| #1 Best overall | PokerStars | 1 |
| Best recreational | BetMGM Poker | 2 |
| Best user interface | GG poker | 3 |
| Best loyalty program | WSOP (Caesars) | 4 |
| Best for beginners | 888 Poker | 5 |
| Most reputable | PartyPoker | 6 |
| Best promotions | Borgata Poker | 7 |
| Great cross-platform | BetRivers | 8 |
| Great bonus | Golden Nugget | 9 |
| Great cash prizes | SI Casino | 10 |
How to choose the right site
With so many online poker sites available, it can be difficult to narrow down the best sites. Our team of experts has reviewed and ranked the best real money poker sites to save you time sorting through the good and the bad.
There some very specific factors that will determine which poker sites are better than others. To choose the right poker site for you and your gaming needs, we’ve put together the key factors that you should check on your chosen poker site before playing with real money.
Why play poker for real money?
When it comes to playing online poker, real money poker cannot be beaten.
While the prospect of winning or losing actual cash certainly adds to the excitement of the game, real money poker’s long-term benefit is that it makes you a much better player, as you play against much stronger opposition.
In a casual play money game of online poker, players are much more likely to avoid using a strategy and will just play every hand as it comes.
More still, with no real money at stake, players are unlikely to fold, especially pre-flop, and may go ‘all-in’ purely to force a showdown for entertainment purposes.
While play money games can be good for practice or if you’re a beginner, you’ll quickly find your need to become a better poker player cannot be satisfied – unless you play poker for real money.
Best Online Poker Sites for Players
A lot of members in the ReallyBestSlots forum ask, “What’s the best real money poker site?”
We’ve compiled some helpful tips in our poker reviews to help you decide where to play and which of the poker sites are best suited to players. We only list the best poker websites, and with that in mind, we follow the below guidelines:
Best online poker sites for bonuses
As a new player, poker bonuses (such as freerolls) for poker sites are an important consideration when choosing which one of the best poker websites to sign-up with. Sites in the United States offer bonuses to try and entice new players away from the competition, allowing poker players to boost their bankroll – everyone’s a winner!
Types of Poker Bonuses
Freerolls
Freerolls allow you to play at the best poker sites at no cost. Meaning you can start playing at a table for free and collect real money if you win.
Loyalty Bonus
Loyalty or VIP bonuses are awarded to players who play regularly at the same US poker sites. Varying from one poker site to the next, loyalty bonuses are highly sought after and can often be very big.
First Deposit Bonus
A deposit bonus is based on your first deposit on a poker site. The poker site usually sets a fixed percentage, but most of the time you get 100% on the total of your first deposit, with an upper limit.
No Deposit Bonus
With a no deposit bonus you don’t need to deposit any of your own money to receive the offered bonus. As with a freeroll, you receive any potential winnings in real money.
Percentage Bonus
With a percentage bonus, the poker site gives you a percentage of your deposit as additional bonus money.
Refer a Friend
Less common than most other poker bonuses, you can refer a friend to some poker sites and you’ll both be given access to bonus codes or other exclusive promotions.
Repeated Deposit Bonus
Similar to the loyalty bonus, a repeat deposit bonus allows you to receive extra bonus money with frequent deposits to the same poker site.
Welcome Bonus
Sometimes also called a new customer bonus. In this case you will receive a bonus directly after your first registration in a poker room.
How to choose the best bonuses
To make sure you pick the best poker bonus for you, consider the following:
- Read the bonus terms and conditions and make sure you understand the wagering requirements.
- Wagering requirements mean the amount of money that you need to wager in the game before you can withdraw any winnings. For example, if you receive a 100% bonus on a deposit of $100 but the wagering requirements are 35 times, then you have to wager a total of $3,500 before you can claim any winnings.
- If you cannot or do not want to use the maximum bonus, you can deposit a smaller amount and play with a smaller but still worthwhile bonus.
Real money poker games
Free poker is an extremely valuable tool for players that are still learning the rules of poker games, such as Texas Hold’em, Blackjack, Omaha, Three Card Poker, Mississippi Stud Poker, Pai Gow Poker and Five Card Draw. Of course, it’s also useful for people that don’t have any money to gamble. But for most players, online poker real money sites have a lot of benefits:
Knowing that you are gambling with real money gives you a real sense of motivation that makes every game more exciting and, in the process, you are forced to play card games as well as possible. This makes your experience more enjoyable and infinitely more useful when it comes to honing your internet poker skills.
The benefit which is potentially the most important has less to do with how you are playing and more to do with how the competition chooses to play. With play money, just about every player will stick around to see the flop. This also leads to excessive amounts of bluffing, so much so that the game becomes essentially unplayable.
At real money poker sites, even at the micro-limit tables, players tend to play in a much more reasonable way. This will save you a ton of headaches and be immensely more useful in terms of helping you improve your poker skills in a way that translates to all other real money poker situations.
Finding the best real money poker site with excellent promotions makes a huge difference. When you start to make real money deposits and contributing rake, promotional opportunities like bonuses and loyalty programs will have a lot of value in the long run.
So no matter where you are, or what your gaming goals are, the best poker sites for real money can be found on this page. The poker sites we have reviewed include PokerStars, William Hill Poker, 888Poker, PartyPoker, Ladbrokes Poker, Unibet and Betfair to name a few, and we always tell you exactly what we think. When you’re ready, create a free account and when you’re sure that you’ve made the right choice, you can start to play poker online for money.
Online real money poker vs free poker games
| Real Money Poker | Free Poker |
|---|---|
| Chance to win real money | No chance of losing real money |
| Improves your game quicker | Great for beginners to practice |
| Tougher opposition | Weaker opposition |
| Tense but exciting atmosphere | Casual atmosphere |
| Avail of bonuses and loyalty schemes | Try different variations of poker risk-free |
Deposit and withdrawal option
Central to playing at the best poker sites, is the ability to play for real money. The difference between playing real money poker and free money poker is huge, as the potential to both take home the pot or lose your entire bankroll adds to the tension and helps you and your opponents stay sharp.
To ensure you and your funds are safe and secure when depositing or withdrawing, it is vital you use the best poker deposit methods from merchants such as Visa, MasterCard and PaySafe.
All of the best reviewed poker sites on ReallyBestSlots offer licensed and regulated deposit and withdrawal options, ensuring your funds won’t be stolen or unlawfully seized.
How to sign up to a poker site
Looking to play online real money poker but not sure how to sign-up? Simply follow the steps below and you’ll be at the tables in no time:
- Choose your online poker siteBefore you sign up at a real money poker website, compare the best online poker sites and look for the best poker bonus. Read the bonus terms and conditions and make sure you understand the wagering requirements.
- Sign upClick through to the site and register as a new member.
- DetailsFill out all the requested details including your name, address and proof of ID.
- Bonus codeReclaim your bonus code if offered.
- ConfirmConfirm your account via email.
- PlayYour account is now open and your bonus is normally applied instantly. So, get playing!
Gambling Requirements
To comply with anti-money laundering legislation, legal US poker sites are not allowed to accept new players unless they provide Personal Identifiable Information (PII).
Under Know Your Customer (KYC), US players cannot open an account with a poker site without providing basic PII details.
These include:
- Full legal name
- Address
- Social security number
More importantly, no real money transactions can take place unless players submit official US government ID and proof of a permanent address.