1. Best Pennsylvania Online Poker Sites
2. Which Online Poker Site Is The Best

Online poker is back in Pennsylvania. Many of the biggest and best-known poker sites are now legal and licensed to run games within state lines. They include PokerStars – with partypoker and WSOP.com expected to join soon.

As a player you can take advantage of the big marketing budgets these sites will use to gain traction in the Keystone State. There are no-deposit bouses, big matched welcome offers and generous loyalty schemes available right now.

This page has everything you need to understand the games, bonuses, and software options available at the legal PA online poker sites. You’ll also find a brief explanation of how the sites work and a detailed FAQ located at the bottom of the page.

1. The list of companies that hold a license to launch poker sites in Pennsylvania includes: SugarHouse Poker Harrah's Poker Hollywood Casino Poker Mount Airy Poker Parx Poker Valley Forge Poker Wind.
2. There’s no shortage of real money online poker action for Pennsylvania players. You can play your favorite poker games, formats, variants, and stakes right now. All you need to get started is an account with one of the best Pennsylvania poker sites online.
3. The company still remained the only poker platform in the state as of Summer 2020. PokerStars is the most popular online poker company in the world with millions of players on a daily basis.

PA Online Poker It has been a long wait for poker to return to Pennsylvania. With online poker legal in PA, many of the biggest names in online poker have returned. They include Party Poker, PokerStars.

Play online poker in Pennsylvania at PokerStars

Is online poker legal in PA?

Yes. Seven casinos took up the poker license, most as part of a package deal.

Instead of $4 million per gambling vertical, several PA casinos paid $10 million for poker, online slots, and online table games licenses. Many also spent $10 million for a separate sports betting license.

It took a long time from when the gambling expansion act (H 271) of 2017 was passed for PA online poker sites to appear. License holders prioritized sports betting and casinos as these have higher revenue than poker.

Best Poker Sites in Pennsylvania

Poker sites need to reach a critical mass of players to offer a good enough choice of cash games and big guarantees for their tournaments. This naturally limits the number of successful rooms possible, and healthy market share is critical.

The biggest rooms in other regulated states are strong favorites to be the biggest and best in Pennsylvania. Here are the sites to check out:

• PokerStars: Poker players the world over agree that PokerStars has the best software. While you will not be able to play against the giant global player pool in PA, you can enjoy the huge game choice and slick platform. New players get $30 in free play with a small ($20) deposit, with the ‘Stars Rewards’ loyalty scheme keeping your bankroll topped up after that.
• Party Poker: Soon, PA players will be able to check out the software and the famously soft poker games at Party Poker with free money. Party offers NJ players $25 simply for signing up – which we expect to see on offer in PA too. Enjoy tournaments, cash games and the new Fast Forward poker format.
• WSOP.com/888: This brand is owned by Caesars Entertainment and will partner with Harrah’s Philadelphia to bring their unique platform to PA. There is more to this site than just qualifiers to the WSOP tournaments. You can play cash game, ‘Blast’ poker and a packed tournament schedule. New players get a matched welcome bonus of up to $1000 to get their bankrolls off to a flying start.
• BetMGM Poker: BetMGM Poker is, unsurprisingly, owned and operated by MGM Resorts International. It is licensed in Pennsylvania through a partnership with Penn National, which owns the Hollywood Casino and the Meadows. You can find cash games and tournaments galore onsite. New players can use promo code PLAYNJFREE when they register to receive a $25 no deposit bonus and a 100% deposit bonus worth up to $1000.

What do these PA poker apps offer?

PokerStars Pennsylvania

Poker players worldwide consider the PokerStars desktop client and apps to be the best software around. This covers the speed and smoothness of the games – plus small factors like how easy it is to resize tables and the ability to upload your own pictures.

PokerStars partnered with Mount Airy Casino. They were the first online poker site to launch in Pennsylvania – and have exceeded expectations in popularity. Player pools are not shared with their New Jersey site for the time being, which will be the case for all PA online poker rooms until further notice.

There are two bonuses for new players:

• Deposit a minimum of $20 to get $30 in tournament buy-ins and cash game tickets with bonus code THIRTY.
• Alternatively, PokerStars will match your first deposit up to $600. To claim this offer, use bonus code STARS600.

Regular players will enjoy a novel loyalty program. Stars Rewards gives you chests as you play, these have prizes tailored to you – going up in value depending on the stakes you play.

Games at PokerStars include the usual mix of cash games, tournaments and sit & goes. This site has a fast-fold cash game called Zoom Poker, and a lottery sit & go format called ‘Spins’. Regular ‘PACOOP’ (Pennsylvania Championship of Online Poker) events feature big prize tournaments – the highlight of a busy tournament schedule. They also run a number of other exciting tournament series that come with hefty guarantees.

Party Poker Pennsylvania

Party Poker is the biggest rival to PokerStars. This site is owned by gambling giant Entain, which has a national deal with MGM. Valley Forge Casino will supply licenses for GVC.

Once live, PA poker players should receive $25 simply for signing up. This bonus comes in two parts:

• $10 is a cash bonus, you can use this for any type of game
• $15 is in tournament tokens

If you like what you find, then you can get a 100% matched welcome bonus on your first deposit up to $1000 max. Promotions include leaderboards, reload bonuses and a loyalty points program.

In addition to the packed list of cash games, tournaments and sit & goes, you can now play ‘Fast Forward’ poker at Party. This is a fast-fold format, where players are moved to a new hand as soon as the current hand is folded.

The partypoker software has been completely revamped since they were last available in the US. You will find smartphone apps and desktop downloads for both Windows and Mac devices. At launch, games will only be against other players from PA. In time it is hoped that the shared player pools will expand to cover Pennsylvania – allowing games against other partypoker players from other states.

WSOP Poker Pennsylvania

WSOP is short for ‘World Series of Poker’. This brand is owned by Caesars Entertainment – owners of the iconic Harrah’s Casino in PA. There are active WSOP.com poker sites in both Nevada and New Jersey – and soon, Pennsylvania.

Software for this site is powered by 888 Poker, offering both an app and a downloadable desktop version.

There are some generous bonuses for new players at WSOP Pennsylvania:

• A no deposit bonus of $10 to check out the games with zero risk. Use bonus code 10FREE to claim this
• A huge bonus of up to $1000 matched to your first deposit

You can clear your bonus by collecting points in the real money games. WSOP have satellite qualifiers to the World Series events – as well as online poker promotions. Look out for new poker formats including ‘Blast’ lottery Sit and Goes, alongside the usual mix of NL Hold’em and PLO cash games and tournaments.

BetMGM Poker

BetMGM Poker is the online poker site representing gaming titan MGM Resorts International. MGM has numerous partnerships with other gaming companies, including Entain (formerly GVC Holdings) and Penn National.

When the site finally goes live, new players can find themselves in line for a whopping $1,025 in bonus money from the site. If you use promo code PLAYNJFREE when you sign up, you will be eligible for the following bonuses:

• A $25 no deposit bonus upon registration. This money must be played through a single time, but works the same as actual cash and requires nothing on your part.
• A dollar-for-dollar deposit bonus up to $1,000. Simply make your first deposit of $10 or more and BetMGM will match every cent that you put into your account. In effect, you will double the amount of your deposit, and the offer is good all the way up to $1,000.

The bonus dollars you accumulate are convertible into cash if you play through them a certain number of times. In essence, the $25 no deposit bonus will need to be turned over a single time to release it as cash. The deposit bonus is a bit more of an ordeal – you have to earn 20 times the amount of iRewards Points in order to convert it to cash. However, the bonus will come to you in 10% chunks, so you can get a little bit at a time.

Make sure to keep an eye on your time limit, however. Any unredeemed bonus at the end of 7 days reverts to BetMGM, so be ready to play quite a bit when you make that first deposit.

How legal online poker sites in Pennsylvania work

For online casinos and sportsbooks, you’ll normally access the website to enjoy gambling. Poker sites are different. Most players prefer to download a desktop software client to access the games. This gives you all the game types, and the ability to comfortably multi-table (play more than one table at a time). It also ensures the games are stable. Avoiding the client crashing just as you get dealt pocket aces is important.

PokerStars PA launched with both an Android and an iOS app available.

When you access the PA poker rooms, you will find four main poker formats. Which are available (and have games running) will depend on the size of the player pool at each site.

Here are the main formats:

• Cash games: Your chips have a real monetary value and can be topped up to the table maximum at any time. Online poker cash games start at $2 buy-ins (micro-stakes) up to around $1,000+ buy-ins. The stakes at these tables range from $.02/$.04 to $1,000/$2,000. Tables typically have two, six, or nine players.
• Poker tournaments: A knockout format where each player starts with a stack of chips in exchange for their buy-in. The bet sizes increase steadily, and play continues until one player has all the chips. Expect 10% or so of the field to get prizes. There are many variations in speed, poker game type, and the ability to rebuy or re-enter if you bust.
• Sit & Go tournaments: Usually single table games, these kick off whenever a table is full. New variations include PokerStars’ Spin & Go. These are three-handed games with a random prize pool of up to 10,000x your buy-in.
• Fast-fold poker: This innovation dispenses with the waiting time while other players finish hands by taking you to a new hand as soon as you fold. Players sit in pools rather than individual tables. Fast fold poker is used for both cash games and tournaments but is not available in Pennsylvania yet.

At international sites, there are a lot of poker variations to enjoy. The smaller player pools in Pennsylvania will mean that only No-Limit Hold’em and some Omaha variations like PLO and PLO8 will be available. If PA joins a wider group of state sites then Stud, Draw, and mixed games could become available.

Real Money Poker vs Free Online Poker

If you have only ever enjoyed poker on free to play apps, you will need to read up on strategy before you jump into the real money games. There is a huge difference in skill level as soon as real money is on the line.

The online poker rooms in Pennsylvania have options to enjoy play-money only tables. These can help you get to know the different types of poker game and how the betting rounds work. At PokerStars, the Home Games function lets you create private tables for your friends and colleagues. You can even play them with friends outside of PA, as long as they are for play money.

You can try out real money poker games at some sites without making a deposit. Party Poker should offer $10 in cash plus $15 in tournament entry tokens just for signing up. Other sites like PokerStars give you tokens worth $30 for just a small deposit.

To get off to a solid start at the real money poker tables, it is worth starting off at smaller buy-in levels than you would play in a live setting. This will give you a chance to assess the skill levels of your opponents and make sure you can beat the games before you move up to higher buy-ins.

Pennsylvania online poker: Bonuses and promotions

The online poker sites which have the most players in PA will have a huge advantage over competitors. PokerStars got a leg up on the competition as the first to market and exceeded expectations right away, taking in nearly $2 million in rake and tournament fees in its first month back in November.

As the number of players grows, bigger tournaments, better promotions, and a wider choice of cash games become available. This has the effect of attracting more players. Currently, PokerStars PA offers a choice of two welcome bonuses, namely $30 free if deposit $20 using marketing code FREE30, or a 100%bonus match up to $600 using marketing code STARS600, not both though.

Once more online poker rooms go live in Pennsylvania, there will be fierce competition for new players. You can take advantage of this by getting your bankroll off to a great start thanks to the sites’ big marketing budgets and generous bonus offers.

Based on poker rooms in other regulated states, here is what to expect:

• No-deposit bonuses: Some poker sites will offer completely free chips, no deposit needed. This will sometimes come in the form of buy-ins to different tournaments or cash games. You’ll need to play this money through a set number of times before it can be withdrawn.
• Matched welcome bonuses: Expect your first deposit to be given a 100% (or better) match. Some sites offer up to $1,000 in bonus money this way. This is usually released in increments as you play.
• Freeroll tournaments: New players will be given access to beginners or depositors freerolls with real money prize pools. There may be additional entries based on loyalty schemes or future deposits.
• Reload bonuses: If your bankroll gets depleted, you will usually be offered an extra bonus to reload. Be advised these are usually smaller offers than the initial deposit bonus.
• Loyalty schemes: Poker sites all handle their loyalty programs differently. For PokerStars PA, expect to be awarded treasure chests, which have prizes tailored to your individual gambling preferences.

Depending on the brand, you might also be offered crossover promotions for the different gambling verticals.

Sports betting and casino games are well established in Pennsylvania, with many of the license holders for poker involved in all three industries. For example, players can now sign up for Fox Bet online sports betting and also access the PokerStars PA online poker and online casino verticals.

Depositing and withdrawing at PA online poker rooms

With poker being a skill game, more players will withdraw money than the other gambling verticals. You’ll have a lot of choices for how to get your money on board and your profits back off again.

While not all the online poker rooms will have all of the methods listed, the deposit methods below are the most commonly accepted.

• Credit / debit cards: Instant payments can be made with your regular bank cards. Visa and MasterCard are accepted by all the sites. Some sites will also allow deposits with Discover cards as well.
• Prepaid Play+ cards: Many gambling sites have branded debit cards. These add security and can be used for withdrawing your winnings. Then players can access funds via ATMs.
• Casino cage: You’ll be able to deposit and withdraw at the casino associated with each of the poker room brands.
• PayNearMe: This is another way of depositing cash, this time via 7-Eleven or CVS stores. Note that the fixed costs make this expensive for smaller deposits.
• PayPal: This is a popular online wallet system. It is used as a secure bridge between your bank and online merchants. PayPal is used for both deposits and withdrawals. However, do not be surprised if this option is not available at most online poker sites. The fees associated with PayPal, combined with the high tax rates for PA online operators mean this will be a rare option, not a common one.
• Neteller / Skrill: Owned by the same company, these wallet services work in a similar way to PayPal. They have been popular with poker players internationally for many years. Like PayPal, there is a chance these will not be available at every site because of hefty fees.
• eChecks: Also known as ACH transfers, this poker deposit method comes directly from your bank. You can get pre-verified, making your eCheck deposits and withdrawals instant.
• Bill pay: If you use a major bank, you might already pay your utility bills with Bill Pay. Paying into your poker account works in the same way. This banking option is not used for withdrawals.
• Bank wire: This is a slower way to transfer from your bank, though can still be used if you wish to securely transfer large amounts.
• Money order / paper check: Another slower banking method welcomed by many sites. If there are no alternative ‘online’ methods, you can withdraw your profits via a paper check.

Online poker partnerships in PA

For now, PA poker games are ring-fenced. This means that tables will not be shared with poker players from other regulated states like New Jersey and Nevada.

Three major international brands already partnered with Pennsylvania casinos, with only PokerStars and Mount Airy Casino live with their online poker product. More announcements are expected soon to clarify plans for online poker.

This is the full list of the PA casinos which have licenses to open online poker rooms:

Live poker in Pennsylvania

There are 10 live poker rooms in Pennsylvania. They are:

• Harrah’s Philadelphia: This poker room is branded using the World Series of Poker name. It is open 24/7 and has 28 tables featuring cash games and tournaments. Types of poker include the popular No-Limit Hold’em, Seven-Card Stud, and Omaha.
• Mohegan Sun Pocono: Located close to Wilkes-Barre, this poker room holds 18 tables. Daily tournaments include bounty events. The room also offers bad beat and royal flush jackpots for cash games.
• Parx Casino: This is one of the bigger poker rooms, hosting 48 tables including a separated three-table high-limit poker room. Parx is located at Bensalem, northeast of Philadelphia. They hold big buy-in tournament events, as well their own regular schedule of tournaments and cash games.
• Rivers Casino: Located in Pittsburgh, Rivers Casino hosts a 30-table poker room, which covers more than 8,000 square feet. Hourly high-hand bonuses keep the cash games lively, while bigger buy-in tournament events run alongside their busy weekly schedule.
• The Meadows Casino: Rather than a separate room, the 14 poker tables at The Meadows are on the main casino floor. You’ll have a view of the live racing while you play. This room is located 25 miles southwest of Pittsburgh, at Strabane Township.
• Hollywood Casino: This live poker venue is located at the Penn National Racecourse, at Grantville, PA. They have 17 tables and run cash games with a high hand promotion. Tournaments include both standard and turbo blind options.
• Mount Airy Casino: The poker parlor at the Mount Airy resort in northwest PA is a smaller live poker venue. With only nine tables, Texas Hold’em is the only variation you will find here.
• Presque Isle Casino: This is the smallest poker room in Pennsylvania, with only seven tables. While most rooms are 24/7, this one opens at 10 a.m. / 12 p.m. and continues only as long as there is substantial play. Single and multi-table tournaments are advertised, in addition to cash games.
• Sugarhouse Casino: Located in Philadelphia, Sugarhouse offers a 24/7 poker room which holds 28 tables. High hand and bad beat jackpots are run. Buy-ins for their cash games range from $60 to $3,000.
• Wind Creek Casino: This 28-table live poker room is located close to Bethlehem, PA. This was previously known as Sands Casino. With a complimentary beverage service, tableside dining, and a lot of TV’s showing sporting action, this poker room is advertised as state of the art.

Online poker is legal in Pennsylvania since 2017. PA players can access real money poker sites and play different games with poker players in the state.

PokerStars PA is the only legal PA poker site right now to play real money poker games online.

If you want to play (and secure a free $30 bonus to start with your first games) continue to this page.

On this page, you are going to learn:

• How to play online poker in Pennsylvania
• What are the best PA poker sites
• Why Pennsylvania gambling laws allow PokerStars to operate in PA
• Lots more

If you want to play the BEST online poker games in Pennsylvania, and you want to do so with the largest bonuses available to PA poker players, you'll love this new guide.

Let's dive right in.

PA Online Poker Sites

PokerStars PA is the best online poker site to offer real money games in Pennsylvania.

You can play legal real money online poker games in Pennsylvania from November 4, 2019.

That day, industry-leader PokerStars celebrated the first-ever 'shuffle up and deal of their PA-focused poker site.

888poker and partypoker are also expected to launch an online poker site in Pennsylvania in 2020 to compete with their arch-rival.

The opening of more PA online poker sites like 888poker PA and partypoker PA represents a great opportunity for all PA poker players.

More competition between international giants like these three is sure to result in great online events, synergies between online and offline operations and (why not) all great PA poker bonuses.

Here's a recap of the best PA online poker sites available to play real money poker games in Pennsylvania right now:

PokerStars Pennsylvania

PokerStars is the only poker site authorised to offer real money poker games to PA players.

This is the only PA poker site where you play free games to win real money (freeroll tournaments), play all the most popular poker variants, and experience international hits like PokerStars' Spin and Go tournaments.

When you register to play online poker games in PA on PokerStars, you get:

• An excellent bonus package with tickets to play Spin and Go tournaments
• A bonus match bonus on your first deposit
• The best customer support service in the industry
• Unlimited access to the only online legal poker games in PA

PokerStars PA has seen well over 600 players activate an account during the first night of action alone — with that number growing ever since.

The games on PokerStars PA are ring-fenced. Pennsylvania gambling laws do not allow the PA online poker sites to share liquidity (and player pool) with any of the poker sites in NJ, Delaware, and Nevada.

PokerStars' PA online poker site is operated in cooperation with the Mount Airy Casino Resort, the brands' partner in the State.

Games and Tournaments on PokerStars PA

Since this is the only legal poker site in Pennsylvania, PokerStars PA is where you find all the best online games.

The PokerStars PA poker client features an extensive offer of both cash games and poker tournaments.

Cash Games on PokerStars PA

The ring action reaches its peak in the evening when PokerStars PA continues to register the highest number of active players at its tables.

The cash games feature stakes that start at $0.01/$0.02 and go all the way up to $25/$50.

While not many PA poker players can afford the $25/$50 tables, you get a lot of action when you join the $1/$2 NLH games.

The majority of players on PokerStars PA are on the site to play no-limit hold'em games. However, this poker site also features a great range of other options, including:

• Limit Hold'em
• Omaha
• Seven-Card Stud
• H.O.R.S.E
• Razz
• 2-7 Triple Draw

Online Tournaments on PokerStars PA

As a tournament player, you are going to love the offering and the tournament calendar that PokerStars has planned to become the top online poker site in Pennsylvania.

The offer of no-limit hold'em is great and so are some of the guaranteed prizes available every day.

Some of the top daily events run by PokerStars in Pennsylvania include tournaments like the Hot Turbos, the KO Fever, the Moonlight Express, and the Nightly Stars.

You can also enjoy some Omaha, Omaha Hi/Lo, and Stud poker action with the Change Up daily events.

But the daily guaranteed multi-table online poker tournaments are events where everyone end up, sooner or later.

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The Sunday Majors on PokerStars PA

Now that online poker is legal in PA you can join your share of weekend actions with PokerStars' legendary Sunday poker tournaments.

The Sunday Majors are the best poker tournaments in PA. There you find the most exciting action and, of course, the best real money prizes.

The Sunday action at PokerStars PA begins with the $8,500 GTD Sunday Warm-Up, a $50 buy-in event starting at 4 p.m., and leads to the $500 buy-in Sunday Special, the marquee event of the day where the players compete for a guarantee of $15,000.

PA Online Tournament Series

PokerStars brings to Pennsylvania poker players also some of their most successful annual online tournament series.

This is the site where you find massive multiplayer events like the Pennsylvania Spring Championship of Online Poker (PASCOOP), the Pennsylvania Championship of Online Poker (PACOOP), and the Summer Series.

Keep visiting PokerNews.com to know more about these events and their online qualifiers as the respective schedules are released.

888poker Pennsylvania

888holdings is expected to launch their own 888poker PA poker site shortly after PokerStars.

The 888poker PA website will be the result of a cooperation between 888poker/WSOP.com and Harrah’s Casino.

The fact 888 and WSOP.com might merge their player pools could lead to their product being the one with the highest number of active players in Pennsylvania.

However, we do not have an official date for the launch of 888poker PA.

Back in September, 888poker's Head of Commercial DevelopmentYaniv Sherman announced that the company intended to adopt a 'selective approach' to online poker in Pennsylvania and would launch a new product in the state 'as soon as possible.'

Sherman mentioned PA's tax and fee regime as the main reason why the company decided to take a more cautionary approach and intended to work closely with their partners Harrah's and WSOP.com to make sure a jump in the PA online poker market would be as cost-efficient as possible.

partypoker Pennsylvania

partypoker is also expected to join the race and compete for a share of the market contended by the other PA poker sites.

GVC's online poker site intends to enter Pennsylvania in partnership with the Valley Forge Casino.

Like in the case of 888poker, we have yet to receive the official date of partypoker's launch in Pennsylvania.

Other Pennsylvania Poker Sites

PokerStars, 888poker, and partypoker are not the only companies that have decided to shape Pennsylvania's online poker market.

More names in the industry have decided to secure a license to offer real money poker games online to PA players, and so we can only expect other Pennsylvania poker sites to launch soon.

The list of companies that hold a license to launch poker sites in Pennsylvania includes:

• SugarHouse Poker
• Harrah's Poker
• Hollywood Casino Poker
• Mount Airy Poker
• Parx Poker
• Valley Forge Poker
• Wind Creek Poker

Pennsylvania Poker F.A.Q.

Can you play poker online in Pennsylvania?

Best Pennsylvania Online Poker Sites

Yes. PA players can play online poker games for free and for real money. Free-to-play poker apps like the WSOP Poker app are all legal in Pennsylvania.

PokerStars PA is the only poker site authorised by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board to offer real money games online.

Can you play online poker for money in PA?

Yes. You can play real money cash games, tournament, sit-and-go and more on the PokerStars PA website. At present, this is the only real money poker site that operates in Pennsylvania under a license issued by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board.

When will online poker start in PA?

Which Online Poker Site Is The Best

Real money online poker in PA started on November 4, 2019, with the official release of the PokerStars PA online poker client.

How to play online poker in PA?

• Select one of the PA poker sites approved by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board
• Register a free gaming account
• Confirm your identity
• Choose a poker game and play

Where can I play online poker in PA?

To date, the only online poker site authorised to offer real money poker games to PA players is PokerStars. Other PA online poker sites are expected to enter the state between Q1 and Q2-2020.

Is online gambling legal in Pennsylvania?

Online gambling is legal in Pennsylvania. On October 30, 2017, PA governor Tom Wolf signed into law the bill that legalised online sports betting, online casino gambling, and online poker in Pennsylvania.

PA online casinos and sports betting sites started to offer their services to PA players on July 15, 2019. The first real money online poker hand in Pennsylvania was dealt on PokerStars on November 4, 2019.