Options For Legally Playing Poker In California In 2024
This guide is intended to be a comprehensive resource for poker players in California who are interested in understanding all their options for enjoying legal poker options. We address the legality of poker gambling in Cali, both online and offline, as well as where to find the most reputable and trusted destinations for enjoying your favorite poker games through real money gambling.
California is gambling friendly overall, and while they have imposed some limitations here and there, they have been rather pro-poker throughout their history.
Top Rated Legal California Online Poker Sites For 2024
| Rank | Site Name | Bonus Offer | Our Rating | US Allowed | Play Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bovada Poker Room | $500 | 4.8 | Yes | Play Now |
| 2 | Ignition Poker Room | $3,000 | 4.6 | Yes | Play Now |
| 3 | Betonline Poker Room | $1,000 | 4.2 | Yes | Play Now |
Is Playing Poker For Real Money Legal in California?
As previously mentioned, California is very pro-gambling, which has paved the way for legal poker gambling for residents and visitors of the state. There are numerous poker rooms throughout the state that offer poker gaming options.
The legal gambling age in California is 21, and that includes engaging in poker gambling. This guide breaks down the various opportunities for engaging in legal poker gambling, including land based card rooms, poker casino cruises, and online poker rooms.
Is Playing Online Poker Legal in California?
It is currently not legal to operate an online poker site in the state of California. This may change in the near future as California considers legalizing state based online gambling options for their residents and visitors.
Until then, there are some extremely viable legally licensed online poker sites that are located and regulated outside of the United States and that accept players who live in or visit California, as well as players from al over the United States. Because they are regulated by a jurisdiction which has legalized online gambling for their respective territories, they can legally offer their services to players in the US.
There are no laws which prohibit players from participating at these types of legally licensed poker sites. Our team of professional review specialists has carefully evaluated each of the ones you see listed on this page to ensure that we only recommend the top rated, most trusted brands in operation, offering a secure and high quality online poker gaming experience.
Brick and Mortar Poker Rooms in California
California poker rooms exist in numerous quantities throughout the Golden State, ranging from the small “poker only” card rooms to those found in the massive Native American run Las Vegas style California casinos. And California poker tournaments are as varied and accessible as are the more than 100 licensed land-based poker rooms located from the Casino Club in Redding in the northern part of the state, all the way down to the Palomar Card Club in southern San Diego.
In southern California poker tournaments run all day and seven days a week, from the 10:00 AM no limit Texas Hold ‘Em offering held at the Ocean’s Eleven Casino appropriately named and located in beautiful Oceanside, to the 7:15 PM tournament held at Hollywood Park in Inglewood. California Indian casinos do make up the bulk of the land based casino and poker gambling in the state.
If you consider bigger to be better, the largest of all the California poker rooms is also the largest in the entire United States. The Commerce Casino has over 200 poker tables in one massive room. All limits and games are offered, and some of the richest California poker tournaments are held at this impressive room located minutes from downtown Los Angeles just north of Orange County.
The Commerce Casino has long attracted both novices and professionals, with games running from the “no fold’em hold’em” variety to higher limit ones featuring serious poker professionals. The famous LA Poker Classic is held there annually, and is one of the most important and richest multi-day California poker tournaments in the entire state.
For those who would like to sit down in the oldest of all the California poker rooms, a property which has been active since the days of the wild wild west, the California Grand Casino in Pacheco just northwest of San Francisco is the poker room for you.
Opened way back in 1854 as the Woodford Hotel and Saloon, the original building offered alcohol, women and gambling. The current casino has been hosting some of the most popular California poker tournaments in the state, and their famous Super Bad Beat Jackpots start at $70,000, and have paid out more than $6 million.
The site offers Bay Area residents and travelers 19 poker tables, a full bar and restaurant dining at The Grand Cafe.
While a few of the California poker rooms are historically important or vast in size, the majority are mom-and-pop run facilities which have developed a local and loyal clientele over the years. The Commerce, Bicycle Club and Hollywood Park rooms still dominate the overall marketplace, and in the LA area alone there are eight rooms with anywhere from 20 to over 100 tables.
But in that same Los Angeles region is the Club Caribe, a two table poker room located in Cudahy, surrounded by the well known poker towns of Compton, Gardena, Huntington Park, and Bell Gardens.
If the two tables are full at Club Caribe, you can head down to Lucky Chances just South of San Francisco in the foothills of Colma, California. Known as the “cemetery capital of the Bay,” Colma’s two largest industries are cemeteries and the Lucky Chances poker room, which offers 43 tables as the largest and most popular San Francisco area poker destination.
As you can see, California poker tournaments and poker rooms are offered throughout the state, and a game is always nearby. Limit and No Limit Hold ‘Em, Omaha High Low, Stud, Seven Card Stud, High Low and Pot Limit Omaha are just a few of the options you will find in the Golden State, and from small two table mom-and-pop rooms to 200 table giants, California poker rooms offer something for everyone.
There are also some secure and reputable Internet poker sites that offer their services to California players, really enhancing CA online gambling options. You will see some of these options featured below. There are not any California gambling laws or federal laws which prohibit players from participating in online poker or casino gambling as long as the site is legally licensed and regulated outside of the United States.
Stay informed concerning online poker gambling news in the Golden State with our new portal dedicated to providing current California gambling news and articles.