Largest Us Poker Sites
While the difference between a busy live poker room and a not quite-so-busy room can just be a handful of tables, the difference between the most popular poker sites and an average one can be hundreds, if not thousands of tables.
Obviously bigger isn't always better, but there are definitely some real advantages to choosing rooms with larger-than-average player bases. What is it about poker sites with a lot of traffic that makes them more appealing to online poker players? We're going to unpack that question, but first let's talk about our top-rated poker room among the largest rooms, why big rooms aren't always the best for players and the slight of hand involved in figuring out which room is actually the largest poker room online.
- And because of its willingness to continue in the US market when others turned away, PokerStars soon became, and still is, the largest poker site in the world. Full Tilt Poker: Like PokerStars, when most sites left the US market after the passing of the UIGEA, Full Tilt Poker also chose to raise the stakes instead.
- One of the best poker sites for US players is BetOnline (click for a $1,000 bonus). Since this site’s creation in 2009, BetOnline has grown to become one of the most popular internet poker websites in the world with a huge user base and some of the best tournaments available.
- Usually, the best poker sites with the highest traffic are the more established brands like Bovada, JuicyStakes and partypoker. On these sites, you can easily find an open seat during peak hours, and there are plenty of tables to play at during the off time. Do Any US Poker Sites Accept PayPal?
Why You Should Choose To Play Poker at a Bigger Site Over a Small Poker Room?
The biggest (and best) reason to play at a large poker site is security. If an online poker room has hundreds of thousands of members then the odds of the site being disreputable are extremely low. Simply put, bad businesses don’t stay in business very long. A great, big poker website got that way for a reason and that is by doing right by the customers that have used them which has kept them from leaving.
We're going to do the opposite: show you exactly where you can play poker online and guide you to the largest poker sites that still accept American players. In short, the best U.S. poker sites.
BetOnline is the top site on the Chico Poker Network, which is the third largest that accepts Americans. It has built its reputation up to one of the strongest in the USA online poker industry. New players receive a 100% up to $2,500 first deposit bonus.
Although the US government has made it slightly more complicated for Americans to play poker online in the last few years - or, specifically, to deposit and withdraw money from online poker sites - the US poker market is still the biggest in the world.
And from California to the New York Island, from the redwood forest to the Gulf Stream waters, hundreds of thousands of poker players are still grinding it out online every day.
Where are you most likely to find them? These are the largest US poker sites online today:
Massive US Poker Sites
PokerStars: When PokerStars announced after the UIGEA was passed in 2006 that it was going to stay in the US market, it was a big relief for American poker-tournament enthusiasts.
This meant they could still participate in the Sunday Million, the World Championship of Online Poker and the wide range of daily freerolls, satellites and sit-and-gos Poker Stars offered.
Since then, the tournament lineup at PokerStars has exploded even further, offering by far and away the most extensive range of poker tournaments available online.
Highest Traffic Us Poker Sites
And because of its willingness to continue in the US market when others turned away, PokerStars soon became, and still is, the largest poker site in the world.
Full Tilt Poker: Like PokerStars, when most sites left the US market after the passing of the UIGEA, Full Tilt Poker also chose to raise the stakes instead.
With backing from several big names in poker, including Phil Ivey, Chris Ferguson, Howard Lederer and Erik Seidel, Full Tilt Poker started an aggressive ad campaign to recruit new players.
Largest Us Online Poker Sites
It paid off. Today the majority of all high-stakes cash -game action takes place at Full Tilt and whatever game or limit you prefer, Full Tilt Poker has it around the clock.
Medium-Sized US Poker Sites
UB.com/Absolute Poker: Both UB.com and Absolute Poker have a somewhat turbulent history.
The two are of course famous for the super-user account scandal that shocked the poker community a couple of years back. But they are also known for providing great cash-game and tournament action, and for sending hundreds of players to the World Series of Poker every year.
Today, UB.com and Absolute Poker run on the same network, Cereus, which is the sixth-largest poker platform in the world.
Bodog Poker: The traffic at Bodog Poker peaked around the time Jamie Gold miraculously won the WSOP Main Event wearing the poker site's colors in 2006.
Shortly thereafter, Bodog ran into some trouble with a cyber squatter and lost the rights to use its own domain name. 'Bodog' became 'BodogLife' and everything was turned upside down.
Now, though, after a protracted legal battle, Bodog is back and traffic is growing again every day.
The fact Bodog Poker has also made it very easy for Americans to make deposits and withdrawals has made it, once again, one of the more interesting US poker sites out there.
Up-and-Coming US Poker sites
Sportsbook Poker/PlayersOnly Poker: Both Sportsbook Poker and PlayersOnly started on the Cake Poker Network but have recently moved to the Merge network - a niche platform that also accepts US credit-card deposits.
The traffic is still in the lower segment overall, but if you play low- to mid-stakes Hold'em tournaments or ring-games (as 95% of all players do) there are always games to choose from here.
And, since this is a growing network, there's also a lot of dead money at the tables.
If you're interested in playing at any of these sites, check out our toplist of the largest US poker sites where you'll also find exclusive sign-up bonuses and in-depth reviews of the best sites for US players.
Largest Us Poker Sites
If you want to know how to fund your US online poker account, which is quite a hassle these days, we have the complete list of US poker sites credit card deposits as well as other payment methods for Americans.