Real money poker is one of the most popular casino games. You can play it all over the world in USA online casinos and real casinos alike. Its first wave of surging popularity might be over. Another wave might be coming if the legislative situation in the United States changes.
We’ve seen things moving in the right direction, so chances are that it will happen. For now, let’s explore what real money poker is about and where you can get play poker online!
Best Real Money Poker Sites for US Players
There are a few real money poker sites for US players. Our top three poker online sites for money are BetOnline, Bovada and Tiger Gaming.
BetOnline is a reputable US online poker casino. The site matches your first deposit and doubles it with a poker bonus of $1,000. That’s a generous boost, no doubt about that, but there are more promotions and offers to dive into as well.
What Are Bad Beat Poker For Money Jackpots?
There are bad beat jackpots for players that lose with hands of four Deuces or better. Furthermore, special sit and go tables and even tournaments with guaranteed prizes of $150,000. With cash games and tournaments that run 24/7. You’ll always have tables to sit down at and players to play against. That’s what all online poker players want, isn’t it?
Bovada belongs to the oldest US-friendly online casinos on the market and it’s always been among the best. It’s been among the best for poker, casino gaming, and even sports betting, so it caters to everyone. Bovada’s real money poker section welcomes players with a generous bonus that can provide you with a nice head start.
Then, you can head to many cash game tables and tournaments tables. The range is wide, so you’ll have a good time regardless of what stakes you typically play for. And, since Bovada has such a long and good reputation, you’ll never run into any issues with payments or security!
Tiger Gaming has been on the scene since 1999, which is a fact it proudly displays on its website. Its real money poker section will net you a sweet deposit bonus that’s worth 100% to up to $1,000. All you need to do is use the promo code “NEWTG” during your deposit.
There are many cash games and tournaments with guaranteed prizes; so you’ll get your kick no matter what your preferences are. Tiger Gaming isn’t afraid of new innovations either. The poker site has new versions of sit and go’s on offer as well with different payout possibilities.
Playing Real Money Poker Online
Playing real money poker online is easy at the best online casinos. All you need to do is open an account and fund it via one of the available payment methods. Those include credit cards, debit cards, bank wires, gift cards, checks, e-wallets (Skrill, Neteller, PayPal) for fiat currency poker players.
Then there are cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum, Litecoin for the new breed of poker players.
Real money poker is then available via both website interfaces and downloadable applications. This includes mobile apps, so you can play real money poker on the go whenever you want. You only need to have a compatible device (an iPhone or an Android device) and a stable internet connection.
Sitting down and playing is intuitive and you’ll have no problems finding your way around. If you run into any issues; the poker site’s customer support services on hand 24/7 will solve your issues in no time. Online casinos also have tutorials and walkthroughs available for all newcomers, so you can turn to those as well.
Real Money Poker Online Variants
No-limit Texas Hold’em is by far the most popular real money poker variant online. It’s the poker we all know from the movies and it’s more action-packed than other variants.
It has the simplest rules in many regards, so it’s no wonder that it’s so popular. Learning Texas Hold’em won’t take you more than a couple of minutes. You can even get onto the big stage if you are successful – no other poker variant can give you that!
The second most popular poker variant online is Pot-Limit Omaha. This variant shares a few similarities with Hold’em. Poker players play it with four cards in each hand instead of just two. It’s more complex and strategical, but it can sometimes be wilder than No-limit Texas Hold’em as well.
Other variants are nowhere near as popular and include Draw poker and Stud poker. These are very different than Hold’em and Omaha in many ways and even have their own sub-variants. They are niche, but many players like exploring such niches for both fun and profit.
Many players sit down at such tables without knowing the rules. Therefore, specializing in Draw poker and Stud poker can be very profitable. On the condition, you are willing to put in the hours!
Cash Games Real Money Poker
Cash games are the most popular form of real money poker and they allow players to sit down with their money to play against each other.
That’s how real money poker has worked for ages and you can choose from tables with different betting limits online. That means that you can play for peanuts or high stakes against players that are willing to risk the same money.
The goal is to accumulate as much money as possible and there are typically tables for up to two players, up to six players and up to nine players.
You can always stand up and leave, so there are no limits on how long you have to play for. When sitting down, however, you always have to wait before the blinds get to you. This prevents players from avoiding having to pay blinds and just play for free (i.e. only the hands they want to play).
Once you run out of money, you can pay in again and start playing again with the money you’ve set aside before.
The action typically waits for you to make your decision, so you don’t have to stand up and sit down again. This is favorable, as it means that you won’t miss out on those “free rounds” and that you don’t have to wait for the blinds to hit you again.
Tournament Real Money Poker (Sit and Go)
Apart from cash games, there’s also tournament real money poker. This is a form of poker that gives each player a number of chips that they can work with. Players that lose their chips are eliminated. There are however re-buy tournaments that allow players to pay the entry fee again and get a new stack of chips.
Before a tournament starts. Check how much money the pool offers. So you can see how many players you’ll have to eliminate before you win the prize pool.
Tournament real money poker games takes long hours and the play usually slows down during the “bubble”, which is where there are only a few non-paid spots remain.
Players with small chip stacks can only hope that players with bigger chip stacks lose before them. Which explains why it takes a while before a seat at the table opens up.
If you don’t want to play for long hours and go through hundreds of opponents, you might enjoy sit and go tournaments instead. Sit and go poker tournaments limit the number of players and start as soon as those players gather and pay the required entry fees. Depending on the number of players, these tournaments can take anywhere between tens of minutes and a few hours.
Real Money Poker Bonuses
When playing real money poker online, you can get various bonuses and promotions that will help you out in various ways. Sign up bonuses are the most frequent and they will add some extra money to your bankroll.
They differ from traditional casino bonuses that you use for online slots or games like blackjack and roulette. They are less generous and come with harsher terms and conditions, but they are worth taking nevertheless.
Should you stay for a while and play regularly at either cash games or tournament tables, you’ll have no problems clearing things out. Then, you’ll be able to withdraw your winnings back to your bank account!
Real money poker is a casino game that doesn’t come with any house edges and such, so you can be very profitable even without using bonuses and having a lot of luck. It is a game of skill that pitches players against each other, so it’s no wonder that casinos don’t offer the same bonuses as for blackjack or video slots.
There, casinos have a guaranteed edge, so there are overwhelming chances that they’ll get the bonus money back one way or another.
Even then, the best real money poker sites in the US spice things up every now and then with various promotions. These include bad beat jackpots, tournaments with guaranteed prizes, and reload bonuses.