US Friendly Poker Rooms - February 2012

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Top US friendly poker room.

Softest competition of any US room. Easy money.
Fast US deposit and withdrawal options.
Cool as hell software.
Big 100% up to $1,000 bonus.

Out of all of the online poker rooms that accept US players, Bodog is my favourite. You won't find a softer poker room with better software that makes it as easy as Bodog does to sign up and play for real money.

As a US player, Bodog should be your first choice for online poker.

Read the Bodog review.
Visit the Bodog 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. These are currently the best poker sites that available to Americans as of February 2012.

Not all poker rooms currently accept US players, but thankfully there's still a wide variety to choose from.

The table below highlights the top US poker rooms along with network, compatibility and bonus information.

Top US friendly poker rooms.

Rank	Room	Rating	Network	Bonus	Match	Visit
1	Bodog	94%	Independent	$1,000	100%	Visit
2	Lock Poker	74%	Merge	$750	100%	Visit
3	Aced Poker	72%	Merge	$600	100%	Visit
4	Bookmaker	68%	Yatahay	$500	100%	Visit
5	Cake Poker	50%	Cake	$600	110%	Visit

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 American players comfortably play online poker for real money every day and I've never heard of there being any arrests.

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 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 casino stuff 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 most US states, 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. He states that you will not go to jail for playing online poker.

Black Friday.

On Friday 15th April 2011, the FBI seized the domains of the top 4 US-facing online poker rooms. The affected sites were:

These poker rooms were indicted for apparent bank fraud offenses, although it definitely appeared to just be an attempt to reduce the number of online poker sites that could cater to US citizens.

This did nothing to change the legality of online poker -- it simply resulted in these poker rooms no longer accepting or offering real money play to US poker players. This was the biggest change in online poker for US players since the UIGEA came in to effect in September 2006.

US online poker law by state.

Each state has their own laws when it comes to gambling online. Here's a quick overview on playing online poker in the US by state.

A map that highlights US states that have problems or issues with real money online poker. Last updated: April 2011

States that have big problems with online poker.

Washington

These states have explicitly stated that online poker is a felony. Some online poker rooms that accept US players have restricted access to players in these states.

States that have issues with online poker.

Illinois
Louisiana
Indiana
Wisconsin
South Dakota
Oregon
Nevada
Montana

These states have issues with online poker and online gambling, but it's a bit of a grey area. It may be the case that there are some sort of laws in place, but they are not heavily enforced. I'm sure that there are many people in these states playing online poker on a regular basis, but there must be some element of risk.

As you may have spotted, I'm not a lawyer, so it's definitely in your best interest to do a bit of research for these particular states. This state gambling law summary at Gambling-Laws-US.com has a lot of helpful information, so check that out.

States that seem okay.

All the rest

As far as I'm aware, the states in green do not seem to have any problems or issues with 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.

Best US poker deposit methods.

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. Three of the most popular deposit options for US players are:

eChecks / Instant eChecks
Western Union
Credit Cards - The success rate of this method varies greatly from room to room. It's hit and miss, but worth a shot.

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.

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