In the US, online poker is legal only in certain states. However, the UIGEA has made it illegal for US banks to handle transactions with offshore online poker sites. Despite these laws, several sites still accept US players and have found ways to work around these restrictions. Listed below are the legal states where you can play online poker.
The first state to legalize online poker was Delaware, in 2012. Since then, Nevada and New Jersey have followed suit. Nevada authorized licenses for online poker and casino sites in April 2013. The New Jersey Gaming Commission (NGLC) approved online poker and casino sites in November of that year. Both Nevada and New Jersey are home to several regulated online poker and casino sites.
Once you’ve chosen the website you want to play at, you’ll need to download the poker software. Most of these downloads are virus-free and will take a few minutes. Next, you’ll need to set up an account with the site. Keep in mind that you can only create one account with an online poker site. Multi-accounting is forbidden and can land you permanently banned from the site.
The game of online poker is not as complicated as it sounds. The online version will automatically notify you when it’s your turn to act. One advantage to playing online is that you can play more tables at once than you can in a brick-and-mortar casino. A traditional casino can only offer one table at a time, while an online poker site will allow you to view multiple tables in separate windows.
Some online poker sites host large multi-table tournaments where players compete to win big prizes. These tournaments are available in nearly all states and Canada and can have huge prize pools. You can also participate in daily, weekly, and seasonal tournaments. If you’re new to online poker, you can try out freerolls on some of these sites.
California is home to a number of online poker websites. However, it’s illegal to play real money poker in California. However, you can still play online poker for fun and cash at social sites and sweepstakes sites. The biggest sweepstakes site in California today is Global Poker, which offers free registration and allows you to play cash and virtual currency games.
Texas is a large state and many Texans are interested in playing online poker. Though the state is not known for gambling, cowboys have long dominated the state, and it is where the game Texas Hold’em got its name. However, legalizing online poker in Texas is a longshot in the current political climate.
Historically, poker was first played in the Americas in the 1800s and was based on the French game poque, which came to the US with French sailors. This game quickly spread to other states and ports, including Texas, Louisiana, and Pennsylvania. In fact, the United States hosted the largest number of poker tournaments in the month of September, followed by California, Texas, and Florida.