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Play Online Poker for Real Money in Texas – Best TX Poker Sites |
by Dominic Field | Updated: Nov 19, 2024 |
The lack of clear Texas online poker laws leave many people confused. However, it is possible to play in the Lone Star State, as you’re about to learn.
Before we get into details, let’s run through the best online poker sites in Texas.
150% deposit bonus up to $2,000 |
150% deposit bonus up to $2,000
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10
Coinpoker
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Play Now | |
100% Poker Bonus + 100% Casino Combo Bonus |
100% Poker Bonus + 100% Casino Combo Bonus
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9.9
Ignition
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Play Now | |
New Player Bonus Up To $2,000 |
New Player Bonus Up To $2,000
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9.8
ACR Poker
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100% up to $2,000 |
100% up to $2,000
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9.8
Black Chip Poker
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Play Now | |
100% Bonus up to $1,000 + 8 days of Tournament Tickets |
100% Bonus up to $1,000 + 8 days of Tournament Tickets
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9.7
BetOnline
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Play Now | |
100% Bonus up to $500 |
100% Bonus up to $500
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9.7
Bovada
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Play Now | |
100% up to $2,000 |
100% up to $2,000
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9.4
Ya Poker
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Play Now |
We’ll discuss the legal situation. But first, here are some detailed reviews of the top sites offering online poker in Texas.
There’s no better place to play online poker for real money in Texas. The sleek mobile app and desktop client are crammed with Hold’em and Omaha tables, plus regular tournaments with rewarding guarantees.
CoinPoker is one of the best bitcoin poker rooms, but it also boasts its own unique cryptocurrency token. Play using Chips (CHP) and secure an unbeatable 33% rakeback.
Pros
Cons
This Curaçao-licensed site is a great option for new players. There’s an abundance of freerolls and small buy-in tournaments, but also regular Sunday events with sizable guarantees.
Ignition isn’t just a great option for playing online poker in Texas – it’s also among the best offshore casinos. The steady stream of part-time poker players helps to ensure soft cash tables.
ACR Poker is home to a diverse selection of games, including Hold’em, several Omaha variants and Seven Card Stud tables. Look out for the multi-million guaranteed Venom tournaments, too.
Start playing online poker in Texas with the industry’s biggest welcome bonus. Regulars can also take advantage of the Elite Benefits program, a constant source of rewards. Alternatively, opt out and take 27% rakeback instead.
Pros
Cons
The similarities between Black Chip Poker and ACR are obvious, as both sites are part of the busy Winning Poker Network. This brand may be newer, but it’s just as full of busy cash tables, creative tournaments and rewarding bonuses.
Enjoy clean and modern software that’s easy to use, as well as fast cryptocurrency withdrawals. Not to mention frequent seven and eight-figure guarantees, including the Venom tournaments.
Pros
Cons
It couldn’t be easier to play online poker in Texas thanks to BetOnline. There’s no need to download any software – just log in and play from your browser. You’ll find busy Hold’em and Omaha tables that are extremely beatable.
BetOnline is among the country’s leading fast payout casinos, as crypto withdrawals are often processed in just two hours. This is just as true for the poker room.
Pros
Cons
You’ve seen our top-rated sites for online poker in Texas, all of which share a number of fantastic features. But what is it about each brand specifically that makes them unique?
What games are in store at the Lone Star State’s leading sites? Why don’t we take a look?
You can’t possibly discuss online poker in Texas without mentioning Hold’em. After all, the world’s most popular game – correctly titled Texas Hold’em – originated in this part of the US.
Each player receives two cards face-down, with a maximum of five “community” cards in the middle of the table. The aim is to make the best possible five-card hand, or bet everyone else out of the pot.
This setup makes for all kinds of representing and bluffing opportunities, meaning you’ll need to be brave if you’re to have any success – especially in the No Limit form of the game.
Best Texas Poker Site for Hold’em: BetOnline
A close relative of Texas Hold’em, Omaha borrows almost all of that game’s rules. It also features five community cards, with four betting rounds and forced bets before the flop. These similarities explain why the game was originally known as “Omaha Hold’em”.
The key difference is the starting hand of four cards. You must use exactly two in order to form your hand. The additional cards create many more combinations, meaning you’ll need to be more disciplined with your hand selection.
PLO – Pot Limit Omaha – is the most common structure, rather than No Limit or Fixed Limit. There are several interesting variants, too, including 5-Card Omaha and Omaha Hi-Lo.
Best Texas Poker Site for Omaha: CoinPoker
Before the domination of Texas Holdem, Seven Card Stud was the most popular form of poker. There are no community cards here, as it’s a stud game. That means each player receives their own unique hand, with a mixture of face-up and face-down cards.
The game starts with three cards each – two down and one up. There’s a total of five betting rounds, offering plenty of action, which is why it’s usually played with a Fixed Limit betting structure.
Some popular variants include Razz – a lowball game played using the same structure – and Seven Stud Hi-Low, sometimes called Eight Or Better.
Best Texas Poker Site for Stud: Black Chip Poker
Although the aforementioned games are the most popular forms of online poker in Texas, that list is not exhaustive.
For instance, Short Deck – also known as Six Plus Poker – is increasingly popular, particularly among high stakes players. This intriguing game, which uses a 36-card deck, can be found at a few leading sites.
Draw Poker isn’t as popular as it once was. However, some modern forms – such as 2-7 Triple Draw – are still available at some online poker rooms.
Best Texas Poker Site for Other Games: ACR Poker
Ready to play online poker for real money in Texas? Not sure how to get started? Check out the following step-by-step guide.
If you’ve been playing online poker for real money in Texas, you’ll hopefully have some winnings to withdraw. Here’s how to extract those funds.
Common Payment Methods for Online Poker in Texas
TX Online Poker Sites | CoinPoker | Ignition | ACR Poker | Black Chip | BetOnline |
Bitcoin (BTC) | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Ethereum (ETH) | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Tether (USDT) | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Chips (CHP) | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
Other Cryptocurrencies | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
US Dollars | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Mastercard | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
Visa | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
Other Cards | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
MoneyGram | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
Our featured Texas poker rooms online are bursting with bonuses, like the following.
All of the best online poker sites in Texas offer some kind of signup incentive.
They’re usually match bonuses, meaning you’ll receive a percentage of your first real money deposit. But it’s also possible to find no deposit bonuses, from time to time.
Best Online Poker TX Site for Welcome Bonuses: ACR Poker
Some online poker sites include free tournament entries as part of their welcome packages.
At BetOnline, for instance, you’ll receive up to 21 free entries to satellite tournaments for the $100,000 Sunday Showdown.
Best Online Poker TX Site for Free Tournament Tickets: BetOnline Poker
If you’re just starting to play poker in Texas, freerolls are a great way to build a bankroll. They cost nothing to enter, but there are real money rewards.
CoinPoker is just one site that offers regular daily freerolls, with up to $100 available in each.
Best Online Poker TX Site for Freerolls: CoinPoker
Most of the best online poker sites in Texas refund a proportion of your weekly or monthly rake as a loyalty reward. This is known as rakeback.
CoinPoker is the standout example, providing an impressive 33% rebate.
Best Online Poker TX Site for Rakeback: CoinPoker
Tell your friends how great your favorite site is and there’s usually a reward in it for you.
At Ignition, for instance, if a buddy joins using your unique referral code, there’s a possible $125 bonus.
Best Online Poker TX Site for Referral Rewards: Ignition Poker
Top poker rooms in Texas know how to look after their regular players. Structured loyalty and VIP programs are a big part of that.
ACR Poker’s well-known Elite Benefit program is a standout example. Earn points as you play, which help you to progress through the ranks. The higher you climb, the greater the bonuses awaiting you.
Best Online Poker TX Site for VIP Rewards: ACR Poker
We’ve covered online poker in Texas, but what about land-based options? Is live poker legal in Texas?
Well, the Texas Penal Code states that you can’t run a poker room for profit. However, many venues operate as private member clubs, charging a subscription fee to join, then hosting live poker games.
While many lawmakers are trying to close this legal loophole, some are advocating for proper legislation that would actually legalize poker.
The private membership model is working well, and there’s a blossoming poker scene in the state. Famous names like Doug Polk have moved to Texas, for instance. He’s opened not one, but two different card rooms.
It’s not really possible to play poker in Texas at a casino. Commercial casinos remain illegal, though there are three venues on Indian land. However, only one of these – the Kickapoo Lucky Eagle Casino – offers a live poker room.
Looking for a live game? Check out the following Texas poker rooms:
Austin
Dallas
Houston
San Antonio
Some of the world’s best-known players have close ties to the Lone Star State.
A genuine legend of the game, “Texas Dolly” is a real OG of poker. He played in illegal high-stakes games in the 1950s and 60s, before eventually settling in Las Vegas.
His book Super/System was pioneering, sharing insight from Brunson and other top professionals, which helped to popularize the game of Texas Hold’em.
A two-time winner of the WSOP Main Event – not to mention eight other bracelets – he was the first player to win $1 million from poker tournaments.
Much missed by the poker community, Brunson died in 2003 at the age of 89.
Originally from Pasadena, California, Polk grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina. However, in January 2022, he famously co-founded The Lodge Card Club, near Austin, Texas.
Polk made his name playing high-stakes games of head-up No Limit Hold’em. However, he’s also bagged three WSOP bracelets.
Something of an entrepreneur, Polk is the brains behind the poker coaching site Upswing Poker, as well as a popular YouTube channel.
Polk and his associates – fellow players Brad Owen, and Andrew Neeme – now own two poker rooms in Texas. They are key voices leading the campaign to legalize live poker in the state.
Tamayo is best known for winning the 2024 World Series of Poker Main Event. There, he bested a record field of 10,112 players, banking $10,000,000 in the process.
Famously a roommate of the 2015 Main Event champion Joe McKeehen, Tamayo is a successful player in his own right.
A four-time WSOP Circuit ring winner, he’s also cashed in four major WTP events.
Tamayo is of Filipino heritage, but grew up in Humble, Texas.
The Lone Star State has always had a difficult relationship with gambling. Even though the most famous form of poker originated in Texas, those games were illegal.
There have been very few attempts to legalize gambling over the years, all of which have been met with strong resistance. And that’s a trend that has continued into the internet era.
However, this very resistance to creating a legal framework for any form of gambling means the Texas Penal Code is full of loopholes.
There are no state-licensed online casinos or poker rooms. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t play online poker for real money in Texas.
The law doesn’t explicitly forbid the use of online poker sites, only the operation of one for profit. There’s nothing in the Texas Penal Code that says residents can’t play online.
Much like the live poker scene, this lack of legislation means there’s a gray area. Online, this is filled by offshore operators that accept players from Texas, and indeed the whole of the United States.
As these companies are based overseas, local law enforcement can take no action against them.
From a player’s perspective, there’s simply no way for anyone to know what you’re doing – especially if you use a VPN and deposit using cryptocurrency.
Besides, even if you were caught, what laws are you breaking? None, because there aren’t any.
Just because offshore poker sites aren’t licensed in the USA, it doesn’t mean there’s no regulation at all. The brands we recommend are overseen by major international authorities, including the governments of Panama, Costa Rica and Curaçao.
That means they’re sure to be looking after your deposit correctly and using the latest security features, like SSL encryption and multi-factor authentication.
It also means these poker sites are following responsible gambling practices, offering tools to support those in need. Not to mention weeding out potential underage gamblers.
Here’s a brief history of online poker-related events in the Lone Star State.
Since there is no legal framework in place for online poker, there are no laws regarding taxation either.
So, if there’s no state tax, is online poker free in the state of Texas?
Not quite – you still have to consider federal taxes. All winnings should be reported to the IRS and are subject to a 24% deduction.
We’ve learned about the legality of poker in Texas. But what’s the situation in other parts of the country?
Michigan – Legal
In January 2021, the Wolverine State finally legalized online poker rooms. They became the sixth US state to do so.
Pennsylvania – Legal
The Keystone State passed legislation as early as October 2017, though the first legal poker sites didn’t launch until 2019.
This article is packed with an awful lot of information. With that in mind, here’s a quick summary of the key points to take away with you.
Not really, because there’s no existing legislation or regulatory framework. But the resulting gray area means it’s possible to play poker in Texas online. Many offshore sites accept US residents and there are no laws stating that it’s illegal to use them.
The majority of sites are safe, but there are always a few bad apples. To stay safe when playing online poker in TX, stick to our recommended brands. Our experts have vetted each one to ensure they’re fair and secure.
It certainly does. A number of live poker clubs are exploiting the ambiguous legal situation in the Lone Star State. We’ve listed a few notable examples elsewhere in this guide, including Doug Polk’s two well-known venues.
Not at all. There are no state-licensed sites offering online poker for real money in Texas anyway – they’re all based outside of the USA. If these sites accept US players generally, they don’t care which state you’re from.
Yes, though it depends on your perspective. While online poker in Texas isn’t strictly legal, it’s not illegal either, so you can access hundreds of quality offshore poker sites. There are roughly 70 live poker rooms in operation and the community is growing.
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