Online Poker News & Industry Updates

And finally, we display online poker sites frequented by US players, those in Australia, and elsewhere, ranking them by features, benefits, and overall poker experiences. Yes, you can win money from online poker tournaments in the sense that they are legitimate, real money poker games that award cash prizes. When playing real-money online poker tournaments, your safety and fairness at the tables should always come first. Free-play online poker is perfect for beginning players, or even those who want to try a particular poker software platform before committing money to play there. Most online poker players take their first dip into the pool with only play-coins or money. One site might fill its tables with professional poker players and grinders, while a competitor might offer some of the softest games.

That’s why security, licensing, and reputation play a central role in our rankings. But ultimately, there are a whole host of different, lucrative bonuses for you to take advantage of in the poker scene. When we recommend a site, it’s because we’d play there ourselves.

Read on to find out a detailed overview of the online poker series than each site runs. The best poker site to play mystery bounty tournaments is GGPoker. Forget progressive knockouts, where players’ bounties accumulate every time they knockout a player – mystery bounties do not accumulate. Another bonus is the bounty series that it runs on a seasonal basis, giving players another opportunity to compete in PKOs with huge prize pools (but more on that later).

The history of online poker in the United States goes back decades. Without warning, the government had come for online poker on a day that would henceforth be known as Black Friday. As it stands, online poker is unlikely to ever come to Wyoming. As a member of the MSIGA, West Virginia players can play multi-state with BetRivers players in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Delaware. Yes, online poker is legal in West Virginia, and has been since March 2019, regulated through the West Virginia Lottery Interactive Wagering Act. Don’t expect a change in the Washington online gaming landscape for quite some time, if ever.

The online poker landscape in the US is constantly changing, but here at PokerNews we aim to keep you atop all the latest developments so you can have a great experience at the best online poker sites in the US. “It’s a very competitive arena, whether you’re talking about igaming or online poker,” Addabbo said. Progressive Knockout (PKO) events pay bounties when you eliminate players—and your own bounty grows with each knockout.

• Sit and Gos satellites often run for major, popular events, giving players on-demand opportunities to qualify for a main event.
• The only problem is the bill only permits the state’s two tribes – Mohegan and Mashantucket Pequot, but neither has yet found a partner to launch a poker site and it’s unclear when that will happen.
• A match bonus is available for new GGPoker players, but the real draw is GGPoker’s scale, software quality, and unmatched tournament schedule.
• There are no online poker rooms in Hawaii, one of the smallest states in the country by area and population.

But after legalizing sports betting in 2022, New York could be one of the next states to legalize online poker. New York State lawmakers have been attempting to legalize online poker since 2014 but have never had any success in doing so. This means that players can compete against other players from certain states in a shared-liquidity pool. They became the third state to legalize online poker and remain one of the largest online poker markets in the United States. Despite that, the idea of online poker in New Hampshire seems more of a hope than a reality.

The very first WSOP online bracelet tournament was in 2015, with the $1,000 WSOP.com Online No-Limit Hold ‘Em won by Anthony Spinella over a field of 905 for $197,743. The first World Series took place in 1970 and featured no tournaments at all. The World Series of Poker (WSOP) is a live poker festival held every year in Las Vegas. We do not operate as an affiliate and do not earn from player activity. PokerNews produces and provides live play-by-play updates and chip counts for publication on the World Series of Poker website, as well as on PokerNews.com. GGPoker is running an exclusive WSOP Online series across 45 days of non-stop action, along with more than $350 million in tournament prizes and over $5 million in exclusive promotions.

See his high-stakes Stake casino streams – $3K spins, bonus buys and crash – plus his full life story. CoinPoker’s GOPC Championship runs Aug 23-Sep 28 with a $50M guarantee, 700+ events and $350K added value. See how the Triton Poker Series reshaped high-stakes poker – Jeju’s record fields, Triton ONE, and next-gen broadcasting. Full 33-event schedule, a $25M Main Event, $5M+ in promos, and how to qualify cheaply.

You had a tough position at one of the last tables on Day 8. You have to play according to how the situation dictates it. How were you adjusting to your tables up to that point? “Just as I learned to be able to skate away from an altercation on the ice, I learned to make big folds at the tables.” “As far as the competitive nature of hockey and the discipline required, those are the similarities with poker,” says Mueller. Greg Mueller’s poker journey began on long bus rides during his professional hockey career.

New Jersey already has a well-established US online poker scene, but a new bill could shake things up this year. New York has flirted with online poker legislation for years, and 2025 is shaping up to be another big push. The timeline for player pooling is still up in the air, but early 2025 — likely April — is the target. If you’re a poker player wondering what’s happening in key states, you’re not alone.

Charismatic poker professional Matt Marafioti has died after jumping from the 28th floor in New Jersey The player was deeply troubled in the final weeks leading up to the tragedy and professed his love for his one-year-old son on social media Marafioti was caught in a custodial battle for his son and was saddened by … Black Friday provided an opportunity for state-regulated online poker sites after several rulings that the Interstate Wire Act of 1961 did not apply to online poker. While a few online poker executives served jail time, most got away with financial penalties and what many considered to be a slap on the wrist. The complaint further alleged that between April 2007 and April 2011, Bitar, Lederer, Ferguson and Furst lined their own pockets with approximately $443 million in players’ money. In September 2011, six months after Black Friday, it was revealed that Full Tilt Poker had paid out tens of millions to its executives using player funds and did not have the money to pay back players.

Play the Shuffle.us Daily Race and share 10,000,000 GC across the top 100 players. QQPK’s $30 satellite sends you to a live Taipei final table. Other Pennsylvania online poker operators like WSOP PA and PokerStars PA have yet to say whether they plan on joining MSIGA. Is the US getting closer to legalizing online poker nationwide or in a majority of states? After signing off on the agreement, Shapiro sat down with Poker Hall of Famer and PokerGO President Mori Eskandani for a conference call interview about the development to the online poker landscape. In any case, players must still wait for regulation to be drafted, with the Maine Gambling Control Unit responsible for drafting the specific rules and licensing requirements.

In just over an hour on Wednesday night, poker history was made. That will be rectified this week as the crème of the European poker world goes to one of its favorite locations, the Casino Barcelona in Spain. All operators listed by PokerListings are licensed and safe to play at.

$5,000,000 Weekly CoinRaces: How to Gain Max Value From Cash Games on CoinPoker

The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) of 2006 makes it challenging for gaming operators to offer services to the United States as a whole. In fact, no one on the Senate–House Conference Committee had seen the final language of the bill before it was passed. 888poker was founded in 2002, and two years later Full Tilt Poker (FTP) entered the market.

Most of the time, poker goes hand-in-hand with other gaming interests. Below you will get a better understanding of online poker in the United States and garner a better understanding of each state’s current stance on the issue, and in some cases, their chances of offering online poker. As of early 2026, only six states have legalized and actually offer online poker – Nevada, Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Michigan. Yes, online poker is legal in the United States, albeit only in certain states. In addition, we offer a brief look at the history of online poker legality in the United States, from the early days, during the poker boom, and through Black Friday and beyond.

Many notable streamers, such as Lex Veldhuis, Parker Talbot and Benjamin Spragg, choose to play MTTs due to their appeal to their audience and stream-friendly action. MTT is a broad term that can encompass many different types of poker tournament in itself. If we’re taking the term literally, an MTT, or Multi-Table Tournament, is a tournament that runs across two or more tables simultaneously. The best poker site to play freerolls is PartyPoker. They’re perfect for beginners, bankroll builders and anyone looking to play without spending real money.

Online poker sites typically offer a variety of poker site deposit and withdrawal options to accommodate the diverse preferences and needs of their players. We test each client and app ourselves to get a feel for the interface, table layout, and any unique features like hand replayers, built-in HUDs, or tournament filters. From Welcome Bonuses to regular Loyalty Rewards, most poker sites look to incentivize you to signup and play with them, while also rewarding existing players for consistent loyalty. Combined with frequent no-deposit promotions and exclusive series-based freerolls, 888poker gives players plenty of chances to build a bankroll from scratch without any initial investment. It offers one of the most active freeroll schedules online, with daily and weekly events open to new players, loyalty members, and social media followers. It runs regular daily freerolls that new and returning players can access, giving you a way to win real money or tournament tickets without investing money from your bankroll.

But in real poker lessons, I do not find that leading with those concepts produces better results for most of my clients. I use them when I study on my own so I can become a better poker coach. If there are easier spots at the table, you do not always need to take the thinnest possible edge against the toughest opponent.

Playing on reputable sites with proper safeguards in place means you can focus on enjoying the game with peace of mind. The leading poker rooms have been operating for many years and are regulated by reputable gaming authorities. Use these features early to manage your time and budget just as you would in a live poker room. A poker site needs to be fast, stable, and easy to navigate, whether you’re multi-tabling on a PC or playing a quick Sit & Go on your phone. The best way to checkout and compare all the best online poker bonuses is to visit our dedicated bonus page. The best sites don’t just offer Texas Hold’em, they also feature Omaha, Sit & Gos, Mystery Bounty events, fast-fold poker, and other variants.

As of 2022, there are nine casinos with six operated by Native American tribes, four of which are Kansas-based, and two run by the Wayandotte Nation of Oklahoma. The state allowed Native American-operated casinos for decades before in 2007 introducing a bill allowing other land-based casinos as well. In Des Moines, Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino have been home to a solid card room since 2004, and there are popular poker rooms on the western and eastern parts of the state, along with up north near the Minnesota border. Live poker, on the other hand, has been booming for many years in the great state of Iowa. Poker is and isn’t legal in Iowa, it just depends on how you want to play. Live poker has long been booming in the state, especially in the Chicagoland area (Hammond, Indiana).

The more poker hands you play, the more points you earn and point will mean real money prizes! PokerStars is my pick for the best poker site for tournaments. If you want guaranteed prize pools and endless variety, this is where to play – especially if you’re a mixed-game fan, given the extensive array of poker variants available. If one thing sets BetRivers Poker out from the rest, it’s the genuine push to reward loyalty and build an environment that is truly tailored to players’ needs.

APT tournaments generally start and end earlier, and the buy-ins are lower and more affordable. The PLO and NLH Venom tournaments kicked off today with a combined $15M in guarantees spread across several starting flights all month. There were some reporters who refused to do chip counts because they thought it beneath them even though tournament coverage without chip counts is like a baseball game without a scoreboard. But it was also one of the first times that I was not just ‘allowed’ to bring my personality to the table but encouraged. You saw poker media evolve from blogs, written updates, and experimental podcasts into official livestreams, social video, and organization-owned content. With only a handful of exceptions, I don’t think any player really struck me as wildly different from how they were on television.

The PokerStars MicroMillions series provides the perfect lead-in to the upcoming World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP). $2M+ GTD for PokerStars MicroMillions series as WCOOP approaches Three different $26,000 NLH events will scatter themselves in between to make up a complete Super High Roller Series. If you’re playing at a higher level, or if you just want to stop by and watch those who are, the PokerGO Tour will be back on the beat with its fall schedule. No matter where you might toss the dart on the calendar, you’ll find something to play, so we did a deep dive on the schedule to map out the rest of 2026. The World Series of Poker is gone but poker never stops in Las Vegas.

Brazil Looks Likely to Continue Disallowing Retail Gambling

Play smart, manage your stack, and aim for the final table. Just follow these five steps below and you’ll be at the tables in no time. WSOP.com brings the glitz and glamour to digital tables, offering a host of different REAL WSOP bracelets during WSOP Online Circuit events. Other notable series include their KO and new Mystery Bounty Series. Known for its recreational focus, 888poker offers regular tournament festivals like its XL Series, 888poker LIVE Online and Mystery Bounty Festivals. Much of the same features and games that made PokerStars so great still remain on the FanDuel version.

It was clear there was trouble brewing in the US online poker landscape, but sites continued to operate and players continued to deposit. Poker’s popularity had been at an all-time high and patches of online poker companies like PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker could be seen on players everywhere. As for online poker, it’s even worse for poker players as internet gambling is illegal in any form. Live poker is only permitted at the state’s two racinos in table-game form, not as traditional live poker cash games or tournaments.

If you’re still wanting to play poker in the state, there is an alternative. Major poker sites such as PokerStars haven’t been accessible from Alabama since Black Friday on April www.pokernewsdaily.com 15, 2011, when the US Department of Justice (DOJ) forced the top sites to cease operations in the United States. At this time, as of 2026, there are no pieces of legislation up for a vote on bringing legal internet poker to the Cotton State. On the contrary, politicians often introduce bills supporting live poker efforts. Before long, states all across the country were offering both live and online sports-betting options.

The UK keeps it tight but consistent — everyone follows the same rules, which makes players feel safe, and operators trust the system. RNG certification remains non-negotiable, but now players want more transparency. A fragmented player base leads to empty lobbies, longer wait times, and declining engagement. Large states like California, New York, and Florida — all with huge potential player bases — have failed to pass meaningful poker legislation, despite years of debate. Three more states (West Virginia, Connecticut, and Rhode Island) created a legal framework for online poker, but have no operations yet. Now, nearly twenty years later, U.S. online poker still looks like a mismatched fabric.

Because it’s much easier to truly improve at the game than it used to be. It’s no secret that the quality of poker training has increased by orders of magnitude since the boom years. The old days of poker, pre-Moneymaker and before the TV cameras, were not pretty. But I do have a pretty good perspective on where poker is now, compared to the boom days. Try it the next time you’re unsure whether you should go for something because of what others might think.