Softest Online Poker Sites for March 2025

Sticking to the softest online poker sites has its advantages. New players can learn in a less risky environment, while experienced players may want to rebuild their confidence after a downswing.

Whatever your reasons for seeking out the fishiest tables, this guide is here to help you make money. We’ll discuss the various bonuses, payment options and games available.

Comparing the Softest Online Poker Sites

The table below offers an at-a-glance overview of the country’s softest poker sites.

CoinPoker – Best Site for Promotions

Apart from offering the biggest new player bonus, CoinPoker is known for its unique rakeback promotion.

All players, regardless of how long they’ve been around, are eligible for 33% weekly rakeback. To qualify, all you need to do is use the site’s unique cryptocurrency. This also comes with the added benefits of fast withdrawals and secure transactions.

Ignition – Best Site for Recreational Gamblers

As we mentioned, the softest online poker sites feature a disproportionately high number of casual players. What better example than one of the best bitcoin poker sites in the country?

Although the Ignition poker room is impressive, the site is best-known as a casino. As such, many regulars are just there to have fun and gamble. They’re not necessarily serious poker players.

ACR Poker – Best Site for Freeroll Tournaments

Freerolls are an important part of a new player’s progression and it is important to keep an eye out for them. Sites that run many free-to-enter tournaments attract a greater number of inexperienced players.

ACR Poker provides up to 12 different freerolls every week day, helping newbies get off to the best possible start. That partially explains why the small-stakes tables are on the soft side.

Black Chip Poker – Best Site for Soft Non-Hold’em Games

More people know how to play Texas Hold’em more than any other game. There are still people out there who enjoy other games, and they need somewhere to play online.

Luckily, Black Chip Poker offers a wide variety of on Hold’em cash games, including 5-Card Omaha and Seven-Card Stud Eight-or-Better. And the standard isn’t especially high.

BetOnline – Best Site for Short Sessions

A sportsbook first and foremost, the BetOnline poker room attracts casual players who are just there to bet on sports. It allows you to quickly dive in and play using a browser, without any special software.

This makes it easier for inexperienced players to try playing poker. But it’s also ideal if you just fancy a short session and can’t be bothered with apps.

Bovada – Best Site for Beatable Fast-Fold Games

Like many of the softest online poker sites, Bovada is best-known for other forms of gambling – in this case, sports betting. As such, the standard tends to be weaker.

Known as a top FL online poker site, Bovada is particularly good if you like high-tempo action. Hit the Zone Poker tables to play fast-fold games, or jump into the many turbo tournaments. Either way, the games are pretty soft.

Reviews of the Softest Online Poker Sites

Okay, let’s now take a closer look at the softest poker sites we’ve mentioned so far, with the following reviews.

1. CoinPoker – Best All-Round Site WIth Soft Hold’em Games

Low-stakes Hold’em players will find this one of the easiest poker sites to beat.

But that’s not the only positive impact CoinPoker will have on your bottom line, thanks to a 33% rakeback arrangement.

CoinPoker Rating: 9.6/10

2. Ignition – Top Casino With Easy Poker Games

Next on our list of the softest online poker sites is Ignition.

Better-known as one of the leading offshore casinos, it also boasts an impressive offshore poker room that’s instantly accessible in a browser, with no need for downloads.

Ignition Poker Rating: 9.3/10

3. ACR Poker – Home to the Biggest Poker Tournaments

ACR is among the softest online poker sites for games other than Hold’em, with a busy Seven-Card Stud and Omaha community.

It’s also home to the Venom, with its $12.5 million guarantee, plus countless other engaging and innovative tournament formats.

ACR Poker Rating: 9.3/10

4. Black Chip Poker – Soft Omaha and Seven-Card Stud Tables

Kick things off with an impressive welcome bonus, then play at busy tables via one of the best looking Android apps around.

If you’re looking for non-Hold’em games, this is undoubtedly one of the easiest poker sites to beat. Black Chip Poker has a thriving Seven-Card Stud community.

Black Chip Poker Rating: 9.1/10

5. BetOnline – Sportsbook With Plenty of Easy Poker Games

Much like Ignition casino, the BetOnline poker room supports a totally different product – a sportsbook, in this case.

However, that doesn’t prevent it from being among the best, as well as the softest online poker sites. Expect user-friendly software, busy tables and tournaments with six-figure guarantees.

BetOnline Poker Rating: 9.1/10

What Makes a Poker Site Soft?

The softest online poker sites have a lot of features in common. But the most obvious concerns the player base.

First of all, there will be a much higher percentage of recreational players. Perhaps the site is primarily a casino, for instance, that just so happens to have a poker room attached. In that case, you’re sure to encounter plenty of gamblers splashing around at the poker tables.

Another characteristic of players at soft poker sites is passivity. Everyone knows that weaker players – those who don’t bet, raise, bluff, and defend their blinds enough – are easy to push around. There are no more fishier games than a table full of passive players.

Look out for poker sites that offer more freerolls, low-stakes tables, and small buy-in tournaments than usual. These are designed to pull in less-experienced players. They should be easy pickings for anyone who knows what they’re doing.

Soft Play at the Poker Table

One thing that you certainly don’t want to see is people using a soft play poker strategy. That’s because the poker term “soft play” actually describes a form of collusion.

Here, two or more players collectively agree to take it easy on each other, possibly even dumping chips selectively. In addition, they will attempt to gang up on players, squeezing their bets and raises.

Soft play definitely shouldn’t be confused with soft poker games.

Pros and Cons of Soft Poker Sites

Seeking out the softest online poker rooms makes plenty of sense, but it’s not all a bed of roses. Here’s a summary of the pros and cons.

User Experience at Soft Poker Sites

We make a point of playing at our recommended sites regularly, to offer an authentic and personal review of each one. Here are our thoughts.

CoinPoker

In truth, CoinPoker isn’t quite as soft as Ignition or BetOnline, but it’s the top pick for its many other qualities.

The 33% rakeback, for instance, is ridiculously good. This arguably has an even bigger effect on long-term results than regularly beating up fish.

On top of that, there’s innovative ideas like centrolls, plus a unique cryptocurrency that offers same-day withdrawals. Not to mention the lightweight software that also looks great.

Ignition

Whenever you’re stuck in a rut and everyone’s hitting their draws, taking a fishing trip can do wonders for your confidence.

Ignition is a great place to do this. It’s among the softest online poker sites because it’s really a casino.

You have to expect some crazy plays at the low-stakes tables, but stick to the ABCs and you’ll be back to winning in no time.

ACR Poker

With massive tournaments like the Venom, Big Poker Thursdays and the Sunday Moneymaker, ACR Poker is certainly the place to be for some of the best online poker tournaments.

However, it’s also great for niche games like Seven-Card Stud Eight-or-Better. It’s one of the few places left with such games, and the tables aren’t full of crushers.

The Android app here is brilliant, too. It’s a shame that it wants to update seemingly every time we load it up.

Black Chip Poker

There’s a lot of innovation at WPN sites like Black Chip. For instance, the Blitz Poker fast-fold tables, which are full of impatient fish.

There’s also an in-built staking system, which is a great way to securely help your friends and colleagues crush the recs.

A minor negative is the lack of software for Apple devices. No problem for us Android users, however, as it’s one of the best poker apps around.

BetOnline

As a sportsbook, there’s an abundance of easy poker games here, especially the low-stakes Hold’em tables. But it’s best used to freshen things up now and then.

The Instant Play option makes it very easy to just jump in for a quick session, for instance. While the RISE loyalty program needs work.

You can’t obtain the top tier 25% rakeback without clearing $5,000 a week in rake. When CoinPoker offers 33% to all players, there’s a clear winner.

Available Bonuses at Soft Poker Sites

In this section, we’ll take a look at the various bonuses and promotions offered by the softest online poker sites.

Welcome Bonus

All new players can expect some kind of reward for taking the time to create an account and fund it. This will usually be a deposit match bonus, that’s released over time as you play real money games. However, you may benefit from other goodies too, like free tournament entries.

Match Deposit Bonus

Linked directly to the value of your first deposit, signup offers usually take this form. For example, a 175% match on a deposit of $100 would result in a $175 welcome bonus. Look out for deposit match reload bonuses for existing players, too.

No Deposit Bonus

You’ll struggle to find a no deposit bonus in the online poker world these days. If you do, they can be highly rewarding, as it’s literally something for nothing. Simply create an account, log in and start playing, with no need to link a deposit method.

Reload Bonus

Any reward for topping up your poker account with real money is known as a “reload” bonus. This will often be a deposit match in the region of 10% to 50%. But it may also include other treats, like tournament entries or free spins on slots if the site also has a casino.

Tournament Tickets

Not to be confused with freeroll tournaments, some sites award free entries to satellite tournaments that other players pay for. For example, BetOnline includes 21 step satellite entries as part of its new player welcome pack.

VIP Rewards

Most of the softest online poker sites run some kind of structured VIP program. These supply increasingly beneficial perks to the most loyal players. The more you play, the more points you’ll accumulate, propelling you through the tiers towards bigger and better rewards.

Refer-a-Friend

Can’t stop talking about your favorite poker site? Then you’re effectively doing the job of its marketing team, and there is normally some kind of reward for that. Many sites will literally pay you to recruit players by adding bankroll boosting bonuses to your account.

Most Popular Online Poker Games at Soft Poker Sites

What games are available to play at the softest poker sites? Keep reading to find out as we go through many of the most popular types of poker games.

Texas Hold’em

Any online poker room worth its salt will be focused on Texas Hold’em. By far the most popular form of the game, most major tournaments around the world are No-Limit Hold’em events.

Hold’em involves four betting rounds and all players begin with two private “hole” cards. Up to five community cards, which are face-up in the middle, can also be used.

It can be played with a Fixed or Pot Limit betting structure, but No Limit Hold’em – the “Cadillac of Poker” – is the most exciting. If you’re to be successful, you’ll need bravery, psychology, and math skills in your arsenal.

Omaha

The second-most popular way to play poker, Omaha is a derivative of Hold’em. Its structure is basically identical – two forced blinds, a flop, turn, and river – but there’s one crucial difference: a starting hand of four cards.

Of those four hole cards, exactly two must be used to create your hand. But, with so many more cards involved, the potential for draws is far greater than in Hold’em. As such, the optimal poker tournament strategy requires a little more caution.

Even the most powerful hands aren’t as far in front as you think, when an opponent could literally be drawing to 20 cards.

Seven-Card Stud

As a Stud game, there are no community cards involved here. Instead, players start with three exclusive cards each – two of which are hidden – and they’ll receive up to seven in total.

Seven-Card Stud is usually a Fixed Limit game, but Pot and No Limit games aren’t entirely unheard of. It also has a number of variants, including Eight-or-Better and the lowball game Razz.

Its popularity appears to be waning, though it is still prevalent across online poker real money California sites.

A few of the softest online poker sites still spread Seven Stud and Eight-or-Better games.

2-7 Triple Draw

Draw poker games allow players to exchange cards in their hand for new ones. In this particular variant, there are such chances to do so – hence the name.

The other part of this game’s moniker comes from the fact that it’s a lowball game. As such, you’re aiming for traditionally low-value cards. Aces only play as high cards. Because straights and flushes count, the best possible hand is an unsuited 7-5-4-3-2.

All players begin with five cards, before a round of betting commences. Three more rounds follow, each taking place after an opportunity to draw fresh cards.

Short Deck Poker (6+)

So-called because it uses a deck of just 36 cards, Short Deck ditches everything ranked 5 and below. With nothing valued lower than 6, it’s sometimes dubbed Six Plus, or 6+ Poker.

The rules are based on Hold’em, but due to the missing cards, there are some changes. It’s harder to make flushes, for example, so they rank above a full house. Aces can still play as low, meaning 9-8-7-6-A becomes a straight.

Short Deck isn’t really associated with the softest online poker sites – quite the opposite, in fact. It originated in the high-stakes community, particularly in SE Asia, where Malaysia poker online has gained traction among serious players.

Popularized by the likes of Phil Ivey, Paul Phua, and Tom Dwan, it remains a staple of high-stakes action.

Five-Card Draw

An old-school form of poker, you don’t see Five-Card Draw much these days. If you do, it’s likely to be at a home game, rather than sites like Bovada poker and the others mentioned in this guide.

It’s hard not to think of “Wild West” cowboys from the 1800’s when discussing Five-Card Draw. After all, it was the dominant poker format in those days. The famous “Dead Man’s Hand” nickname comes from this particular game, too.

The mechanics are like 2-7 Triple Draw, except that game is the lowball version. You’ll have four betting rounds and a total of three opportunities to discard and draw new cards. Traditional hand rankings are used, with a royal flush being the best.

Supported Payment Methods at US-Based Soft Poker Sites

In order to play at the softest online poker sites, how do we transfer our bankroll? Let’s take a look at the most common payment methods on offer.

How We Rate the Softest Online Poker Sites

Ranking the softest poker sites involves a lot of research and fact-checking.

Our analysts actually use these sites as part of the process. But we also consider the opinions of fellow experts, cross-referenced against other credible sources.

The team constantly checks our published content, ensuring it remains factually correct and up to date. We also take reader feedback seriously, so please don’t hesitate to notify us of any errors.

Finally, while we aim to be impartial, you may occasionally encounter sponsored content, which will be clearly marked as such.

Softest Online Poker Site – Our Verdict

If you’re new to the game or simply looking to boost your poker winnings, it’s tempting to look for sites full of weak players. However, as you’ve seen, there can be downsides to playing exclusively at soft tables.

What’s more, there are plenty of other important considerations when choosing an online poker room. These shouldn’t be overlooked just because a site is considered soft.

Here’s a recap of why we picked CoinPoker as our top poker room for easy games.

Expert Opinion

FAQs

What is a soft poker game?

In poker, the term “soft” refers to a game where the standard is relatively poor. The softer the game, the weaker the players involved, and the easier it should be to make a profit.

What is the easiest poker game to play?

Texas Hold’em is arguably the easiest poker game for beginners to learn. However, more people play it, so the chances of encountering skilled players is greater. As a result, less popular games, like Omaha and Seven-Card Stud, can be easier to beat.

What is soft poker?

A soft poker game is one that’s easier to beat than average. This is not to be confused with “soft play”, which means collusion. If two players employ a soft play poker strategy, they’re going easy on each other.

Which online poker site has the most fish?

All of the sites mentioned in this guide enter the discussion, but BetOnline arguably has the weakest poker players overall. That’s because it’s a sports betting site, so many of the players are part-timers with no real poker ability.