I love to play Texas Hold’em. I’m not claiming greatness, just enthusiasm. I was playing Texas Hold’em back in the 70’s for coins with my broke friends. And when the law changed in Oct., 2006 and my account was immediately restricted to “Play Money” only, I was again incensed by government gone wrong. Life distracted me so it took a while to get around to it, but now I can play online poker for real money again. Is it legal and safe to play poker online in the USA for real money? The short answer is, YES! And here is why and how.
In 2006, the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act was signed into law, restricting the handling of payments by U.S. financial institutions for unlawful forms of Internet gambling. That law prohibits the use of payment instruments by such institutions to handle the processing of any form of Internet gambling that is illegal under U.S. federal or state law. The Poker Players Alliance is a valuable resource for keeping up with the online poker situation. There are several bills pending you may want to be involved with. Your voices do make a difference.
The new law only applies to online gambling operators who violate other existing state or federal anti-gambling laws. Participation in online betting or wagering is not banned or further altered by UIGEA and is still regulated by state law. I can make no claims with regard to the legality of gambling in any given location, but much research toward that is available at www.gambling-law-us.com.
In the USA, because of the UIGEA threatening most financial services, you are limited to basically two funding options. Cash instruments: You send them an international money order/cashiers check/bank draft, and they send you a check when you withdraw funds. Or, open an account with ePassport. There are various ways to fund this account but the easiest is to connect it directly to your checking account for transfers both ways (like PayPal.) Either method may take up to 2 weeks to set up and verify.
There is a third option if you don’t mind starting at the bottom. Sign up for a Free Roll tournament to begin your funding. It costs you nothing to play. I finished my first Free Roll in 4th place from a field of 2700 winning the tiny nest egg of $7. Hey, don’t laugh, that will fund several (beginner level) tournaments with a chance to win more.
US law says you are still obligated to pay taxes on your winnings. They may not all respond the same, but, when I contacted PokerStars with the question about winnings reports, this is the response I received: “PokerStars does not share any information with Government Agencies, and the reporting of your winnings for tax purposes is completely your responsibility.” I would not read that as a green light to skirt law. Any significant unclaimed income could raise red flags. Be sure to check the IRS gambling code and your state law.
Many poker rooms do not allow players from the USA to play for real money so you have to be selective. Where to play? I like these two places. Poker Stars is a registered legal business located in the Isle of Man, and likewise Full Tilt Poker on the Isle of Alderney, both British Isles. They are each well established with big-time respected endorsers and both welcome players from the USA. They have different feels and features so you may want to try both.
Accounts are free and easy to set up with either. You can be playing for play money in minutes. And that is the way to start, play a bunch of free games in the beginning. If you can’t quickly build a bankroll of play money and work your way toward higher stakes, you may want to delay giving away your real money. Get used to the place and have fun learning while you wait for your real money deposit to process. The game is the same whether it is real money or not. There will be the clueless at the entry level of each, but otherwise, poker is poker. If you can gather Play Money riches, you should be able to begin playing with real money, though you should expect the competition to increase. Stay within your budget.
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| UPDATE: Here is what happened to my $7.00. | ||||||
| Date | Number | Finish | Account | |||
| Played | Game Name | Entered | Position | Buy-in | Won | Balance |
| 27-Oct | $100 Freeroll | 2700 | 4 | $0.00 | $7.00 | $7.00 |
| 28-Oct | $1 + $0.25 Sit & Go | 45 | 20 | $1.25 | $5.75 | |
| 28-Oct | $1 + $0.25 Sit & Go | 45 | 19 | $1.25 | $4.50 | |
| 29-Oct | $2 + $0.25 Sit & Go | 18 | 1 | $2.25 | $14.40 | $16.65 |
| 29-Oct | $2 + $0.25 Sit & Go | 18 | 11 | $2.25 | $14.40 | |
| 29-Oct | $2 + $0.25 Sit & Go | 18 | 13 | $2.25 | $12.15 | |
| 30-Oct | $2 + $0.25 Sit & Go | 9 | 9 | $2.25 | $9.90 | |
| 31-Oct | $2 + $0.25 Sit & Go | 180 | 68 | $2.25 | $7.65 | |
| 31-Oct | $2 + $0.25 Sit & Go | 9 | 1 | $2.25 | $9.00 | $14.40 |
| 31-Oct | $1 + $0.25 Sit & Go | 45 | 45 | $1.25 | $13.15 | |
| 31-Oct | $2 + $0.25 Sit & Go | 9 | 9 | $2.25 | $10.90 | |
| 31-Oct | $1 + $0.25 Sit & Go | 90 | 64 | $1.25 | $9.65 | |
| 31-Oct | $1 + $0.25 Sit & Go | 45 | 18 | $1.25 | $8.40 | |
| 31-Oct | $2 + $0.25 Sit & Go | 18 | 13 | $2.25 | $6.15 | |
| 1-Nov | $2 + $0.25 Sit & Go | 9 | 8 | $2.25 | $3.90 | |
| 1-Nov | $2 + $0.25 Sit & Go | 9 | 7 | $2.25 | $1.65 | |
| 1-Nov | $1 + $0.25 Sit & Go | 45 | 23 | $1.25 | $0.40 | |
