poker sites. The stake levels at most sites range from $0.01/$0.02 with a $1 minimum buy-in to $50/$100 with a $5000 minimum buy-in. However, you’ll find the majority of the traffic is centered around or below the $1/$2 games, with limited action at the higher stakes.
Online Poker Tournaments
In poker tournaments you buy-in for a set amount of money in exchange for tournament chips. The money goes towards a prize pool that all the players compete for. When the tournament starts, players sit at a table with their tournament chips and compete. When players lose all their chips, they’re eliminated from the tournament and cannot buy back in (unless it’s a rebuy/re-entry tournament). The most common tournaments you will see at a real money poker site are Turbo, Sit and Gos, Multi-table, Bounty, and Shootouts.
- Buy-In and Costs: Tournaments typically require a fairly inexpensive buy-in but come with the potential of 100x your original buy-in. Your buy-ins can be as low as a few cents, while highest-stakes tournaments can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars to enter. However, just like with cash games, most of the action is at the lower-stakes tournaments. High stakes tournaments have been growing in popularity as of late though.
Sit and Gos
If you’re a fan of the tournament format but don’t want to spend a ton of hours playing, check out sit and gos. They offer all the action of tournaments with a limited number of players. This means that games often last between 30 minutes and an hour, rather than the multiple hours. While the rewards aren’t as big for winning sit and gos, they’re great for players who want that tournament experience in a short amount of time.
- Buy-In and Costs: Just like tournaments, sit and gos have a range of buy-in amounts. You can buy in for as little as a quarter, all the way up to $1000. This quick format allows you to play a lot more per hour meaning you’ll want to have a bigger bankroll if you’re planning on playing multiple in sit-and-gos.
The Steps to Start Playing Online Poker with Real Money
- Find A Site: Compare all the options available in your state, and find the one that best suits your needs. If you’re having trouble with this, check out our reviews to see if the site you’re considering is worth your time.
- Register an Account: Once you’ve found your poker room, you need to create an account. You’ll need to provide information such as your name, address, email address, date of birth, and telephone number. You’ll also need to confirm that you’re of legal gambling age in your area. Anyone found using an online poker site who is not of legal gambling age will have their account permanently banned.
- Deposit Funds: In order to play for money, you need to deposit it. Choose a deposit method that works for you and load up your bankroll.
- Collect Your Welcome Bonus: During the deposit phase, you may be asked if you want to claim a welcome bonus. If you want to pad your bankroll and extend your play time, this is a good thing to take advantage of—just read the terms and conditions.
- Hit the Tables: You’ve done the hard part; now it’s time to start enjoying yourself! Find a game you want to play, load up a table, and start playing.
Risks of Playing Poker for Money
Given the nature of playing online poker for money, there are some risks and downsides that you should be aware of:
Losing Money
First, there is always potential for you to lose money. While there are strategies you can learn to improve your prospect of winning, poker is still a game of chance. There’s always a possibility you can lose some of your hard-earned cash. So, don’t gamble with money you can’t afford to lose.
Time Commitment
Second, if you want to be successful in the online poker world, it requires dedication and many hours of playing in order to hone your skills. You should be conscious of the time and money you’re spending playing, and ensure you aren’t developing any type of addiction. Your health and safety should always be top priority.
State Restrictions
Lastly, online poker rooms are becoming more sophisticated, using geo-location tools to restrict players from unlicensed states. This limitation can narrow the competition pool. So, if you have aspirations of playing poker for a living, this is something to consider.
Playing Online Poker for Real Money
To sum things up, playing online poker for money can be an exhilarating experience. This is especially so if you’ve found a great site that provides everything you are looking for. Read reviews, talk to people who have played at the poker sites you’re considering, and make sure you understand what you’re looking for. If you’re not ready to play for money, then practice for free. Most importantly, play with disposable income and not rent payments. We hope this guide has helped prepare you for finding your next online poker site.
no pain no gain
i reside in miami florida. where I can play poker for real money.
Check our Florida state page for that information.
Good
It sounds good
Twice now I’ve been playing on Ignition, holding the nuts and been ejected from the game after making a bet. Their customer service department talks in circles and completely avoids the issue. Just wanted to let others know, this site has some problems. Holding the nuts, ejected from the table and the pot is awarded to the other player. Not fun.
Playing for reel money makes it more interresting
Lets play
Hi Jennifer, I have read a few blogs you and Cliff have posted. Is there any way to contact you directly to ask some specific questions?
You can find me on Twitter at @writerjen.
I need specific consultative information for my online gaming business. Is this something that you can do offline?
This site does not provide consulting services. If you have a particular question, please message me on Twitter.
Can I get dollars if I win? Or just bitcoin?
You can choose the method of payment.
I want to play
Signing up for BetOnline led to fraudulent activity on my credit card. You shouldn’t be promoting them.
Why did you moderate my comment about BetOnline?
We moderate all comments for spam and inappropriate material. Every comment goes to the moderator before posting.
Understood. I thought it wasn’t being posted.
Definitely want to play online please.
Ignition casino are scam artist..I tried them a couple weeks ago and I used my card to make a deposit…come to find out that they charged me twice…then when I called to tell them..they said give its couple of days, because when you use your card it’s a hold on the funds..so I waited like 5 days..no resolutes still a double charge…so I called their customer service Dept..where I had to text somebody, because they phone lines are down…so they investigated the outstanding charge…it took them an additional two weeks to investigate, just to tell me that I’m responsible for that charge..thank god I contacted my bank and disputed the charge..I will never use ignition casino ever again..and if you use them, you better check you account for double charges..They are truly big time Scam artists that steal money from people accounts. Don’t trust them
I’ve heard of this happening (on other sites) but then quickly resolved. I’m sorry you had this bad experience but glad you got it resolved with your bank.
I had account issues as well with ignition! Most resolved and credited 1 not. My problem with the site and why I stopped using is because I couldn’t tell if I was playing real people or against a computer! Too many Big hands when big pots were involved got brutalized and just made no sense!
I’ve played them all since the beginning and I believe without a doubt Ignition is the best overall for game selection competition and most important WINNING. I wouldn’t play if I thought they ever cheated
Are Ignition and Bovada one in the same? I closed Ignition to download and try out Bovada and it’s the same exact tournament lineup and site layout. The tourney I was knocked out of on Ignition was available to register on Bovada. Why do they advertise and operate as separate entities if they’re allowing players from two different sites to register the same tournaments? Other than allowing the fields to be a bigger size, I just don’t see a good reason to do it that way. Anyone have any insight as to why?
Ignition and Bovada are different companies, but they use the same software platform on the same network. Thus, the layout is the same. This is the same for sites on the Winning Poker Network (Americas Cardroom, Black Chip Poker, etc.). The benefit of using the same platform is for liquidity, which is the ability for sites to share player pools. It benefits the players, as the fields are larger, allowing for more cash games and bigger tournament guarantees.
Years ago I played at Poker Stars regularly, then took a long break. They were the largest site before the government action. Just wondering why you don’t list them now. How are they these days?
Please ignore my previous question. I’ve read up on it now.
One thing PokerStars offered was tournaments to win entry to WSOP, which I won one year. Any other sites doing that now?
Hi, Bill… In the US market, the WSOP only offers satellites to its live events through its own online site, which is available currently only in Nevada and New Jersey. The WSOP does have an international online poker deal with GGPoker, so there will be actual WSOP events played on that site and satellites for live events for later this year in Vegas. GGPoker is not available to players in the US but is available in Canada and Mexico.
The market is very different from what it was when PokerStars offered WSOP satellites. Since PokerStars, WSOP, partypoker, and 888poker all want to stay on the good side of the US government to launch online poker in various states, they’re all abiding by very strict state-by-state rules in the US market.
Are there any sites that are legal in south Carolina? I usually play on global play and really don’t trust that site.
Sean, you can play on any WPN site, like Americas Cardroom, or BetOnline and Sportsbetting.ag from South Carolina.
What about playing online in Georgia. This state is pretty strict about a lot of other things, so what about poker?
People living in Georgia play on poker sites like Americas Cardroom. PokerStars, partypoker, and others are not allowed to obtain licenses from the state yet, so they have chosen to wait. Americas Cardroom and Black Chip Poker, though, do offer poker to players living in Georgia.
Are there any sites that are legal to play on if I line in Alabama?
Check out our list of sites. They offer poker online to players in Alabama.
How do these sites guard against collusion? Is it possible to stop completely?
Online poker sites do watch out for collusion and ban players who collude with others. Most sites also monitor play for the use of HUDs and third-party software, both of which give pro players an advantage and can also act as bots. Americas Cardroom, for example, has an entire team of online poker experts that monitor the action for collusion and bots. There may not yet be a way to stop it completely, but they can catch it very quickly, shut it down, and refund the victims.
Any legal online poker sites in Louisiana
The state of Louisiana has yet to issue licenses for operators to launch online poker sites in Louisiana. However, sites like Ignition, Bovada, and Americas Cardroom do accept players from Louisiana.
so-so
Ignition Poker deposit limits are wrong. You have to now deposit a $25 min
There are different deposit limits depending upon the method of deposit.
Can I play on these online poker websites for money from my home in California?
There are several online poker sites that cater to poker players in California. Read more about that here:https://www.legaluspokersites.com/state-laws/california/
This is not a review yet but I’m trying to log in today January 3rd 2022 and I click Login and it just reloads the same screen.
I click Login and it’s just the same thing over and over. I simply can’t even login.
Is the site down today?
We are not a site that you log in to. We are a site for you to read. Give that a shot.
Any hope on any big name poker sites like GG becoming available in the usa.. or sites like wsop becoming available to other states other than PA, and Nevada.
WSOP is very likely to launch in Michigan in 2022. GG is reportedly working on entering the US market. I expect these things (and more) will happen in 2022, especially if PA and MI governors sign the multi-state online poker agreement to allow sites to share player pools across state lines.
I’m new to these online Poker apps.Can i really win real cash from these games and are they really legit?
Which app did you download? For which site?
Honolulu