Perhaps the most popular casino card game in the world, it’s become just as popular for people to play poker online for real money. In our guide to online poker, we’ll cover:
If you’re a US player looking to play real money online poker, here are our favorite sites:
Though you can certainly run across additional types, these are the most popular variations of online poker in the US:
After reviewing our favorite USA poker sites, these rooms did not pass the high standards set by Gamble Online’s team of experts. For more information, please check out our How We Rate section.
Online poker’s many variations can get complicated – stick to the variations that you understand you get some experience.
In most variations of online poker, you’re wagering against real people. Maintain your composure, stick to your strategy, and don’t get baited into betting on a hand you don’t like.
Folding is not the same as losing. Great online poker players aren’t afraid to walk away from a hand if they feel they’re beaten. Live to fight another day.
Note: these game types are not the same as the game variations we listed above. Game types refer to the gameplay type itself, rather than differences in rules. At a good online poker room, you’ll be able to find different game types for each of the variations that we listed above.
With that said, there are five main types of real money online poker that US players will find:
Cash games of online poker have no fixed time to finish, and are played for real money. Players can leave the game at their leisure.
More of a commitment, in an online poker tournament players commit to playing until the tournament ends, and cannot cash out before then. You play until you’re out of chips, and receive a certain payout amount depending on where you finished.
Also known as SnGs, the tournament begins as soon as your table is full, and often wrap up in under an hour. If you lose all your chips, you’re done.
A variation of online poker in which, if you fold quickly, you can move to a new table to play again right away. This is a great game type for playing quickly.
An even faster version of fast-fold poker, with games often finished in less than ten minutes.
Nearly all variations of online poker are played with the standard 52-card deck. The value ranking of each card goes in descending order (Ace >King > Queen > Jack > 10 > 9, etc.)
It is important to note that in most game variants, Ace can be used as either high or low in straights (e.g. you could have a five-card straight that runs A-2-3-4-5, or 10-J-Q-K-A.)
The following table will show common poker hand variations, ranked from best to worst:
| Poker Hand Name | Cards | Example Hand |
| Royal Flush | A, K, Q, J, 10 – same suit |  |
| Straight Flush | Five sequential cards – same suit |  |
| Four of a Kind | Four cards of the same value, one of each suit – fifth card doesn’t matter |  |
| Full House | Three cards of the same value, and a pair of an additional value |  |
| Flush | Five cards of the same suit – any order |  |
| Straight | Five sequential cards – any suit |  |
| Three of a Kind | Three cards of the same value – other two cards don’t matter |  |
| Two Pair | Two cards of the same value and two cards of a different value – fifth card doesn’t matter |  |
| One Pair | Two cards of the same value – other three cards don’t matter |  |
| No Pair | All five cards of different values and not all the same suit |
When it comes to U.S.-friendly online poker sites, Bovada is one of the best. Launched in 2011, Bovada is a spinoff of the global Bodog brand offering premiere poker, casino and sports betting odds for American gamblers.
What we like
Regardless of your experience level, finding a great online poker room can be challenging. It gets even more difficult when you want to play poker for real money, as you need to factor in deposit methods, safety and security, etc.
If safety is your biggest concern, we have our list of safest online poker sites, but for everyone else, here’s what to look for when choosing an online poker site for real money play.
Player traffic is a fancy way of saying how many players typically visit an online poker site. If there is a high amount of player traffic, that site must be popular among players, and typically a site is popular for a reason. The more players there are, the better the prize pools will be.
New players often don’t realize just how important a role the software plays in enjoyment of online poker. By reading through our reviews, you’ll quickly learn just how valuable a good software provider can be.
A great way of separating a good poker room from a bad one is by the features offered by the client. Another is the smoothness of the gameplay – online poker games should be fast to load and run flawlessly without any interference. Keep in mind, Gamble Online has done this work for you, but if you’re skeptical and want to truly do your homework, we would recommend looking into the software provider at your site of choice. Good navigation, design, graphics, features, and tools offered play a bigger role than you might think.
We’re going to come right out and say it: you shouldn’t play at an online poker site that doesn’t offer bonuses. Promotions are increasingly common at good gambling sites, with the majority of solid brands offering an initial deposit bonus, matching your initial deposit up to a certain amount – for example, if you deposit $100, the site will give you $100 to play with.
Beyond the welcome bonus, poker bonuses are usually released in increments based on the stakes and number of hands you play. Other promotions to look for include bad beat jackpots, loyalty programs, rakeback, and giveaways to major tournaments like the WSOP. Be sure to do you homework on bonuses before signing up for a new online casino account.
We also recommend checking out the cash game and tournament varieties at a prospective site, as some real money poker sites don’t offer a very large choice. Since enjoying competition and playing great poker are presumably your main reason for joining an online poker room, make sure you know about the different competitions offered – whether that’s high stakes, small buy-in, or something in between – before you deposit.
Yes, despite some conflicting reports, online poker is legal. You can review all the state-by-state gambling laws on our site. However, there are no federal laws from competing in online poker or poker tournaments.
Depends who you ask, but since the online poker boom of the early 2000s, No Limit Texas Hold’em has earned a lot of headlines as it’s the format used in the World Series of Poker Main Event.
Yes, if you visit a reputable online casino website. We’ve highlighted the best and safest poker games online sites at the top of this page. Be sure the casino is licensed and regulated before signing up. Also, if you aren’t a big fan of random number generator poker games, be sure to give LIVE dealer poker rooms a chance. You see a real-life dealer on your screen in real time via a live video stream. It’s just like being at a casino, but from the comfort of home.
