Online Poker in Washington – Is It Legal? Get $5,000+ at WA Poker Sites

A state packed with casinos and poker rooms, Washington has no shortage of options to play cards in person. Online, things are a little muddier, but we’re going to break down online poker in Washington, highlighting where you can play and sites that you need to avoid.

Within this article, we’ve created an in-depth guide to Washington online poker and highlighted what we think are the best options to play online. We also debunk many online gambling myths within the state, allowing you to play at safe, secure, and more importantly, legal online poker sites.

Best Online Poker Washington Sites
BetOnline Poker logo

100% Poker Welcome Offer Up To $1,000

5 Stars Get Offer
Bovada Poker logo

100% First Time Deposit Match Up To $500

5 Stars Get Offer
Ignition Poker logo

150% Poker Welcome Bonus Up To $1,500

5 Stars Get Offer
Sportsbetting AG Poker logo

100% Poker Welcome Bonus Up To $1,000

4 Stars Get Offer
In This Guide

Washington Online Poker Gambling at a Glance

Online poker in Washinton is illegal and the only options for playing on the internet are offshore sites. The state does have plenty of in-person options and we have given a brief overview of the poker information in the state below:

  • Legal Poker: Inland (in-person only), Online (offshore sites only)
  • Minimum Age to Play Poker in Washington: 21 (inland), 18 (through offshore sites)
  • Offline Poker Rooms: Yes, 246 tables across 54 locations
  • Online Poker Sites: Offshore only
  • Estimated Poker Revenue: $301,996,702.00 from card rooms in 2021
  • Permitted Online Domestic Poker Operators: Not applicable
  • Licensing Fee: Not applicable
  • Tax Rate: Not applicable
  • Tax Funded: Not applicable

The Best Online Poker Washington Sites

The list below highlights the best online poker sites in Washington. Our team has racked up hundreds of hours during the testing phase to cover dozens of platforms, before bringing you the sites that we think are the best.

It’s worth noting that, as we continue to test new online poker rooms that accept players from Washington, we will keep this list up to date.

  1. BetOnline – Best for online poker in Washington
  2. Bovada – Largest poker network for Washington players
  3. IgnitionHuge range of recreational poker players
  4. Sportsbetting.agBest for Online Poker Promo’s in Washington

Poker Sites Washington Reviewed

To give you a little more info on how these poker rooms work, we’ve created a series of reviews. With each review, we’ve highlighted both what we like and what we think they can improve on. Like the list above, we will keep this section to date with any changes or features that the sites make.

1. BetOnline – Best for Online Poker in Washington

washington poker betonline

The BetOnline brand has been about since 2001 and are widely regarded as one of the prominent forces in the online gambling industry. The poker room was initially created on the back of the success of both sports and casinos, but these days it’s able to stand on its own as a highlight of the BetOnline package.

BetOnline is currently hosted on the Connective Games network. As a result, it’s able to offer a wide range of games that include 7-Card Stud, 32-Card Draw, Americana, Boost Poker, Six Plus Hold’em, Texas Hold’em and Windfall Poker. A strong addition has been Six Plus, where you play with a short deck of cards higher than a six.

Games at BetOnline are generally pretty good. They have a lot of overspill from its sports betting section, which means that players are low-skilled, for the most part. As you move up through the stakes, games improve, but we would still class them as weak compared to more mainstream networks.

Traffic is strong around the clock and in peak times will hit the mid-thousand mark. Even off-peak will generate around 800-1000 players, which is a good indication of a thriving poker room.

The software is decent, but it’s one of the weaker areas of the product. It looks a little dated and features are limited but does include a download option, table colors, deck colors, general themes, and sounds.

What we like:

  • $1,000 poker bonus with low clearing rate
  • Great traffic at both peak and off-peak hours
  • Games are weak due to overspill from the sportsbook
  • Good range of mixed game available
  • Hosted on its own software so constant changes and improvements are made available

What we don’t:

  • Platform lacks in terms of features
  • No rakeback on offer
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2. Bovada – Largest Poker Network for Washington Players

bovada washington poker

Online since 2004 and based out of Costa Rica, Bovada is widely regarded as one of the most well-known online poker rooms in the business. It accepts from 45/50 US states and it has the largest player traffic in the US.

The platform is based on the Winning Poker Network and while the network is far from perfect, it does a lot of things right. It comes with a classic version of the game in terms of graphics and even though some may argue this is a dated look, the usability is the best that we’ve tested as it keeps very simple.

Like BetOnline, Bovada has a lot of cross-traffic from its casino and sports betting platform. This means that the games are better than most in that, players are generally weak.

Games include Texas Hold’em, Omaha, Omaha Hi-Lo, Razz, Seven Card Stud, and Three Card Stud. These are implemented into a series of ring games (9/6/2 max tables), sit and go’s, and multi-table tournaments (MTTs).

The range of promotions throughout is huge and the welcome bonus is a standout. You can get a 100% deposit match up to $500 when you create a new account. To unlock the bonus, you need to earn 150 reward points for $5 of your bonus and you have 30 days to clear the full balance.

What we like:

  • $500 welcome bonus for new poker players
  • Part of the largest US poker network
  • Huge range of features including fold fast and anonymous tables
  • Dedicated poker app for real money
  • Lots of banking options and fast payouts

What we don’t:

  • Can’t access full range of tournaments via the app
  • Software could be improved in terms of aesthetics
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3. Ignition – Great Mobile App for Washington Players

ignition - best poker gambling site

Ignition shares the PWL network with Bovada, and that means that the base offering for poker is basically the same. It accepts players, just as Bovada, from 45 of the 50 states and sports the largest traffic for US players.

As software goes, it does come with the good and the bad. If you are used to multi-tabling with more than 4 tables, this might not be the poker room for you as they cap at 4 tables for cash games. If you can live with that, then this is a solid option. Their network as we mentioned is one of the biggest available for US players, and the opponents are usually on the easier side.

The main perk we personally like is the Zone Poker, which basically means you do not sit at a static table. You literally bounce table for each hand so you won’t have to wait for the hand to conclude after you fold. It is generally called fast fold poker, and it does provide a good compensation to their four cash game table limit.

Their promotions are frequent, not so much for cash game players but they do have a range of regular ones for tournament players. And welcome bonus, of course they provide a sizeable one that is fairly easy to clear.

What we like:

  • Adequate welcome package
  • Regular tournament promotions
  • Good poker network 
  • Fast fold Zone Poker

What we don’t:

  • Visually, the poker room looks a bit dated
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4. Sports Betting AG – Best for Online Poker Promo’s in Washington

sports betting ag washington poker

Sports Betting AG has been a great addition to online poker in Washington. A site that is probably best known for its role in sports betting, the brand has been able to set up an exciting poker room to accompany what was an already impressive sports and casino package.

It’s hosted on the BetOnline network, after splitting from the Chico Network back in 2016. It’s not the biggest in terms of players, but the software that comes with it is modern and includes just enough features to keep things interesting.

The software allows for the inclusion of a HUD, which is both good and bad. If you need to track hands and play, then it’s going to benefit, however, this will attract “better” players, so the games, especially at off-peak times, can be tough.

Deposit options are pretty good, and you can access credit card, QB-debit, Skrill, Neteller, MoneyGram, Wire Transfer, Z Pay, and a host of cryptocurrency payment options. Payouts are from MoneyGram, check, Bitcoin, Skrill/Neteller (non-US), and bank wire.

New accounts can claim a 100% match worth up to $1,000 using the Sports Betting AG promo code NEWSB. For every $50 that you clear as a rake, you get $5 of the bonus released to your account as cash.

What we like:

  • $1000 welcome bonus for new poker players
  • Great software that is updated regularly
  • Huge range of cryptocurrency payment options
  • Instant play poker options available
  • Wide range of mixed games, as well the likes of Texas Hold’em and Omaha

What we don’t:

  • Check payouts take a long time to process
  • The availability of HUDs make games tough in off-peak hours
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More on gambling in Washington…

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

Online Poker Washington – The Top Sites Compared

In the table below we’ve taken the best online poker rooms in Washington and compared how they work. Use the table to find features that are going to be of use to you before picking the online poker room that works best.

Washington Poker Site Poker Games Poker Bonuses Tournaments Table Limits Freeroll
BetOnline Texas Holdem, Omaha Hi/Low, Boost Poker, Windfall Poker, Six Plus Poker 100% Poker Welcome Offer Up To $1,000 Sunday Majors, Nightly monsters, $1 Million Windfall, Progressive Bounties, Rebuy Frenzy, Windfall Sit and Go’s, Bad Beat Jackpot. $5 – No-Limit
Bovada  Texas Holdem, Omaha, Omaha Hi/Lo 100% First Time Deposit Match Up To $500 The Monthly Milly, 12 Days of Turbos, Million Dollar Weekend, Knockout Tournaments, Jackpot Sit and Go, $150,000 Guaranteed, $100, 000 Guaranteed, $2 Million Guaranteed $2 – $250
Ignition Poker Texas Holdem, Omaha, Omaha Hi/Lo 150% Deposit Match up to $1,500 The Monthly Milly, Knockout Tournaments, Weekly Bitcoin Free Roll, Jackpot Sit and Go, Normal Sit and Go, $150K Guaranteed, $ 2 Million Guaranteed, Wild Wednesday, Festival of Felt, Super Saturday, Progressive Knockouts, Super Millions, Monster Stack. $2 – $250
Sportsbetting.ag Texas Holdem, Omaha Hi/Lo 100% Poker Welcome Bonus Up To $1,000 $150,000 Guaranteed, $1 Million Windfall Sit and Go, Bad Beat Jackpot, $2 Million in Guarantees. $5 – No Limit

 

Is Online Poker Legal in Washington?

Online poker in Washington state is currently illegal. In fact, access to any online gambling sites is outlawed.

However, there is a big caveat here and the only ban that is in place is for people to access online poker sites that are hosted in the United States. Players can access poker sites that are located offshore, and this is where the sites on this page come into play.

Given that these poker rooms are not hosted in the United States, all the offshore sites are fully accessible to players in Washington. The online poker rooms that we’ve listed above, such as BetOnline, Bovada, and Intertops all accept players from Washington.

Video Poker

Video poker is commonly mistaken as a poker game, but it’s a casino game that has taken some of the basics from poker. It’s for this reason that video poker falls under online casino laws.

In Washington state, this has the same online legislation attached as poker, for now, meaning that you can access Washington online casinos that are located offshore.

Casual Poker

Casual poker is legal in Washington. This generally includes things like home games and playing with friends. As long as the “house” does not make any more from the game, nor any other services (drinks etc.) then this would fall under the “casual poker” blanket.

Washington Poker Laws

Lan-based poker in Washington is legal and there are plenty of places where you can play. The state currently has around 50 venues that have some sort of poker area, with around 180 tables located throughout the state.

Cash games and tournaments are the biggest variations and two of the most popular venues in the state are Joker’s Casino and Caribbean Yakima.

Online Poker Guides State by State

Washington Online Poker Laws

Online poker laws in Washington follow a similar process as gambling at land-based sites. You need to be aged 21 or over to play poker online in Washington. There are some poker rooms that state its minimum age is 18, but this is not applicable for players based in the United States.

You’re able to access any offshore poker room that is based online. This means that, if the poker room is not hosted in the United States, you will not face prosecution for playing on these sites. All the poker rooms listed on this page are located offshore and accept players from Washington state.

Online gambling in Washington is a blanket ban on all sports, casinos, and poker. But we must stress, this is only for sites that are based in the United States and do not include offshore gambling sites.

Offshore Poker Sites in Washington

Washington is one of the few states that have passed specific laws outlawing online gambling including poker. Even sites that offer free-to-play games that use chips as a virtual currency do not offer their services in the state after the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled this virtual currency constitutes online gambling under Washington law.

The state’s specific laws on online gambling have left some offshore sites hesitant to accept players from the state and we can see why. However, there have never been any legal proceedings against offshore casino operators in the state and no one has ever been prosecuted for gambling at an offshore betting site in Washington.

History of Gambling in Washington

Laws regarding gambling go back a long time in the state with the lottery being made illegal in 1889, it remained illegal for almost 100 years until 1982 when legislation was passed permitting it. Long before this though in 1933 horse racing was legalized making it the first legal form of gambling in the state.

Washington became more gambling friendly in 1992 the first tribal casino was opened in the state 4 years after Congress enacted the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. Five years after that Washington lawmakers allowed non-tribal banked card rooms. Then in 1999 tribes began operating electronic slot machines.

In 2006 the state officially prohibited gambling online. This changed in 2020 when it became legal to bet on sports online but with one very restrictive caveat, which was that you had to be on tribal lands to use a sports betting app.

Poker Sites Washington

Online poker plays very differently to land-based locations. The games and rules, for the most part, will be the same, but even when it comes to how games run can be very different.

The main draw for online poker is the sheer volume of games that you can play. Most of the major sites will include Texas Hold’em and Omaha, with mixed games such as Razz, Stud, Draw, Badugi, and variations of all of these, sprinkled in for good measure.

The volume of traffic is the next biggest difference. A land-based poker room may have the capacity to sit around 100 people at any given time (this would be a larger poker room), whereas online, they can host tens of thousands with a massive range of games and stakes that comes with this.

Lower-stakes games are much more accessible online. The goal for a land-based casino is to make as much money as possible and to do this they need higher limit games. Most casinos will start with cash games at around $1/$2, with tournaments from $25 and up.

Online you’re going to get games as small as 1c/2c and there will be tournaments that are free to enter (freerolls). It works because of volume and hands per hour. Even a low-limit online table can rake as much as a higher-limit live table due to the volume of hands it can get through.

The final difference is how the games play. This is going to range massively, but generally, online games are softer, for the most part, than live. The reason is that you’re able to simply move and dodge better players to find a table with weaker players. When playing live, this might not be possible, so to get a game, you may need to sit with better players.

Payment Methods for Playing Online Poker in Washington

In this section, we will cover essential information about the common payment methods available at the best offshore poker sites in Washington.

Deposits

The top Washington poker sites for real money provide players with multiple safe and secure ways to fund their accounts. Below we go over some essential information about the most common traditional and digital payment methods.

Deposits at BetOnline

Credit & Debit Cards

Almost all online poker sites in Washington accept payments via major bank cards such as Mastercard and Visa with some also accepting AMEX. Bank cards are a convenient way to deposit as they are processed quickly and most people have one.

One negative to this option though is that most offshore poker sites charge a transaction fee for deposits made via cards. Most of the time the fee is a percentage of the amount deposited. The percentage generally isn’t too high but it can be a significant amount if you are depositing a large sum

Wire Transfer

Bank transfers are a traditional method available at many poker sites. With Internet banking, this method is very easy to complete and can be done from your phone or computer. Unfortunately, there are almost always fees involved for this method and it’s usually a higher amount than with credit cards. The limits are also usually restrictive with the minimum amount generally being at least $100.

Bitcoin

Bitcoin is the most widely used cryptocurrency and in recent years almost all offshore poker sites accept BTC as a payment option. This is a popular method amongst users as there are usually no fees. In addition, using Bitcoin has many other advantages such as faster processing time, it allows users to stay anonymous, and adds an extra layer of security, Furthermore, the best Bitcoin online poker sites offer Bitcoin-specific bonuses that are of higher value than standard bonuses given to those that deposit with traditional methods.

Cryptocurrency

There are thousands of other Bitcoins on the market today and while no site will accept every one most sites now accept at least 4 or 5 coins as well as Bitcoin. The most commonly accepted at Washington poker gambling sites are Ethereum, Litecoin, Ripple, BTC, USDT, and Dogecoin.  The same benefits that you get with Bitcoin are also obtained using any crypto including no fees, faster processing times, higher bonuses, and more variation in limits.

eWallets

PayPal cannot be used to directly deposit money at offshore casino poker sites but many other popular eWallets like Skrill and Neteller, Apple Pay, and Google Pay can be used. This option usually comes with no fees and the processing times are extremely fast. While reputable poker sites do their utmost to protect information shared with them eWallets provide an extra layer of security as your bank details are never shared with the site.

Withdrawals

When it comes to withdrawing your winnings most of the same methods available for deposits are also available for withdrawals. However, due to certain restrictions offshore sites can not process withdrawals to credit and debit cards so if deposited via this method, you will need to pick one of the other methods available such as the ones listed below:

Wire Transfer

This traditional method is simple to request and usually just involves filling out a short form. While they are convenient enough to request their biggest negatives are the waiting time, which is around 7-14 days and there is usually a  rather high fee.

Washington Poker site withdrawals

Check

Having a check sent to you via mail or courier is another possible traditional method, but. this is the most prolonged method in most cases. It takes 10-15 business days to receive the check plus however long it takes your bank to process the check which is usually a couple of days., In almost all circumstances there will also be a fee for this and the min/max limits are also restrictive compared to other methods.

Bitcoin & Other Cryptocurrency

Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are one of the most optimal ways to extract cash from poker sites because there are no fees and even if there are they are just a fraction of what you are charged for fiat options. In addition, the processing times are much faster with almost all sites assuring you you will have your money within 48 hours and many sites now can process crypto payouts in a few minutes 

In addition, the limits on crypto withdrawals offer the most flexibility allowing you to withdraw as little as a few dollars and max amounts sometimes being hundreds of thousands of dollars or even no limit at all.

eWallets

E-wallets are another good option for cashing out as they are also usually fee-free and the transaction times are similar to that of cryptocurrency often being instant. The minimum withdrawal limits are also often lower than the limits of fiat options like bank transfers and checks.

Making Poker Online Washington Deposits

Banking with online poker rooms is now as accessible as it’s ever been. There are tons of options and the introduction of payment methods such as cryptocurrency has increased these options furthermore.

The table below highlights the best online poker in Washington and what sort of payment methods you can expect from each.

Online Poker Washington site Payment options Accepting crypto Payment limit Payment speed
BetOnline Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Person to Person, Money Order, Bank Wire Transfer, Cashier’s Check, Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum, Cardano, Chainlink, Dogecoin, Litecoin, Ripple, Stellar, USD Coin, Tether. Deposit limit: up to $500,000 for cryptocurrencies

Withdrawal limit: $100,00

Up to 2 business days
Bovada Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Voucher, Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Litecoin, Zelle, Match Pay Deposit limit: $15,000

Withdrawal limit: 180,500 per week for BTC

Up to 24 business hours
Ignition Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Voucher, Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Zelle. Deposit limit: $15,000

Withdrawal limit: 180,500 per week for BTC

Up to 24 business hours
SportsBetting Visa, Mastercard, Discover, Amex, Money Order, Check, Bank Wire Transfer, Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Cardano, Chainlink, Dogecoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, Ripple, Solana, Stellar, Tether, USD Coin. Deposit limit: up to $500,000 for cryptocurrencies

Withdrawal limit: $100,00

Up to 2 business days

Playing Online Poker Washington

BetOnline takes the top spot as our number one pick for playing online poker in Washington. To kick things off, the standard of play overall is relatively low. This comes down to a lot of overspills from the casino and sports section. Bovada and Sports Betting AG follow suit here, but you tend to get a few more “grinders” here than BetOnline, especially at the upper limits.

Games are fairly even between the field. Bovada probably shades in terms of mixed games, with the inclusion of Razz, Stud, and several Draw games. However, we will add that traffic for these games is limited and usually only accessible in peak times.

Graphically, they all differ, and this is going to come down to personal preference. Bovada has more of a classic feel but lacks features. BetOnline and Intertops are the best two for our money, both allowing a lot of customizing such as colors, decks, seat position, (removal of!) sounds, and table data.

If you’re looking for higher limits, then BetOnline runs all the way up to $1,000NL. Games have good traffic in peak hours, but off-peak at limits over $500NL, it starts to struggle. This is the same for all poker sites, so we aren’t marking that as a negative.

Crypto is the best way to move money in and out for all the online poker sites in Washington. There are no fees, high limits, and are processed quicker than all other forms.

Benefits of Playing Poker Online vs Land-based Casino

The most obvious advantage online poker has over in-person games is convenience. With online poker, you can play games from the comfort of your own home, and with tournaments that can last hours and hours, it’s a lot better to be able to kick back at home on your comfy sofa than spend all that time on a casino chair. If the tournament longs longer than when you were expecting and you need to be somewhere you can just load up the poker app on your mobile and keep playing.

Playing poker at a casino is also usually pretty expensive and tournaments will usually have at least a $20 entry fee with many being $100 or over but online you can find tournaments starting at less than a dollar. If you are a high roller and want to bet more then online games are also better with daily tournaments with buy-ins into hundreds or even thousands of dollars. The same is also true for cash games and online limits offer much more flexibility. Finally, WA online poker sites offer a plethora of bonuses for both new and existing players that are far beyond what you will be offered at any land-based site.

Tips for Online Poker Real Money – Washington

To make money from online poker in Washington you need to be willing to learn and improve. Below we’ve included a few tips that will help you improve quicker and ultimately make you more money from this amazing game.

  • Bankroll management – You need to manage your bankroll with poker more than any other gambling form. A good rule of thumb is 100x buy ins for the level that you want to play. For example, to play 50c/$1 ($100NL) cash games, you would need a bankroll of $10,000 to comfortably manage the swings and variance that poker brings.
  • Mentally prepare to lose – Following on from above, variance plays a huge role in poker. Sometimes, regardless of how well you play, you’re going to lose. You need to be able to recognize that losing sessions will happen and that, if you make the correct play most of the time, you will make money.
  • Take your shots – Lots of poker players get comfortable at a level and then stay there for way too long. If you beat a level or buy in games comfortably, then set money from your bankroll aside to take shots at the next level up. If things go well, you can stay put. If they don’t, then move back down. A stop limit is needed for this for losing streaks.
  • Target poker bonuses – All of the sites that we’ve mentioned on this page come with poker bonuses. This is free money. Make sure you have claimed one while you play to earn regardless of if you win.

Famous Washington Poker Players

The most decorated Washington Poker player is Scott Clements. He has won an impressive 3 WSOP of poker bracelets with the most recent coming in 2019 when he won the $1,500 dealers choice game. He has also won two World Poker Tour totals and has won over $8 million dollars in total.

Another player who has been victorious at the WSOP is Brandon Cantu who has won 2 bracelets and his highest finish in the main event was 20th. He has also won 1 World Poker Tour Titles and has made close to $5 million in total winnings.

Poker Games to Play in Washington

Most Washington poker sites feature a plethora of different poker games as well as multiple different options in terms of tournaments, cash games, and poker games against the dealer. No matter what type of poker you like to play you’ll be able to find a table that suits your needs almost instantly. Read on as we run through the different poker variants, poker limits, and tournaments on offer at real-money poker sites in Washington.

Poker Variants

There are a multitude of different poker variants so many that it would take long to go over the rules of all of them in this article. Luckily variants can be split into one of four broader categories which we have listed below:

Community Cards Poker: Community card poker games involve both cards a player is dealt which only they can see and shared face-up cards on the table. A player’s hand is made up of a combination of their hidden cards and the shared cardsThe number of cards a player is dealt differed between the different community card variations. For example, in Texas Hold’em players are dealt two cards and in Omaha, players are dealt four.Best online Texas Hold'em

Community card poker games are the most popular variants for online players, especially Texas Hold’em which accounts for 70% of all poker games played in casinos around the globe. Other popular variants are Omahao and Omaha Hi-Lo.

Draw Poker: The biggest difference between community card variants and draw poker is that s there are no shared cards in draw games and players are dealt complete hands. To improve their hands players can discard a certain number of their cards and draw new cards from the deck (hence the name). Five-card draw,seven-card draw, and Badugi are popular draw poker variants.

Stud Poker:  Stud poker games also don’t have shared cards and a player’s hand is made up only of cards they are dealt. Players are dealt a set number of cards either face down, face up, or a combination of both depending on what stud variant is being played. Some of the most popular types of stud poker found online are 5-card stud, 7-card stud, Razz, Eight or better, and Caribbean Stud.

Mixed Poker Games:  Mixed poker games, as the name suggests are a mix of several different poker variants. The component games are played for either be for a set number of hands or a set amount of time before switching to another game.  One of the most popular mixed poker games is horse, which consists of five component games; Hold’em, Omaha, Razz, Stud, and Eight or better.

Types of Betting

Another variation in the game of poker is the type of betting involved. There are three betting formats the one being used can have a huge impact on the strategy used by players.

Fixed Limit: In fixed limit, there is a set amount that a player can raise, there is also a limit on how many raises can be made each round which is usually set at four. As the limits are set you will find that more people stay in the hand as it’s relatively inexpensive to call. Fixed limit limits the plays you can make and it’s hard to bluff in this betting format.

Pot Limit:  The maximum amount that can be bet in pot-limit betting is equal to the total amount of chips in the pot. In pot limits, there is no restriction on the number of raises that can be made, unlike fixed limits. Early on in the betting the amount that can be bet is quite low and you tend to have more players stay in the hand early on but as the pot grows then people can bet hefty amounts and bluffing is a possibility.

No Limit: This betting type is hugely popular as players get creative with their betting and try to bluff others. In no limit, there are no restrictions on how much players can bet and no restrictions on how many raises can be made. In general, fewer people are usually involved in no-limit hands as they don’t want to risk calling the blind only for someone to put in a big raise and force them out.

Types of Poker Games

Most poker sites in Washington offer a mix of cash games and tournament games and there are two main types of tournaments. The different types of games require different strategies and have their pros and cons. There are lots of other rules that can be added but we will just take a look at the basics.

Cash tables: These games take place on a single table and can be played with anywhere between 2-10 players. In these games the chips you have possess a real monetary value meaning if you bet $50 and lose the hand you just lost $50. Players in cash games tend to be a little more cautious when playing cash games for this very reason.

If you want to play a cash game online there will almost always be a spare seat on a table with limits to match what you are after. As well as blinds cash games usually have antes which players will have to pay each hand. The amount will depend on the blind limits but are usually low.

Scheduled tournaments: Scheduled tournaments get their name as they are tournaments scheduled to start at a certain time. The tourneys can have anywhere from just two players up to thousands and can last a very long time. When you enter a tournament you pay the set fee and players are given a pre-determined number of chips (often 1,500),  and everyone starts with the same number of chips.  Players are knocked out once they have lost all of their chips, although some tournaments allow rebuys when you can pay the entrance fee again and receive the number of chips you started with.

Top poker tournaments

Scheduled tournaments don’t usually have a set number of players and just start at the scheduled time with however many players have signed up. The placements that are paid out and the prize pool is determined by how many players sign up. In large tournaments, you can win money even if you place quite low down, but you want to at least make the final table to win a large relative to the entrance fee.

Sit’n’go tournaments: Sit’n’go tournaments work very similarly to scheduled tournaments, the big difference being that they don’t start at a set time and only begin when the set number of players have registered. The preset number of players is usually set between 2-360. Sit’n’go tournaments are also usually much faster than scheduled tournaments and if you enter one with 6-36 players you should be done in under 2 hours as the blinds usually raise quite quickly.

How to Play Online Poker in Washington

We’re going to walk you through the process of how to sign up with the best online poker site in Washington, BetOnline. This will highlight everything you need to do to get started.

1)   Open an account

Click this link to open your account. By using this link, you can access the $1,000 poker bonus on offer from BetOnline and claim up to $1,000 in bonus cash.

2)   Enter account details

washington poker betonline signup

You’re going to need to enter your account details to get set up. This will include things like your name, address, phone number, email address, account username, and password. Make sure this information is correct as you may need to verify this before you can withdraw.

3)   Claim BetOnline welcome bonus

BetOnline deposit funds

Once your account has been set up, it’s now time to claim the bonus. Head over to the cashier and choose a payment method. Then enter the BetOnline bonus code “NEWBOL” to trigger the $1,000 poker bonus.

4)   Start playing

betonline washington poker

As soon as your account has been funded, head over to the tables to start playing. You can access any of the tables, but we suggest that you start at lower stakes to get things like your table layout sorted and to see how the games work.

WA Legislative Resources

For those in Washington wishing to learn more about the current laws regarding online poker and other forms of gambling or who would like to contact their local and state representatives to express your views and concerns on the subject can use the link below:

WA Gambling Resources

While gambling is an enjoyable and fun form of entertainment for many, for some people it can turn into a problem. If you suspect that yourself or someone you know has a gambling problem we implire you to seek help and have included links below to sites that can provide advice and information on treatment services in your area.

Best Online Poker Washington Site

Online poker in Washington is accessible via offshore poker accounts. This is not to be confused with poker sites that are based in the United States which are not accessible for players in Washington.

Our number one pick for online poker in Washington is that of BetOnline. Not only does it have great software, a huge range of games, and a generally weak player pool, it also has a massive $1,000 poker bonus that you can claim as a new account.


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:


FAQ

Where can I find the best online poker?

Can you legally gamble online in Washington state?

Are the casinos accepting players regulated and licensed?

Is online poker illegal in Washington state?

Is it safe to play online poker in Washington?

Why is there no online gambling in Washington State?

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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