"10 Vital NL Hold'em Tips"
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US Friendly Poker Rooms
Top US friendly poker room.
- Highest traffic online poker room.
- Easy deposit options for US players.
- Fast US withdrawal options.
- Big 100% up to $600 bonus.
Sign up and play at PokerStars - the top US poker room
Out of all of the online poker rooms that accept US players, PokerStars is easily the best. You won't find a bigger poker room with better software that will make it as easy as PokerStars does to sign up and play for real money.
As a US player, PokerStars should be your first choice for online poker.
- Read the PokerStars review.
- Visit the PokerStars website.
On this page you will find information on the top US friendly poker rooms for playing online Texas Hold'em poker for real money.
Not all poker rooms currently accept US players, but there is still a wide variety for you to choose from, with many also offering very useful rakeback deals.
The table below highlights the top US poker rooms along with network, rakeback and bonus information.
US friendly rooms.
| Room | Network | Mac | PT3 | HEM | Rakeback | Bonus | Match | Visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent |  |
|
|
- | $600 | 100% | Visit | |
| Independent | |
|
|
27% | $600  |
100% | Visit | |
| Cereus | |
|
|
30% | $1,100 |
111% | Visit | |
Absolute Poker |
Cereus | |
|
|
30% | $500 |
150% | Visit |
| Merge |  |
|
|
30% | $500 | 100% | Visit | |
| Cake | |
|
|
33% | $600 | 100% | Visit | |
| Independent | |
|
|
- | $500 | 110% | Visit | |
Visit PokerStars - The top US friendly poker room
Is it legal to play online poker in the US?
Aside from a few states, it is perfectly legal to play online poker for real money in the US. Many US players comfortably play online poker for real money every day and there are never any arrests (because it's legal of course).
If online poker is was illegal, the online poker rooms would not be accepting US players. So unless the poker rooms prevents you from creating an account, you are good to go.
The UIGEA was passed in September 2006. Contrary to what some misinformed people believe, this did not make online poker illegal, it simply made it a little more difficult to process transactions to and from online poker rooms and online casinos. (I don't write much about casinos here, so if you're looking for a casino to play at you should check out my friend's casino bonus site.)
It is safe to play online poker in the US, which is why we have these US friendly poker rooms. If you would like further reassurance from a legal expert, read this article by I. Nelson Rose. You will not go to jail for playing online poker.
Why aren't all poker rooms US friendly?
In a nutshell, it is easier for some rooms to operate by not accepting any US players at all. The UIGEA has made transactions a little trickier, and so some rooms prefer to stick with non-US players.
It's a shame that not all poker rooms are US friendly, but they are the ones that are missing out at the end of the day.
Which is the best US friendly poker room?
Fortunately, all of the best US friendly poker rooms happen to be the better poker rooms anyway, so you are not really missing out on any action by living in the US. I would rank the following as the top two US rooms:
PokerStars is the largest online poker room, which pretty much speaks for itself. Full Tilt is the second largest, although it does offer the Full Tilt rakeback deal, which is something that PokerStars does not offer to its players. Either way, you cannot go wrong with these two rooms or any of the US friendly rooms in the table above.
US friendly online poker rooms tend to be larger than non-US rooms because so many US players continue to play Texas Hold'em online for real money.
Top US friendly rakeback poker room.
- Highest traffic rakeback poker room.
- Weekly 27% rakeback paid to your player account.
- Easy deposit and withdrawal options.
- Big 100% up to $600 bonus.
Follow the sign up instructions to get 27% rakeback at Full Tilt Poker
If you want to play at a US friendly poker room that offer rakeback, Full Tilt is easily the best room on the market.
PokerStars may be the top overall US friendly room, but it's very closely followed by Full Tilt. It may have slightly less traffic, but the 27% rakeback deal there and it's incredibly easy to get money in and out of your account.
- Read the Full Tilt review.
- Sign up for Full Tilt rakeback.
How to deposit at US friendly poker rooms.
Although deposit and withdrawal options are slightly limited for US players, it is still easy to add funds and withdraw money from your online poker account. 3 of the most popular deposit options for US players are:
- eChecks / Instant eChecks
- Western Union
- eWalletXpress
In my opinion, the poker eCheck is by far the most convenient way to fund and withdraw money from your online poker account as a US player. All you need is to have a checking account (which most people with bank accounts have), then making a transaction is as simple as paying for something online with your debit or credit card.
Full Tilt and PokerStars are the only two rooms offering the super-easy payment method of instant eChecks at the moment, which is why I recommend them as the top two rooms for US players.
Go back to the Texas Hold'em rooms.