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Online poker for real money attracts skilled players. If you are able to beat the $1/$2 game in your local casino, you might well struggle to beat the same size game online. Start small, making sure you can. Learn To Win Poker. Setting realistic and achievable goals, poker theory. Analysis of the game using special software, individual or group training with a trainer (Cash; MTT; SnG), tilt tolerance. However, for an opportunity to win real money, players have to take into consideration things such as finding the best online poker sites. You will also find poker hands, poker rules, and poker hand rankings below. Best Online Poker Sites in 2021. Below are poker online real money legal sites that have come out on top for offering the best. Online Poker for Money. Play poker online with friends at the best US online poker sites. Sign up to play real money poker online games for free.
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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 | |
---|---|---|---|---|
#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.
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?
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?
It has been a long wait for poker to return to Pennsylvania. With online poker legal in PA, many of the biggest names in online poker have returned. They include Party Poker, PokerStars and 888 (under the WSOP.com brand).
Online poker has come a long way over the years. Poker sites now offer real money games on your iPhone or Android along with the traditional desktop format. These sites have released new variations including fast-fold poker, lottery sit and go’s, and progressive knockout tournaments.
This page offers everything you need to find the best PA poker games, bonuses and apps. We also provide you with a list of no deposit and welcome bonus offers, which will give you a legitimate shot at building your bankroll from scratch.
Play online poker in PA at PokerStars
Is online poker legal in Pennsylvania?
Yes, when Gov. Tom Wolf signed bill H 271 into law on Oct. 30, 2017, online gambling became legal in Pennsylvania. This bill includes poker, casino table games, slots, and sports betting. That made Pennsylvania the fourthstate to legalize online poker.
Seven of the 13 casino license holders in Pennsylvania applied for licenses to operate online poker sites.
The PGCB put together regulations to govern Pennsylvania online poker sites that include the followingrules:
- Players must be 21 years or older.
- Sites must verify the identification of all potential players.
- Players must be located inside state lines to play.
- Sites must verify all players’ location using geolocation software.
How online poker works in PA
If you want to play online poker in Pennsylvania right now, you’ll have one option – PokerStars. So, you will need to download the PokerStars client on your laptop or mobile phone / tablet.
Once your account is active, you can login and head to the lobby. Within this area, you can access games of almost every type and size under the sun.
One thing to note, however, is that every player you encounter will be physically inside Pennsylvania at the time. In fact, in order to play at PA online poker site, you will have to verify your location through geolocation software before you will be allowed to sit down at a table.
While that requirement might be a bit irritating, the good news is that the player pool you’re facing might not be only from Pennsylvania for long. Pennsylvania regulators have long hinted they are interested in joining the Multi-state Compact, which would allow players from New Jersey, Nevada, and Delaware to come together on Pennsylvania poker sites. This means the player pool and traffic would increase significantly, allowing you more options for cash games and tournaments.
Best online poker sites in Pennsylvania
At least for the time being, the new PA poker rooms will only be for players in the Keystone State. Building a critical mass of players is important. The site(s) that get the most traction will be able to offer bigger tournaments, better promotions and a great choice of real money games.
Here are three poker sites we know that have or are expected to launch in 2020:
PokerStars PA: This was the first site to launch. PokerStars has amazing software covering both desktop and mobile devices. You will be able to play the new “spin and go” format, and try out the range of cash games, tournaments and sit and goes. PokerStars offers new players $30 in free play with just a small deposit. This includes spin and go tickets as well as cash. Alternatively, you can get a 100% matched bonus, up to $600. It is also well known for promotions, loyalty rewards and poker tournament events.
Party Poker: The original online poker site will soon be back in Pennsylvania. This partnership is with Valley Forge Casino. While a lot has changed, including brand-new software, the recreational feel to the play at this site remains in place. In other states, Party Poker has given away $25 completely free for new players to check out the games. New poker games include “Spins” and “Fast Forward Poker.” You will find plenty of action at the small stakes cash games, too.
WSOP.com Poker: This brand uses the smooth poker software produced by 888. It is part of the Caesars Entertainment “World Series of Poker” brand. It is licensed by Harrah’s Philadelphia. You can qualify for WSOP tournaments around the country online. New poker formats include Blast Poker and Snap (fast fold) poker. WSOP.com offers generous matched welcome bonuses in other regulated states. This includes a $10 no-deposit bonus, plus a matched deposit bonus up to $1,000.
Playing for free vs. real money at PA poker sites
You can choose to play real money poker games — or play for fun with free play options on the Pennsylvania poker sites. While the free poker games can be entertaining, you need to be aware that the skill gap between players at free and real money sites is massive.
If you jump to real cash games and employ the same strategy that play-money players use, you will be relieved of your bankroll quickly. Read up on some poker strategy, play fewer tables and take careful notes on your opponents in the real money cash games.
Online poker for real money attracts skilled players. If you are able to beat the $1/$2 game in your local casino, you might well struggle to beat the same size game online. Start small, making sure you can beat the regulars at each buy-in level before you move up.
When you jump from free poker to real money, taking advantage of the welcome bonus offers can give your bankroll a big boost. Some sites like Party Poker offer the chance to join special beginner tables for the first 30 days. This will keep you out of the crosshairs of the poker pros while you sharpen your online skills.
PA online poker games
There are four main types of games that you will find in Pennsylvania’s online poker sites. They are:
- Cash games – Cash games are available at any time in both real money and play money mode. Cash games have a fixed minimum and maximum buy-in limits, and play is available for almost any amount of money. Tables usually seat 6 or 9 players, although it is possible to play heads-up.
- Tournaments – Tournaments are scheduled around the clock in a variety of formats. You can expect rebuys, bounties and even fast-fold, where you can fold and move onto the next table without waiting for the current hand to play out. Prize pools range from a few thousand to tens of thousands of dollars. If you’re looking for the big guarantees, you’ll want to check out the weekend lineup. The buy-ins at PA poker rooms vary from a dollar up to a few hundred.
- Sit n’ Go Tournaments – SNG tournaments are perfect if you don’t have time to wait for an MTT. These events run when they reach a certain number of entrants and buy-ins. They also have predetermined prizepools and payouts, and tend to be smaller events than the scheduled tournaments. Some of these tournaments can come with a jackpot feature, which can give each player a chance at an outsized payout.
- Fast-fold games – These games are cash games at their core. However, as you play, you are switched to a new table immediately after folding the previous hand. Thus, you will end up playing with a larger group of people, but you will end up seeing far more hands than at a typical cash table.
Real money poker vs. free play
Real money poker sites in PA is limited to just one site. PokerStars was the first site in Pennsylvania to offer online poker.
Although you can play free online poker, the players on play money sites have no regard for playing wisely or skillfully. Since they can only lose faux currency, anyway, they figure that there’s no reason not to chase a draw, even if it’s a minute one.
However, real money PA sites are not equivalent to friendly games, or even live poker games in a casino. As a general rule, in fact, they require far more skill and focus to master than equivalent live games.
Most long-term successful players on real money sites keep detailed notes on their play, study the game all the time, and are always looking for ways to improve their return. Even breakeven players have to be more cautious, since the ratio of sharks is so much higher.
Many players on real money sites play multiple games at once, too. This practice can lead to higher profits for the very skillful, but please be careful not to overwhelm yourself.
Don’t misunderstand – real money poker sites are still fine to play. It’s just important that you know what you’re getting yourself into before you begin trying to win real cash.
Online poker apps vs. downloading the poker client
For most online poker games, using a mobile app is preferable since it’s easy and you can play anywhere. However, due to the nature of poker, players actually prefer to use their laptops or desktops to play.
There are a couple of reasons for this preference. For one thing, a laptop/desktop with a larger screen and mouse makes it that much easier play multiple games simultaneously. Multi-tabling three or four games on an app leaves room for error. It’s easy to click call when you meant to fold.
Another reason to prefer a land-based computer is that it might come with a more stable internet connection and setup than a mobile device. Losing a connection can result in a hand being lost, and depending on the situation, such an outcome could be disastrous.
Nevertheless, you can play online poker using either your laptop or your mobile device. PokerStars offers both options, including apps for both iPhones/iPads and Android users.
Please be aware that you will have to verify your location using a specialized app if you choose to use a personal computer for access. The apps will use your device’s GPS to determine your location automatically.
Online poker variations
Most of the action in the online poker market revolves around No-Limit Hold’em and Pot-Limit Omaha. That said, some sites offer other poker variants.
Find yourself on the right site at the right time and there may be your favorite poker variant running, including RAZZ, HORSE, or 2-7 Triple Draw.
No-Limit Hold’em
The biggest cash game in real money poker is far and away No-Limit Hold’em. You’ll find stakes ranging from $0.01/$0.02 to $25/$50 with 6-max and full, 9-handed tables.
That said, most of the games are micro- and low-stakes action. Games beyond $1/$2 do not run regularly. Neither does the more pedestrian Limit Hold’em version of the game, where the stakes go as high as $100/$200, but the player pool is rather small.
Pot-Limit Omaha
You’ll find Pot-Limit Omaha at online poker sites, just not as many tables running as No-Limit Hold ’em. Stakes range from $0.01/$0.02 to $25/$50. However, there isn’t much action in the micros. Instead, it’s $0.50/$1 and $0.25/$0.50 tables running most days.
Other Omahavariants, like Hi-Lo, may be available on the sites, but again, the player pools are small to non-existent.
Stud
You might find poker sites that claim to offer stud games, even RAZZ. What you won’t find are the players to fill those games. Stakes will generally range from $0.50/$1 to $40/$80, but it’s $0/$0 with a nonexistent player pool most of the time.
HORSE, 2-7 Triple Draw, other variants
Poker is more than hold ’em and Omaha, but PA poker online isn’t really. Some of the more notable poker brands claim to offer games, including HORSE and 2-7 Triple Draw, but it usually applies to specializedtournaments.
Cash games for variants like this do not run regularly because the demand isn’t there. But never say never. After all, most sites’ clients support these formats, and if their popularity increases, you’ll perhaps find action.
Fast-fold games
Most online poker clients support some version of fast-fold games like PokerStars’ Zoom tables, though not at first. Once you fold your hand, you are instantly transported to a different table to start another one. This format requires a large player pool, so it will not always be running on the PA sites that eventually will have it.
Multi-table tournaments
All online poker clients offer a daily schedule of No-Limit Hold’em multi-table tournaments (MTT) with buy-ins ranging from $1 to $50. Some even come with prize pool guarantees.
There’s plenty of micro- and low-stakes action daily, but the bigger buy-in MTTs are usually reserved for Sundays. The high traffic PA online poker sites run Sunday majors with buy-ins from $50 to $500 and guaranteed prize pools of up to $50,000.
Sit & Go tournaments
Poker sites offer No-Limit Hold’em, Pot-Limit Omaha, and Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo Sit & Go tournaments. Most have nine-handed, six-max, and heads-up formats. Buy-ins range from as low as $0.25 to $500. These games go off when the players are there, which is usually limited to peak prime-time hours.
Lottery Sit & Go tournaments
Lottery Sit & Go tournaments, like PokerStars’ Spin N’ Go tournaments, are three-handed Sit & Go tournaments with randomized prize pools, ranging anywhere from two buy-ins to 1,000 buy-ins.
The odds are slim that you’ll be playing for the max, but Lottery Sit & Go tourneys, from $1 to $25, should run regularly. This format has become more popular than standard Sit & Go tournaments themselves.
Poker bonuses and first deposit offers
The best poker sites offer a variety of no deposit and first deposit bonuses to try to attract new players. Also, they offer various rewards programs that are intended to help retain players.
Here’s a look at some of the larger poker sites, and the types of bonus offers and rewards programs they provide.
PokerStars PA
PokerStars PA is giving new players a choice of either one of two welcomes bonuses. Players can claim a $30 free package using the marketing code FREE30 on first deposits of $20 or more. It includes $20 in cash, $10 within 36 hours and the rest after seven days. It also includes five Spin N’ Go tickets valued at $10.
Meanwhile, another welcome package offers a 100% match of up to $600 on first deposits. Players can claim this one using the PokerStars PA bonus code STARS600. This bonus clears at a rate of $10 for every 100 VIP Player Points earned, which works out to 55% rakeback.
Best Online Real Cash Poker
In addition, PokerStars runs a rewards program for players, which offers chests of valuable and varying rewards. In the end, it adds up to be about 55% rakeback as well.
How to get money on and off the sites
The goal of every PA poker site will be to make the process of moving your funds as easy as possible and for fast payouts.
That means each site will offer a variety of easy-to-use deposit and withdrawalmethods and are always on the lookout to add new ones. It usually will mean that whatever way you used to make a deposit, you can also use it to make a withdrawal. However, other options are available, too.
Here’s a list of all the poker deposit and withdrawal methods available:
Visa and Mastercard: You can use the most well-known credit card brands in the world at most PA online poker sites. However, some issuing banks may not authorize online gambling transactions, meaning another deposit method will need to be employed.
The following list of issuing banks decline online gambling transactions regularly:
- Bank of America
- Capital One
- Chase/JP Morgan
- Wells Fargo
- TD Bank
- Santander Bank
- Huntington Bank
Types of deposit options available
- Play+: This prepaid credit card acts like both a credit card and an e-wallet account, and several Pennsylvania online poker sites accept it. You can fund the Play+ prepaid card using a Visa, Mastercard, or Discover card, or even a checking account.
- Prepaid Cards: Prepaid cards are a safe and convenient alternative method of depositing on Pennsylvania online poker sites. You can load money onto a prepaid card and then use it to deposit on a poker site. Several credit card companies offer prepaid credit cards, and some online poker sites have a branded-prepaid card.
- Cash at the casino cage: Legal, regulated online poker sites in Pennsylvania are all affiliated with a PA casino. Most will accept cash deposits at the cashier cages inside these casinos.
- PayPal: PayPal is the largest third-party payment processor in the world. PayPal allows you to funnel money to the sites from several sources, including your bank account.
- ACH e-checks: ACH allows you to write an electronic check to the online poker site of your choice. In other words, ACH helps you move funds between your bank account and that of an online poker site.
- PayNearMe: The convenience store 7-Eleven, CVSPharmacies, and financial services provider PayNearMe have created a financial services management app, which allows users to make bill payments. You can make payments to PA online poker sites with cash at these locations.
- Online banking: If you can make bill payments online, the chances are that you can deposit at an online poker site from your bank account as well.
PA online poker gears up for launches
Online poker in PA rolled out November 2020 through PokerStars via Mount Airy Casino. The online poker site attracted more players than PokerStars drew on its established site in NJ.
The primary poker games in Pennsylvania is Hold’em, followed by Omaha. Sunday tournaments at PokerStars are offering reasonable buy-ins and larger guarantees than their counterpart site in New Jersey.
Online poker in Pennsylvania began as a fenced-in market; however, at least a couple of sites should eventually join forces to create a PA-only network.
Right now, only WSOP.com and 888Poker sites do this.
Pennsylvania will eventually join the compact known as the Multi-State Internet Gaming Association compact, which gives sites in Delaware, Nevada, and NewJersey the right to share player pools with the Keystone State, boosting the pool.
Introductory promotions include several bonuses and freeroll offers, meant to lock down market share right out of the gate.
To retain players, online poker sites will also likely offer customers competitive rakeback or a loyalty rewardsprogram. PokerStars uses a randomized chest-base program with real money prizes.
Best Online Real Poker Sites
PA poker and compacts
Online poker in PA is launching as a fenced-in market. That means only players inside PA can play, and also that sites in the state are not sharing player pools with others on the outside.
There’s no need for residency to play, but PA poker sites will use geolocation software to verify that you are within the state; there’s no getting around that.
Considering the population, online poker in PA is expected to quickly become the largest intrastate online poker market in the US.
The nature of the fenced-in market means PA poker sites won’t be sharing player pools with those in any other states, but that should happen eventually.
The state ultimately anticipated joining such agreements when it built provisions into its online poker legislation allowing for sharedliquidity.
This legislation gives the PGCB the authority to enter into these kinds of agreements with other states. Plus, it allows licensed operators to offer games to out-of-state players, and local players to participate in out-of-state networks.
PA could join shared liquidity compact
Nevada, New Jersey, and Delaware launched the first licensed and regulated online poker sites in the US in November 2013.
At the time, all three states launched as fenced-in markets. Nevada and Delaware then signed an interstate compact known as the Multi-State Internet Gaming Association (MSIGA), allowing sites in each to start sharing player pools in 2015. New Jersey signed on to that interstate compact in October 2017.
WSOP.com and 888 Poker are the only operators with sites in all three states and were the first to apply to launch tri-state shared liquidity games.
The first-ever real money poker games featuring players in all three states launched on April 30, 2018. Since then, WSOP.com has been able to host multi-state online WSOP bracelet events in New Jersey and Nevada.
The hope is PA can make it a four-state market within the next year. The US shared liquidity online poker market could potentially double in size if PA comes aboard.
Poker partnerships
Below is a look at the PA casinos planning to launch online poker. It also includes which online poker operators they’re planning to partner with, when each license was approved, and when they expect to launch:
Casino | Online Poker Partner | PGCB Approval Date | Projected Launch Date |
---|---|---|---|
Harrah's Philadelphia | 888 | Aug. 15 | 2019 |
Hollywood Casino | IGT | Sept. 12 | 2019 |
Mount Airy Casino | The Stars Group/ 888 | Aug. 15 | Nov. 6, 2019 |
Parx Casino | GAN | Aug. 25 | 2019 |
Wind Creek Bethlehem | None | Oct. 3 | Unknown |
SugarHouse Casino | Rush Street Interactive | Sept. 12 | 2019 |
Valley Forge Casino | IGT/ GAN/ GVC | Sept. 12 | 2019 |
PA poker card rooms
Pennsylvania plays host to one of the most extensive live poker scenes in the US. Live poker became legal in 2010. Here’s a look at the 10 poker rooms in the Keystone State that have launched since then, their locations, and what they have to offer poker players.
Parx poker room
In 2018, Parx underwent a $50 million expansion, which included a 48-table, state-of-the-art poker room on the property.
The room features low- to mid-stakes No-Limit Hold’em and Pot-Limit Omaha games, plus higher-stakes action most nights. The $15/$30 limit games also run with higher mixed games featuring variants you won’t find elsewhere, including games like Omaha 8-Or-Better, Big O, and SuperStud.
Parx is also well-known for its seasonal BigStax tournament series and nightly tournaments.
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- Address: 2999 Street Rd, Bensalem
- Phone Number:+1 888-588-7279
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Wind Creek Bethlehem poker room
Wind Creek inherited the second-highest-grossing poker room in the state when it took over Sands Bethlehem. There are $1/$2 and $2/$5 No-Limit Hold’em runs every day inside the 30-table card room. Higher-stakes action runs on most weekends when there are Omaha, Limit Hold’em, and stud games available.
There are nightly tournaments. However, we have yet to see what Wind Creek will do to replace the popular seasonal Sands DeepStack Extravaganza series.
- Address: 77 Wind Creek Blvd, Bethlehem
- Phone:(484) 777-7777
Rivers Casino Philadelphia poker room
The Poker Night in America poker room at Rivers Casino Philadelphia, the former SugarHouse Casino, is currently the only poker room in Philadelphia. However, Live! Philadelphia Casino is building a room that should open in the city before the end of next year.
Rivers has 28tables featuring low-stakes, No-Limit Hold’em, a daily tournament schedule and regular Rush Challenge events, which feature a $250 buy-in tournament with a $100,000 guarantee.
- Address: 1001 N Delaware Ave, Philadelphia
- Phone: (877) 477-3715
Rivers Casino Pittsburgh poker room
The Rivers Casino Pittsburgh 30-table poker room sits across a parking lot from Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh. There’s 24/7 No-Limit Hold’em action with stakes running from $1/$2 to $10/$20. Pot-Limit Omaha and Limit Hold’em games also run occasionally.
The tournament schedule features two daily events six days a week, with the room running regular promotions.
- Address:777 Casino Dr, Pittsburgh
- Phone: (412) 231-7777
Harrah’s Philadelphia poker room
Harrah’s Philadelphia is actually on the Delaware River in Chester. The poker room features 28 tables spreading No-Limit Hold’em and some limit games. For the most part, it’s $1/$2 or $1/$3 No-Limit Hold ’em.
The tournament schedule features two daily events and satellites into the World Series of Poker Main Event in LasVegas.
- Address: 777 Harrah’s Blvd, Chester
- Phone:(484) 490-1800
Penn National Casino poker room
The 17-table poker room at Hollywood Casino at Penn National is pretty much a $1/$2 No-Limit Hold’em room. Although higher-stakes games, Pot-Limit Omaha, and Limit Hold’em sometimes run on the weekends.
There are tournaments six days a week and a Bad Beat Jackpot promotion.
- Address: 777 Hollywood Blvd, Grantville
- Phone:(717) 469-2211
Mohegan Sun Pocono poker room
The poker room at Mohegan Sun Pocono runs dailytournaments often featuring bounty structures. Promotions include a Bad Beat Jackpot for cash games and tourneys.
The atmosphere is relaxed with the action of the low-limit variety. There are sometimes 20 or so $1/$2 No-Limit Hold’em, Pot-Limit Omaha, and Limit Hold’em games on weekends.
- Address: 1280 PA-315, Wilkes-Barre
- Phone:(570) 831-2100
The Meadows Racetrack & Casino poker room
The Meadows Racetrack & Casino is outside of Pittsburgh. The poker room includes 14 tables, all with a view of the live horse racing action. It hosts No-Limit Hold’em, Limit Hold’em, and Pot-Limit Omaha cash games. Plus, tournaments run twice daily, six days a week, and special events on Sundays.
The room is an annual stop on the Heartland Poker Tour.
- Address:210 Racetrack Rd, Washington
- Phone:(724) 503-1200
Mount Airy Casino Resort poker room
The poker room at Mount Airy Casino Resort features only nine tables that usually offer low-limit, No-Limit Hold’em. There’s a High Hand promotion.
- Address: 312 Woodland Rd, Mt Pocono
- Phone: (877) 682-4791
Presque Isle Downs poker room
Presque Isle Downs, in Erie, features the smallest poker room in the state with only seven tables.
However, it offers a tournamentschedule that runs six days a week with guaranteed prize pools.
- Address: 8199 Perry Hwy, Erie
- Phone Number:+1-866-374-3386