Despite the federal laws banning online gambling in the US, there are a few options for US poker players to get access to foreign-based poker sites. The first option is to join a poker site based overseas. A second option is to sign up with a site that accepts US players.
A third option is to play poker at an online casino. In addition to the benefits of playing at a live venue, online casinos can allow players to place smaller bets and play multiple tables at once. Many online casinos also offer poker freeroll tournaments to attract beginners and less wealthy players.
Some states have passed legislation allowing poker to be played online. However, only four states currently offer legal online poker options.
Poker is legal in the United Kingdom, Puerto Rico, and several Caribbean nations. Aside from these four states, online gambling is illegal in most states in the U.S. In addition, the federal government has interpreted the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act and the Federal Wire Act to ban online gambling.
However, the law does not specifically address online poker. There are a number of legal experts who dispute the DOJ’s claim. In addition, there are more than 600 independent doorways into poker networks. This means that there is no single national authority overseeing the game. Moreover, there are a number of platforms that should be avoided at all costs.
Many poker players claim that the difference between live and online poker is striking. In the live game, players receive and deliver bad beats. In online poker, however, there are more improbable bad beats. This makes it more likely for a player to see randomly large pots. This is one reason why more casual players have turned to online poker.