About Us

Top Online Poker Sites is an independent resource for US poker players trying to work out where to play real money games online. We compare operators on the things that actually matter once you sit down at a table — traffic, game variety, rake, payment options and how a bonus really plays out once you read the fine print — so you can pick a site with your eyes open rather than guessing from a homepage banner.

We don't operate a poker room ourselves. We're a comparison and review site, and we're upfront that some of the links on eyefaster.com are affiliate links: if you click through and sign up at a site, we may earn a commission. That relationship never decides where an operator lands in our rankings. A site's position reflects our editorial assessment, not who pays the most for placement.

What We Actually Compare

Poker is different from slots or sports betting in one key respect: the site doesn't play against you, other players do. That means the single biggest factor in whether a poker site is worth your time is the strength and size of its player pool. We weigh that alongside a handful of other criteria:

• Traffic and liquidity — how many players are seated at peak hours, and whether your preferred stakes and formats actually run
• Game mix — the balance of No Limit Hold'em, Pot Limit Omaha, mixed games, fast-fold formats like Zoom or Snap, and lottery-style Spin & Go tables
• Rake and rakeback — the rake structure at different stakes, and whether a loyalty or rakeback scheme returns meaningful value over time
• Bonus terms — the headline match figure, but more importantly the playthrough or clearing requirements, time limits and eligible games behind it
• Payments — supported deposit and withdrawal methods, processing times and any fees
• Software and mobile play — client stability, whether HUD or tracking software is permitted, and how the iOS/Android apps compare to desktop

How a Welcome Bonus Actually Works

Every welcome offer we list beside our rankings — for example, a deposit match or free-play credit — comes with conditions attached, and we try to surface those rather than just the headline number. A "100% match" or "deposit bonus" typically has to be cleared through play before it converts to withdrawable funds, often on a schedule tied to hands played or rake generated, and it usually expires after a set window if you don't clear it. It's also common for these offers to be restricted to certain game types or stake levels. We'd rather a reader know that before signing up than be surprised by it afterward.

What's on the Table Beyond Cash Games

Real money poker sites generally offer more than one way to play:

• Cash games — ring games at fixed stakes, running continuously
• Tournaments (MTTs) — scheduled multi-table events with guaranteed or non-guaranteed prize pools
• Sit & Gos — single-table tournaments that start once enough seats fill
• Spin & Go / lottery-style formats — fast, randomized-prize turbo tournaments
• Fast-fold poker — formats where you're moved to a new hand and new opponents the instant you fold

Several of the operators we cover also run separate casino or sportsbook products alongside their poker room. That's a different offering with different rules and risks, and we don't treat casino games or sports betting as part of the poker review itself — just something worth knowing is there if a site advertises it as a combined bonus.

Licensing, Legality and Who Can Play

Online poker in the US is regulated at the state level; there is no single federal framework, and legal real money play depends on where you're physically located when you play. Some operators hold licences from specific states or offshore jurisdictions, and it's on the player to confirm that a site accepts players in their state and complies with local law before depositing. We note licensing details where we can verify them and stay general where we can't — we don't claim a licence or registration status we haven't confirmed. Age requirements also vary: most US states set the minimum for real money gambling at 21, though a small number allow 18. Every site should confirm and enforce this at sign-up, and no reader under their state's minimum age should be depositing or playing.

How We Score and Rank Sites

Our ratings come from research into each operator's traffic patterns, game offering, published rake structures, bonus terms, payment methods and how their software and support hold up in practice. Commission never buys a higher position — an operator that pays us nothing can outrank one that doesn't, and vice versa, based purely on how it performs against our criteria. Where we haven't been able to verify a specific claim — a payout time, a licence number, a traffic figure — we say so rather than filling the gap with a guess.

Playing Within Your Means

Poker is a game of skill relative to your opponents, but skill doesn't remove the risk of losing money, and no site or strategy guarantees a profit. We don't present poker as an income source, and we'd encourage any reader to treat their bankroll as entertainment spending, not as money earmarked for bills. If gambling stops feeling like entertainment, free and confidential help is available around the clock through 1-800-GAMBLER, and our Responsible Gambling page has further resources and state-specific self-exclusion information.

Questions, Corrections and Contact

We update our rankings and write-ups as bonus terms, licensing status and player traffic shift, and we're glad to hear from readers who spot something out of date. Full terms of use for this site are set out on our Terms and Conditions page, and if you want to reach us directly — with a question about a review, a correction, or anything else — the Contact Us page has the details.