Online Real Money Poker Usa
If you have found this page, chances are you’re looking for some real money video poker games to play in the US. Luckily for you, we’re experts in all things USA online casinos.
Players in US states with access to PokerStars for regulated real money online poker, which include Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Michigan, can meet up with friends online to play poker in private cash games and tournaments. Anyone in other states across the USA can use the Home Games feature at PokerStars.net to play for virtual currency.
And that expertise obviously transfers to being experts in video poker for real money. If you’re in the US and want to get started playing right now, visit any of these sites to get started.
- Bovada Poker is a popular spin-off of Bodog Poker, a proven leader in online poker since its inception in 2004. However, options for playing real money poker in the United States have been limited since 2011. If you live in Delaware, Maryland, Nevada, or New Jersey, your state has specific laws that preclude you from playing at Bovada Poker.
- A 14-year insider to USA online poker sites dispels the BS in 8,240+ words. The ultimate guide to real-money legal and legit online options for Americans.
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If you’re looking for more information on video poker, we have plenty of that to offer as well. On this page, you will find lots of information about US real money video poker. Probably more than you expected! Let’s get started.
How to Play Video Poker Online for Real Money
Okay, now, you’re ready to get started. Don’t let us stop you. Here’s a quick guide on how to start playing video poker for real money in the US right now.
Choose Only Reputable Video Poker Casinos
Not all casinos are made equal. We know this firsthand, as we try out new online casinos constantly. Some stand out far above the rest in terms of quality and trustworthiness. Don’t get stuck at a casino that might not pay your winnings. Trust our recommendations, and allow us to do the work for you.
Establish Your Bankroll
Another critical aspect of playing video poker for money is the management of the money you’re looking to play with. If you can’t manage your money, you have no business playing real money games online. They are here for entertainment, never to bet more than you can afford. So always remember, before you start playing, know how much you can afford to lose.
Understand RTP
One thing to know about video poker is that you can get a very high RTP. RTP stands for “return to player.” So, for example, if you have a game that has a 99.52% RTP, for every $100 you wager, you will receive $99.53 in winnings.
This doesn’t mean that everyone who plays will only lose $0.08 of every $100 they spend. This just means that the ability to receive that percentage of RTP is possible by playing the optimal strategy. We’ll talk more about this later.
Pick Your Game and Go
All that’s left to do is pick out the game you want and get started. In a little bit, we’ll talk about how to pick the right real money video poker game based on RTP. We’ll also touch on the most popular video poker games to play as well.
Video Poker in the USA
US video poker is no different than other areas of the world. For players in the USA, it’s actually quite a popular game. Back in the day, people would tend to flock to video poker as it was less intimidating than other games you can find in the casino.
Because of this game’s popularity, you will have no problem playing and trying for a chance to win real money video poker online in the United States. As a matter of fact, you won’t run into trouble finding this game anywhere. You will always be able to play video poker for money online, no matter where you go.
What to Look for in a Video Poker Game
Now, we’re going to dig into a few things that you should always be on the hunt for before you actually choose a real money video poker game.
Games With High RTP or Low House Edge
We talked earlier about understanding what RTP is, and now, we need to look at how we examine the RTP and choose games with the highest percentage.
Another thing to look out for is the house edge. You want to make sure that you’re not getting into a game that favors the casino more than it already does.
Most Popular Video Poker Games
Now, it’s time to talk about some of the most popular real money video poker games! These games are fan favorites in the video poker world and for a good reason. Let’s look at some of these games and see why they are so popular.
Jacks or Better
This game has the ability to offer 9/6 odds. If you can find this, this is the game you’ll never want to give up.
Deuces Wild
For this game, you’re looking at something very similar to Jacks or Better. The only difference for this game is that all the twos in the deck act as wild cards.
Real Money Video Poker Apps
A great way to enjoy real money video poker is by using apps. Apps are an easy way to add an enjoyable game to your home screen on your mobile phone. This way, you can play video poker for money no matter where you are.
There are many options that you can find in the app store for video poker games, but if you’re looking to play for money, you need to be careful about which one you select. An easy way to know if an app is legit is to start in our real money casino apps section and see if it’s listed.
Playing Online vs. Local Games
The first thing we should tackle is the online counterpart of the ever-popular video poker game. If you’re only accustomed to playing video poker for money in an actual casino, no need to worry.
Playing online is not much different. In fact, it’s basically the same. Depending on which game you play will obviously hold different payouts, but we’ll touch more on that later.
Playing online video poker real money as a whole is basically the exact same as playing in a casino. The basic rules and concepts are the same, so the only real difference is that you can play from the comfort of your own home.
Another advantage of playing real money video poker online is you have the option of so many different game varieties. At land-based establishments, you’re limited to what the casino offers. So, if you wanted to find a new machine with better RTP, you’d have to wander around the casino or even go to a different casino.
With online real money video poker, it’s as simple as clicking a few buttons. Talk about convenience!
USA Online Video Poker Wrap Up
We hope this guide to real money video poker has helped you find the game you want and a casino to play at. Don’t be afraid to reach out if you have any other questions about playing video poker online or anything about real money US online casinos.
FAQ About Real Money Video Poker
Now, we’ll cover a few of the most common questions we get in regards to the best online video poker real money games.
Playing video poker online is no different than playing at a machine in a casino. All the rules and gameplay stay the same, you are just able to play from the comfort of your own home.
No, online video poker isn’t rigged. However, some USA online casinos are not trustworthy and might try to scam you, whether it’s in their games or their payouts. Be sure to only use our legit online casino recommendations when looking for a site to deposit and play with real money.
As I stated earlier, when you’re choosing a video poker game for real money, you need to look for a few things. Always make sure you are finding a game with the best odds, like 9/6 or similar. You also want to make sure you find a game with a low house edge.
Most importantly, you just need to find a game you enjoy playing!
Somewhere, somehow this might be possible. We haven’t found any legitimate free apps that payout real money. So, if you find one claiming to do that, we would be very skeptical of trusting them.
It’s rare to find, but you can absolutely find video poker games that go above 100% RTP. If you want to learn more about it, you can read our post about it that our friend Jeremiah wrote.
You’ll find no shortage of live poker cash games and tournaments in California. But these games are expensive between their multi-hundred dollar buy-ins and their flat-fee rake structure.
Why not make the switch to online poker? The buy-ins and rake are reasonable. There are more games and variants to choose from. And you can claim a deposit bonus, which no live cardroom offers.
All you need is an account with one of the best California poker sites online.
Rank | Poker Site | Exclusive Bonus | Get Started | |
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#1 | 888poker | 100% Up To€400 | Visit Site | Visit Site |
We strongly recommend you join one of the real money poker sites we endorse. We explain why, what we look for, and more in the next section.
Then, we’ll show you why you should consider switching to playing online poker in CA, including how it can save and make you more money compared to playing live.
Poker Games Online For Real Money
If that sounds good to you, then let’s get started.
If you want to play real money poker online in California, your first step is to find a safe and reputable poker site to join. This isn’t a step you want to take alone. Here is why.
Poker is unique from most other gambling games in that you’re not playing against the house but other players like yourself. The site you join needs to have adequate traffic, otherwise, you won’t find a game to play.
This information is available online if you know where to look. And when it’s not, there are usually a few tells you can pick up in the online poker room’s lobby.
If you don’t know how to find this information, or how to interpret the clues, you might as well choose a poker site blindfolded. There’s really no difference if you insist on finding your own CA poker site to join.
On top of that, there’s other criteria you should consider, such as the poker room’s games, variants, stakes, rake, promotions, and more. It’s a lot to uncover.
That’s why we suggest you rely on us. We have decades of online poker experience. And we’ve researched and tested almost every online poker site in existence, so we know exactly which ones Californians should join.
Here’s what we look for in the best online poker sites for California.
- The poker site’s license and the commission that issued it
- The banking options you can use
- The withdrawal limits i.e. how much of your winnings can you withdraw each month?
- Can you claim a deposit bonus or participate in a VIP program, guaranteed tournaments, etc.?
- Are they trustworthy? What do other poker players think of them?
This covers the basics and tells us whether the poker room is safe, secure, trustworthy, and reliable enough to join.
But we’re not done yet.
We also need to make sure they’re a GREAT poker site, especially for poker players in California. Here’s what else we look at.
- What features does the room have? Do they have hand history players, four-color decks, odds calculators, quick play, etc.?
- Can you use a HUD?
- What kinds of tournaments can you play? Can you play guaranteed tournament? Satellites? Knockouts? Turbos? 6-max?
- What real money poker games and variants can you play?
- Do they allow multi-tabling? How many tables can you play at once?
- Is their rake reasonable?
We compare every site we review, take the top choices, and order them from best to worst. The result is a list of the top poker sites or, in this case, the best California poker sites.
We’re thorough in our research and testing, as you can see for yourself if you read our poker room reviews.
The goal is to save you all that time, money, and energy, then help you find a California-friendly online poker room as quickly as possible.
We think we achieved that. But you’ll only know for sure once you choose a CA poker site to join, create your account, and get some real money hands and tourneys under your belt.
Rake at California Poker Sites
One unique thing about playing live poker in California is how you pay rake. The rake is the money the poker room collects as their fee for hosting the game.
Most poker rooms charge you a percentage of the pot and cap how much they can rake. For example, a poker room might take 10% of every pot up to $10.
Many cardrooms do not rake the pot if no one sees a flop. This is known as a “no flop, no drop” policy.
California flips all this on its head. Here’s how.
By law, California cardrooms cannot rake a percentage of the pot, so they charge a flat rate and/or charge an hourly fee instead.
For example, you might pay $10 every hour to play. Or you might as much as $7 (at $5/$10) plus whatever the room takes for their promotions, such as a bad beat jackpot. They also rake the pot even if no one sees a flop.
Now, let’s compare this to online poker.
One of the California online poker sites we like charges 5.5% rake for their highest limit games and even less for their micro stakes.
If you play $5/$10, like our live example above, you’ll pay $0.01 for every $0.18 in the pot (5.5%). You’ll pay $1 to $5 max per hand depending on the number of players in the pot. That’s 70% less on the high side, just for playing online.
That’s not all the money you’ll save either. Here are the other ways you’ll save by choosing to play real money poker online instead of live.
- Not having to travel
- Not wasting time waiting for a game or seat to open
- Not playing at rooms without a no flop, no drop policy
- Choosing whether to play bad beat jackpot games
You’ll save money, but you can also make more money playing poker online because you can play more than one table at a time and you can participate in promotions like deposit bonuses and VIP programs.
The bottom line, you’ll increase your hourly rate and take-home pay. And all you have to do is choose to play games at the top CA poker websites instead of live.
This doesn’t just apply to cash games either. It applies to tournaments, too.
California is also known for their poker tournaments. They host some of the largest and most popular poker tournaments in the world.
- WSOP circuit events
- WTP tournaments such as the WPT Deep Stacks Championship
- Battle of the Bay
- California State Poker Championship
- Memorial Day Tournament Series
- Bay 101 Summer Open
- Commerce Hold’em Series
- A. Poker Open
- Gold Rush Poker Series
These are great live tournaments to play in. They can add a nice boost to your total live earnings column, especially since they routinely pay six and seven-figure prizes to the winner.
There’s also a little prestige and notoriety in doing well in these tournaments, which some poker players care about.
But do they offset the downsides?
- Buy-ins range from several hundred to several thousand dollars.
- The rake is expensive. You should expect the cardroom to collect $15 to $20 for every $100 you pay to play.
- The bigger tournaments can take days to complete.
Now, these will apply to live tournaments. But you also have the fact that you can spend hours playing, bust the tournament, and walk away with nothing.
This will apply to online tournaments too, but they have advantages that California poker tournament players do not have.
Why CA Poker Tournament Players Should Play Online
If you want to play real money poker tournaments in California, we recommend you play online. Here are a few reasons why, relative to the points made in the last section.
- The largest tournament buy-ins online are between $215 to $600 (with a few rare exceptions).
- The prize pools still reach six and seven figures because online poker sites aren’t confined to California or a specific square footage. They can allow a larger number of players to play, which increases the prize pool without increasing the buy-in.
- You pay less rake. You’ll usually pay $9 to $10 for every $100 you pay to play.
- Most tournaments are done in a (long) day.
Now, we mentioned that you can play a tournament for hours only to bust and walk away with nothing. That’s possible in any tournament, online or live. But here’s why online poker tournaments are better.
Online poker rooms can run more tournaments since they’re not limited on space. This means you can play more tournaments. And most CA poker sites let you play more than one tournament at a time.
Since you can put in more volume (play more tournaments), you can get through your variance (losses) faster. This enables you to cash out and win more often. You don’t have to go weeks, months, or years without a score. You’ll cash out far more often than that.
There are many other benefits to playing poker tournaments online instead of live, too.
- You can earn VIP perks.
- You’ll have a larger variety of tournament games, variations, and stakes to choose from.
- You can satellite into larger poker tournaments for much less than you can online.
- You can buy into many tournaments for less than $20. Many of these have three- or four-figure prize pools/payouts.
While there’s more money, prestige, and notoriety to gain playing in California’s live poker tournaments, it also costs a lot of time and money to play these tourneys.
Online poker tournaments are a middle ground. You can still play in tournaments with large prize pools. But you won’t spend as much to play them. And you have the added benefit of multi-tabling, which will enable you to play, cash in, and win more tournaments than you ever could offline.
Can you join more than one CA poker site?
Yes. We highly recommend it. The traffic at each poker site fluctuates, both in terms of overall traffic and traffic to the specific game you want to play.
You’ll have better odds of finding a profitable game or tournament the more poker site accounts you have.
The most common is the deposit bonus. Make a deposit and the poker room will match a percentage of it up to so many dollars.
For example, if the poker room you join is offering a 100% match bonus up to $500, then they’ll give you $1 for every $1 you deposit. You can get as much as $500 free.
Poker rooms also offer VIP programs, rebates, tournament tickets, guaranteed tournaments, VIP exclusive freerolls, and more.
How big are the guaranteed poker tournaments?
Online Real Money Poker Usa
It depends on the poker room.
A typical guaranteed tourney during a Sunday schedule is $100,000. That said, we’ve seen guarantees as high as $1 million.
You should take a two-pronged approach.
One, figure out what you want in a poker site — the games, variants, stakes, promotions, etc. Then, read the reviews for every site we recommend and choose the site that offers the closest to what you’re looking for.
Can I play on my smartphone?
Yes. Most poker sites offer mobile poker.
Some poker sites offer a native app. Others have a browser-based setup where you’ll play poker in your mobile web browser.
Which is better for CA poker players, online or live?
There are tons of variables to consider, too many to cover here. If we had to give a sweeping statement, it’d be the one below.
If you play medium stakes or higher, chances are you’re better off playing live. You can find games like $5/$10 or $10/$20 online, but you’ll probably find more consistent action offline. And depending on where you live in California, it might even make more sense to drive to Reno or Las Vegas.
For micro and small stakes players, as well as tournament players, we think there’s a lot of value in playing at online poker sites for all the reasons mentioned above.
Poker is popular in CA. You’ll find loads of live cash game action and poker tournaments. Many of these poker tournaments pay life-altering sums to the players who win them.
But live poker in California is far more expensive, less profitable, and less convenient compared to playing online.
There’s no reason you can’t play both formats, both live and online. But if we had to choose, we’d choose to play real money poker online.
If you see where we’re coming from and want to make the leap to playing poker online, then join one of the best California poker sites and create your account now.
Cash games and tournaments are running all day every day. Are you going to be part of the action?