About Us

US Poker is an independent research site for US poker players, and this page explains who we are, what we cover and how we decide what makes it onto our lists. If you've landed here from one of our poker site comparisons, this is the "who's writing this and why should I trust it" page.

Our main focus is helping players find real money poker sites and apps that suit how they actually play — including a growing interest in crypto and Bitcoin poker, which is where a lot of our research time goes right now. We compare traffic and liquidity, game formats, deposit and withdrawal options, and the fine print on welcome bonuses, so readers can see past the marketing headline.

What We Actually Do

We don't operate a poker room, we don't take deposits, and we're not a poker training site. We research publicly available information on poker operators — licensing status, game types on offer, banking methods, published bonus terms and general market reputation — and put it into comparisons that are easier to scan than ten open browser tabs.

Where crypto poker is concerned, that means looking at which sites accept Bitcoin or other coins alongside traditional US payment rails, how withdrawal times differ between them, and whether a crypto-friendly site is still transparent about its terms. Crypto doesn't change the fundamentals of what makes a poker site worth playing at — it's just one more payment option that some players prefer for speed or privacy.

How We Compare and Rank Sites

Our rankings, including the one on this site's homepage and category pages, are built from a consistent set of factors:

• Player traffic and liquidity — how active the tables and tournament fields are, since soft games and fast seating matter more to most players than any single feature
• Game variety — the mix of No Limit Hold'em, Pot Limit Omaha, fast-fold formats, Sit & Gos, Spin & Go style games, and MTT schedules
• Bonus and rewards structure — the headline welcome offer alongside its playthrough or clearing requirements, time limits and eligibility rules, plus any ongoing rakeback or loyalty scheme
• Banking — deposit and withdrawal methods available to US players, including cards, ACH, PayNearMe, operator prepaid options and crypto where it's offered, along with typical cash-out speed
• Software and mobile experience — client stability, HUD/tracking policy where it's publicly stated, and how the iOS and Android apps hold up
• Licensing and market standing — what jurisdiction the operator is licensed in, since US online poker is regulated state by state with no single federal framework, and offshore sites carry different regulatory status than sites licensed in states like New Jersey, Michigan or Pennsylvania

We score sites like Coinpoker, Bovada, Stake, Ignition, Americas Card Room and the others we cover against these same criteria every time. Nothing about that scoring is for sale — a site's position on our lists is never bought, and commission from an operator never moves its rating up or down.

Why We Earn Commission — and Why It Doesn't Steer Our Ratings

US Poker earns a commission when a reader clicks through to an operator and signs up. This is standard for comparison sites and it's how we keep our research free to read. It has no bearing on how a site is scored: we've ranked lower-commission operators above higher-commission ones plenty of times when the underlying comparison called for it, and every write-up we publish includes at least one genuine downside for that operator, including the top-ranked one on any given page.

What We Won't Do

Poker is a game of skill layered on top of variance, and no amount of research changes that. We won't tell you a site or a bonus is a way to make money, and we won't suggest that clearing a welcome offer or chasing rakeback is a substitute for playing within your means. If a promotion has wagering requirements, a time limit or restricted game types, we say so next to the offer — not buried in a footnote.

Online poker in the US is only legal where a state has specifically regulated it or where an operator holds an appropriate licence for the market it serves; availability varies by state and can change. We stay factual about that rather than guessing at a site's legal status where it isn't clearly published. You're responsible for checking that real money poker is permitted where you live before you sign up anywhere.

Playing Responsibly

Every game we cover carries real financial risk, and nothing on this site should be read as encouragement to gamble more than you can afford to lose. All real money poker offers on US Poker are intended for players aged 21 and over (18+ in the small number of states that permit it at that age) — this site is not intended for anyone under those limits. If gambling stops being fun or starts feeling like a problem, the National Problem Gambling Helpline is available at 1-800-GAMBLER, and our Responsible Gambling page has more resources and links to state self-exclusion programs.

Questions or Corrections

Poker sites change their bonus terms, banking options and licensing details more often than most players realize, and we rely on readers flagging anything that looks out of date. If you spot something that doesn't match what an operator currently offers, or you just want to ask about how a comparison was put together, reach us through the Contact Us page. Our full site terms are set out on the Terms and Conditions page.