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5 Tips for Playing at “Illegal” Online Poker Sites

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Illegal Online Poker Sites

If you’re in the United States, let’s talk a minute about the elephant in the room. Online poker is not legal. Unless you’re in Nevada, Delaware, New Jersey, or Pennsylvania, you do not have options that are considered legal by the US government.

That doesn’t mean that there aren’t online poker rooms out there, and some have even proven themselves legitimate. However, if you play there, you are playing at sites the government deems as illegal.

With that said, some of you are going to play at those sites. I will admit that I occasionally play at a couple of those sites. As such, let me give you five tips for playing at “illegal” online poker sites in the United States

Don’t Make Large Deposits

After Black Friday, I never advocate players to make large deposits at US-facing online poker rooms. The reason is that you never know if the DOJ will try and shut down another poker site. If you have $5,000 or more on a site and the site is seized, when will you get your funds?

When Black Friday hit, I was fortunate enough to have already pulled my funds. I was able to get the rest of my PokerStars funds within a couple of weeks. It took years to get my funds from Full Tilt Poker and I ended up getting 24 cents from my UB bankroll – many years later.

Play With Bitcoin

Do you have some Bitcoin sitting around on your computer? Why not try and run it up? Many online poker sites serving the United States accept Bitcoin for deposits. Most convert the crypto into fiat currency and you will use that to play online poker.

Bitcoin is largely deregulated, and while the US is trying to crack down on crypto, it isn’t stopping online poker sites from accepting it. Don’t like Bitcoin? There are dozens of altcoins out there you can acquire and use to play online poker with.

Take Advantage of Poker Room Bonuses

If you’re going to play at US poker sites, then you will want to take advantage of poker room bonuses. These bonuses will give you free tournament entries, buy-ins for cash games, and other perks to sign up or make a deposit.

Using a bonus, you don’t have to deposit quite as much at a site. Sign up with $25 and a 100% match bonus could have you starting with $50. Or you might start with $25 and 5 entries into various low stakes poker tournaments. Poker rooms bonuses are ways to get some extra play at the poker room without risking more money.

Play Freerolls

If you are worried about making deposits at online poker sites serving the United States, nobody is forcing you to. All sites have some form of freeroll poker tournaments that you can play. Sign up and play against thousands of players in the hopes to win $5.

While that sounds a bit silly, there are a good number of players that only play freerolls and some even are able to fund their accounts by doing so. Win $5 and then run it up in micro stakes cash games. It CAN be done.

Don’t Be Surprised if Sites Shut Down or Leave the US

You’ve heard the term “keep your head on a swivel.” That applies to US online poker. While there are several sites that have been operating for years, you never know when authorities will force a site out of business or pull out of the United States.

For more established sites, they will simply pull out of the US and continue operations overseas. However, your smaller sites may shut down entirely. Will you get your funds? Hard to say. That’s why it is a good idea to keep your accounts smaller and only put money on the sites that you can afford to lose.

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