Poker Networks That Serve the United States - BTW, What is a Poker Network?

Although rest-of-the-world players have the most options when it comes to online poker networks, there are still several that are happy to host American players.

In fact, every network in this list has been serving customers in America for at least one decade. Some have been providing games to US players for three decades! Also, all of the networks we have chosen to deal with are honest, reliable, and stable enough that we put our money where our mouth is and play on them regularly in order to provide you with up-to-date information so that you can find a great place to play without worry.

What is a Poker Network?

A poker network is simply a collection of online rooms that have decided to work together. In today's crowded online gambling market, small, independent operators have little chance of survival. This is because it's hard to grow a sufficient user base to maintain a decent number of games running especially if a site tries to start from scratch. PKR is a good example of a cardroom that had innovative software and a welcoming atmosphere but eventually had to close its doors because it couldn't attract enough customers.

By banding together, these organizations can deliver a better product and draw in many more players than they could if they were managing separate poker platforms. The PaiWangLuo Network, for example, is composed of three partner sites: Bodog, Ignition, and Bovada. It's the most popular online location for U.S. real-money poker, but if it were to split up today, its largest component, Ignition Poker, would fall to third place, and the other two pieces of the whole would fare even worse.

The costs of developing new features and games are beyond the reach of many smaller online gambling entities, but by dividing the expenses up among several network members, innovation is enabled. It's pretty common for sportsbetting and casino sites to join a poker network and thereby extend exciting, cutting-edge poker gameplay to their customers without having to devote the time and resources to creating a poker client in-house. All-in-one gambling destinations that offer up a diverse range of betting products, including poker, would be much rarer if each organization had to do everything by itself.

When you log into your account at any site on a network, the people in the games you see in the lobby are actually customers of the different firms or "skins" that are part of the network. Most of these ring games, sit-and-gos, and tournaments are network-wide although there might be several special tables exclusively for customers of one or a few specific sites.

List of Top U.S. Online Poker Networks

We're here to bring you information on the safest networks you can join as a U.S. resident. Even among individual online poker sites within a particular network, we only work with the best of the best. Simply click on a name in the list below to find out more about it. From largest to smallest, these are our recommended networks to play poker at:

1. PaiWangLuo

This is the new name of the old Bodog Network, and nothing much has changed since the switchover. You'll still be able to enjoy the most cash game traffic in the U.S. market, extremely soft opposition, anonymized gameplay, and the fast-fold Zone Poker product. The Pai Wang Luo network has been an industry leader by offering fast-fold poker, something that many of the largest networks now offer due to its increased popularity. Aussies are welcome to play at Ignition Poker.

2. Winning Poker Network

The roots of the Winning Poker Network go back to 2001, making it one of the existing networks with the longest histories. It has about 90% as many ring game players as PaiWangLuo, but where WPN really shines is in tournament action. The $200 + $15 Sunday Special $150K Guaranteed is the largest weekly MTT open to people in the United States, and the recurring Venom tourneys are similarly bigger than anything featured at any of its competitors.

3. Chico Poker Network

The CPN is where you want to be if you're looking for promotions and enough traffic to easily earn them. There are only about two-thirds as many people logged on at any given time as there are at PaiWangLuo, but this should still be more than enough to multi-table the games you like unless you play for high stakes. Contests, reload bonuses, and bad beat jackpots beckon. You'll also be able to play Boost Poker, the Chico Network's fast-fold cash game offering.

4. Horizon

Player volume numbers at Horizon are a bit underwhelming, but the network compensates for this by providing the fastest-clearing poker bonuses that Americans can claim. Frequent reload codes, weekly rake races, and loyalty levels characterize the promotional framework at Horizon. You can also collect 36% dealt rakeback at Horizon skins: an easy way to boost your bankroll. Horizon has a room that's Australia-friendly: Juicy Stakes. U.S. players and players in other areas may prefer to play at the larger Horizon site, Everygame. Everygame, formerly known as Intertops, is the leading skin on the Horizon Network.

Relative Sizes of the U.S.-Facing Poker Networks

Whichever of these networks you opt to play at, you'll be able to receive a bonus when you make your first deposit. If you should be fortunate enough to amass sizable winnings, then you can look forward to speedy cashouts, which you can read up on with our regularly updated fastest paying sites report. The Chico Poker Network is recognized for boasting the fastest cashouts in the industry with the Pai Wang Luo network landing in a close second.