Online Poker New York — Is It Legal? Get $5,000+ at NY Poker Sites
If you’re looking for some of the best online poker New York sites, you’ve come to the right page. New York carries a long poker tradition, with underground card rooms dating back to the early 19th century. Consequently, some of the most skillful poker players are from New York.
The tradition lives on, and many New Yorkers are interested in playing the most important card game in the world on the web. If you’re one of them, please keep reading this comprehensive guide. We’ll suggest and review some of the leading online poker sites currently available in New York, discuss your land-based options, and the legal framework for playing poker in NY. Read on.
BEST ONLINE POKER SITES NEW YORK
The Best Online Poker New York Sites
First of all, let’s check some of the best New York online poker sites. After in-depth research and creating a stringent vetting process, we narrowed down the selection to the following platforms. Each of the sites provides a fantastic online poker in New York and many other US states.
- BetOnline — Overall the best site online poker in New York, suitable for high rollers thanks to high table limits.
- Bovada — Top-notch poker options with anonymous rooms.
- SportsBetting — A New York poker room with the best choice of tournaments.
- Ignition — Overall best selection of New York online poker games.
- Everygame — An online New York poker room with the largest welcome bonus.
- Tiger Gaming — An online poker New York site with the most affordable buy-ins.
New York Online Poker Sites Reviewed
We decided to further narrow down our selection to the top five online poker New York sites and make five mini-reviews for each of them. Feel free to explore them below and pick the one that meets your needs. All New York poker rooms mentioned below are considered the best in business, but it’s ultimately up to you to pick the one you like the most.
1. BetOnline – Best Online Poker New York Site
Established in 2011, BetOnline has emerged as the top #1 online poker room. It’s powered by Chico Poker Software, which ensures smooth navigation and playing experience, especially if you want to play poker on a mobile device.
The two most popular options are Texas Hold’em and Omaha Hi/Lo, with plenty of exciting cash games and tournaments as well. Some of them are part of BetOnline’s superb promotions program, which includes options such as Bad Beat Jackpot, Progressive Bounties, $1 Million Windfall, and more. Moreover, cash game limits start at $0.01/$0.02 and go up to $5/$10. Plus, you can find tournaments that start as low as $10.
The platform features a range of bonuses and freerolls, including a lucrative welcome bonus where new players can claim up to $1,000 in bonus money. Finally, BetOnline is a crypto-friendly platform. Apart from Neteller, Skrill, and bank wire transfers, you can use Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Litecoin, Ethereum, and Dash.
Pros
Cons
Huge selection of cash games
Slow fIat currency payouts
High deposit limit (up to $500k)
Anonymous play not available
Superb poker software
Decent freerolls selection
2. Bovada – One of the New York Poker Rooms With Anonymous Poker Rooms
Bovada is one of BetOnline’s main competitors. The platform started operating in 2011. What makes this online poker New York site stand out from the pack is anonymous play, which many poker players love. Anonymous play allows inexperienced players to protect their play history and avoid sharks.
The platform features a standard selection of poker options as cash games and tournaments. Hold’em cash games start at $0.2/$0.4 and go up to $10/$20. If you’re into tournaments, you’ll find great guarantees that offer up to $2 million up for grabs. In addition, there are plenty of knockout tournaments and even Sit & Gos with jackpot prizes. Finally, new players are eligible for a 100% bonus of up to $500 on their first deposit.
Apart from the major credit card brands, Bovada also accepts Bitcoin and Bitcoin Cash for deposits and withdrawals.
Pros
Cons
Anonymous tables available
Freerolls not available
Quick withdrawals
Welcome bonus not high enough
Intuitive and user-friendly design
Plenty of ongoing tournaments
3. SportsBetting.ag – An Online Poker New York Site With Best Freerolls
SportsBetting.ag was established in 2002, and it’s the official sister site to BetOnline. The decade-older sister’s main focus is NY sports betting, but plenty of players also love it due to its great poker room. It’s also part of the online poker New York market, meaning you can access it from NY and enjoy playing Texas Hold’em, Omaha, and Omaha Hi/Lo. No limit cash games start at $0.05/$0.10 and go up to $15/$30. You can also choose from several great tournaments.
The platform represents one of the online New York poker rooms with the largest number of freerolls, and it also features a lucrative welcome bonus — 100% up to $1,000 on your first deposit.
It runs on Chico Poker Software, and you can download it to your desktop or mobile device.
Finally, SportsBetting.ag accepts a wide range of fiat and crypto payment methods, with the minimum deposit being $20 and a maximum of $25,000 for cryptocurrencies.
Pros
Cons
Lucrative welcome bonus
Relatively slow payouts
High deposit limit for cryptocurrencies
Fewer leaderboards
Great limit spread
Downloadable poker app
4. Ignition Poker New York – One of the Best New York Poker Rooms for Tournament Players
Established in 2016, Ignition Poker is one of the youngest online New York poker rooms featured in this guide. Nevertheless, it’s operated by an experienced team, featuring plenty of great cash games and tournaments. In fact, it’s safe to say that it has the best tournaments out of all featured sites, including The Monthly Milly, Knockout Tournaments, Jackpot Sit & Gos, Bitcoin Free Rolls, $2 Million Guaranteed Tournaments, and more.
Since Bovada is its sister site, Ignition poker has many similar traits, including anonymous gameplay that helps you stay away from the sharks. Moreover, new players can claim a lucrative 100% bonus of up to $2,000. However, if you decide to deposit in cryptocurrencies, you can get a special crypto welcome bonus — 150% up to $3,000.
Limits on Ignition start at $0.02/$0.05 and go up to $30/60, making it suitable for a wide array of players. Apart from Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and the voucher, you can also use Bitcoin and Bitcoin Cash.
Pros
Cons
Quick withdrawals
Deposit limited to $5,000
Anonymous tables
Hefty welcome bonus
Great selection of tournaments
5. Everygame – Online Poker Real Money New York Site With the Largest Welcome Bonus
Everygame may not be a familiar name even to the experienced New York online poker players. But you probably recognize its previous name — Intertops, which was recently rebranded to Everygame. Therefore, the platform offers a range of features unique to Intertops, including a huge welcome bonus for new players — 200% on the first deposit. In addition to that, you’ll find several other benefits on Everygame, especially for regular customers.
On top of that, Everygame features competitive cash games and tournaments, with Texas Hold’em and Omaha being the two main available options. You’ll find plenty of different tournament variations with a huge range of buy-ins. Most cash games start at $0.02/$0.04 and go up to $10/$20. In addition to Neteller, Skrill, and several other fiat methods, you can use Bitcoin and a range of other altcoins for playing on this platform.
Pros
Cons
Wide array of crypto payment options
High rollover requirements for the welcome bonus
Great withdrawal limits
Plenty of exciting tournaments
Impressive welcome bonus
Online Poker New York – The Top Sites Compared
Now that you’re familiar with the popular online New York poker rooms, you probably have at least some idea which one suits you best. We decided to help you out by comparing them side-by-side. Feel free to examine the table below to learn more about available poker options, poker bonuses, and available tournaments on all five poker sites.
Bonus code: NEWBOL $1 Progressive Bounties, Windfall Sit and Go’s, Million Windfall, Nightly monsters, Rebuy Frenzy, Bad Beat Jackpot. Bonus code: PWB500 Million Dollar Weekend, 12 Days of Turbos, Knockout Tournaments, $150,000 Guaranteed, Jackpot Sit and Go, $100, 000 Guaranteed Bonus code: NEWSB Or 100% first deposit bonus up to $2,000 Jackpot Sit and Go, Festival of Felt, Knockout Tournaments, Weekly Bitcoin Free Roll, Wild Wednesday, Normal Sit and Go, $150K Guaranteed, $ 2 Million Guaranteed, Monster Stack, Super Saturday, Progressive Knockouts, Super Millions Bonus code: 100EGP Daily Free Roll, Sundowner Tourneys Wipeout Series, Summit Series,
Online Poker New York Site
Poker variety
Poker bonus
Poker tournaments
Poker table limits
Freerolls
BetOnline
Texas Holdem, Omaha Hi/Low, Boost Poker, Windfall Poker, Six Plus Poker
100% first deposit bonus up to $1,000
Sunday Majors,
$5 to No-Limit
✅
Bovada
Texas Holdem, Omaha, Omaha Hi/Lo
100% first deposit up to $500
The Monthly Milly, $2 Million Guaranteed,
$2 to $250
❌
Sportsbetting
Texas Holdem, Omaha Hi/Lo
100% first deposit bonus up to $1,000
$150,000 Guaranteed, $1 Million Windfall, Jackpot
$5 to No Limit
✅
Ignition
Texas Holdem, Omaha, Omaha Hi/Lo,
150% first deposit bonus up to $3,000 for crypto
The Monthly Milly,
$2 to $250
✅
Everygame
Texas Holdem, Omaha, Omaha Hi/Lo.
200% first deposit bonus up to $1,000
Bounty tournaments, Sit and Go, Depositor Free Roll,
$5 to $150
✅
Is Online Poker Legal in New York?
Online poker is not legal in New York at the moment, and you won’t find any online poker platforms licensed by the New York State Gaming Commission. However, despite the absence of legal online poker in New York platforms, you can still access a wide array of offshore poker sites. In other words, residents are free to access offshore poker platforms, as the law mainly applies to running online poker operations within the state. Technically speaking, the offshore sites offering online poker in New York are in the grey legal area. Still, all platforms suggested on this platform can be considered New York poker rooms as they are entirely available to New Yorkers.
Video Poker
Many new poker players often mix up online poker with video poker. While they have similar basic rules, they are two entirely different types of games. Video poker is a casino game where players play alone (not against other players). Most video poker options are based on draw poker and come in all shapes and sizes. Some of the most popular video poker options are Jacks or Better, Deuces Wild, Aces and Faces, and more.
Check out our selection of New York online casinos to learn more about great offshore sites offering video poker and other great casino games.
Casual Poker
Casual poker is a type of live poker played among friends. It’s often hosted in one of the participant’s homes, with typically low stakes. Hosting poker games is legal in New York as long as nobody is charging rake or any other kind of fee/commission as the host. This type of gambling is perceived as a social game of chance and is legal as such. However, you still need to be of legal gambling age to participate in casual poker.
Poker New York Laws
Even though New York hasn’t officially legalized online poker, it has come a long way regarding land-based poker options. The state has legalized four commercial casinos. In addition to commercial, there are also tribal casinos — a total of 16 properties operated by four tribes. Many of them feature poker rooms to enjoy live poker cash games and tournaments.
Therefore, it’s safe to say that poker enthusiasts from NY have plenty of land-based options. They still have to be 21 or older to enter casinos and participate in poker games and tournaments.
New York Poker — Live and In-Person
There are currently ten live poker rooms operating in New York as part of commercial and tribal casinos.
Del Lago Casino & Resort
Located in Waterloo, NY, Del Lago is one of the largest casinos in the state. Its poker room currently features 14 poker tables and plenty of ongoing cash games. Available options are Texas Hold’em, Pot-Limit Omaha, and Seven Card Stud.
Resorts World Catskills
The poker room at Resorts World Catskills features 19 tables and an array of limit and no-limit cash games starting at $3–$6 and $1–$2 minimum betting, respectively. You’ll find Texas Hold’em, Pot-Limit Omaha, Seven Card Stud, and a Bad Beat Jackpot.
Rivers Casino & Resort Schenectady
Apart from 1,150 slots and 67 live table games, Rivers Casino & Resort Schenectady features a great poker room with 15 tables and a packed schedule, including various cash games and tournaments. Most of the available options focus on Texas Hold’em.
Turning Stone Casino
Turning Stone Resort Casino is home to one of the most exciting poker rooms. With exactly 32 tables, you can play live cash games, daily single-table tournaments, and more. The poker room also features 12 big screen HD TVs and is home to a World Series of Poker Circuit stop that lasts for 11 days.
New York Online Poker Laws
It isn’t legal to run an online poker site in New York. However, players are still free to visit offshore poker sites and play poker that way. Offshore poker sites are not physically located in the US but are operated by companies registered in other countries. In other words, they aren’t licensed and regulated by the NY regulator, but they still operate in the grey legal area in New York. However, you’re still required to be of legal gambling age if you want to play online poker, 21 or older.
New York Online Poker
Playing online poker in New York is popular among players as it comes with various benefits compared to land-based poker. The most important advantage is keeping track of the hands you and your opponents played, which gives you a better overview of play history and helps you improve your poker strategy.
Moreover, when playing from the comfort of your home, you can always use some kind of cheat sheet that will help you always make the best possible move and stick to your strategies, such as GTO.
Perhaps one of the biggest advantages of online poker in New York is welcome bonuses. Since the online poker market is very competitive, providers are looking to attract new players and retain regulars. One of the most popular methods is offering lucrative bonuses that can help you kickstart your online poker experience.
Even though there’s a decent selection of poker tournaments in New York, you can find much more options on online poker sites, and your only task is to pick the best poker site for you.
Making New York Poker Online Deposits
To win real prizes on online New York poker sites, you need to make a deposit first. The good news is that many offshore sites accept a wide range of payment methods, and all platforms featured in this guide also accept cryptocurrencies. They each have different limits and payment processing speed, so make sure to check out the table below.
Withdrawal limit: $25,000 per week Withdrawal limit: no withdrawal limit for crypto $100,000 Withdrawal limit: $100,000 Withdrawal limit: No withdrawal limit for cryptocurrencies
Online Poker New York Site
Payment options
Accepting crypto
Payment speed
Payment limit
BetOnline
Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Person to Person, Money Order, Bank Wire Transfer, Cashier’s Check, Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum, Cardano, Chainlink, Dogecoin, Litecoin, Ripple, Stellar, USD Coin, Tether.
✅
Deposit limit: up to $500,000 for cryptocurrencies.
Up to 2 business days
Bovada
Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Voucher, Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Litecoin, Zelle, Match Pay
✅
Deposit limit: $15,000
Up to 1 business day
SportsBetting
Visa, Mastercard, Discover, Money Order, Check, Bank Wire Transfer, Skrill, Neteller, Bitcoin.
✅
Deposit limit:
Up to 2 business days
Ignition
Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Voucher, Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Zelle.
✅
Deposit limit: $5,000
Up to 1 business day
Everygame
Visa, Mastercard, Discover, Skrill, Ecopayz, Bank Wire Transfer, Paysafecard, Check by Courier, Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Litecoin.
✅
Withdrawal limit: $110,000 per week
Up to 1 business day
Playing Online Poker in New York
Each of the five online platforms featured in this guide features certain advantages and disadvantages that will ultimately help you decide on the best option for you.
If you’re looking for cryptocurrencies, your best bet is BetOnline, as it currently features 11 crypto deposit and withdrawal methods. Moreover, the deposit and withdrawal limits for crypto users are huge. Of course, all other platforms have cryptocurrencies as well, but if there’s anything you don’t enjoy about BetOnline, you can always pick Everygame.
All featured online poker sites are quite competitive if you’re after lucrative welcome bonuses. The only casino with a slightly lower welcome bonus is Bovada since its maximum amount is limited to $500. However, Everygame is definitely the leader in this area as it’s the only site to offer a 200% bonus on your first deposit — all other sites offer 100% bonuses.
Most poker rooms in NY offer Hold’em and Omaha, and you’re going to find these two variants in all featured sites that offer online poker in New York. However, if you’re interested in going beyond the two poker games, you should definitely check out BetOnline, which also featured less popular variations, such as Boost Poker, Windfall Poker, and Six Plus Poker.
Finally, players interested in poker tournament New York should focus on Ignition, as it’s currently the platform with the highest offer of organized competitions, offering anywhere between 10 and 15 big online tourneys monthly. Other sites that are also doing well in this sphere are Everygame and Bovada.
Tips for Online Poker Real Money — New York
No matter which New York online poker sites you select, you should always try to make the most out of them. Plenty of people play poker in New York City, and some of them are active players on offshore sites, so it’s important to stay as competitive as you can since you’re likely to meet some of them online. Here are some of the basic tips to consider before joining one of the online poker rooms in New York.
- Pay attention to the bonuses — Every online poker site has a lucrative welcome bonus that you can claim and extend your online poker experience. Make sure to examine each bonus carefully and pick the one you like the most.
- Read the table rules — Each online poker site has table rules regarding rake, table limits, available games, and more. Get familiar with them to incorporate them into your poker strategy.
- Plan your budget upfront — Only deposit the amount you can afford to lose and try not to get carried away when playing online poker.
- Keep track of other players — Online poker platforms have a hand history, which is a great way to see how other players at your table are thinking and adjust your strategy accordingly.
- Get a stable internet connection — Whether you’re playing on your desktop, laptop, or mobile device, it’s important to ensure a stable connection as an unstable one can cause issues and even result in being kicked out of the cash game or tournament.
How to Play Online Poker in New York
By now, you probably already have an idea which poker New York online site is the best for you. The next thing is to open an account, make a deposit, and start playing the game for real money. Let’s take a look at a four-step process on how to do that.
Step 1: Load the New York Poker Online Site of Your Choice in Your Browser
First of all, it’s important to pick and load the site in your browser. Make sure to explore it carefully and decide whether your online poker platform choice is final. If yes, click the Join Now button, usually located in the upper right corner of the site.
Step 2: Fill in the Registration Form
To play online poker for real money, you need to become a registered user. In most cases, the registration form will require some basic information about you, including your username, password, email, phone number, country of residence, and more. Some poker sites might have more detailed KYC requirements.
Step 3: Make a Deposit to Your Account Balance
To start playing poker for real money, you need to make a deposit using one of the available payment options. Most online poker sites feature a range of fiat and crypto deposit methods, so select the best one for you and make a deposit.
In most cases, you can also claim a welcome bonus on your first deposit. Some online poker platforms require you to enter the bonus code, while others only need you to opt-in.
Step 4: Select a Poker Cash Game or Tournament and Enjoy
Finally, once your deposit and bonus are through, you just need to pick a cash game or tournament you like and start playing against other players right away. Offshore poker sites in New York offer a huge range of tournaments for high-rollers and players on a budget.
Conclusion — Playing Poker in New York
As you can see, even though poker is technically not entirely legalized in New York, you can still find several great land-based poker card rooms and a couple of top-notch offshore poker sites. If you’re interested in playing poker from the comfort of your home, head back to the top of this guide and pick one of the selected poker platforms that are available for New York players.