California’s Best Real Money Online Poker Sites in 2022
✅100% Legal & Licensed ✅ Verified Bonuses ✅ Safe & Secure | Must be 18+ to play
Author: Le-Roy Battle III |
Updated:
February 1, 2022 at 7:08:25 PM
While California has a well-developed and robust land-based poker scene, the online world in California has a ways to go. Unfortunately, there are currently no California based online poker sites due to the difficulty of regulating the online industry. There is multiple competing interest, such as Cardrooms and casino owning Native American tribes, which make it hard to figure out which group should be offering the online services.
On the bright side, there are still some reputable poker sites, based outside of California, that operate in the US and cater their platforms to US players. So, if you live in California and are looking for a more convenient way to play poker, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, we have a great selection of online poker sites for you to choose from.
Table of Contents
What Are California’s Best Online Poker Sites
Fortunately, California is not strict when it comes to regulating online poker sites. So, Californians get to pick from the best options available for online gambling. Based on our research, the best online poker sites in California are…
We believe these top 3 poker sites will provide Californians with the best performance, security, and of course, fun! They are all officially licensed and titans within the industry. They offer a wide array of game options and are well maintained. If you are looking for a real money poker site to play on, any one of these will provide you with an excellent experience.
You can learn more about the platforms individually below or pick one to start playing on by clicking the “PLAY NOW” button.
Ignition Casino
States Available:
45
FEATURES
Excellent Customer Service
Fastest Payouts in the US
250+ Casino Games
Crypto Banking Available
WELCOME OFFER
300% Deposit Bonus
Up to $3000
Ignition Casino is at the top of our list of poker sites because of how well rounded its platform is. Honestly, if you are looking to play poker online, you don’t need to look further than Ignition Casino.
While it has many other casino games, Ignition Casino specializes in online poker, so their platform is very robust and well optimized for poker play. They also have excellent customer service and healthy bonuses to help you get the most bang for your buck.
One of the best features of Ignition Casino is the wide variety of tournaments they offer and the frequency of them. They have weekly, daily, and hourly tournaments, that are super easy to register for and start play in. Their daily tournaments are running at all times of the day, so if you are looking to get a nice win, they are a great option.
You can learn more about Ignition Casino from our in-depth review of it.
BetOnline
States Available:
49
FEATURES
#3 In US Traffic
Mobile Friendly
Fast Payouts
Crypto Banking Available
WELCOME OFFER
100% Deposit Bonus
Up To $1000
BetOnline is our second pick for online poker in California. While it is mainly known for its sportsbook, BetOnline is an “all-in-one” gambling platform that offers a great poker website and is available to play in California. Having been in operation since 2004, BetOnline is a titan in the online gambling community with stable roots and backing.
BetOnline is an extremely safe and legitimate option if you are looking to play poker online. One of the biggest reasons to play on their platform is because of their reliable credit/debit card banking system. In an industry where many sites have consistent issues with credit/debit deposits and withdrawals, BetOnline’s customers have had great success and it is regarded as one of the best platforms banking wise in the US.
Americas Cardroom
States Available:
43
FEATURES
Largest Tournament Prizes
$10 No Deposit Code
Reliable Customer Support
Crypto Banking Available
WELCOME OFFER
100% Deposit Bonus
Up To $2000
Americas Cardroom is another fantastic option if you are looking for a reliable real money online poker site. As you can tell by the name, they specifically cater towards US based players, so it’s a great site for Californian players.
It is one of the largest poker sites available to US players and one of its biggest draws is the wide variety of tournaments with huge prize pools. They host some of the largest tournaments in the US so you will definitely get your money’s worth if you place in them.
Is Online Poker Legal In California?
California is known for being a liberal state and this mindset is true when it comes to playing online poker as well. Being that California has one of the most robust land-based gambling scenes, this only makes sense.
There are no laws explicitly banning players from playing online poker for real money. This means it is extremely unlikely you will get in trouble for doing so. However, there are laws that prohibit California residents from operating an online poker site. So essentially, you can play online poker, but can’t run an online poker platform.
This is why the poker sites that are available for Californians to play are based outside of California. Of course, we are not legal experts though, so we encourage you to seek professional legal advice if you are concerned with the legality of playing online poker.
Are Real Money Poker Sites Safe?
Yes, online poker sites are very safe and reliable. All of the sites we recommend are officially licensed and regulated, and do not currently have major safety or security concerns.
The sites we recommend work hard to ensure that players information is safe and that they have a great experience. They do this so that they can keep their gambling license. The regulators that oversee online gambling platforms are strict and ensure that these platforms are not operating in a way that is likely to harm their players. They do this by regularly testing the site’s security measures and overall performance.
If you get your information from our site, you won’t have to worry about whether or not the site you are playing on is safe. But, here are some tips for safe gambling if you come across sites that we have not recommended and when playing poker online in general…
Make sure they have a legitimate banking system; you may come across some platforms that require you to use separate methods of payment such as Cash App, Venmo, or PayPal. They use these methods to skirt around the law and regulators, making it much easier for them to steal your money if they want. So, make sure you stay away from a site if they don’t have secure banking methods available.
Check the Blacklist; if a poker site has done something sketchy in the past there is a good chance they are on the blacklist. So, checking it is a good way to tell if the site is reputable or not.
Understand how promotional offers work; Bonuses are always great, but it’s important to read the terms of the bonus so you know exactly how and when you will receive your bonus money. Some platforms give the extra funds out over time which can be a shock if you find out after you’ve made your deposit.
Keep your poker account info private; Last but not least, as with any account where you have sensitive information attached to it, make sure you keep your login information private. Hackers are finding new ways to get your account information all the time, so make sure your password is strong and not the same one you use all the time as well.
Best California Poker Site Welcome Bonuses
Nothing is better than receiving free money. So of course you want to take advantage of every bonus you can when playing online poker so that you can get the biggest bang for your buck, maybe even get a big win on house dollars.
Below are some of the best welcome bonuses you will find that are available to California players. If you are looking for a new site to play on, these may be perfect for you.
300% Welcome Bonus – Ignition Casino
Ignition Casino makes this list as well with the highest welcome bonus we have found and one of the best platforms. They are offering a 300% deposit bonus, up to $3,000, to new players who deposit using cryptocurrency. If you don’t want to use cryptocurrency then the bonus is 200% up to $2,000.
Both options are equally split between their poker site and casino site. Meaning you have two separate balances on their site, one for poker and one for the casino. You must also play a certain amount on their site to earn the full bonus, so be sure to read the terms of the bonus to know how to get full access to it.
200% Welcome Bonus – Everygame Poker
Everygame offers the second biggest welcome bonus from the online poker sites that we have seen. They are offering a 200% deposit bonus, up to $1,000, to new players plus 25 free casino spins.
You will also need to play a certain amount of real money games on their site to receive the full bonus, so make sure you take a look at their terms to understand how to get access to the full thing.
Best Banking Options For California Real Money Poker Sites
With all the banking options available on popular poker sites, it can be difficult to know the best one to go with. So, below we’ve listed two options that we think are best for the average poker player.
If you are looking to play with the high rollers that have tens of thousands to spend, then you probably want to look at wire transfers. But, if you are not rolling in spendable poker money then the options below should work for you.
Cryptocurrency
Many real money poker sites are pushing more and more for players to use cryptocurrency as their banking option, to the point where some bonuses like the Ignition Casino one we mentioned above are only available to crypto users.
They also tend to process withdrawals with cryptocurrency much faster, often within 48hrs. This is in starch contrast to the sometimes 5 days – 2 weeks it can take you to get your money using other methods.
You also don’t need to put your credit card information on the site if you are using crypto, which is another safety measure for those that are worried about the safety of online poker sites.
Lastly, if you watch the crypto markets, you have the option of cashing out during a down market so that your money grows in the coming upswing. This is only advisable if you understand how to invest in cryptocurrency though.
So, we have to say that all around, it’s much better to use cryptocurrency as your banking option than anything else. Between the added incentives, speed of processing, and increase safety, cryptocurrency is a great banking option.
Credit/Debit Card
While we have spoken a lot about how great cryptocurrency, using a good old-fashioned credit/debit card will work well for you too.
You don’t have to be afraid of losing your money on any legitimate poker site when using it and if you play on BetOnline you can be sure that your money will be handled with care and in a timely manner.
You will also be able to deposit and withdraw at much lower limits than the required amount for other methods like wire transfer which often has a minimum deposit of $500 and has a super slow processing speed.
So, while cryptocurrency is great, using your credit/debit card is a great alternative if you are not up to it.
Famous California Poker Players
As you would expect, California has a rich history of winning poker players. Below are a couple of the best players to ever come out of California, as well as a few others who have won their fair share of winnings too.
Brian Rast - $22,244,658
Beating out every other poker player from California by a large margin is Brian Rast. He has a total of 5 World Series of Poker bracelets and 10 final table finishes. His first wins were the $1,500 Pot Limit Hold’em and the $50,000 Poker Player’s Championship. His latest win was in 2021, in the $3,000 No Limit Hold’em 6-Handed event.
Justin Cuong Van Tran - $13,220,991
Nicknamed J.C., Justin is a two-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner and a World Championship of Online Poker Main Event Champion. He won his biggest cash out ever of $2, 106,893 in 2013 at the WSOP Main Event November Nine where he finished 5th.
Other Maryland Poker Players
Jamie Gold - $12,592,641
David Rheem - $11,218,895
Men Nguyen - $11,068,171
David Pham - $10,638,987
Rick Salomon - $9,906,283
Will California Regulate Online Poker?
Currently, it seems like the push to regulate online gambling in California has lessened. There haven’t been many serious legislative proposals regarding online gambling since 2018.
A big reason for this is the push back tribal communities are giving regulators. They tend to be big players in the land casino market and do not want to see online poker sites taking chunks of their player base.
So, for now there doesn’t seem to be anything coming down the pipeline, but that could change with how the pandemic has been causing people to stay in doors more.
Conclusion – California’s Best Poker Sites
California has some great options for playing poker online for real money. They aren’t as restrictive as some other states, so you have a lot of platforms to choose from.
The site we most recommend is Ignition Casino because of how well rounded their site is and the great tournament offerings. But we also recommended you try out BetOnline and Americas Cardroom as well.
All of these platforms are officially licensed and regulated, so they are completely safe, and you do not have to worry about getting scammed.
If you have any additional questions, feel free to reach out to our team here. Good luck and have fun!