Legitimate USA Poker Sites - Identifying The Most Reputable Online Poker Rooms for US Players

Verifying the Legitimacy Of US Online Poker Destinations - The Review Process We Use

Above we gave an overview regarding how we identify legitimate online poker for US players. As Internet poker players ourselves, we have discovered that there are certain hallmarks you can find which continually appear at the more reputable and trusted Cyber poker parlors. We go into a little more in-depth explanation below as to our review process, which has allowed us over the years to identify the legal and legit virtual poker offerings which support players from the U.S.A. while also providing a reliable, enjoyable, safe and secure experience.

Legal Poker Licensing And Certification

First and foremost, legitimate USA online poker rooms will always go out of their way to ensure that they are certified in a legal and honest manner. What does this mean? That is a good question, because this can be very confusing to the typical Internet poker player. The vast majority of online poker players simply want to log into a site and begin playing. And we can certainly understand that as Internet gamblers ourselves. But the United States delivers a vast majority of the world's online poker players. So those websites which undergo the scrutiny to become legally licensed in offshore jurisdictions where Internet gambling is not only legalized, but also strictly regulated, benefit from this huge online market by offering a legitimate and reliable online poker experience. You just need to know which jurisdictions are respected in the Internet gambling industry. And before we go any further in reviewing or recommending a particular poker room, we guarantee legal poker licensing and certification by a regulatory body known for honest and trustworthy licensing.

Is the Site Honest and Trustworthy?

That leads us to an investigation of a site's reputation. When you walk into a physical casino, it is easier to feel like you are getting a legitimate experience than when you play poker in the virtual world. You are looking at a land-based building, there are people all around you, you can walk up to a member of a poker room's or casino's management team and voice any complaints you have, and it is just a more natural feeling. This is why some poker players have a hard time developing trust for the Internet options which are available to them. We have found that by browsing Internet poker chat rooms and forums, and chatting with actual players, we can develop an instant picture of a particular poker room's honesty and trustworthiness. Legitimate USA poker is also generally marked by a responsive and eager customer support team, legal licensing (which we will discuss below), a very open and revealing FAQ section and virtual poker tables which are well supported by players any time night or day.

Fair Play and Security

Legitimate USA online poker sites will always openly discuss their fair gaming and responsible gaming stances. Does a particular website continually and randomly test its software, virtual card shufflers and Random Number Generators (RNGs) to ensure a random and fair experience? And is this software tested by independent third-party testing labs which are unbiased? Does the particular poker room where you play have security and player identification and verification protocols in place to ensure that no underage American card players are allowed? And finally, does your Internet poker room use the industry-standard in SSL data encryption technology to protect its US card players' personal and financial data? Whether you allow respected industry consultant like ourselves to do a review for you, or you prefer to undertake an extensive review of a particular poker room on your own, these are questions you must ask and answer.

Banking and Payout Choices For USA Players

Most legitimate USA poker rooms will not offer as wide a variety of banking and funding options as those Internet poker choices located across the pond. The UK and other non-US locations around the world look upon Internet poker and other forms of virtual gambling much more favorably than do the stern government administrators and banking regulators in the US. While this is simply to protect American citizens, it does limit the number of banking and payout choices a U.S. poker player has at his or her disposal. As long as reliable and secure deposit methods (such as credit cards, bank transfers and dependable payment processors like Western Union) are offered for opening and funding a real money account, poker players can be happy with the security and speed of the banking options offered. The same holds true for withdrawals and payouts, which in many cases are limited to check by mail, check by courier and wire transfer.

Bonuses, Traffic and The Rest

The average poker playing "bonus hunter" will notice that we have not yet discussed welcome bonuses and other player incentives as a criteria for uncovering the best that legitimate USA online poker has to offer. That is because, in many cases, poker rooms that fail in the above important areas will offer seemingly incredible bonuses to get you to open an account. But smart Internet poker players will investigate how difficult or easy it is to actually qualify for that bonus. More important than some extravagant $10,000 bonus are the wagering requirements you must fulfill to actually access that money. After all of the above stipulations have been met, we then investigate welcome bonuses and their gambling requirements, game selection and player traffic, the speed with which customer support answers e-mails, and any specialty characteristics which are site-specific. These are all important, but only deserve investigation after ensuring that a poker site qualifies for a legitimate USA poker designation by offering a safe, secure and trustworthy experience through legal licensing and regulation, and efficient and reliable banking procedures.