Maryland’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 5:45:44 PM
Finding a good online poker site in Maryland can be quite a challenge. As a Maryland native and avid poker player myself, I have seen my fair share of “not available in your region” messages from many online poker platforms. Maryland is simply one of those states that is super tough on gambling. Even in person gabling wasn’t commercially legalized until 2012.
But, there are some daring platforms that have managed to fight through the restrictions and become easily playable in Maryland. These include some industry heavy weights like BetOnline and Sports Betting.
If you’d like to start playing now, you can check out the “Best Online Poker Sites” section just below and see our top 3 picks for online poker in Maryland.
Overall though, things seem to be changing for the better. The Maryland Senate recently passed a bill that officially legalizes online sports betting, and with online gambling becoming more prevalent, we can expect similar bills to pass for online poker as well in the somewhat near future.
We will get more into Maryland gambling regulations and laws a little later, but for now, all you need to know is that you won’t be locked up for playing poker with real money online. So whether you use a VPN or not, you are safe to play.
Table of Contents
What Are Maryland’s Best Online Poker Sites
When reviewing the best real money poker sites in Maryland we tried our best to stick to sites that you could easily access without using a VPN. Unfortunately, because of how strict Maryland’s online gambling regulations are, we had to slip one in that would require a VPN.
So, based on our research, the best online poker sites in Maryland are…
We picked these top 3 poker sites based on their performance, reviews, level of security, and of course how much fun we had on them. All 3 of these sites would be great to play poker on. They have well maintained platforms that are easy to use, solid reviews across the board, and legitimate gambling licenses.
You can learn more about the platforms individually below or pick one to start playing on by clicking the “PLAY NOW” button.
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 top pick for online poker in Maryland. 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 Maryland. 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. Once 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.
SB Poker
States Available:
50
FEATURES
Excellent Customer Support
New Player Friendly Tables
Mobile Friendly
Crypto Banking Available
WELCOME OFFER
100% Deposit Bonus
Up To $1000
Sports Betting comes in second largely because of its close association to BetOnline. In fact, back in 2012, it was acquired by BetOnline, so there is a lot of overlap between the two sites. You can expect a similar level of security when playing on Sports Betting to that of BetOnline.
One of the biggest pros to playing on Sports Betting is the long list of bonuses they have for you to take advantage of. They also have a very user friendly interface and excellent customer support. So, Sports Betting is an excellent option if you are looking to play poker online in Maryland.
Ignition Casino
States Available:
45
FEATURES
Excellent Customer Support
Fastest Payouts In US
250+ Casino Games
Crypto Banking Available
WELCOME OFFER
150% Deposit Bonus
Up To $3000
The main reason Ignition Casino comes in third on our Maryland list is because it is one of the few states where ignition Casino is not available, meaning you will need a VPN if you want to play on it. However, it still makes the list because of how amazing the platform is.
While it has many other casino games, Ignition Casino specializes in online poker. So, there 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.
If you are a serious poker player looking to play online, Ignition Casino is well worth getting a VPN in order to play. You can learn more from our full review of the site here.
Is Online Poker Legal In Maryland?
This is of course the most important question as I’m sure you do not want to end up behind bars or with a fine simply for enjoying your favorite pastime.
Simply put, its complicated. No, your personal FBI agent will not show up at your front door because they saw you were playing poker online for real money. However, there is no law saying that online gambling is legal or illegal. This makes the subject a bit of a grey area in Maryland.
Maryland gambling regulators tend to go after the company that runs a gambling platform, not the players. That is why there aren’t many sites that are easily available to Maryland residents.
So, since there is no law out right saying you can’t gamble online, you are safe to join and play on the sites we’ve mentioned and others. Remember though, we aren’t lawyers and encourage you to reach out to legal professionals to get more information about Maryland gambling laws.
Are Real Money Poker Sites Safe?
Online poker sites are extremely safe. The majority of gamblers do not have any legitimate problems with losing money to scammers or simple errors. These sites work to ensure their players have a great experience, and any site that has been caught doing sketching things are typically put on a blacklist.
However, to ensure you do not get scammed and lose your money, it is important you play on reputable and licensed poker sites. All of the sites we recommend have gambling licenses and are regulated.
Having a gambling license means the site must ensure you have a safe and secure gambling experience in order to stay legitimate and keep their license. In order to regulate these sites, licensing establishments will often perform random test to ensure security measures are up to code.
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 Maryland 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 Maryland players. So 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 of these 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
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 Maryland 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 as well 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 our #1 choice Maryland poker site, 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 Maryland Poker Players
If you are interested in learning about some of the best poker players coming out of Maryland, check out our list below. We go into detail on the two most notable players, Anthony Gregg and Gregory Merson, and list more below them.
Anthony Gregg - $11,979,691
Born in 1986, Anthony “Tony” Grergg is a professional poker player from Maryland, best known for winning the 2013 $111,111 High Roller for One-Drop Hold’em tournament. He took away $4.8 million from it and has made three final table appearances at the annual PokerStars Caribbean Adventure tournament. He has racked up over 10 million in winnings over his career. As a fun fact, he used to play Magic: The gathering before poker.
Gregory Merson - $11,428,359
Born in 1987, Gregory Merson became the 2012 WSOP Player of the Year after winning 2012 World Series of Poker tournament and the WSOP Bracelet in the $10,000 Six Handed No-Limit Hold’em World Championship. He is most know as an online shorthanded cash game player.
Other Maryland Poker Players
Steven Dannenmann - $4,827,428
Christian Harder - $4,588,647
John Brock Parker - $3,813,876
Justin Liberto - $3,722,243
Daniel Kelly - $3,367,469
Will Maryland Regulate Online Poker?
As we mentioned early, its seems like the tides are shifting when it comes to gambling regulations in Maryland. In fact, the entire country seems to be embracing the gambling industry.
Sports Betting regulation has been on the rise with over 20 states, including Maryland passing bills that regulate it. So, with the culture around online gambling shifting, we can look forward to laws coming soon that will regulate online poker in Maryland as well, allowing more safe poker site options to become available.
Conclusion – Maryland’s Best Poker Sites
So, to wrap up this article, Maryland has some great options for you to play poker online. The best of them include BetOnline, Sports Betting, and Ignition Casino. All of these sites are completely safe to play on because they are regulated by official gambling licensing organizations.
When you decide to play on these platforms, make sure you take advantage of their welcome bonuses and others that they have on their sites. You may also what to use cryptocurrency as your banking option if you want the best experience, but credit/debit cards are great options as well.
If you have any additional questions, feel free to reach out to our team here. Good luck and have fun!