It is illegal to play poker online for money in the state of Washington. The state of Washington passed a law in 2006 making online poker a felony. Full Tilt Poker and PokerStars responded by no longer offering services to residents of that state, but they continued to operate in the rest of the country.
There is no law specifically outlawing online poker Virginia rooms, but gambling (or games of chance) in general is illegal under the Virginia Code. That means there are no major casino chains or legit poker rooms offering widespread live gaming either.

Even in Washington state, there have been zero online poker arrests. Even though these laws are on the books, no one is being arrested or prosecuted. So yes, it is safe to play poker from the US. Please see the referenced article for a complete article on safety and more here about getting scammed in poker.

Surprisingly enough, real money poker’s most famous variant brandishes the name of a state with very limited legal real cash poker gambling options. Yes, the Lone Star State may have given rise to Texas Hold’em poker and the iconic Doyle “Texas Dolly” Brunson poker betting pro, but it’s proven far from proactive with regards to gambling expansion, particularly in regards to online poker at Internet poker legislation.

To date, Texas features exactly one live real money poker room. Given TX’s sheer size and dense population, that’s not exactly saying much for their poker gambling residents. Making matters worse, Texas’ gambling statues are generally intolerant of unregulated poker gambling behavior. Which leads us to believe that Texas stands a below average chance of entering the iGaming real money lawful Internet poker market anytime soon.

But there is hope, as one of online poker’s biggest proponents and believer in all things Internet poker related hails from none other than Texas.

Lone Star state gamblers won’t have much trouble signing up for one of our online real money US poker site accounts.

Texas Rep. Joe Barton Leads Internet Poker Push

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5 The Facts

In July 2013, Rep. Joe Barton – a Republican from Texas – introduced HR 2666. Otherwise known as the Internet Poker Freedom Act of 2013^[1], the legal poker websites bill would effectively facilitate the growth of real cash online poker websites on a state-by-state basis sans Federal government intervention. The Internet poker gambling only act would also classify the American pastime of games like Texas Hold’em poker as a betting game of skill, as per the landmark United States v. DiCristina case.

Barton’s proposal calls for poker website gambling operators to abide by a strict set of regulations and guidelines, many of which are designed to protect player interests. For example, minors and players who choose to self-exclude themselves from legal real money poker betting would be prohibited from playing, as would those trying to log in from a state exempt from the proposed real cash Internet poker bill.

Although Barton’s previous poker website proposals have failed to gain momentum in Congress, it appears that the Internet Poker Freedom Act is garnering the attention of several influential figures in the Internet gambling world. The bill’s newfound respect is largely due to the efforts of long-time online poker websites advocate and Poker Player Alliance Executive Director John Pappas and American Gaming Association’s Geoff Freeman. Both were said to make compelling pro-iGaming Internet poker arguments at The State of Online Gaming hearing, which took place in December 2013 ^[2].

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Can Players From Texas Play Online Poker?

Overall, the vast majority of online poker websites that accept players from the United States are welcoming to those residing in the Lone Star State. That being said, some legit US-facing Internet poker websites offer better depositing bonuses and action then others. Which is why we’ve hand-selected the very best online poker real money Internet poker websites just for you. So save yourself the trouble of scouring the Internet in search of great sites to do your Internet poker gambling at: We’ve done the busy work so you don’t have to.

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Is Online Poker Legal In Texas?

Texas’ outdated gambling and betting statues criminalize the act of communicating gambling or poker betting information, which could indirectly apply to the Internet poker websites issue. However, the TX real cash poker law seems to apply only to poker gambling operators, and not players:

A person commits an offense if, with the intent to further gambling, he knowingly communicates information as to bets, betting odds, or changes in betting odds or he knowingly provides, installs, or maintains equipment for the transmission or receipt of such information. Section 47.05

Furthermore, TX state’s statutes make no mention of online poker or Internet poker websites. But in order to grasp the full breadth of the real money gambling law, one must first understand how the state defines gambling. It begins with the meaning of bet, defined as:

An agreement to win or lose something of value, including real cash, solely or partially by chance. Section 47.01(1)

Certainly, real money poker would be included under the scope of this broad definition, as anyone who’s been on the wrong side of a coin-flip in a Texas Hold’em poker game can attest.

The term bet is then wielded in the over-arching definition of gambling according to TX betting laws:

A person commits an offense if he: (1) makes a bet on the partial or final result of a game or contest or on the performance of a participant in a game or contest; (2) makes a bet on the result of any political nomination, appointment, or election or on the degree of success of any nominee, appointee, or candidate; or (3) plays and bets for money or other thing of value at any game played with cards, dice, balls, or any other gambling device. Section 47.02

That’s a fairly all-encompassing definition of real money betting; far more comprehensive than most state’s poker gambling laws. It would certainly be difficult to find ways to circumvent the law, should you be caught for illicit poker gambling activity.

Texas does make notable exceptions for those participating in social gambling activities like casual home real money poker games, such that players who engage in gambling in a private place, do not receive economic benefit other than personal winnings and except for the advantage of skill or luck, the risks of losing and chances of winning were the same for all participants. In other words, playing real cash poker at a private home game in TX that doesn’t charge a house fee or take a rake seems to be an acceptable poker gambling practice.

The penalties for being caught gambling in Texas aren’t intuitively clear, only stating that an offense under this section is a Class C misdemeanor. We’re guessing that’s the worst penalty anyone can receive other than a Class D misdemeanor. As expected, Gambling Promotion, (or operating a poker gambling or real

Is It Illegal To Play Online Poker