Over the past several years, the enjoyment of poker has surged in the North American region. This can be largely attributed to the expansion of online poker and the multitude of television networks airing poker events and poker game shows, such as ESPN broadcasting the annual World Series of Poker, GSN broadcasting High Stakes Poker, and NBC with Poker After Dark. Poker is truly an American pastime and millions of Americans enjoy poker. Naturally, online poker in America would become very popular since the US is both the birthplace of the Internet as well as poker. Americans comprise the largest segment of the worldwide online poker player population, and the skill game continues to grow and expand in the US.

Below are the top 10 American online poker sites:

Click To Join! Poker Room Bonus Code Bonus Description
Full Tilt Poker MAXBONUS600 100% Initial Deposit Up to $600, Plus $800 in monthly tournaments!
PokerStars STARS600 100% Initial Deposit Up to $600, Plus $1,000 in monthly tournaments!
Broadway Tables FTR600 110% Initial Deposit Up to $600 + 33% Rakeback For Life!
Victory Poker FTR 40% RAKEBACK! 300% Initial Deposit Bonus up to $1500
Bodog Poker Automatic 110% Initial Deposit Bonus up to $1100, 10% can be immediately wagered, Entry to the FTR333
Play Aces FTRPK 100% Initial Deposit Up to $1000, Plus Additional 10% Immediate Deposit Bonus
Carbon Poker FTR 150% up to $1000
Absolute Poker FTRAP 150% Initial Deposit Up to $500, Plus $500 in money added events each month!
UB FTR111 111% Initial Deposit Up to $1100
Big Bet Poker Automatic 120% Initial Deposit Bonus up to $750, plus instant 20% Bonus


The legality of online poker in America was ambiguous. But on September 29, 2006, the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIGEA) was passed. This law made it illegal for online gambling establishments to accept transfers from a US bank. During this time, PartyPoker was by far the #1 poker website. However, on October 2, 2006, PartyPoker announced that it would no longer accept US players.

This caused major concerns throughout the poker industry. What would happen to online poker in the US? Would everyone have to travel to a brick and mortar casino just to play a game of Texas Holdem? Many other well-known poker sites also announced that they would leave the US market. PacificPoker, and all the Playtech brands would no longer be available to customers in the United States.

However, not all online poker rooms closed its doors to the US. Two notable sites were PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker. Soon after the UIGEA was passed, PokerStars released a statement to their customers. In it, PokerStars.com said that they didn’t believe that the law affected them, and that they are committed to their customers. below is a snippet from that statement:

“PokerStars believes that poker is a game of skill enjoyed by millions of players and we remain committed to providing you a safe and fun environment in which to play.”

There has been a long argument in the poker community about whether poker is game of skill or a gambling game. PartyPoker.com apparently decided it was a gambling game and so closed their doors to the American market. PokerStars.com took the stance that it is a skill game, and that the law does not apply to them.

With the exit of the largest online poker room, the field was now wide open. Poker was still in high demand, and players decided to simply move to PokerStars. The result is that PokerStars.com is now the top online poker room in the world. At any given time, about a quarter million (250,000) people can be found playing poker on their site. This is far more than even PartyPoker.com enjoyed when they were at their peak. FullTiltPoker is also doing extremely well, and average about 100,000 people online at a time. It appears that even with the passage of the UIGEA, the online poker industry continues to grow. Commercials for both Full Tilt and PokerStars can still be seen on TV.

Anyone who wants to try to make some money playing online poker should give PokerStars.com, Full Tilt, or one of the many other popular American poker online sites a shot. When signing up, you should use the PokerStars Marketing Code flopturnriver, which ensures you will be given the highest possible bonus. Then when you make your deposit, the PokerStars Bonus Code STARS600 will match your deposit, up to $600 in bonus funds.