2024 Virtual Poker Sites
Virtual poker sites – that is, sites that offer poker simulator products that allow players to ante up and win real money online – were the first big gambling outlets on the Internet back in the late 1990s. Due to various federal US laws, these sites were eventually forced to move out of the country in the 2000s, which led directly to the offshore casino market that thrives to this day. Poker, in this way, is the granddaddy of online gambling, and it remains the most popular card game – simulated or otherwise – in the world.
If you want to play poker for real money in the US, you have several options depending on where you live. However, these are mostly limited to brick-and-mortar venues. Only a handful of states allow online poker via domestic operators, and you have to be in those states (or a “partner” state) to play. For tens of millions of US poker players, that’s not good enough.
Fortunately, you can call that bluff and play virtual poker (and soon, virtual reality poker) over the Internet no matter where you are, as long as you use an offshore poker room to do so. Of course, if you want a good poker hand, you’ll have to make sure you sign up with only the best sites in the business. To that end, we’ve stacked the deck in your favor, so read on and let us deal you in!
Best Virtual Poker Rooms For US Players In 2024
| Poker Site Name | Bonus Offer | Compatibility | Rating | U.S. | Visit/Review | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | 100% up to $500 | 4.8 | Play Now Read Review | ||
| 2 |  | 100% up to $1000 | 4.5 | Play Now Read Review | ||
| 3 |  | 100% up to $1000 | 4.5 | Play Now Read Review |
What Is Virtual Poker Online?
Virtual poker online is the way the world’s most popular card game is played over the Internet. In order to make the game work in the online space, major offshore operators have developed poker simulation technology that uses RNG (random number generation) software to ensure a fair experience every time.
This software – which is regularly audited by third party watchdogs and compliance agencies – allows players to get the same odds on the draw that they would with a thoroughly shuffled deck of cards in a local poker room, but play is available anytime, anyplace. The best virtual poker rooms online typically go all in on the three big game types (Texas Hold ‘Em, Omaha, and Omaha Hi/Lo), with Holdem being the most popular by far.
That said, these sites also offer a host of other poker options in their casino sections, and while these are video poker games and may be considered to be “virtual poker,” they’re not what we mean by the term. For us – and for most players worldwide – virtual poker or simulated poker comprises online tournament play and cash tables against other real players.
What Is Virtual Reality Poker?
Virtual reality poker – or VR poker – is the next wave of poker sims. In other words, it’s the future. While offshore sites currently aren’t offering VR poker sims, that’s all going to change once virtual reality hardware gets less expensive and more accessible.
If you have a PlayStation VR system or PC VR system (Oculus, Vive, Index, etc.), you can play simulated poker in immersive 3D environments, but you can’t win real money doing so. Of course, these video game experiences are setting the table for what to expect when VR poker does hit virtual gambling websites, and the features are exciting.
Some of the virtual reality poker perks you can look forward to include the ability to talk to other players, to use expressive emotes and avatars to bluff your way into a big pot or out of a bad hand, and to do little things like hold your pocket cards, toss in your virtual chips, and haul in that pile of winnings whenever you take the table.
VR poker will put the social aspects of poker back into the game, as these are sometimes lost in simulated poker due to the nature of online RNG and anonymous play. Plus, it’ll allow you to be in a poker room without actually being in a poker room. Star Trek has the Holodeck, and VR poker has the virtual deck. For our money, the latter is a lot more fun!
Is Online Virtual Poker Legal In 2024?
Yes! Right now, four states – Delaware, Nevada, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania – have legal online poker rooms. However, to play with these operators, you must be in one of those states. This, naturally, excludes the majority of poker players in the US. Fortunately, you can play poker sims online for real money even if you live in another state, legally and safely, by using an offshore virtual poker site like those listed here.
There are no federal laws barring individuals from playing poker with offshore operators, as these sites exist outside of legal US jurisdiction. Still, residents of Washington and Connecticut should take note that their states have outlawed all forms of online gambling – which includes poker (despite it being largely a game of skill). These laws appear to be unenforced, but they are on the books, and if you live in either state, you should sign up and play only at your own discretion.
Virtual Poker Games Offered Online
For the most part, the virtual poker games available in offshore poker rooms are limited to the Big 3 game types: Texas Hold ‘Em, Omaha, and Omaha Hi/Lo. These are briefly explained below.
Texas Hold ‘Em
Also called Holdem, Texas Hold ‘Em is the most popular tournament poker game going, largely due to it being the game of choice for the World Series of Poker. The rules are simple: Each player is dealt two cards, and there are five community cards (revealed 3-1-1, with betting after each round). You must make the best poker hand using any five cards of the seven available.
Omaha
Omaha is similar to Texas Holdem, but there are a couple of differences. Instead of getting two pocket cards, each player gets four pocket cards, and they must use exactly two of these in combination with any three of the five community cards to make the best possible hand.
Omaha Hi/Lo
Omaha Hi/Lo is the same game as Omaha, except that the highest hand and worst poker hand split the pot. Depending on the poker house rules, the lowest possible hand in Omaha is either a “six-four” (6-4-3-2-1) or a “bicycle” (5-4-3-2-1). A bicycle, in most poker, would be a fairly strong hand because it’s a straight, but some online poker rooms stick with tradition and make an exception for Omaha Hi/Lo.
Virtual Cash Tables And Tournament Play
At the best poker rooms online, there are three kinds of play offered, all using the above game types: cash tables, Sit ‘N’ Go tournaments, and large-scale poker tournaments.
Cash Tables – Cash tables at virtual poker sites are the most accessible, quickest ways to play. You simply find a table with an open seat and join up. You can play at multiple cash tables at once in a process called multitabling, which is something no physical poker room allows. That said, multi-table poker is not recommended for beginners.
Sit ‘N’ Gos – These are small scale poker tournaments, usually with 10-50 players across a few tables. You buy in, get your virtual poker chips, and then try to win your table to advance to the next one. Whoever wins the final table wins the prize. Sit ‘N’ Go tournaments are favored by players who enjoy tournament poker but don’t have the time to invest in the big matches, as these only last between 20-60 minutes on average.
Poker Tournaments – Poker tournaments are where the big fish (and big sharks!) play, as the grand prizes are often in the six figures, and hundreds – if not thousands – of players compete against each other. These kinds of tourneys can take several days to complete, and each site has its major poker schedules published clearly so you know the start times of each new contest. Once you get to the final table, the winner usually takes the majority of the prize pool, but sometimes runners-up and other finishers also earn hefty payouts.
Mobile Virtual Poker Apps For 2024
You can download mobile poker apps on the App Store or Google Play store, but these aren’t real money tournament poker products. And thanks to Apple and Google corporate policies, offshore virtual casinos, sportsbooks, and poker room apps aren’t available on those companies’ storefronts.
Thankfully, that doesn’t really matter, because you can play with any top operator via their custom web app interfaces. All you need is a mobile device, a modern browser (Safari, Chrome, Firefox, etc.), and an Internet connection. Best of all, there aren’t ever any downloads or updates to worry about, and all the high-level encryption is kept up-to-date server-side by the operators in question.
Thus, you can get a real iPhone poker app or Android poker app experience without any of the hassles tied to maintaining actual apps on your device of choice.
Live Simulated Poker Options
Live poker online is something of a misnomer. There are no live dealer options for simulated poker at the best betting sites, and when people talk about live poker, they’re usually talking about real physical poker rooms.
That said, pragmatically, all tournament poker online is “live” in the sense that the gameplay happens in real time against other real players.
Once VR poker enters the fray, of course, live poker will take on a whole new meaning, allowing you to take on a whole new persona whenever you ante up.
How To Fund Your Virtual Poker Account
Most virtual poker rooms have a variety of payment options for funding your account. These usually include credit cards, debit cards, money orders, cashier’s checks, bank wire transfers, and so on. Ironically, though, the best way to move money into and out of your virtual online poker account is to use a virtual currency like Bitcoin.
Bitcoin (BTC) and other cryptocurrencies like Ethereum, Litecoin, Bitcoin Cash, and Ripple all allow for near-instant deposits, come with no added transfer fees, have the highest attached bonuses, and are the only same-day payout methods when it’s time to withdraw your winnings. If you haven’t hopped on the Bitcoin bandwagon yet, now’s the perfect time to play your hand.
Virtual Poker Bonus Options
Poker bonuses are available at all the best virtual poker rooms on the Internet. That said, these bonuses work much differently than most other casino bonuses and sportsbook bonus options available. These latter promotions have rollover requirements (aka playthrough requirements), while virtual poker bonuses don’t.
Instead, when you accept a poker bonus at any top site, you get a deposit match perk that releases free money into your account as you play. For example, let’s say you make a deposit and get $100 in bonus bucks to play poker. Whenever you join a cash poker table (or select tournaments), you accrue rewards points or comp points for each hand played. As these add up, you reach certain thresholds, and at each threshold, a portion of your bonus is released into your account.
Because poker bonuses do not have playthrough terms attached to them, they are considered the friendliest online betting bonuses available, and all online poker players are encouraged to accept these promos.
Virtual Poker Vs. VR Poker
We touched on this above, but there are major differences between virtual poker as it exists today and what virtual reality poker will bring to the table in the near future. Virtual poker, or simulated poker, plays like the real game, with all the same rules depending on the version you choose. However, there are things that are “lost in translation” when you play poker over the Internet.
Most notably, poker sims don’t translate well in the “social” department. That is, some of the poker strategy you’d employ at a brick-and-mortar poker room or card room is simply lost in the online game as it stands now. For example, you can’t track your fellow players easily, learning the play habits of other users from game to game and table to table. This is possible in tournament play, but at individual cash tables, most users are anonymous one game to the next.
Additionally, poker sims don’t allow you to use body language, verbal cues, or you poker face to bluff your opponents. These are major aspects of serious professional poker, and they’re absent in the general online game (though you can still bluff by wagering).
However, VR poker should fix these issues. In addition to being utterly immersive and allowing you to do “physical” things like bending up the corners of your pocket Aces and moving chips in and out of the pot with real gestures, you’ll also be able to use your in-game avatar to communicate with and gesticulate at other players. You’ll be able to yawn, wink, wave your hands, slam down your cards, and other similar gestures, using these to your advantage to psyche out the competition. And they’ll be able to do it right back.
Hopefully, VR poker will add the social aspects back into the online game, making Internet poker – and your pockets – that much deeper!