Online Poker Real Money – Top 10 Real Money Poker Sites for 2018

One of the best forms of entertainment on the internet happens to be playing real money poker. Gone are the days when people hung out playing poker together because today there are hundreds of different legal online poker sites that allow you to play for real money wherever you are. Compared to just 5 years ago when there were only a handful of quality options, this is an incredible achievement of the online gambling industry.

However, this also makes for a tough task. Finding the best real money poker website that can fulfil your needs is harder than ever. It’s even tougher for the new players that have only recently developed interest in playing poker and don’t know what to do.

The variables to consider are numerous, and a rookie player can easily get overwhelmed by all the details when signing up with a particular real money poker site. The biggest fear is if the player has landed on a legitimate site where the withdrawal of his winnings and his security are guaranteed.

Recommended US Online Poker Rooms

Bonus Offers & Promotions at Real Money Poker Sites

Poker sites cater to a variety of online poker players. Some are experienced regulars while others have limited or no experience in the online poker venture. In any case, they are equally important to poker sites wishing to increase and retain the number of players. For this purpose, they employ specific strategies, the most successful being bonuses and promotions.

Bonus offers can be found on most online poker rooms and gambling sites, causing a lot of players to abandon brick-and-mortar gambling establishments. There are many different kinds of bonus offers available in order to fit the player profile. The most famous bonuses include the No Deposit Welcome Bonus which awards players for creating an account with a certain operator and the First Deposit Bonus which matches the players’ initial deposit to a certain percentage.

A bad beat bonus is also available at some online poker rooms. It specifically targets those players who have a strong hand, but they end up being beat by someone with an even stronger hand. Poker rooms normally use it to show appreciation for their players’ skills and luck.

Promotions are another incentive to attract players to real money poker sites. Time-limited promotions are usually related to certain events such as tournaments, while others are offered on a regular basis.

VIP Loyalty Programs are also popular among poker players. These are usually tiered programs which award players for reaching a certain level. Most of the time, this is done by constant deposits and active play which allows the players to accumulate a significant amount of points.

Real Money Poker Sites Game Selection

The games available on the real money poker sites can also play a decisive role when choosing your preferred operator. The main purpose of these sites is entertainment, which is why players should be able to access the games which fit them the most.

Texas Hold’em, Omaha, Stud, Draw, Razz and several others can be considered as the main poker game variants found on these sites. Each of them has its distinctive gameplay and provides enough variety to keep things interesting. For example, Omaha is available in two formats – High and High/Low, as well as Stud which has 5-Card and 7-Card versions of the game.

Apart from the games mentioned above, some of the best real money poker sites even include mixed poker games in their selection. A famous example of this type is the game H.O.R.S.E., which is actually an acronym for Hold’Em, Omaha High/Low, Razz, Stud (7-Card) and Eight or Better.

Ultimately, one of the latest inventions regarding this aspect is live poker. These are specific poker games which are run by a live dealer transmitted through digital video while dealing the cards in a studio or an actual poker room, on a poker table. It is much more interactive than standard poker, as players can communicate both with the dealer and other players through a live chat room.

Security & Customer Support at Real Money Poker Sites

The security aspect at real money online poker sites is paramount for most players nowadays. With the latest technological advances, poker sites manage to retain an image of trustworthiness and reliability.

The best online poker rooms and gambling sites in general make use of the 1024-bit encryption technology which protects the operations from third-party interference. This protects the players’ personal information, credit card details and the money on their accounts. Other security measures employed by reliable poker sites are regular audits from specialized companies such as eCOGRa which test the provable fairness of their software.

The customer support segment is another crucial consideration that can help poker players to choose the best site. Forget the software and the number of games if you can’t get a decent customer support. Customer support is one of the most important things when using any type of service, not just poker services. Imagine you have some issue with your deposit or other like software glitch, problems with your account etc., and you can’t resolve it because the customer support is rude, unprofessional and not helpful at all. Now, imagine customer support that helps you resolve the problem in just 2 minutes. Which site would you choose?

It should consist of several contact channels such as a toll-free phone line, an email and a live chat option. It is advisable to look for reviews regarding this aspect or test the agents’ responsiveness yourself before risking your hard earned cash. Another useful feature which is present at reputable poker sites is an FAQ section.

What to look for When choosing real money poker site?

The length of time in the industry of a poker site is one of the first things to consider. This speaks a lot about its legitimacy. Of course, there have been and always will be exclusions. But, in general this is a valid point.

Those that make the exclusions are sites that have been long time in the industry but have failed to instill confidence in the poker community through their actions. This is mainly because they have failed to successfully process deposits and cashouts, especially the latter. A site that has a long history of complaints about cashouts is a site to be avoided.

Every year we see many new online poker rooms. Some end up doing just fine and deserve your trust. But, it’s always best to go with an established brand at first. When the new names have made a firm reputation, you can try them out then.

Here are some other important aspects to consider.

• Software : New players find it important to start off at a poker site that provides easy navigation and a large selection of games. Some sites will offer both things, while some won’t. Even the most reputable poker sites are not able to offer both things. One may have up to 20 different poker games, but the other that has only 10 may have an easier software to use. Find the perfect combination.
• Payment Methods: This is the ultimate condition, a payment method that you can use to make a deposit. Without it you have no use of the poker room no matter how reputable it is, how good its customer support is and how many games are available. No money, no show.This is why you have to immediately go to the payment options section and see if there is an option that you can use be it credit card, wire transfer, Skrill, PayPal etc. Only after that you can start considering other things.

What are Freerolls?

Freerolls are an essential part of any poker site. They are also one of the sweetest ones for budget players, who enjoy freebies and couldn’t allow to spend much of their money to play poker. To be sincere, we all love freerolls.

Freerolls are poker tournaments where players can participate for free. In order to participate in a poker tournament you need to pay the buy-in fee. This will get you a seat on the tournament. With freerolls you don’t have to buy your way into the tournament. You can participate for free. The best thing about freerolls is that the top spots still get to share a prize pool. Now you see why freerolls can be interesting.

How to choose the correct site for you?

Start by reading reviews provided by our poker players on this website for each poker rooms. The shortest way to filter out the good real money poker sites and find out what they offer is through reviews. Reviews provide insight into details like best games, deposit limits, issues with the customer support, usability of the software on different devices etc.

While some review sites offer biased and sponsored reviews, other like this one offer reviews made by experienced players, players that have actually used the services of the poker site in question. There are many review sites on the internet, which is even better because you get to read about different points of views.

Is Playing Real Money Poker Legal?

This depends on the country where you live or where you are accessing a site from. Every country in the world has different laws that regulate online gambling. Some governments have banned all forms of online gambling including poker, while other allow their citizens to participate in certain gambling activities ( Nevada Gaming Control Board, New Jersey Casino Control Commission, Delaware, UK Gambling Commission ).

It’s extremely important to get to know the laws in your country so that you won’t need to face repercussions. Depending on the country you live in these may include fines, funds seizure, or even jail time. Many poker sites don’t accept players from countries where online poker is illegal. Such countries are USA (except for New Jersey and couple of other states), Turkey, and Germany etc.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Is player traffic an important factor when choosing a real money online poker site?

   Yes, the site’s player traffic can provide valuable insight during your site selection process. Greater player traffic ensures that you will be able to play whichever game you choose at any given time. Plus, the player types determine whether you will face softer opponents or not.

2. Should I stick to reputable sites which have a long history in the industry?

   This is advisable tactics, especially for newer players with less experience behind them. After all, there is a reason why those poker sites have managed to retain their good name and operate successfully. Still, you should not completely disregard the newcomers in the industry.

3. Will I be able to play using multiple currencies on the real money poker sites?

   This varies from one operator to the next, mainly because each poker site is open to players from specific countries. Nonetheless, the best real money online poker rooms tend to include as many currencies as possible in order to make the players feel as welcomed as possible.

4. Can I test the sites’ software before risking my money on some play-money games?

   Most poker operators nowadays include a free play-money version of their games. This may not be an option for all the game variants, but the most popular games are usually included in the selection. Practicing the games is beneficial for both parties – the players get used to the software while the site proves its reliability.

5. Do real money poker sites offer multiple platform support?

   Yes, these sites can be accessed using different devices. The standard option is a desktop computer or PC using Windows or Mac, but more and more sites are offering optimized versions and inherent apps for mobile devices running Android, iOS and similar operative systems.