Safe Poker Sites
If you're like most online poker players, your first concern when choosing a poker site isn't the bonus you're going to get or how much you're going to win. It's whether or not the poker room is reliable, safe and secure. Even the largest guarantees and the most rewarding incentives are meaningless if you cannot be sure that you'll ever see your money.
The poker websites we list have proven to be super-secure, reliable, and trustworthy. All of them take extra measures to keep you safe and offer all this:
- SSL encryption
- Fast payouts by methods you know and trust, including check and bank wire
- High player liquidity
- The use of a random number generator so everyone plays fair
- A brand that's established with a solid reputation
- 24/7 customer service so you can get help when you need it
We've done all the legwork to check if a site is safe, which means when you hit the tables you won't have to worry. So take a look at our secure sites list and find a poker site that offers extra peace of mind.
Secure Poker Sites Online
There are a variety of security measures that the best safe poker websites use to ensure that they protected from online thieves and hackers. For example, many secure and safe online poker rooms use SSL encryption for all information transfers on the web site - not just financial information. In addition, reliable online poker websites and safe poker websites will also include 1024-bit RSA and CA certificate keys. Although there is no such thing as true randomness, many of the most honest and safest poker sites take advantage of random technology used by the CIA - radiation from the sun - to design their random number generation. This type of number generation is also referred to by the safest online pay poker sites as thermal noise or entropy.
You don't think twice about safety when doing your banking online. So why should playing poker be any different? The truth it, some sites do give you reason to think twice. We've rooted them out so you can play with peace of mind.
Reliable, secure and safe poker sites also actively work to eliminate the most common security problem known as collusion. In short, this type of cheating involves chat that is often performed outside of the safe online poker website. In general, players will combine efforts to exchange information about their cards to gain an unfair advantage over the rest of the table. Safe poker sites institute precautions and sophisticated monitoring in order to both prevent collusion and punish those who cheat using this technique. The safest poker site operators also allow for fast and easy reporting of collusion by other players at the table.
If you are concerned about playing at a fair, secure and safe online poker room, then look no further than the list we have prepared. We have vetted these sites carefully to bring you a top list of the most reliable and safest poker sites around. All you need to do is sign up to one of the safe online poker sites on our top list and start playing, secure in the knowledge that you are protected by some of the industry's leading security measures.
Don't risk your bankroll playing with cheaters or at sites that do not truly randomize their cards. Sign up to one of the reliable, secure safe poker sites online on our list today and get some peace of mind for your poker.
Knowing that you are playing at a secure and safe online poker site is probably the major concern of most players. With the scandals that have rocked this industry during the years, we are hardly surprised. Therefore, we have compiled an FAQ that goes towards answering some of your questions to put your mind at rest with our recommended sites.
How do I know the poker site is fair?
The safest online poker sites are regulated in trusted jurisdictions, such as Malta and the Isle of Man. In addition to having to comply with heavy legal requirements, the sites are also careful to maintain excellent reputations with those that are most important the players.
Are my personal details safe?
The safest online poker pay sites take the protection of your personal and financial information very seriously. Seeing as some professional poker players store tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands, of dollars in their accounts it is no wonder they use cutting edge security to keep your money safe. Even so, you should still be careful when playing over unsecured networks, such as public Wi-Fi zones.
What is a good poker bonus?
This is a question that has a different answer for each person. To start with, once you have a list of online poker bonuses that you are interested in, you should go through the clearing requirements to weed out the options that you don't believe you can clear. Then, simply go for the one that is the biggest, or the one that is attached to the poker site that you are most interested in joining.
How will I know if a poker site has issues?
The best way to find out if a poker site has issues or not is to ask around. The poker community will quickly identify the safest online poker sites and those that are not and won t be shy of talking about them. Our experts have taken in to account community opinion when compiling our secure sites list.
Free Online Poker Sites for 2021
Breaking into the world of online poker can be a little daunting at first. Yet, you don t need to carry any of the risk by choosing instead some of the best free online poker solutions available.
We have brought you a list of free poker sites where you can enjoy some of the finest free online poker games in 2020.
From freeroll tournaments to great free mobile apps, we have covered all the top brands that bring you some of the most competitive and realistic poker gameplay without asking you to carry any of the risk.
You can join the online poker fray without a registration or the need to spend a penny of your own hard-earned money.
The play money poker sites we have reviewed will help you become a better poker player and, if you are absolutely dying for a great free play online poker app, we have a solution waiting for you as well. Let s have a look at the best free play poker brands today.
Here is my list of the best free online poker sites for 2021:
Best Free Online Poker Sites
Fresh Deck
- Real money cash prizes and promotions
- Turbo speed tables and tournaments
- Buddy lists to keep you connected
Zynga Poker
Replay Poker
WSOP - Play Money Poker
Full Tilt Poker
Fresh Deck Poker
Fresh Deck Poker has a touched-up user interface and a gameplay environment that is hard to resist. A lot of effort has gone into
The website comes with free online poker games such as No Limit Texas Holdem, Sit Go s, Omaha Hi Lo, and various ring games to test your mettle directly versus other players. Fresh Deck Poker has leaderboards and bonuses as well as levels.
One of the biggest draws here are the avatars, which allow you to build yourself an alter-ego in 3D and try some of the finest free online poker games as you do. Overall, the platform remains one of the best options to enjoy recreational and free online poker.
The 3D animations are quite entertaining and many poker players join simply because of those which, some have suggested, may saturate the games with more casual players. However, you will be able to also find players who are genuinely trying to improve.
Not least, Fresh Deck Poker comes with a dedicated app you can download directly from the Apple Store or Google Play and have a decent poker experience on the go.
Zynga Poker
Zynga Poker is one of the best free online poker sites out there. Owned by Facebook, there are some very distinct synergies between your poker experience and the social element of the cardroom. Zynga offers various incentives, in the form of bonuses, challenges and a World Poker Tour (WPT) initiative to ante up your games.
Once again, downloading the platform on the App Store and Google Play is an option and you will have the opportunity to play on the go. Zynga distributes chips regularly, running a slight risk of dulling your senses and ability to play real online poker a bit if you grow too complacent.
However, the platform offers enough ring and cash games to provide you with a realistic online poker experience, although you will also have to exercise caution and not give in to bad habits, such as rely on the regular giveaways the platform sends players in the form of chips.
Zynga allows players the opportunity to read the board and their hand quickly and reliably, developing important habits. However, over-confidence may cost you dearly later on if you transition to the real money games. What you need to focus on, and what Zynga Poker is perfectly equipped to teach you, is the dynamic of the hands, what the most likely outcomes are and whether you can read your own hand and its strength in relation to the community cards.
Replay Poker
Replay Poker is another free online poker site introducing players to the finer sides of online poker. The platform is enjoyable enough to offer a full array of customizable options, hand history and adding your friends using their tags.
Replay Poker is less focused on the heady gameplay where you can just dive into any table, no matter what the table limit, and be careless about your chips. The platform purposefully allocates a fixed number of chips and asks players to purchase the rest, so as to add both exclusivity and value to its free online poker games.
The website believes that striking a balance between fake money and real poker is the best way to teach recreational players the habits they would need if they ever decided to go pro. Replay Poker has a very good community allowing you to participate in ring games and specifically Texas Hold em, Omaha, and Royal Hold em around the clock and find worthwhile opponents.
Replay Poker will even run a series of tutorials to teach you how to play better, offering free online poker players some insights into some strategies that are otherwise only known to players who try their luck at the real money tournaments.
World Series of Poker (WSOP)
There is no doubt that the World Series of Poker (WSOP) have one of the best free online poker solutions for you to try. Their platform has been hosted by Playtika, an established developer name in social gaming.
WSOP has a unique global footprint as the app is available in every jurisdiction in the world and offers realistic online poker for free. Players from the United States can also download a dedicated Android and iOS app and have it even easier play money contests.
Arguably, the WSOP app offers some of the best free online poker games and makes the platform a perfect place to hone your skills and test your mettle. While the money may be fake, WSOP achieves a realism and depth that no other free online poker site quite measures up to.
Apart from that, the brand runs some extensive tournaments for those who are trying to progress from recreational players to aspiring professionals, with a number of bracelets up for grabs as well as the opportunity to participate into freerolls and progress to real tournaments.
You can also link your WSOP app with Facebook and challenge friends, family and acquaintances to free online poker games, beating them and securing bragging rights as you do.
WSOP players can enjoy access to Texas Hold em and Omaha Hi-Lo games as well as many other classic and new games.
Full Tilt Poker
Full Tilt Poker is one of the most famous establishments US players can enjoy today. The platform is one of the earliest adopters of real poker, but today you can find excellent free online poker games, too. Players will find a good selection of games to pick from, including:
- Omaha
- Omaha Hi-Lo
- Texas Hold em
- Stud
Styled after real poker games, the free games at Full Tilt Poker generally attract a more competitive type of players, offering various insights into the real game while still allowing you to enjoy free play options. To access these games, you will need to hop over and download the dedicated software client, which will introduce you to the Full Tilt lounge.
You can enjoy the mobile version as well, downloading a dedicated app that allows you to play from any Android and iOS device and participate in various competitions, Spin Go Tournaments as well as other competitive formats you can try it all on the go or at a desktop computer.
Full Tilt Poker will also allow you to transition quite easily to real, competitive poker, so if this is something you would be interested in, you might as well try.
Benefits of Free No Download Poker
There are many reasons why free no download poker will be beneficial. For starters, it s a good way to pass the time. Then again, it offers you a genuine opportunity to study the game of poker and play-test different games.
You can play from virtually anywhere by simply installing the dedicated iOS or Android app or, if you prefer, you may just play directly in your browser. Arguably, though, you will also get free poker practice that allows you to improve your own ability to read hands, the table and generally your own hand in relation to others.
There is a lot of theory crafting and statistical probability in poker, and the quicker you become in reading the queues that give away a strength or weakness in your opponents, the quicker you will master the game and progress onto the real challenges that await out there.
The Best Free Poker Apps
All social poker sites will offer you access to great mobile apps where you can enjoy more online poker games for free. US players are particularly privileged as they can play with both Android and iOS apps and have a go at an array of free online games.
These apps will allow you to claim your fake money and participate in ring games and various challenges run on the website. Here is how we rank free online poker mobile apps:
The apps don t take up too much space on your device and will run and load smoothly. Powering up your free online poker experience will definitely be a breeze by opting for any of these apps.
Alternatively, you can keep playing from any Internet browser you have handy, whether this is Safari, Google Chrome or Opera. You can play recreational poker from an Android smartphone, an iPhone or an iPad, so your devices will certainly be compatible with the best poker rooms you can play for free.
What Free Online Poker Games Can You Play?
Every free play poker site will come up with its own range of games to list, but you can generally expect to find well-stocked portfolios. They will necessarily include all the top options which will help you establish yourself as a better player in the long term. Here is a glimpse at the games you can expect to find at free online poker sites:
- Texas Hold em
- Omaha
- Omaha Hi-Lo
- Stud
- Stud Hi-Lo
These games aren t listed in any particular order. Ultimately, it will depend on what you enjoy playing the most of to pick a viable poker game for yourself. Yet, it helps to know that NL and Pot Limit Texas Hold em will probably be the most played ring and cash games you can find at any of the free poker sites these days.
Free Poker Tournaments: Worth the Challenge?
While social poker sites tend to have a somewhat lower skill curve, they can still be a great place to practice and master the game of poker, or in the very least, some aspects of it. A tournament setting, even if it s free, will already offer a different depth of the experience.
While some players may be a little too hasty with the gratuitous chips, they get from social poker sites, they will think twice before blowing a chance to win real money out of their free online poker experience. There are lots of different poker tournaments to try as well, including:
- Bounty Poker Tournaments
- Sit Go s Poker Tournaments
- Rebuy Poker Tournaments
- Satellite Poker Tournaments
- Multi-Table Poker Tournaments others
Freerolls are perhaps the most coveted form of free online poker as you can leverage your skill and successfully progress to actual poker games which can reward you real money. Either way, the tournaments you can participate in at free poker sites will vary in their nature and competitive nature.
Some will be geared towards novices while others will invite you to test yourself and see if you can actually compete at the highest level of the game. There is no obligation to participate in such competitions, but US players often find it highly rewarding to give a freeroll tournament a go, as it is also an accurate gauge of how much they have advanced in honing their poker skills.
Best Poker Apps 2021 | Play and Win Real Money
Here at PokerListings, we ve pretty much played them all and created a comprehensive guide to the best poker apps. Below is a look at the top real money poker apps available from the biggest poker operators.
Top Online Poker Apps
All the best poker apps are optimized with intuitive lobbies, multi-tabling opportunities and easy-tap check, raise and fold buttons. Any variants besides your typical Hold em and PLO can be available in-app - including Seven-Card Stud, Hi-Lo, Razz, H.O.R.S.E and Badugi. Then there are poker formats that are just made for online poker apps, like SGs Zoom and Fast Fold poker.
Our experts have played thousands of hours on various online poker apps to analyze all these and more. Here are our picks for the top 5 poker apps today.
You can be looking for the best free poker apps just for fun. Or the best real money poker app to grind up a bankroll. Either way - you re sure to find the best online poker app for you on this page. Our best poker app 2021 is GGPoker! (as voted in our PokerListings Awards for Best Operator and Player Favorite) But what factors are important to you as a player - any specific features, fast cashouts, bonuses, soft fields, big fields?
Safest Online Poker Sites 2021
If you're playing online poker for real money, you want to be sure that the site you're playing at is safe. That goes without saying (but I said it anyway).
The table below ranks what I feel are the safest places to play online poker in 2021.
Top 5 safest online poker rooms.
What makes a poker room "safe"?
It's all well and good calling a poker room "safe", but why is it "safe"? Here are the 4 main factors that I think contribute to the safety and reliability of a poker site:
- The poker room company's age.
- A flawless history and track record.
- Quality support.
- Healthy deposit options.
1) Age.
I'm all for giving promising start-ups a chance, but when it comes to me and my money, I'm going to stick with established poker rooms. Sure, a lot of newer sites are perfectly fine, but sites with years of experience under their belt are better.
If a poker room has been around for 5+ years and is still going strong, it must be doing something right. Players don't keep depositing money at a poker room because they think it's unsafe.
2) Flawless history.
As much as companies can improve and change over time, there's no better forecast for a company's integrity going forward than its history.
It's not always easy to get the full picture of a poker site's history. However, if you Google a poker room's name plus words like "scam", "cheat" or "scandal" that should give you an idea. There will always be some useless results thrown in to the mix (I'm sure the nicest companies in the world have some mean reports about them floating around), so just keep an eye out for the reliable sources.
All of the poker rooms in the table above have a fantastic history, which is why they're in my toplist for the safest poker sites.
3) Quality support.
Every online poker room offers support, but there can be gigantic differences in the quality and speed of that support from one site to the next. Having a responsive and knowledgeable support service behind you when playing poker for real money is immensely reassuring.
The two main support contact methods I look for are email and phone support. If a site has got these two nicely covered, I'm happy. Live chat is clever, but it's more of a novelty than a serious method of support in my opinion.
4) Healthy deposit options.
This has more to do with convenience than safety, but if a poker room's banking method options are sparse it makes you ask questions. Again, this isn't a huge thing, but I like to take it in to account when ranking rooms based on their "safeness".
The rooms in the table above not only make it easy to deposit money into your poker account safely, but they also process withdrawals quickly and reliably too. This is particularly useful for when you want to get some money in to your wallet ready for a few extra drinks on the weekend.
Online poker security.
Aside from a poker room's integrity, what kind of technology is in place to ensure security? Here are a few things that sites have in place:
- Website servers are protected with Thawte server certificate (SSL).
- Poker software uses SSLv3 protocol.
- SHA-1 encryption for shuffled card data.
- Collusion detection software.
That's just the very rough basics. I'm going to be honest and say that I'm no security pro, so I don't actually understand half of the stuff I just listed. Still, if this sort of thing interests you then it's somewhere to start.
The PokerStars security page has some useful information too. Other poker sites often have security information in their "privacy policy" section, which can usually be found at the bottom of their websites.
Have there been security breaches in online poker in the past?
I'm not going to pretend that online poker has a completely clean record. Just as it is in any business, there will always be unsavoury companies with security problems.
Here are the two examples of major security issues that happened in the past:
1) The Absolute Poker/Ultimate Bet superuser scandal - 2007.
It was found that 4 former employees of Ultimate Bet had been able to view other players' holecards as they played. With this unfair advantage they apparently won over $10M from other high stakes poker players.
Ultimate Bet refunded money to affected players, but I don't believe that every affected player was refunded in full. This has been the biggest black mark on online poker when it comes to trust and safety between players and poker rooms.
60 Minutes did a piece on the UB scandal.
2) The Ultimate Bet "DOUBLEBALLER" hand - 2008.
In December 2008, a hand was played at Ultimate Bet where the player with the losing hand won the main pot.
Phil Hellmuth (coincidentally Ultimate Bet's #1 sponsored pro at the time) and another played named "DOUBLEBALLER" were playing heads-up limit holdem. At showdown, DOUBLEBALLER held K Q on a J K K 2 9 board for 3-of-a-kind kings. Phil Hellmuth mucked his losing hand of T 2 . However, the $5,599 was awarded to Phil Hellmuth.
The actual DOUBLEBALLER and Phil Hellmuth hand history
Hand History #: 1162170993
Stage #XXXXXXX: Holdem (1 on 1) Normal $200/$400 - 2008-12-20 04:15:23 (ET)
Table: FIR AVE (Real Money) Seat #4 is the dealer
Seat 4 - PHILHELLMUTH ($4495 in chips)
Seat 6 - DOUBLEBALLER ($7494 in chips)
PHILHELLMUTH - Posts small blind $100
DOUBLEBALLER - Posts big blind $200
*** POCKET CARDS ***
PHILHELLMUTH - Raises $300 to $400
DOUBLEBALLER - Raises $400 to $600
PHILHELLMUTH - Raises $400 to $800
DOUBLEBALLER - Calls $200
*** FLOP *** [Js Kc Kh]
DOUBLEBALLER - Checks
PHILHELLMUTH - Bets $200
DOUBLEBALLER - Raises $400 to $400
PHILHELLMUTH - Calls $200
*** TURN *** [Js Kc Kh] [2h]
DOUBLEBALLER - Bets $400
PHILHELLMUTH - Raises $800 to $800
DOUBLEBALLER - Raises $800 to $1200
PHILHELLMUTH - Calls $400
*** RIVER *** [Js Kc Kh 2h] [9c]
DOUBLEBALLER - Bets $400
PHILHELLMUTH - Calls $400
*** SHOW DOWN ***
DOUBLEBALLER - Shows [Kd Qh] (Three of a kind, kings)
PHILHELLMUTH - Mucks
PHILHELLMUTH Collects $5599 from main pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total Pot($5600) | Rake ($1)
Board [Js Kc Kh 2h 9c]
Seat 4: PHILHELLMUTH (dealer) (small blind) won Total ($5599) HI: ($5599) [Mucked] [2s 10s]
Seat 6: DOUBLEBALLER (big blind) HI:lost with Three of a kind, kings [Kd Qh - B:Kh,P:Kd,B:Kc,P:Qh,B:Js]
This was all eventually cleared up, but it's another example of a software flaw that happened in online poker. For more information on this scandal, check out this doubleballer and Phil Hellmuth hand news article.
What about trust issues at other sites?
The two scandals above have been by far the biggest in online poker, and they took place on the same poker network -- Cereus. Ultimate Bet (later renamed to UB ) and Absolute Poker are simply skins on this network.
In comparison, no other poker sites have had security problems that have come anywhere close to these two. In fact, I can't even think of any safety issues that other sites may have had. This just goes to show that security and safety issues are not a widespread problem in online poker. Instead, they have just been confined to one irresponsible network.
PokerKingBlog.com has a nice list of posts tagged under "scandals". The vast majority of these are trivial matters though that have very little do to with security and integrity.
I'm not highlighting these scandals to worry you, but instead to be transparent about the world of online poker. It just goes to show that you're doing the responsible thing by researching which poker sites are the safest and most reliable, so I hope this page helps point you in a safe direction.
Is it safe to play online poker today?
I'd say so. In fact I don't just say so, I do so.
Sure there have been problems with some sites in the past, but I'm still more than happy to play for real money at trustworthy sites. Some well-known banks have also had huge problems in the past, but that doesn't mean that I'm never going to put money in to a bank account again.
My final thoughts on safety in online poker.
I hate the fact that there is such a negative stigma attached to any business involved in online gambling.
A lot of naive people love to try and claim that because a company offers a gambling service, that there has to be something "dodgy" or "unreliable" going on. By that logic, I should be nervous the next time I buy some bread and milk from my local shop, as they happen to sell lottery tickets too.
It's a good thing to be cautious about online poker, but then it's always smart to check something out before spending money on it or putting money in to it. Just because gambling is involved, it doesn't make it inherently "unsafe".
I've been playing online poker for years and years, and I've never had a problem.
I can't guarantee that a certain poker room is safe or will be safe forever, just like I can't say that your next mechanic isn't going to try and overcharge you. However, if you stick with the tried and trusted places, you know what to expect. I just hope my recommendations on this page help you when it comes to avoiding any devious mechanics :-)
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