Pennsylvania online poker gives players more betting options than virtually any other US state. Since 2018, the state government began licensing and regulating certain online poker sites in Pennsylvania, providing residents with responsible gambling tools like the self-exclusion list. In the near future, Pennsylvania could join the Interstate Poker Compact, expanding the player pool to gamblers from New Jersey, Delaware, Nevada, and Michigan. Meanwhile, residents can play at offshore online poker sites if they want bigger welcome bonuses and greater variety in the player community which competes against them.
This increases PA online poker players' gaming options, though it confuses many players. Our guide to Pennsylvania online poker provides a full list of online poker sites in PA, along with the banking methods and the various poker bonuses you'll encounter. We discuss basic issues like the poker tournaments you can enter, how to deposit and withdraw cash and common questions that new online card players tend to ask. Keep reading for all you need to know to begin playing online poker in PA.
PA Online Poker Sites
Players who want a quick recommendation on which poker site they should consider are in luck. Below, we provide reviews of the highest-rated offshore online poker sites that accept Pennsylvanians. Ultimately, we recommend that players do their own research based on their exact needs and wants. To do so, read our PA online poker site reviews for the full scoop.
Pennsylvania Online Poker Tournaments: Types of Tournaments
When you start playing at a Pennsylvania online poker site, you'll encounter a lot of poker terms. These might be confusing to beginners, so here's a glossary of online poker terms.
- Freezeout Tournament: Like the World Series of Poker Main Event, players receive one stack of chips and bust out of the tournament when it's gone.
- Rebuy Tournament: When your chip stack is gone, you can buy a new stack of chips. Some rebuy events also have paid add-ons before your stack is gone.
- Sunday Guaranteed Events: Most online poker sites have a big Sunday guaranteed event. Some also have Saturday guaranteed tournaments.
- Sit & Go Events: A single-table poker tournament that plays much like a big tournament's final table.
- Jackpot Sit & Go Events: Designed for mobile poker players, these turbo events pit you against two other players.
- Freeroll Tournament: Players get free entry into the event, either to reward new signup, high-volume play, or winning a satellite tournament.
- Progressive Knockout (PKO): Knockout or bounty tournaments are events where half of a player's buy-in goes toward their bounty. If you knock another person out of the tournmant, you win the bounty. Weekly PKO tournaments are common at PA poker sites.
- Fast-Fold Poker: As soon as you fold your hand in a poker game, the software takes you to another table. Thus, each new hand tends to be an all-new table. These are called Zoom Poker or Fast Forward Poker at some PA poker sites.
Depositing and Withdrawing at PA Online Cardrooms
Whichever Pennsylvania poker site you choose, the depositing process and withdrawal process are roughly the same. If you're new to online poker in Pennsylvania, follow the step-by-step guides below to fund your account and request a payout.
How to Make a Deposit at Pennsylvania Online Poker Rooms
- Create a Play Account: Sign up using the registration form. Use your correct name, address, and email address, plus a username.
- Log In to Your Account: Visit your email address and follow the verification link back to the site. Sign in to your account.
- Visit the Cashier Page: Next, visit the Cashier or Accounts page, where you'll see a list of deposit options. Choose the option you like, then input the amount you wish to deposit.
- Play for Real Money: Once you have cash in your account, click on a cash game or tournament and play poker online. Remember to accept the poker bonus, then clear the wagering requirement.
How to Make a Withdrawal at PA Online Poker Sites
- Sign In to Your Account: Once you've cleared the requirement and have winnings, sign in to your account to make a withdrawal request. Visit the Cashier page again.
- Choose a Payment Type: From the list of payout options, choose the payment type you prefer. Remember that some withdrawal options charge fees and take longer.
- Input Cash Amount: Next, input how much money you wish to withdraw. Confirm the amount and send the withdrawal request.
- Wait for Payment: For cryptocurrencies, payouts could be a few minutes to a few days. Web wallets and credit cards take 3 to 5 days. Bank wire transfers, checks, and e-checks take 7 to 14 days.
Best Pennsylvania Poker Bonuses: Various Types
The best Pennsylvania poker sites offer a wide variety of bonuses to their customers. Newcomers can get confused by the variety, so we've listed some of the most common bonus types you'll encounter in Pennsylvania online poker rooms. To point players in the right direction, we give examples from the poker sites we recommend.
- Welcome Bonus: The biggest and most popular poker bonus type is the welcome bonus. It offers a 100% or better match rate for your first deposit. The best online poker sites offer $500 to $1000 poker bonuses.
- No-Deposit Bonus: Fairly rare in US online poker rooms, these are offered for a new player account sign-up. Not to be confused with non-deposit bonuses, offered for rewards points (see "Player Rewards" below).
- Bitcoin Bonus: Many poker sites offer bigger amounts of bonus cash for Bitcoin deposits and other cryptocurrencies: Litecoin, Ethereum, and Bitcoin Cash.
- Bad Beat Jackpot: Many online poker sites offer big jackpots for players who lose to powerful hands. The payouts are fairly rare, often involving a four-of-a-kind.
- Player Rewards: For every pot, you earn rewards points. Make certain you're receiving player rewards for every poker game you play online.
- Freeroll Ticket: A common reward points, freeroll tickets allow a player free entry into a poker tournament that offers real money payouts. Most PA online poker sites offer freeroll tickets to brand new players.
Online Poker Formats and Variants
Players will find a lot of different PA online poker variants. Below is a list of the most popular versions of poker you'll find, though you might find oddball versions of other games, such as 5-card draw or Pineapple.
- Texas Hold'em: Play Fixed-Limit, Pot-Limit, or No-Limit Texas Hold'em. Play at heads-up, 3-handed, 4-handed, and 8-handed poker tables. Gamble at a wide variety of blind levels.
- Omaha: Another community card game, Omaha Holdem hands use 4 hole cards instead of Texas Hold'em 2 hole cards. This means winning hands in Omaha often are stronger than they are in Texas Hold'em.
- Stud Poker: Seven-Card Stud is a popular variant of online poker. Razz is a lowball version of Seven-Card Stud, while
- Mixed Games: Online poker sites include a variety of mixed games, including H.O.R.S.E. games: Texas Hold'em, Omaha, Razz, Seven-Card Stud, and Seven-Card Stud Hi-Lo, Eights or Better (E).
- Badugi: A poker game where the goal is to build the lowest four-card hand. It's a triple draw, lowball game where the best hand (called a Badugi) is an unsuited A-2-3-4.
Pennsylvania Poker Apps: Best Mobile Poker Apps in PA
More and more every year, poker players would prefer to play poker on a mobile device than a desktop computer. Online poker is great for those who stay in the privacy of their own home, but many prefer gaming throughout the day when they have a few extra minutes. For those people, here are reviews for the best Pennsylvania mobile poker apps for Android phones or iPhones.
Advantages of PA Online Poker Sites
Whether you play using a desktop or mobile device, Pennsylvania online poker rooms have a number of advantages: convenience, saved time and money, and big bonuses. For those who haven't played yet, here are a few reasons you might prefer online poker.
- Convenience and Saved Time: Online poker players can enjoy Texas Hold'em in the privacy of their own home. Pennsylvania mobile poker players can play anytime all day, anywhere that has a Wi-Fi connection.
- Saved Money: Traveling to a land-based casino costs gas money and convenience if you play in Pennsylvania. It costs a plane ticket and hotel expenses if you play out of state. Playing at PA online poker sites saves money.
- Big Bonuses: When you make a first deposit, you'll receive a poker bonus money. As you become a loyal online player, you'll receive reload bonuses and other rewards.
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Pennsylvania Online Poker FAQ
Can you play poker online in Pennsylvania?
A Pennsylvania resident must be 21 years old to play online poker in the state's regulated online cardrooms. This is the same age limit as land-based casinos, which have alcohol sales.
At which poker sites can you play for real money in Pennsylvania?
When playing real money online poker, Pennsylvania residents have two options: regulated poker sites in Pennsylvania and unregulated offshore online poker sites. Now that Pennsylvania has licensed poker sites, always choose the regulated PA online poker market.
Can you play Texas Holdem online in Pennsylvania?
Absolutely. Any Pennsylvania online poker sites features many versions of Texas Hold'em. You can play cash games, big tournaments, or smaller sit'n go events. Also, you can play No-Limit, Pot-Limit, and Fixed-Limit Texas Hold'em games. Finally, you can play online Texas Hold'em at small blinds like $2/$1 and big blinds like $100/$50. Is online poker legal in PA?
Yes, Pennsylvania online poker is legal. No Pennsylvania resident has ever been prosecuted for playing poker online. Since Gov. Tom Wolf signed an omnibus gambling bill in October 2018, online poker has been legal in Pennsylvania. Licensed and regulated poker sites now operate in the Keystone State. Pennsylvania's gambling laws ban unregulated play, so officials go after operators who host sites inside Pennsylvania.
How many PA poker sites are there?
Players can find dozens of PA online poker sites, but only a handful of them are trusted. Currently, the regulated market has 4 trustworthy poker sites. All of these are honest, fair, and safe. You should avoid the rest of the big list of Pennsylvania online poker rooms.
Who can play online poker in PA?
If you play in the licensed online poker industry, you'll need to be 21 years old to play poker online for real money.
Who regulates online poker in PA?
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) regulates PA online poker rooms that are licensed in the state. Sites that operate legally in Pennsylvania receive a license from the PGCB.
Offshore online poker sites tend to be regulated by agencies in a variety of other countries, including Malta, Gibraltar, the Isle of Man, Kahnawake (Canada), and Curacao.
Can online poker players in PA play against players in other states?
Not at present, but that could change in the near-future. On April 12, 2022, the Multi State Internet Gaming Association (MSIGA) invited Michigan to join its ranks. The MSIGA, also known as the Interstate Poker Compact, currently includes New Jersey, Delaware, and Nevada. It's expected that Michigan poker players should be able to compete against players from those states later this year.
Now that Michigan's in the MSIGA, Pennsylvania online poker players can expect their state will be the next to join. Upon hearing of Michigan's inclusion in the Interstate Poker Compact, Gov. Tom Wolf's Press Secretary, Elizabeth Rementer, said, "The Wolf administration continues to monitor how the expansion of online gaming in recent years has affected the gaming industry and Pennsylvania residents and continues to review the agreement."
Does Pennsylvania share online poker player pools with any other states?
No, it doesn't at the moment. When in spring 2022, Michigan joined the Multi-State Internet Poker Association (MSIGA), also known as the interstate poker compact, people speculated that Pennsylvania would join the MSIGA in the near future. Joining PA's population of 12.7 million residents to the MSIGA's population of roughly 22 million would create huge guaranteed prize pools and 1st place prizes.
Several months later, that doesn't appear likely. Analysts suggest that Pennsylvania is generating significant revenues without the MSIGA, so its leaders see no need to join. Others have suggested that Pennsylvania doesn't want to lose revenues to other states, but that's based on a misunderstanding of how MSIGA states collect poker revenues (they keep their own). Whatever the case, Pennsylvania doesn't appear likely to share player pools in the coming months.
Do Pennsylvania's online poker sites offer mobile apps?
Absolutely. Most of the state's licensed land-based casinos support online poker games. Of these, all of the poker sites have downloadable desktop poker software and mobile poker apps.
What do PA poker apps offer?
They offer everything that desktop poker software offers. This includes multi-table tournaments (MTTs), plus cash games for 2 players, 6 players, and 9 players. They offer sit & go tournaments, along with jackpot sit & go events with big jackpots. Most Pennsylvania online poker sites also offer progressive knockouts (PKOs) and fast-fold poker.
