Many of the best online poker websites have launched a dedicated real money poker app that you can easily download and install on your device. The best poker apps are available for both iOS and Android operating systems. In order to find the best poker app, make sure you visit one of the websites we listed at the beginning of our review. For example, they just launched an online app, bonus offers and low limit “buy-ins.” They even offer a live experience in Aruba where the World Series of Poker will be holding 10 different events with prizes up to $250,000. Play texas hold em poker and many other popular poker games on this dynamic site. But Poker Face is a free app for both iPhone and Android phones (you can also download Poker Face: Live Texas Holdem from the Google Play store for free) that lets you connect a group of up to four.

1. Best Online Texas Holdem Poker
2. Best Online Texas Holdem Apps
3. Best Online Texas Holdem Site

Are you looking for the best US legal online poker sites or a real money poker app? If the answer is yes, then you came to the right place. This is one of our many online poker reviews where you can find more about the best online poker options.

Without further ado, keep reading to discover how to play the best online poker for money and how to form an online poker strategy. So, let’s get started!

Best Legal Online Poker Sites

1. WSOP
2. PartyPoker
3. PokerStars
4. Pala Poker
5. 888poker
6. Global Poker

Is online poker legal? It's not always the same as legal online casinos and legal online sportsbooks. All new players who decide to explore the vast universe of real money poker sites should know that federally, online poker sites are illegal. However, on the individual level, online poker is legal in some of the states.

Some websites such as Global Poker (which is a sweepstakes poker site) are allowed in 49 out of 50 US states. Only Washington does not allow it. At the moment of writing our online poker reviews, only four states offer legal online poker websites in the United States. These are the following: Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Nevada and Delaware.

For more information about some of the available sites, make sure to consult our Global Poker review.

US Legal Online Poker: State by State

Is online poker legal in your state? If the answer is no, keep in mind that the situation can change pretty quickly. Unsurprisingly, Nevada was the leader of regulated online poker. Once the ice was broken, the domino-effect followed.

One by one, many states tried or are still trying to pass the legislation. As you can see, some of them even succeeded. The last one to recently pass online poker is West Virginia, and we expect more legal US poker sites to be launched in the future.

When it comes to future predictions, we believe that chances are pretty good for some of the states to overcome all the legal obstacles and finally launch real money poker sites so their residents become able to play legal online poker.

Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Ohio, New York are some of the states that’ll probably make some innovations when it comes to the possibilities of playing poker online. These are the states that have active supporters of online poker in the state senate.

What’s more, regulated real money poker sites in neighboring states can only have a positive effect on public opinion. Additionally, within the borders of the aforementioned states, you can find a considerable number of land-based casinos.

Many of them come with the best online poker rooms where you can play various variants of poker, including the most popular one - Texas Hold’em. In other words, these poker offline options make it easier to launch legal poker sites and eventually start to offer legal online poker.

States Where Legal Online Poker Seems Like a Distant Dream

From this point of view, Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Kentucky, Nebraska, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah are just some of the states where we can see a certain legislative hostility towards online gambling. Therefore, we don’t believe that we won’t be able to play Texas Hold’em online there for quite some time.

Sweepstakes Legal Online Poker - Play Poker Free No Matter Which State You’re In

As said before, Global Poker, a sweepstakes legal online poker site, can be accessed in all US states except for the state of Washington. This legal online poker platform was launched in 2106, and since then, many players use its services. The virtual currency gaming business model is what makes it unique.

Instead of playing for real money, players play poker free, using gold coins or sweeps cash. That’s why Global Poker often appears when players search for “play poker free” or “play poker online, free”.

To understand how sweepstakes poker works, let’s start with some poker basics and make sure to understand sweeps poker terminology clearly. There’s a difference between gold coins and sweeps cash, and there’s a reason for which “play poker online, free” is actually a bit of a misnomer here.

Gold Coins are the name for the virtual currency in Global Poker, and they are equivalent to what regular legal online poker sites usually call “play money”. In other words, you can’t cash them out, but you can use them to play Texas Hold’em online or participate in some of the available tournaments with other players. On the other hand, “$weeps cash” is a promotional, virtual currency that can be cashed out through PayPal.

To sum up, you can buy gold coins that don’t have any monetary value and can’t be cashed out. “$weeps cash” is obtained as free of charge once you buy Gold Coins. Because of this virtual currency online poker model, Global Poker is not quite considered an online gambling activity. Therefore, it’s allowed in almost all of the US.

Where Can I Play Legal Online Poker in the US?

Pennsylvania is the last state where online poker had become legal when PokerStars was launched there at the end of 2019. Right now that’s also the only available option to play online poker for money in Pennsylvania.

If we don’t count Global Poker, which can be accessed in 49 states, all the other legal online poker sites come with pretty restricted access. For example, Pala Poker and PartyPoker are only available in the state of New Jersey.

However, they are not the only NJ poker sites one can access. WSOP, America's top legal online poker site, is available in the Garden State, and it’s also accessible to all Nevada online poker fans as well. Likewise, PokerStars NJ, available both independently and within the FOX Bet app

Where Can I Play Poker Live?

Most of the land-based casinos across different states include special poker rooms where you can play live poker. Playing Texas Hold’em online is definitely the most popular option. After all, poker is an American thing, so it’s no wonder to see it available in the vast majority of mortar and bricks casinos.

In fact, instead of listing all the states where you can sit back, relax and try out your luck with live poker, it’s better to list all those where you can’t play poker online. It’ll be easier to remember this list:

• Alaska
• Georgia
• Hawaii
• New Hampshire
• Tennessee
• Texas
• Utah

We must add that in Texas, private poker clubs aren’t forbidden. As long as no house makes a profit from the game, poker can be played in private places for fun.

US Online Poker Basics

When talking about the current status of legal US poker sites, there are two especially important laws that you should be aware of. Let’s take a look at these two federal laws that govern online poker in the country.

The Wire Act

The first one is the Interstate Wire Act of 1961, often called the Federal Wire Act. As you can see, it passed long before online poker or even the internet existed. However, it prohibits certain types of betting businesses to operate via wired communications.

In 2011, the US Department of Justice concluded that the scope of the act was limited to sporting events. Therefore, states, where online poker is now regulated, found that the bill didn’t apply to online poker nor other forms of gambling.

However, in 2019, the US Department of Justice reversed its opinion. The new opinion concludes that the Wire Act applies to all types of online gambling.

The UIGEA

The other relevant law is the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) from 2006. This law made it illegal for US banks to proceed with transactions for offshore gambling companies. That’s how they were pushed out of the market.

History of US Legal Online Poker

Online casinos started to appear back in 1994. They were usually situated in Antigua or the Isle of Man. However, the vast majority of their users were US-based customers. Two years later, in 1996, online gambling was also brought to the North American market soil.

The Kahnawake Gaming Commission was established just outside Montreal. They started issuing licenses, and pretty soon, it was possible to find hundreds of new online gambling websites.

Once again, two years later and again in Canada, the first-ever poker online website saw the light of day. Planet Poker was the favorite source of fun to thousands of Americans who were spending endless hours playing the first real-money online Texas Hold’em.

Over the next few years, thanks to technological advances, better online poker software was developed, while the number of websites kept increasing. These online poker operators also started to offer various tournaments and cash games and got a solid fan base all over the world.

The Industry Kept Growing & Then It Collapsed

Even though there were different interpretations of the law, especially of the famous Wire Act, the newly developed industry kept growing.

The year 2003 is especially important in the evolution of online poker. Using an account from Tennessee, Chris Moneymaker won the World Series of Poker after participating in the event through an online satellite. In Chris Moneymaker's case, we guess, it's okay to say that name determines destiny.

Best Online Texas Holdem Poker

This online poker strategy was live-streamed on ESPN. Suddenly, the whole nation knew about Chris's story. A good number of Americans were hoping to be the next. All of a sudden, poker was everywhere on TV. Live games were followed carefully, and commercial breaks had one purpose: promoting online poker for money and playing Texas Hold 'em online.

The great number of promoted sites were, in fact, offshore online poker sites. A lot of them disappeared from American browsers after Congress passed the above-mentioned UIGEA in 2006.

However, even though a lot of sites weren't accessible anymore, online poker couldn't be erased that easily. Some of the offshore gambling companies had found a way around the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006, but not for long.

In 2011, some of the largest online poker operators, including PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, and Absolute Poker/Ultimate Bet, were accused of violating UIGEA and money laundering. These websites were definitely excluded from the significant US online poker market, which seemed to come to an end at the time.

Legal Online Poker Sites Rise Again

Also in 2011, the DOJ released a legal opinion that the Federal Wire act exclusively applied only to one form of gambling: sports betting. A few states saw this as a possibility, paving the way to regulated online casinos and legal US poker sites.

In 2012, Delaware was the first state that managed to do just that. Then, in December 2013, Nevada followed the example of passing online poker legislation. A week later, the Garden State became the third to legalize online gambling, and plans for NJ poker sites were made.

The first-ever regulated US online poker site was launched in Nevada in April 2013. Delaware and NJ poker sites went live that same year, a few months later. In 2017, Pennsylvania became the fourth state to join this group. West Virginia is the fifth state where online poker was regulated in 2019. Probably, more states will try to do the same thing in the near future.

Which State is Next?

Is online poker legal in California or New York? This is one of the frequently asked questions that people search for in the USA. They also search for different terms of poker terminology that sound unfamiliar to them. However, that’s another question that we could discuss on some other occasion.

Let’s get back to our question of legal online poker sites and the possible new markets in the USA. Michigan has made significant efforts to legalize online gambling, particularly online poker, while California, New York, and Massachusetts also seem to be moving in the right direction.

Real Money Poker App: How to Find the Best Poker App

It doesn’t matter if you are a Pennsylvania online poker fan or a regular visitor of NJ poker sites, the good news is that you can play poker whenever you want, anywhere within the borders of one or the other state.

Many of the best online poker websites have launched a dedicated real money poker app that you can easily download and install on your device. The best poker apps are available for both iOS and Android operating systems.

In order to find the best poker app, make sure you visit one of the websites we listed at the beginning of our review.

Also, before you replace your poker offline adventure with the one that can be found on the internet, make sure to read some of the online poker reviews and get to know the poker terminology used by the players worldwide. After a brief introduction to the poker basics, it’s time to create your own online poker strategy and join one of the legal online poker communities!

Looking for the top casino apps in the United States that offer real money gambling? You can call off the search team because you’ve found the right page. In this guide, we break down who offers the best US casino apps for money and how to safely play mobile games. If you’re ready to get started, check out our recommendations for the top real money casino gambling apps for USA residents or continue reading to learn more about them.

Whether you’re looking for a particular mobile casino game or app that fits your particular device, we have you covered. Additionally, we’ll show you the tips, tricks, strategies, and resources you need to get the absolute most out of your mobile online gambling experience.

Top US Casino Apps by Game

Got a favorite casino game you love to play? One of the best ways to decide which real money US casino gambling apps are best for you is by choosing the option that offers the best experience for your favorite game. The links provided below will take you to regularly updated lists of the top USA casino apps broken down by which game is their best. You will see some crossover amongst lists as some casino providers hit a homerun with multiple games.

Real Money Slot Apps

You may have played slots on your mobile device before for fun, but did you know you could play for real money? Believe it or not, you can play your favorite US online slot machines right on your mobile device and win real money, even major jackpots! If you’re looking for the top US slots apps available right now, you’re in luck. The link below will show you the top casino apps in the USA offering extensive slots action.

Real Money Blackjack Apps

Easily one of the most popular and recognizable casino games in the world is blackjack. A game you used to be only able to play in the casino is now available in the palm of your hand and can be played for real money! If you’re looking for the top US blackjack apps where you can win real money, check out the link below.

Real Money Poker Apps

No longer do you have to wait till Friday night to get in a poker game with your buddies. Heck, you don’t even have to play with your buddies anymore and take their money. Real money poker apps now give you the ability to play your favorite poker variations like Texas Hold’em, Omaha, and 7-card stud right on your phone or smart device. To get in the action now, check out the top US poker apps we’ve recommended below.

Real Money Video Poker Apps

Like the game of poker, but don’t feel like playing against other people? The only poker variation where you can’t get bluffed, video poker for real money, is now available on your mobile devices. Check out the top US video poker apps available in your area right now at the link provided below.

Real Money Roulette Apps

Wish you could enjoy the excitement of watching the roulette wheel spin and the little white ball determine your bet’s fate from anywhere? Well, now you can! One of the most popular casino games, real money roulette is now available on your mobile device. We’ve put together a list of United States casino gambling apps for iPhone and Android that offer real money roulette action 24/7/365.

More Casino Game Apps You Can Play for Real Money

These games aren’t as popular to play as some of the others, but they’re certainly still offered by all real money casino apps within the USA. The software to play these games is very smooth and using a trusted app will ensure your money and information remains safe.

Reviews of Popular Mobile Casino Apps:

If you are looking for the largest variety of games on a real money mobile casino app check out our table below. These online casino apps are the best of the best when it comes to the number of games offered. Whether you are looking for a great app for slots, blackjack, online poker, or other table games, these US friendly real money online casinos have it all.

Keep reading if you’re looking for mobile casino applications that are specialized towards specific devices, such as an iPhone or Android. Most US friendly apps and mobile casinos will offer all major games for real money play without the need of downloading more than one.

Mobile Casino App Fun Facts

• On average 63.9% of online gamblers use mobile devices for gaming.
• Because real money slots apps don’t have to worry about floor space you’ll never see your favorites disappear.
• In 2019 Casino Apps Reached 19% of Android Users.
• The current value of the online gambling market (including casino gaming apps, online poker, and online sportsbooks) is around $59.6 billion. Experts project it could be as high as $92.9 billion by 2023.
• Slots are by far the most popular mobile online casino game.
• There are over 4,800 active online casino businesses worldwide. (You can see why it’s so time consuming to find the safest online casino apps for US players.)

Top Real Money Casino Apps by Mobile Device

Not sure which game you want to play yet? Have multiple favorite casino games? No worries. A secondary way of determining the best online casino apps for you is guiding your search based on what device you have. Whether you’re an iOS/iPhone user or an Android fan, we’ve got what you’re looking for listed below.

iPhone Casino Apps

If you’ve got an iPhone, iPad, or any other iOS device, your options for USA gambling apps online are immense. As the largest platform in the world, game developers have crafted some incredible US iPhone casino apps for you to choose from. Click the button below to get taken to the most up-to-date list of the top casino app options for your Apple devices.

Android Casino Apps

While you may get snubbed in other areas because you’re not an iPhone user, that’s not the case when it comes to Android casino apps. In the early days of online gaming, options were slim for your devices. But as game developers realized the Android market was growing, they began building incredible gaming options to service Android clients. If you are looking for the top US Android casino apps, the link we’ve provided below will take you to an up-to-date list of the best of the best.

How Gambling Apps Work Differently on Your Device

When looking at gambling apps for real money games, it’s important to remember there will be differences based on what type you go with. How you want your online gambling experience to play out depends on your personal preferences. There are downloadable casino apps dedicated to your device, and then there are mobile casinos that are optimized for your device. The major differences can be seen below:

As you can see there are subtle differences in how casino games can be played on your device. Stick around if you’d like to learn about how to install casino apps and get the most out of your gambling experience.

How to Download Real Money Casino Apps

In this section, we are going to detail step by step how you can get started with US casino apps that pay out money today.

• 1 – Choose Your Real Money Casino App

  We make this first step very easy for you by giving you the very best real money online gambling & casino apps on the market. If you missed it, simply go back to the top of this page, and you can see our current list of recommendations.

  If you want to learn more about our process on how we choose which casino apps for money we recommend, you can do so here.

• Any casino app you download has been installed by many other users before you. This is great for you because you can take our recommendations and the thoughts and reviews of other people that have also used the app to make the most informed decision for yourself.

  This is important because, at the end of the day, you really need to go with your gut on which app to use and where you think your money will be the safest.

• This one should be obvious, but it is still an important step! Whether you’re on an iPhone or Android, go to your respective app store and install the casino app. After reading the user reviews, you can comfortably decide whether or not you want to try out the casino app of choice.

• 4 – Navigate the Casino Gambling App and Make Sure It Functions Well

  Now that you have the app downloaded, it’s time to make sure it works how you need it to. Sure, if it’s an app worth its salt and got some good user reviews, it should function fine, but you should really take the time to dive in.

  Make sure there’s nothing off about the design, they have proper seals and branding for banking, and that the whole app doesn’t seem fishy. All the real money apps we recommend here at BestUSCasinos.org have been hand-tested for issues like this, but we will always advise our readers to do their own due diligence.

• 5 – Create a Players Account and Look for Casino Bonuses

  Now for the fun part. Sign up for your account, but don’t forget the bonus. Make sure you take a look around at all the online casino bonuses offered for your app before you go and put money into your account.

  Without a bonus, you could be missing out on some great opportunities for extra cash at the US casino app you choose.

• At this point, you’ve almost completed everything; you just need to actually deposit your money on the app. Depending on what bonus you decided to go with, you might need to deposit larger sums of money to take advantage of it.

  We would advise starting small with your real money deposits until you’ve taken time to build up a solid reputation and completely trust your casino gambling app.

• The easiest and most glorious step of all! If you have followed all of these steps properly, you’re well on your way to start placing and winning bets at the best real money casino apps today.

What Makes These the Best Casino Apps in the US?

The process of identifying the top US real money casino apps is extensive. We employ teams of industry experts with decades of experience in sifting through options to identify the winners and the losers. Our teams look at hundreds of criteria in their quest to find the best options available.

Best Online Texas Holdem Apps

If we were to breakdown everything we look at during our review process, we’d be here all day. Instead, we’ll save you some time and just show you the top three factors that go into our rankings. Yes, this is only a taste of the process, but it should give you a decent look into why you can trust our recommendations for the best online casino apps for American players.

Trust and Security

Nothing is more important than staying safe when gambling online. If we personally don’t have 100% trust in a betting site, then you won’t see them within 100 miles of any of our top casino apps lists.

Mobile Game Quality and Server Speeds

Slow, low-quality mobile casino game apps drive us insane. In the early days, when options were limited, we had more patience for second-rate games. Today, though, technology has come too far for anything to be less than top quality. All of the mobile online casinos we recommend have the best games, the most options, and deliver the best gaming experience possible.

Real Money Casino Bonuses and VIP Loyalty

Just because you’re not physically in a casino does not mean you shouldn’t be taken care of and rewarded for your play and loyalty. When picking out the top betting apps online, it’s important to us that they take care of their players and have plans to reward them for loyalty. This means big deposit bonuses, juicy VIP rewards, and benefits available to players of all different levels. Just because you don’t bet hundreds of dollars does not mean you shouldn’t get rewarded as well.

Tips for Picking the Best United States Casino Apps

Whether you’re a first-time gambler, brand new to betting apps, or a seasoned pro, you want to get started the right way. To guide you on the next step of your exciting journey, we’ve compiled a list of the most important tips to help you pick out the best USA casino apps for you.

1. Invest Time in Choosing the Right Mobile Casino Apps

We completely understand that you want to get into the real money action as quickly as possible. But we’d encourage you to pump the brakes for just a moment. By taking a few extra minutes right now to find the best American casino apps for you, you’ll set yourself up for long-term success.

Dedicate a few minutes to check out several of the great options we’ve listed here and find the one that’s truly the best fit for you. Yes, it might delay you for a few minutes right now, but in the long run, you will thank us.

2. Stick to the Safest Real Money US Casino Apps

We’re all for going off the beaten path and blazing your own trail in most areas of life. However, that’s not the case here. Stick to the safest real money US gambling apps we’ve recommended for you. Why? It’s going to keep your information secure.

Stick to the pre-vetted options we have here, and you’ll ensure a great online betting experience.

3. It’s Okay to Play at Multiple Casino Sites for Money

Can’t decide between a few different US casino apps online? No worries. There is nothing wrong with playing at multiple sites. It does not cost you anything extra to have multiple accounts and actually can make you more money by giving you access to more bonuses. If you like the slots at one app and the poker at another, make two accounts. It takes no more than a few seconds to log out of one app and into another.

4. Understand Each Online Casino App’s Disconnect Policy

When using casino apps in the United States, you’re going to be connecting through your phone service or a Wi-Fi connection. While service in most areas is reliable, there are times where you will get disconnected. Even the best networks in the world are not perfect.

The good news is this. The best US real money casino apps understand this and have set up ways of protecting your action during a disconnect. Most of them will hold the action for you until you are able to get reconnected, or they will finish out the current hand/spin and wait for you to return before proceeding. How betting apps handle this will differ from site to site.

Real Money Casino Apps FAQ

Best Online Texas Holdem Site

• Yes. There are a ton of casino betting apps that pay real money and offer casino games for real money play. The biggest thing to figure out is which one to trust. When dealing with actual money, you should stick to the best USA gambling apps that we recommend. That will ensure you’re safety while gambling and that you get paid any winnings quickly.

• Usually, yes! Most real money casino apps in the US are also linked to desktop versions. With the same login information, you should be able to access your account and play your favorite games from your desktop or from your mobile device.

• We have only recommended the safest apps for real money casino games, which our team has fully vetted. We can’t speak for all casino apps out there, but we can put our trust behind the ones recommended here. Our teams know what to look for and how to identify real money United States casino apps that are doing it right and those that have issues, red flags, and security gaps.

• What Happens If I Get Disconnected From My Casino App During a Game?

  It will depend on where you are playing and what their disconnect policy is. Usually, they have procedures in place to help protect the player’s money and preserve the action as much as possible. We recommend you to take a few moments and review the disconnect policy before you start using any online casino app. If it’s not readily available through their website or by contacting support, you probably don’t want anything to do with that site.

• Yes, real money games bring the casino experience to you, wherever and whenever you want. The best casino apps will offer a variety of free games as well as plenty of casino games that can be played for real money. If you’re a novice player, you can practice with the free games, but more experienced players can make a good profit playing real money casino games on these mobile apps.

• Gambling on casino apps is legal anywhere if you’re playing free games. If you’re logging on to a casino app to play for real money, you’ll have to use a website that operates offshore. No laws currently prevent US gamblers from playing mobile casino games for real money using an offshore casino app. For the most accurate interpretation of casino apps in your state, please reach out to a local gambling attorney.

• Finding the best online gambling app depends on what type of casino games you would like to play. You might be inclined to choose a different app if you want to play slots vs if you’re going to play classic table games. Either way, we’ve made finding the best gambling apps for real money play a breeze by listing them above.

• Will These Real Money Casino Apps Work on My Phone?

  Yes! In fact, mobile online casinos are designed specifically for phones and mobile devices. Throughout this guide, we’ve outlined some of the top Android casino apps and iPhone casino apps. If you’re looking for action on the go, you’re in the right spot.

• Sort of, but it’s not what you’re hoping for. Giving away free money is not a great business model and the casino apps that do this know that.

  As a result, you may get “free money”, but you’ll do so by watching hundreds of ads and playing games with unbelievably low returns. You won’t get your money until the free gambling app has made multiple times your winnings and even then you may face issues with payouts.

  It’s important to note that this IS NOT how real money casino gambling apps work!

  Yes, you have to deposit with real money online casinos, but it gives you access to a much wider variety of games, different playing styles, and more importantly much better RTP(Return to Player). It’s true what they say, you have to spend money to make money.

• If you read our last question about free casino apps you might be worried about what other “free” things are too good to be true. Free spin slot bonuses are not one of those things!

  When you play mobile casino games for money you are eligible for a bunch of bonuses and promotional offers, one of these of course being free spins. And the good news is this, any free spins you earn are yours!

  You can spin and win with them just the same as if you’re playing with money.

• Can You Try Online Slots Before Playing for Money?

  Sure! Some users want to get familiar with a slot game before they put money on the line and that’s perfectly fine. Some online casinos will offer free play versions of their games for this very reason. We also have a collection of free to play slot games that you can try to get your feet wet.