What's the Best Site for U.S. Cash Game Poker?
There are a handful of online poker companies currently offering real money cash games to U.S.A. residents, and we believe that Ignition Poker is the best of the bunch. BetOnline and its sister site Sportsbetting.ag are a close second, and Americas Cardroom comes in third.
Tournaments may get all the TV time, but serious students of poker know that cash game tables are where steady winnings can mount up over the long haul. Although play chips has its adherents, dedicated fans prefer to play poker with real money online. The most popular style of ring games is No Limit Texas Hold'em, but there's some Pot Limit Omaha and Limit Hold'em action to be found as well.
The best online poker sites for cash games all have several things in common. All the organizations on our list have reputations for honest gameplay and timely cashouts. They welcome new players with valuable rewards. Finally, traffic numbers at these top-rated rooms are high enough that you'll be able to jump onto the tables right away without having to wait around indefinitely for a game to start.
#1 Poker Site for Cash Games: Ignition Poker
Ignition Poker is the largest room for cash games that's open to the United States. The unique anonymized play style at Ignition makes it beloved by novices and amateurs because everyone's identity is hidden from other users. This allows them to play with confidence since they don't have to fear being tracked (or even stalked) by proficient pros looking to scoop up their money. Partly as a result of this anonymized model and partly due to crossover traffic from the attached sportsbook and casino, the games are incredibly juicy. The range of stakes at Ignition goes from $0.02/$0.05 to $10/$20. NLHE and PLO players love the fact that their games fill rapidly although there is a limit of four on the number of tables you can play simultaneously.
Ignition offers Zone Poker, a style of cash game in which you're transported to a new table and get new cards immediately whenever you fold. This lets you play multiple times more hands per hour than you could in normal games. As the only site in the U.S. that has any type of fast-fold option, Ignition's the place to go if you wish to try it out.
New depositors at Ignition get a 100% up to $1,000 bonus on their first deposits. The clearance rate of this bonus works out to less than 30% rakeback for cash play, but it's frontloaded: The initial segments of this multi-part deal pay out at a significantly higher rate than 30%.
#2 Poker Site for Cash Games: BetOnline/Sportsbetting.ag
The two sites BetOnline and Sportsbetting.ag are both on the Chico Network, and they're pretty much identical to each other. Chico is the third-largest destination for cash games by player volume in the U.S. market, and it runs No Limit Hold'em and Pot Limit Omaha from $0.01/$0.02 to $5/$10. Micro-stakes players will probably be comfortable here, but high-stakes ballers will likely find the $5/$10 action insufficient.
Newly depositing players at either BetOnline or Sportsbetting.ag will see the funds they put into their accounts matched 100% up to a maximum of $2,500. This bonus money is earned out at a rate equal to 33% rakeback. Besides this one-time boost to your bankroll, you'll also be able to take advantage of the cash game leaderboards, which run weekly. The top players split up $10,000 divided across three categories of blind levels: $0.10/$0.25 - $0.50/$1.00 ($1,420), $1/$2 - $2/$4 ($2,860), and $3/$6 - $5/$10 ($5,720). Each leaderboard division pays 20 winners per week.
#3 Poker Site for Cash Games: Americas Cardroom
Americas Cardroom is the runner-up (behind Ignition) in terms of U.S. ring game traffic. ACR is popular among multitabling grinders, so the competition isn't quite as easy here as it is at the other rooms we've looked at. The tables go from $0.01/$0.02 at the low end all the way up to $25/$50 for both NL Hold'em and PL Omaha. There's also a surprising amount of limit action in Omaha/8, Hold'em, and Seven Card Stud. After the deployment of the Quick Seat feature at Ignition, many limit players have decided to switch over and make Americas Cardroom their new poker home.
When you open an account at Americas Cardroom, you'll get a 100% up to $1,000 first deposit bonus that's worth 20% cashback on the rake you pay. You'll also get to try out Jackpot Poker SNGs with $50 in free tourney bucks credited to your balance. You have the option to take advantage of the Elite Benefits VIP program or 27% rakeback at ACR.
Poker Sites for Cash Games Honorable Mention: Everygame
With a 200% up to $1,000 bonus that clears rapidly, 36% dealt rakeback payments, and weekly rake races for additional profits, it seems that Intertops deserves to be near the top of anyone's list. Ah, but there's a catch. This room is less than one-tenth the size of Ignition as measured by peak cash game traffic numbers. Despite the fact that games up to $10/$20 NL are spread, you'll be lucky to see anything higher than $0.50/$1.00 actually running. Still, Everygame Poker is a great selection as your secondary or backup poker site.
Alternate Cash Game Sites
If you're willing to put in some work, you may find Grand Poker and Bitcoin-only SwCPoker worthwhile spots for cash game poker. There are only ever a few people logged on at any given time, so you'll have to engage in a lot of shorthanded play and table starting. Yet the players who do show up are among the worst to be found online, so your bottom-line results should be more than satisfactory.
Grand offers 50% rakeback and a 200% up to $2,500 bonus that's worth an additional 10%. SwC doesn't offer any bonuses, but the Krill program is effectively a type of rakeback for high-volume players, and there's also 50% RB on heads-up and three-handed play.
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