Online poker became a thing in 1998, but Internet gambling of the sports betting and casino kind debuted four years prior. The first mobile bet was placed in 2001, and the initial poker app appeared on phone screens in 2012. So, card gambling has always been a bit slower around the curve than its other sibling genres.
The same goes for the legality of this pastime, as only eight US states regulate online poker, compared to thirty-two US territories that allow their residents to make wagers on sports using smartphones. Thankfully, offshore brands exist based in smaller, primarily Caribbean, African, or South American countries, permitting Americans to sign up with them and use their services.
That said, even though poker gambling has always trailed a bit behind, this entertainment form now has top-notch mobile apps that feature diverse game options, meaning various types of cash contests and tournaments, on top of an intuitive UI and state-of-the-art security. They supply seamless performance across all popular mobile and tablet devices, giving their users bonuses that are unavailable and unimaginable in the land-based sphere. Plus, responsive customer support and crypto banking is provided at the best poker online real money apps. Below, we get into rattling off what we believe to be the four best choices for remote card gamblers.
Bovada Poker
While Bovada’s bread and butter in most Internet gamblers’ eyes is sports wagering, this legendary site has an award-winning app for poker, which ranks super high in terms of player traffic. It operates on the PaiWangLuo Network, and according to some stats, averages around two thousand players at all times.
Bovada Poker delivers chiefly Texas Hold’em, Omaha, and Omaha Hi/Lo action on anonymous tables, where numbers rather than screen names identify players. That is something done to discourage pros from tracking recreational players, and it has a Quick Seat feature that lets users select stakes and table size, instantly placing them at a matching table. Without argument, Bovada’s interface is one of the best in the business, as it is very sleek and highly optimized for mobile play, with simple filters for selecting cash games.
One drawback we would highlight here is that this poker client lacks a full-screen option, which creates issues for some mobile gamblers, making it hard to read some of the smaller text presented. That said, a remarkable thing about Bovada is that it offers no-limit crypto withdrawals, and it runs a respectable loyalty program where poker activity earns users miles that can later get exchanged for tournament tickets or bonuses.
ACR Poker
ACR Poker is America's Cardroom rebranded, and the Winning Poker Network made this move in July 2023. Established in 2001, WPN is one of the longest-running card gambling networks that targets North American and Latin American gamblers. ACR is its flagship platform, and it often gets advertised as one of the world’s poker brands with the largest schedule of daily and weekly contests. It also offers multiple daily freerolls for low rollers.
ACR Poker is a top pick for fans of blockchain tech because it accepts over sixty cryptos. From what we know, it initially used a C# client by IGSoft, and it was not until 2019 that it transitioned to an HTML5 platform, one developed by SJH Studio. It is one with a widget-based lobby with customizable filters. For crypto lovers, this app is also desirable and unique in that it is one of the rare poker-based ones that includes staking. It lets users sell a % of their tournament buy-ins to backers (up to 90%).
The design of ACR Poker is dark and stylish, permitting button customization and a Run It Twice feature.
Juicy Stakes Poker
Established in 2013, Juicy Stakes Poker is a brand familiar only to American card gamblers, especially those who are into micro-stakes. It operates on the Horizon Poker Network and does not get loads of traffic, but it is the ideal app for those interested in getting into Texas Hold’em but fear getting into deep waters too quickly.
Juicy Stakes has bubble protection, a feature that refunds those close to the reward pool cut-off point but miss making it. The interface here is straightforward, with some rightfully calling it too basic and a tad old-timey. It has the usual filters, and those who download the desktop app can utilize tools like PokerTracker and Holdem Manager for HUDs and hand analysis. This is a Bitcoin-friendly platform that allows withdrawals via check and bank transfers as well.
Everygame
In all honesty, Everygame is one of the most dated ones out there, UI-wise, as it gets based on the Cake Poker client, which was all the rage fifteen years ago but maybe should be put out to pasture today. Still, Everygame must get its fair share of respect, as this brand is one of online gambling’s most important pioneers, active since 1996, launched as Intertops. It accepted the first mobile wager and is responsible for many firsts in the sector.
Licensed in Curacao, its Random Number Generator has been certified by one of the sector’s most famous auditors, Technical Systems Testing, and its platform uses the latest TLS encryption and firewall technology. Accordingly, it may not be a looker, but this app is one of the safest and most reputable.