US Poker Sites Accepting Players from USA in 2013
On this site you will find all the information necessary for finding poker sites that accept US players along with the necessary funding and withdrawal methods to do so. In the creation of this site, we will have only integral and useful information to play at these US poker sites. All in all, there are thousands of poker sites online, but very few of them are friendly to the United States.
Where to Play
Places such as Full Tilt Poker, or Pokerstars were the main sites people played at until “Black Friday” hit and their domains got taken until these ceased US business. In 2006, the US government passed a law that made it so called “illegal” for banks to distribute money to gambling sites that accept wagers of players from the United States. This law was fundamentally flawed from the get go because “illegal gambling” is only defined as sports betting; therefore, in all legal essence poker and casino games should not be under this law and the law has since been revised to do so. Along with places to play we also show you when is the best time to play poker at these US poker rooms. One of the most commonly asked questions is about Party Poker in the US. No, it is not allowed, please read the article as to why.
Best Poker Sites by Safety, Traffic, Cashier Systems
Note: I’ve been an online poker player for 10 Years and follow US laws for poker every day for a column on CompatiblePoker. I also work in the online gambling industry and have some inside knowledge.
1. Betonline.ag – Because they accept all US 50 states and have very limited restrictions on credit card deposits. The only downside is they sometimes lack player volume so try and play at peak hours (7-10pm or on weekends)
2. Bovada.lv – I’d put this group, owned by a billionaire by the name of Calvin Ayre, as the most trustworthy company. I would have no problems saying you WILL NOT lose any money like the people almost did at FullTiltPoker.
3. Carbonpoker.ag – The software is just really good here but the withdraws are taking so long that I’m not really advising them at this moment but they are the 3rd largest US site.
Is it Legal to Play from the US
Unfortunately many poker websites were bound by their shareholders to withdraw from the United States poker market for fear of legal issues and being sued. Therefore, you will only find privately held companies that take US online poker players. This is where things become a bit tricky. With very little transparency in gambling, and with so much money involved, many shady companies have come and gone. Even large sites have been caught with their hand in the cookie jar. Under normal US laws, these people would have gone to jail, but in an unlegalized environment nothing happened to them. This is one reason why we investigate any all US poker site before recommendation to a US citizen.
How You Deposit at US Poker Sites
As for depositing into us poker sites, let’s start off from easiest to hardest. The easiest way to deposit into an online poker site is by credit card. Many times a credit card will get rejected because of coding issues. Ok, no problem; this is how we solve that. Try contacting live or the telephone support. Many times they will expedite your request through an alternate processor and you’ll be able to get the deposit through in a matter of minutes. Remember, the poker sites are in business to make money, so its in their best interest to get you depositing, because if you can’t play at their site, they can’t generate rake revenues.
Echecks
Quick update: All sites have disabled echecks in the US.
Let’s say your credit card didn’t work at any of the US poker sites we mentioned. Not to worry, as almost all of them use what we call “echecks”, “instant checks” or “quick deposit”. They’re all the same thing and basically this is just a form of paying for a service with an actual paper check over the internet. Its easy: you just enter the numbers on your check and begin playing. I personally like this option the most.
Ewallets
If for some reason the first two options above didn’t work, you’ll likely have to use an ewallet. An ewallet is a 3rd party processor. Basically, you pay the processor, and the processor pays the poker sites. While this can be a pain in the butt, as it takes time because you need to submit forms of verification, it’s the safest and most fool proof way of depositing and withdrawing.
Withdrawing at US poker sites
Ok, so hopefully you made some money and are looking to take the money off the gambling site. I choose bank wires because I don’t like to go to the bank, but you can also choose the option of a paper check. Generally, if you choose a paper check they won’t charge you, unless you choose to expedite the check via Fed Ex or do more than one withdraw per week/month.
Sites like Lock Poker or Bovada generally charge $50 for Fed Ex or it’s sometimes free if you don’t do a lot of cashouts, and also free for snail mail. Fed ex usually arrives in a couple days, and a paper check takes about a week. Wires are usually a couple days. Here are some more details about how to take money off poker sites.
Conclusion:
Hopefully we provided some insight into US poker sites and how you can play online safely, and most effectively. As time progresses, we will be expanding this site into a full portal for players from the United States as States begin legalization and licensing.
Author: Tom Dangaelon
Sites of Interest: – Gambling Laws by State – WSOP on ESPN – US Government