Online Poker in Idaho – Is it Legal? Get $3,000 at ID Poker Sites

Occupying the part of the northwest in the United States, Idaho is known for its luscious forest, mount trails, and areas of outstanding natural beauty. The state has a rich history when it comes to online gambling and we’re going to take the time to specifically look at online poker in Idaho.

Throughout this article, we’re going to bring you the best Idaho online poker sites, including reviews, ratings, bonus information, and then finally looking at the legalities surrounding online poker in Idaho.

Best Offshore Poker Sites
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The Best Online Poker Idaho Sites

We’ve been able to use and test a whole range of online Idaho poker rooms to bring you what we think are the best. The list below highlights who these brands are and if you jump down to the next section, we take the time to give them a more in-depth review of what you’re going to find from each site.

  1. BetOnlineBest Site overall for online poker in Idaho
  2. BovadaGreat for crypto banking options
  3. EverygameRakeback available with good percentage
  4. Ignition – Great poker software, soft opponents
  5. Sportsbetting.ag – Solid welcome bonus

Idaho Online Poker Sites Reviewed

We’ve taken the top 5 online poker sites in Idaho and created reviews of each. Use the reviews below to find which is going to be the best poker site for your needs.

Please note that whilst we have ranked them 1 to 5, they each offer something a little different, so don’t just assume that BetOnline, our number one poker room in Idaho is the best poker room for what you need.

1. BetOnline – Best Site Overall for Online Poker in Idaho

betonline idaho poker

BetOnline takes the top spot as our best Idaho online poker site. A company that’s been growing rapidly over the last 20+ years and arguably best known for sports betting has taken to poker like a duck to water.

Cash games are the star of the show here and based on the Chico Poker Network means that traffic is excellent around the clock. Games start from as little as 1c/2c with some high stakes games as much as $50/$100. Other games include MTT’s, sit and go’s, Razz, Stud, and Omaha.

The poker room is packed with features, such as the Six Plus. In this game, they remove all cards lower than a 6 and play out standard Texas Hold’em rules. It’s a great game and sharpens your skills for the full game.

What we like:

  • Best for cash games
  • High stakes games accessible in peak time
  • Easy to claim welcome bonus
  • Chico poker network is great for round-the-clock traffic

What we don’t:

  • High rake on mixed games

2. Bovada – Best Cash Games for Idaho Poker Players

bovada idaho poker

Bovada is another great addition for Idaho poker players. The brand is well known and has been operating since 2011.

The poker room is powered by the PaiWungLuo network, which admittedly is not the biggest. However, the quality of games is almost unrivaled. Tournaments start from as little as a couple of cents and even include mixed games to accompany the more popular Texas Hold’em.

Table features include rabbit hunting, hand strength info (great if you are new to poker), fold and show, live chat, and hand history. You also get access to fully anonymous tables, and they have disabled the use of the HUD, so there are no stats for competitors (a good thing!).

The lack of HUD means games are as soft as you will find. Regulars like a HUD to play multiple games at once, so not having this discourages them from playing there.

What we like:

  • Lack of regular players means that games are very fishy
  • Huge traffic in peak times
  • Great range of banking methods and no fees
  • Lots of poker features, anonymous tables being our favorite

What we don’t:

  • Welcome bonus is tiered

3. Everygame – Best Bonus Offer for Idaho Poker Players

everygame - kansas poker betting sites

No poker player should be unaware of Everygame, even with their name change from Intertops last year. Their offering has consistently been solid regardless their network, both in tournaments and cash game. To be fair, the rake could be lower but they are a solid fixture on the scene since 1996.

Currently Everygame resides with the Horizon poker network, formerly Cake poker. The traffic is a bit iffy at times, though you will always find a decent amount of cash games open, and the tournament schedule is not too bad either. The worst is the sit and go’s which might be a bit under populated for our taste. Another thing that is not really in style on the Horizon network is HU, that never really caught on and if that is your thing, you might be disappointed.

As far as promotions go, they actually offer a fair and decent poker bonus that is possible to clear without hitting the tables 24/7. Their added value in guarantees also tend to err on the positive side of generous, which makes it a nice addition if you are a tournament player.

What we like:

  • Decent amount of traffic during off hours
  • Good poker bonus
  • Bitcoin and crypto possible as banking methods
  • Not so many hu possibilities

What we don’t:

  • Lacking HU opponents

4. Ignition – Best for Mobile Poker Software in Idaho

idaho poker betting site

Ignition poker has a lot of ties to Bovada, and they both are on the same PaiWangLuo network. There are differences though, which is why they rank slightly lower than their bigger brother.

The network allows access to the largest range of poker players in the United States. Games run around the clock and even at off-peak times, are plentiful.

Games include Zone, which is their fast-fold addition and one worth testing, no-limit Texas Hold’em, Fixed limit Texas Hold’em, and Omaha. Games start from 2c/5c and are capped at $30/$60, which is ideal for high-stakes players.

The software can be accessed online and via their poker app. Zone poker linked with mobile is a match made in heaven!

Deposits with Ignition include Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Visa, Mastercard, and Zelle. Deposits start from $25 and you may be charged a fee of up to 4.9% on credit cards, although this is usually waived.

What we like:

  • Biggest poker network in the United States
  • Great mobile poker software
  • Games are full of recreational players on weekends
  • Can use Zone Poker to clear bonuses and promos quickly

What we don’t:

  • Servers can be prone to crashing
  • High rake on some games

5. Sportsbetting.ag – Best for Bitcoin Banking Idaho Poker

poker in idaho sportsbetting.ag

Sports Betting has been open since 2012 and are currently running on the Proprietary network. They are based out of Panama and are quickly becoming one of the best Idaho online poker sites in the state.

Sports Betting has a strong pool of recreational players that jump across from sports and casinos on the site. Given that they are less known for poker than some, professional players tend to stay away, which means that the games are very good. It is also one of the top sports betting sites in Idaho.

Games include Texas Hold’em, Limit Hold’em, Omaha, 7-Card Stud, Americana, and 32 Card Draw. Stakes start from as little as 1c/2c and max out at $5/$10 for most games.

Banking methods are great, with a credit card, cash transfer, debit card, bank wire, money order, and book to book, all on offer. The standout here is Bitcoin and if you can use this, then do. Deposits with Bitcoin start from just $20, max out at $5,000, have no fees, and are the quickest to be processed.

What we like:

  • Large welcome bonus that is easy to clear
  • Great software and poker interface
  • Above-average volume of “fish”
  • Low deposit with Bitcoin of just $20

What we don’t:

  • Limited range of tournaments
  • No blocking of HUD users

More on gambling in Idaho…

Learn about all types of online gambling in Idaho in our expert guides below:

Online Poker Idaho – The Top Sites Compared

To make things a little easier to digest, we’ve created a table of the top online poker sites in Idaho. Within the table includes information on the poker games they offer, bonuses, tournaments, and if they include freerolls.

You can use the table as an overview to find poker games that you want to play.

Poker Room Poker Variety Poker Bonus Poker Tournaments Poker Freerolls
BetOnline Texas Hold’em, Omaha, Omaha Hi/Lo, Six Plus Hold’em, Windfall Poker 100% Poker Welcome Offer Up To $1,000 Sunday Majors, Nightly Monsters, $1 Million Windfall, Progressive Bounties, Rebuy Frenzy, Windfall Sit & Go
Bovada Texas Hold’em, Omaha, Omaha Hi/Lo, Zone Poker 100% First Time Deposit Match Up To $500 The Monthly Milly, Million Dollar Weekend, Knockout Tournaments, Jackpot Sit & Go
Everygame  Texas Hold’em, Omaha 200% Deposit Match, up to $1,000 Wipeout Series, Summit Series, Sunday Six Max SUPERSTACK, Sundowner, Sit & Go Tournaments
Ignition Texas Hold’em, Omaha, Omaha Hi/Lo, Zone Poker 150% up to $1,500 Super Millions, Progressive Knockout Series, Golden Spade Poker Open, Black Diamond Poker Open, Festival of Felt, Jackpot Sit & Go
Sportsbetting.ag Texas Hold’em, Omaha, Omaha Hi/Lo, Six Plus Hold’em, Windfall Poker 100% Poker Welcome Bonus Up To $1,000 Sunday Majors, Nightly Monsters, $1 Million Windfall, Progressive Bounties, Rebuy Frenzy, Windfall Sit & Go

Is Online Poker Legal in Idaho?

The short answer to this query is no, online poker is not legal in Idaho. But there is a caveat to this law and one we will explain.

Poker forms part of the state-wide ban on online gambling. This includes sports and casinos as well.

One of the key things to note here is that the law state that residents of Idaho are not allowed to gamble online with sites that are based in the United States. This is outlined in section 20 of the Idaho Constitution.

There are no regulations in place that states residents of Idaho are not able to play poker online as long as they are on offshore poker sites. An offshore poker site is one that is not located in the US, and usually territories like Costa Rica and Panama.

All the online pokers sites on this page are located offshore. This means that if you’re from Idaho or any state in the US for that matter you can play and deposit money without having to face prosecution.

Video Poker

Video poker is a game that you play in an online casino and it’s different from “regular” poker. It’s a game that has been derived from poker foundations but is essentially a game of chance, much in the way that blackjack is.

Laws for video poker fall under online casino laws for Idaho. Luckily, these are the same as online poker laws, meaning that it’s illegal to play casinos based in the US, but not illegal to play offshore casinos.

Casual Poker

Casual poker is not permitted in the state of Idaho. There was a famous case that occurred back in 2010 when the police raided a social game that took place amongst a small group of pensioners.

This did not go down well with residents and since then rules have been changed so that the police need to approve of the public prosecutor’s office before, they carry out any raids like this again. However, the state’s stance on causal poker has not changed and it is not permitted under any circumstances.

Idaho Poker – Live and In-Person

Given that poker is illegal in Idaho, the options to play aside from online are few and far between. However, the Coueur D’Alene Casino has a dedicated poker room with 6 tables and is open for players in the casino to play.

It’s a strange one as to why this room has been allowed to run since 2014, but we can report as of September 2021, they’ve been under an injunction to close pending court hearings. Whilst that injunction continues to be appealed, the poker room is still operating, but this could change at any time.

Aside from that, there are no casinos that allow poker rooms in Idaho. The only option for Idaho residents is online poker using any of the poker sites that we’ve mentioned on this page.

Idaho Online Poker Laws

Online poker laws in Idaho work a little differently. The state’s current stance is that online poker is illegal, however, there is a grey area that allows Idaho residents to play online poker both safely and securely.

Laws state that players are not permitted to access poker sites that are based in the United States. If we dig a little deeper, it’s mainly related to money transactions which are prohibited, but with poker, you’re not allowed to play online or offline.

The grey area is that there isn’t anything to suggest players are not able to access online poker sites that are not based in the United States. These are referred to as “offshore” poker rooms.

These offshore sites are not licensed by the US, and they adhere to no US laws. If they want to accept poker players from the United States, they can do so.

This means that, if you’re an Idaho resident, you can access online poker rooms that are offshore without facing prosecution.

Online Poker Guides State by State

Idaho Online Poker

Playing online poker compared to playing live is very different. The rules are the same, as are the games, for the most part, but the way that games play out and the overall standard is very different.

We’re going to look at a few key areas that differ when playing online compared to live.

Idaho Poker Bonuses and Promotions

The most obvious place to start with this is the poker bonuses that you can claim online. BetOnline has one of the biggest bonuses that you can claim and it’s worth up to $1,000. If you walked into a casino and asked for a $1,000 bonus they would likely laugh in your face and escort you out.

Not all bonuses are made equal, and they all come with terms attached. For example, with BetOnline, they will give you a $1000 bonus, but clear it you need to wager $50 to trigger $5 of the bonus as cash. You keep going until you’ve wagered the full amount.

What’s great about these types of offers is that you can play a skill-based game to make extra money on top of your regular play. Compare this to the likes of a casino bonus and you’re gambling in the purest of forms.

Standard of Play

It’s a common belief amongst poker players that the standard of play online is generally better than playing live. Most people believe that higher-stakes live poker pros would get crushed at lower stakes online.

However, it’s also widely believed that the bad players online are much worse than those live. They are easier to play against, more erratic, more aggressive (good when players are bad), and tend to lose more money over a shorter period.

The ability to quickly move tables online allows you to find the bad from the good and exploit them for as much money as you can.

Convenient Gameplay

Online poker is 24/7. You get to log on at any time of the day and there will be games waiting for you to play. There’s generally no need for waiting lists (common with live poker) and you know can set your playing hours to suit you.

What you will find online is there will be busier and quieter times. Evenings and weekends are the busiest and it’s often when the games are best.

Anonymity while playing

You’re able to play online behind a username so no one would ever need to know who you are. Many of the top pros play under usernames that they do not disclose to stop people from tracking how well they are doing and forming strategies against them.

Some sites allow you to take this to another level by choosing a new username every time you sit at the table. This way it’s impossible to track any players, let alone online players.

Learning & Strategy

There is a ton of information online about how to be better at poker. Sites analyze hands and play from the best in the business and make this info readily available for you to apply to your own game.

The catch is that the vast amount of strategy on this is based around online poker. The games between online and live play out very differently, so it’s not always easy to apply the same strategies to live play. As fewer players play live and the ability to capture data for live poker is much harder, there is less analysis and in turn, less information.

Idaho Poker Sites : Deposit Methods

Moving money in and out of your poker account needs to be one of the most important things you consider before picking your Idaho online poker site. In the table below we’ve included a range of deposit options from some of the best online poker sites.

Poker Site Payment Options Crypto Deposit Limits Deposit / Withdrawal Speeds
BetOnline Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, Bitcoin, Ethereum, Bitcoin Cash, Litecoin, Ripple, Stellar, USDCoin, Tether, Dogecoin, Cardano, Chainlink, Money Orders, Cashier’s Check, Bank Wire, Person to Person $20 – $500,000 Instant / 24 – 48 hours
Bovada Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum, Litecoin, MatchPay, Zelle $10 – $15,000 Instant / 24 hours
Everygame  Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Litecoin, Money Global $25 – $2,500 Instant / 48 hours
Ignition Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum, Litecoin, MatchPay, Zelle $10 – $5,000 Instant / 24 hours
Sportsbetting.ag Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, Bitcoin, Ethereum, Bitcoin Cash, Litecoin, Ripple, Stellar, USDCoin, Tether, Dogecoin, Cardano, Chainlink, Money Orders, Cashier’s Check, Bank Wire, Person to Person $20 – $500,000 Instant / 24 – 48 hours

Playing Online Poker Idaho : Idaho Poker Sites Compared

We’ve included a lot of information regarding which site is best for online poker in Idaho. We’re now going to compare the poker sites to see how they fare against each other for what we believe are some of the key points in choosing the best poker site for you.

Promotions and bonuses

Promotions and bonuses are easy places to start. Unlike online casinos bonuses, online poker bonuses are generally a case of more is better. BetOnline, Ignition, Sportsbetting.ag, and Everygame each have a welcome bonus worth up to $1,000.

Standard of play

The standard of play across all games should be another high priority. Bovada is widely regarded as one of the biggest sportsbooks in the United States and this is important as you get a lot of players who crossover from sports (and casino) into poker.

Whilst we won’t go as far as saying that all players are “fish” generally the games at Bovada are weaker (better) than most because of the crossover. If you target games at peak hours (evening and weekends) games get even better.

Poker tournaments

For tournaments, BetOnline must take the top spot here, with Bovada not too far behind. What’s impressive with BetOnline is the range of games with guaranteed jackpots, such as the $1million windfall, Ruby Frenzy, and of course, the Sunday Majors. Even weekly events can have prize pools that surpass $100,000 for a relatively modest buy-in.

Stakes

Speaking of buy-ins, we know that not all of you are going to jump straight into the micro stakes and there will be a good number looking at mid-high stakes. BetOnline and Ignition excel here, and they have a lot of traffic for cash games around the $1/2 up to $10/20, although as they climb, games become a little less popular.

Game variety

Mixed game coverage is strong amongst all five of our top picks, but again, BetOnline just shades out the others. Omaha, Omaha Hi/Lo, Stud, and Razz are all accessible. The only negative here is that traffic is very low with some games in off-peak times.

Design and usability

Finally, design and usability. Top marks are with Bovada here and they’ve easily the site for online poker in Idaho. It’s clean, some might say minimalistic, but there is no fuss or clutter and if you’re new to online poker, is a great place to start. They also include table options such as felt color, card color, card design, sounds, alerts, and player notes once you are sat.

Tips for Online Poker Real Money Idaho

Poker is a game of skill and there are ways that you can improve your game to make more money. Below we’ve included some online poker tips and strategies that you can apply to your game.

Don’t till

Tilting is where you start making rash decisions that are not optimal. It usually comes on the back of a bad beat or bad play and all poker players go through it at times. When you feel like you’re starting to tilt, leave the game and step away from the poker room.

Take shots

One of the most common issues we see from poker players is that they are too conservative about moving up in stakes. Players get bogged down at one level and don’t “take a shot” at higher levels. You need to manage your shots and usually take them on the back of a good run or when you think your game is strong enough to move to the next level.

Become great pre-flop 

One of the easiest strategies to employ is a good pre-flop one. This is where you make decisions before the flop comes down. A huge percentage of this is math’s based and you can work out when you need to fold, call, or raise for almost all scenarios regardless of the player you’re against. Hand charts are good for this, and you can use these almost religiously.

Bankroll management

It seems a generic thing to add and one you’ll see all over, but it’s more important with poker than just about any form of gambling. It’s going to differ for a lot of players based on game type and style, but a good rule of thumb would be 100 buy-ins for that level. So if you deposited $10,000 we think you’d be safe (based on bankroll alone) to be playing 50c/$1 cash games, and roughly $50 buy-ins for tournaments.

How to Play Online Poker in Idaho

Given that BetOnline is our number one pick for Idaho online poker, we’re going to use them as an example to show you how to create an account and then get started in the poker lobby.

Step 1 – Open an Account

The first thing you need to do is open an account. Click on this link to be taken to the BetOnline poker page and you can start the process there.

betonline step 1

Step 2 – Make a Deposit

Once your account has been set up and verified, you now need to make your first deposit. Log in to your account to do this and then head to the “cashier” to see the payment methods available to you.

betonline step 2

Step 3 – Open the Poker Lobby

When your account has been funded, you’re now set to head into the poker lobby. This is where you’re going to be able to choose the games you want to play. Use the menu section to navigate between game types and then choose your stakes.

betonline step 3

Step 4 – Start Playing

Once you’ve bought into your game, about a minute before it starts your table will pop up and you will take your seat. Once the first set of cards is dealt the game will have officially started. Good luck!


Other Online Poker Guides you Might Like

Learn more about the different types of online poker games and options available online and where to best enjoy them:


Conclusion: Online Poker Idaho

Online poker in Idaho can seem quite confusing. The key points to take are that poker is illegal to play live but you can access online sites via offshore online poker sites. They are 100% safe, secure and offer some of the best poker games in the entire United States.

Our recommendation for the best Idaho online poker site is BetOnline. Not only do you get up to $1,000 in bonus money, but you also get access to a huge range of poker games that run around the clock, bonuses, promos, great design, mobile poker, and a lot more. Sign up using the link below and get $1,000 for your Idaho poker bonus.

BetOnline Casino logo

100% Up To $3,000 Casino Welcome Bonus

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Jonathan has been working within the iGaming sector since 2007. After graduating with a BA Hons in Marketing from Northumbria University, he's been able to set up his own online content business, working with some of the biggest brands in the iGaming sector. Outside of work he enjoys any type of sports, especially cricket, golf, football and darts.

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