Texas Poker Sites

Texas Poker Overview

There are more than 50 brick-and-mortar poker rooms in Texas. They exploit a loophole in the Texas Penal Code which allows them to operate as private clubs. These poker rooms cannot officially charge a rake, but they charge cover fees instead.

As mentioned, the Lone Star State does not have a regulated online poker market. If you want to play online poker in Texas, you will need to use an offshore site. There are no laws against doing that, so poker sites based overseas are popular among Texans.

How Old Do I Have To Be To Play Poker in Texas?

You must be 21 or older to play at a land-based poker club in Texas. They are members-only clubs, and they do not permit anyone under the age of 21 to purchase a membership.

Because the state does not have a regulated local market for online poker, there is no official legal age. However, most offshore poker sites require players to be at least 18 years of age.

Top Poker Rooms in South Dakota

We have reviewed every reputable online poker room that accepts players based in South Dakota. You can learn more about our review process further down the page.

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Best Poker Site for Texas Overall

BetOnline

100% up to $1,000 Welcome Bonus

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Casino Games: Slots, Video poker, Blackjack +5 more Craps, Baccarat, Roulette, Live dealer, Progressive jackpot.

Live Dealer: No

Payment Options: Visa, MasterCard, American Express +14 more Bitcoins, Ethereum, Litecoin, Bitcoin Cash, Interac e-Transfer, Person2Person Transfers, Money Order, Bank Transfer, Check, Cardano, Dogecoin, Ripple, Tether, Usdt.

BetOnline is the best site overall for online poker players in Texas. It hosts a busy schedule of No Limit Hold’em, Pot Limit Omaha, and Omaha Hi/Lo tournaments. The buy-ins start at just $1.10 on some of them, while there are also main events with guaranteed prize pools up to $150,000. You can play in progressive bounties, mystery bounty events, satellite tournaments, jackpot Sit-and-Go tournaments, and much more. BetOnline hosts a busy schedule of cash games too, including Six Plus games.

New customers will receive a 100% welcome bonus of up to $1,000 at BetOnline. This site also offers regular reload bonuses, bad beat jackpots, and other recurring promos. Same day payouts are available, and you can withdraw up to $100,000 per transaction. BetOnline also offers 24/7 support.

The software at BetOnline Poker is user-friendly. Features include straddling in cash games, an odds calculator, and all-in cashout options. It does not offer anonymous tables, either, which will appeal to some players.

• All-in-one casino and sportsbook with excellent live poker rooms
• 100% welcome bonus up to $1000 can be claimed up to three times
• Excellent range of deposit methods including crypto, credit cards, and transfers
• Free deposits and withdrawals with Bitcoin and other cryptos
• Dedicated racebook with live betting
• Wide range of video poker and obscure/ specialty games
• Available to players in all 50 US states

• Bonus turnovers are as high as 45x
• Limited options for non-cryptocurrency withdrawals
• 9.75% charges on deposits made with cards

Best Poker Site for Mobile Players in Texas

BetUS

125% up to $2,625 Welcome Bonus

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Casino Games: Blackjack, Slots, Video poker +2 more Roulette, Baccarat.

Live Dealer: Yes

Payment Options: Visa, MasterCard, American Express +7 more American Express, Bitcoin Cash, Litecoin, Ethereum, Bank Transfer, Bankwire, Check.

BetUS is one of the oldest gambling sites out there, having opened their virtual doors in 1994. They are a good choice if you’re looking for a well-rounded, reliable online casino, sportsbook, and racebook.

• Several different welcome bonus options including a 200% crypto bonus
• 300+ casino games, including slots and live-dealer
• Sports Betting options include: pro football, college football, live betting and more
• Same-day payouts up to $5000

• Limited time (14 days) to clear bonus playthrough requirements
• Money you wager on casino games does not count towards the loyalty program
• BetUS is not available in Washington state

Best Poker Room for Tournament-Focused Players

Bovada

100% up to $1,000 Welcome Bonus

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Casino Games: Slots, Video poker, Blackjack +5 more Craps, Baccarat, Roulette, Keno, Live dealer.

Live Dealer: No

Payment Options: Visa, MasterCard, Bitcoins +6 more Bitcoin Cash, Litecoin, Ethereum, Secure Voucher, Bank Transfer, Check.

Bovada features one of the best online sportsbooks in the industry, and has betting action for more than a dozen different sports and leagues.

• Multiple welcome bonuses to choose from, including sports, casino, and poker
• More than 300 slot machines from Rival Gaming
• Extensive sportsbook with props builder and live betting
• No fees for withdrawals

• Dedicated racebook for horse race betting on worldwide races
• Bitcoin Exclusive membership, regularly offering you more promotions such as 50% reload bonuses
• Lacks multiple bitcoin withdrawal options

Texas Poker Sites: A Comparison

How We Evaluate Poker Sites in Texas

You can check out our ranking guide for a full breakdown of our review process. We also focus on four key areas when evaluating online poker sites that welcome players from Texas:

Availability in Texas

We only review online poker rooms that are readily available in Texas. You do not need to use a VPN to access BetOnline, Ignition Poker, or SportsBetting.ag from Texas.

While these sites are based offshore, they are designed for American players. That means you will be entering cash games and tournaments alongside fellow Americans, many of whom may also be based in Texas. All deposits, bonuses, fees, prizes, and payouts are quoted in USD.

Game Variety and Table Types

We then evaluate the game and tournament variety on offer at each site offering Texas poker online. Our reviewers gauge the traffic, liquidity, breadth of skill levels, and general reputation of each site. We then focus on the volume of cash games and tournaments, the range of buy-ins and how much each site guarantees in weekly prize pools.

The best sites offer a packed schedule, featuring hundreds of cash games and tournaments each week. They cover all tastes, preferences, and budgets, with multiple poker variants covered, ensuring that there is something for everyone that likes playing online poker in Texas.

Rake and Bonuses

Our reviewers then shift their focus to the cost of playing online poker at each site. We break down the rake structure and assess how competitive it is. Our experts also consider bonuses, rakeback systems, and general rewards programs, which can affect the overall cost of playing, and we are then level with an accurate picture of the value that each online poker room provides.

Table Features

Our reviewers play online via desktop, laptop and mobile devices, and they also download the software. We assess how easy it is to find games and tournaments, make deposits and withdrawals, and communicate with customer service.

Our reviews also focus on the value-added table features each site provides to stand out from the crowd. That can include data provided, customizable setups, anonymous table options, Poker 101 guides for beginners and so on. We assess the quality of the chat fees and other staples too, giving us an all-round overview of the player experience at each site. Only online poker rooms that excel in all of these areas make it onto our final list.

Is Online Poker Legal in Texas?

Texas does not have a regulated online poker market. There is a powerful anti-gambling faction in the state legislature – led by Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick – which has defeated any efforts to legalize online gambling.

Several lawmakers have introduced bills seeking to expand the state’s gambling industry, but they have not been able to gain enough support. For that reason, there are no Texas online casinos, online sportsbooks, or racebooks either.

However, there are no laws that would stop Texans from using poker sites based overseas. You just need to carefully select a legit site that can be relied upon to keep you safe and pay you out when you win. BetOnline is a great option, as it has a casino, sportsbook, and racebook along with the poker room, and it accepts players based in Texas.

Land-Based Cardrooms in Texas

There are no commercial casinos or tribal casinos in Texas. However, a loophole in Chapter 47 of the Texas Penal Code allows private members clubs to host poker games and tournaments. They are not allowed to take a rake, and they cannot host table games with a house edge, such as blackjack or baccarat.

You will need to purchase a membership if you want to take part, and they then typically charge entry fees or cover fees on an hourly basis to make the business viable. There are more than 50 land-based poker clubs in Texas, and these are some of the largest:

Who Regulates Poker in Texas?

Texas poker rooms operate in a legal gray area, and there is no gaming commission to oversee them. Each city or county can regulate local poker clubs, but there is no unifying authority.

The Lone Star State does not permit online poker, so there is no regulator for online poker rooms. However, offshore poker sites that accept Texans are regulated in their jurisdictions. For example, the government of Curaçao regulates Ignition Poker, ensuring that it behaves with integrity and complies with its licensing conditions.

Texas’s Poker Laws Compared to Neighbour States

Texas has similar poker laws to its neighboring states. None of them permit online poker at a local level, so players in the region must use offshore sites to play online. However, there are land-based poker options in each state.

Louisiana is home to a wide range of casinos, including four tribal casinos, one commercial casino and 15 riverboat casinos. Many of them have poker rooms. There are also more than 1,400 land-based video poker outlets in the Bayou State. Oklahoma has more tribal casinos than any other state, and some of them host poker tournaments and cash games.

There are three casinos in Arkansas, and they are permitted to host poker rooms. They include Saracen Casino in Pine Bluff, Southland Casino in West Memphis, and Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort in Hot Springs. New Mexico has 24 tribal casinos, and they are allowed to offer poker tournaments and cash games. There are poker rooms at Sandia Resort and Casino, Route 66 Casino Hotel, Inn of the Mountain Gods, and a few other New Mexico tribal casinos.

The Future of Poker in Texas

Land-based poker rooms face an uncertain future in Texas. Dallas has launched a major crackdown on them, and the city has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in trying to resolve the matter. Some lawmakers want to close the loophole that allows them to operate, but it remains to be seen if they will succeed.

Meanwhile, it is highly unlikely that online poker will be given the green light in Texas. The Lone Star State is among a small minority of states that do not permit online racebooks, and it has also fiercely resisted attempts to legalize online sports betting.

Legal online poker rooms and casinos are a tougher sell than sports betting and pari-mutuel betting, so there is little chance of them being regulated at a local level any time soon. Trustworthy offshore poker sites should, therefore, remain popular in Texas for the foreseeable future.

Responsible Gambling in Texas

Please play poker online responsibly in Texas. Remember that even the very best players cannot guarantee success, so do not play poker with money that you cannot afford to lose. Enjoy it in moderation and take regular breaks. These are some agencies that provide support to problem gamblers in Texas:

• University of Texas Problem and Compulsive Gambling Support
• Gamblers Anonymous
• GamTalk
• National Council on Problem Gambling
• SAMHSA National Helpline

Texas Gambling Legal Sources

• Texas House Bill 732
• Texas Penal Code – Chapter 47