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Nevada isn’t just a great place for poker players who enjoy some time at the live tables. It’s also one of only four states with legal real-money online poker in the US. Players from Las Vegas to Reno to Carson City can take advantage and get a seat at an online poker table at any time.

The market has also seen some growth in recent years. Players can now qualify for seats into the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas and even win an official WSOP bracelet online. That gives it a cachet other operators don’t have.

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Latest Nevada online poker news

  • by StaffMarch 1, 2021
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Online Poker in Nevada

With the WSOP playing out each summer at the Rio in Las Vegas, poker has become synonymous with the state of Nevada. Players come from around the world each summer for almost two months of live poker action.

That now usually includes online action and big online events as well with so many players in the state. Along with New Jersey online poker, Nevada has been a state leader in the online poker industry.

As of April 2020, WSOP.com is the only online poker site operating in the Silver State. WSOP.com debuted in Nevada (as well as New Jersey) back in 2013.

While traffic is fairly steady these days at around 500-800 players at peak times, WSOP.com makes a great option because of its secure, legal environment. Players can also play for seats in WSOP and major online tournament series.

New players to WSOP.com can earn a free $10 just for signing up and a 100% Deposit Bonus of up to $1,000 with the exclusive USPoker link. That’s a nice deal for new players.

Also, because of its shared player pools with players in New Jersey and Nevada, WSOP.com is able to create larger play and prize pools because of its shared liquidity in both states. That also includes 888poker’s pool of players in Delaware as well.

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WSOP.com uses software from the well-established international online operator 888poker. The software is user friendly and features plenty of different cash games and tournament options.

Real Money Poker Apps in Nevada

More players than ever are using apps to play real money online poker. Poker apps make for a simple way to play poker on the go at any time. This comes with the same ease of use you may have found in the traditional poker client.

Online poker sites, including WSOP.com, have made their poker apps much more user friendly in recent years. That includes:

  • Easy lobby navigation
  • Simple game play features
  • Efficient tiling options to play more than one game or event
  • Simple download and signup even on a phone

Players will find a poker app that is easy to navigate and simple to download. Players can make cash outs and deposits just like they would on the desktop client.

Smaller events like Sit & Go’s are easiest to play on poker apps but larger multi-table tournaments are also possible on the WSOP.com app. An app makes for a great online poker experience.

WSOP.com Nevada online poker bracelet events

A WSOP gold bracelet has been and remains the biggest trophy in poker. WSOP.com also now rewards online bracelets each summer. The site hosted the first World Series of Poker online bracelet event on July 2, 2015.

That first event featured a $1,000 entry and the final two players actually met at the Rio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas to finish the event live two days later.

The online event has returned every year since in an even more robust form. In 2018, for the first time, players in New Jersey competed in the online bracelet events with players in Nevada. Players also now finish the events online – not coming back later to play in a live setting.

That continued in 2019 and WSOP.com announced up to 85 gold bracelets for 2020, split between WSOP.com NV and GGpoker for international players. This is the largest number of online bracelets ever offered.

The site sees a major increase in its player pool each summer with so many players in Las Vegas for the live WSOP at the Rio. This drives player pools and is also a nice opportunity for players in New Jersey to get in on the action.

Satellites and super satellites to many World Series of Poker events can be found on WSOP.com during the spring and summer. A handful of these satellites are freerolls, and others require a buy-in as little as $1. Qualify for WSOP events via the link below:

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Can I Play on Nevada Poker Sites from Outside Nevada?

All online US poker players must be located in a legal jurisdiction to play, in this case Nevada. Geolocation software also makes sure players are all located within the legal jurisdiction. This is also required by state regulators and keeps the game safe from outside influences.

That doesn’t mean a player has to be in the state to open an account or make a deposit. Players heading to Las Vegas for the live WSOP or just for some fun in Sin City can get up ahead of time and then easily play while in town (or anywhere else in Nevada for that matter).

How to Open a New Online Poker Account in/for Nevada

Getting started at WSOP.com is easy. After downloading the app or the full poker software, you can expect to provide some simple information like:

  • Name
  • Address
  • Phone number
  • Email
  • Username
  • Password

You can also claim your free no deposit poker bonus as part of the sign-up process. After setting up an account, making a deposit using an app or via desktop/laptop is easy and safe. Players depositing at WSOP.com can use any of the following:

  • E-check bank payments (ACH transfers)
  • Visa/Mastercard
  • PayNearMe, available at thousands of retail outlets

Another option is making a deposit at a Caesars property including: Rio, Caesars Palace, Planet Hollywood, Harrah’s, Paris Las Vegas, and most other Caesars properties in Nevada. This is also a valid cash out method as well.

Are Legal Online Poker Sites Safe?

Legal online poker sites in the US must comply with strict laws and regulations. These help make your personal information and funds secure.

In Nevada, online poker is regulated by the Nevada Gaming Control Board. WSOP.com is a proven brand and now has a history of success in running online gaming along with its partner 888poker. That also goes for player safety and security.

Another security issue is player collusion and WSOP.com and other operators monitor these possibilities. Player collusion and discrepancies are commonly discovered by software monitoring. This helps ensure a fair game for all players.

Offshore and underground sites don’t always have these protections. Players often complain of slow payouts as well. In the past, some sites have gone under and players lost their funds.

In a legal, regulated market, players can be assured their funds are safe. Learn more about safe poker sites here:

Which Poker Sites Might Come to Nevada Next?

WSOP.com probably won’t be operating in Nevada by itself forever. With more live events being held in Las Vegas (and even in other cities, like with Run It Up Reno), other operators may see a nice group of players in live events also looking to play online.

Which of those might be possible? There are a few that might be interested.

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partypoker partners with the World Poker Tour, which stages several regular events in Las Vegas. The tour and partypoker team up for live events as well and partnered on the WPT Online Series in May 2020.

Nevada seems like a possibility for partypoker at some point, but there were no developments through the early part of 2020.

PokerStars

Another possibility might be PokerStars. Nevada’s original online poker law gave WSOP.com a head start because it included a “bad actor clause.” This forced a five-year wait for poker operators that had offered online poker in the US.

That time frame has now passed and with PokerStars looking to grow in the US, Nevada is the only state possible at the moment. Could a move into the Silver State be in the works? It seems possible at least.

Nevada online poker FAQ

Is online poker legal in Nevada?

The state of Nevada made online poker legal in 2013. That includes interstate compacts with other states offering legal online poker, as WSOP.com has done so with New Jersey and Delaware.

Many in the industry expected other states to legalize online poker after 2013, but that has been slow in coming. In early 2019, the US Department of Justice reversed a previous department opinion that the Wire Act applied only to sports betting.

That had some big consequences for online gaming including poker. The ruling would have made interstate compacts illegal. As of April 2020, the issue remained tied up in court after the DOJ lost the first round in court.

That has hampered opportunities for expanding interstate compacts with states like Pennsylvania, which launched real money online poker in 2019. Legislators there did not include interstate compacts in legalizing online poker.

Michigan online poker and West Virginia online poker were legalized in 2019. Small populous states like West Virginia may need these compacts for poker to survive in the state.

In the meantime, until the Wire Act is sorted out players can still take advantage of the WSOP and the three-state compact. That allows for larger prize pools and payouts.

What Nevada regulated poker rooms are live?

WSOP.com is currently the only regulated Nevada online poker room as of 2020.

Do I have to be a Nevada resident to play online poker?

No, but you need to be within the state of Nevada to play at regulated online poker rooms.

How does a poker room know a player is within Nevada?

Online poker rooms use three location devices to determine whether a player is within Nevada at the time of login.

One is the player’s IP address. This locates the point of a player’s internet connection. Cell phone triangulation is also used to determine a player’s location. The cellphone pings off multiple towers and its approximate location determines whether the player may sit at real money tables.

Mapping of wireless internet connections provides another location method. Real Gaming uses a smartphone app that uses multiple sources to verify the location.

Is Nevada location verification technology precise?

No, this is why players located within one mile of the state line may not play. This is the margin of error for cellphone triangulation and other methods. This ensures that no players can play outside the state.

What cities are within one mile of the Nevada state line?

Players in Primm, Mesquite, Laughlin, Jackpot, West Wendover and Stateline may not be able to play online poker in Nevada due to being within one mile of the state line.

How do you deposit at a Nevada online poker room?

WSOP.com accepts deposits via electronic checks, Visa, Mastercard, Neteller, PayNearMe, PayPal and cash at the cages of the following Las Vegas casinos:

  • Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino Las Vegas
  • Caesars Palace Las Vegas Hotel & Casino
  • Planet Hollywood Las Vegas Resort & Casino
  • Harrah’s Las Vegas Hotel & Casino
  • Paris Las Vegas Hotel & Casino

How do you cash out from a Nevada online poker room?

WSOP.com pays withdrawals by electronic checks, cash at five Caesars casinos in Las Vegas and check by mail.

How old do you have to be to play online poker in Nevada?

Nevada requires all online poker players to be 21 years of age or older. This is the same age requirement to gamble at brick-and-mortar casinos.

Do Nevada online poker rooms share player pools with any other state or country?

Nevada online poker is only offered to players located in the state. 888 and WSOP networked player pools between Delaware and Nevada in March 2015. New Jersey joined in 2018 to create an even bigger player pool. Players located in the three states can compete against each other on WSOP.com.

Why does my state not offer regulated online poker?

Most states require legislative action to expand gambling. This includes online poker. It will likely require a bill being passed by both state houses and a signature from the governor for a state to regulate online poker.

What games are offered at Nevada online poker rooms?

WSOP.com offers Texas Hold ’em cash games and tournaments for online play along with Omaha, Omaha High/Low, Seven Card Stud and Seven Card Stud High/Low.

Can I cash out from outside Nevada?

Yes, all poker rooms will allow players to withdraw from outside Nevada.

Does Nevada offer online casino games?

No, Nevada does not offer any official regulated real money online casinos. Nevada only offers online poker at this time.

Are player-to-player transfers allowed?

Player-to-player transfers are not allowed due to fraud and money laundering concerns.

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How many players are there on WSOP.com?

As of April 2020, the WSOP/888 shared liquidity pool was seeing some of its best traffic ever. That came after the Coronavirus pandemic had many more players at home and looking for action.

That included regularly peaking at more than 800 players and a seven-day average of around 500 players in early April. The site also launched several major series like the Online Super Series to meet demand.

That series actually awarded WSOP Circuit rings and the site also hosts other WSOPC during the year. WSOP.com continues to add to its promotions and tournament offerings.

Nevada: Home to first licensed US online poker room

Contents

  • 3 GOLD RUSH: WSOP.com Announces Packed 2021 Online Circuit Schedule; Hints at Launching in Another State
    • 3.2 Online Poker in Nevada
      • 3.2.6 Which Poker Sites Might Come to Nevada Next?
    • 3.3 Nevada online poker FAQ
Nevada was the first US state to legalize and regulate online poker.

It all started with regulations drafted by the Nevada Gaming Commission on Dec. 22, 2011. An opinion letter written by the Department of Justice became public the following day stating that online poker did not violate the Wire Act. The DOJ opinion written three months earlier was in response to a state lottery inquiry.

Nevada Legislature took up the online poker issue in February 2013. It confirmed the regulations drafted by gaming regulators. Nevada lawmakers also included language that permits the governor to enter into liquidity sharing agreements with other states. Nevada has since entered into such an agreement with Delaware and New Jersey.

Ultimate Poker became the first entirely legal poker site in the US on April 30, 2013. There was no previous announcement leading up to the launch. The news hit the mainstream, and Ultimate Poker executives took to the airwaves to help promote the product.

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Station Casinos was the group behind Ultimate Poker. The company is the largest locals casino owner in Las Vegas.

The site was heavily promoted at the casinos owned by Station and through direct mailers to players registered with the Boarding Pass players club. Ultimate Poker players could deposit and withdraw from any cashier cage operated by Station Casinos.

Ultimate Poker drew several hundred players from its first day. The first major Sunday tournaments hit its cap of 200 entrants and produced a $20,000 prize pool. Legal online poker was alive once again in the US.

WSOP.com launches and takes over the Nevada market

The fortunes of Ultimate Poker started to decline when WSOP.com launched on Sept. 17, 2013. It only took about six weeks for WSOP.com to overtake Ultimate Poker for the No. 1 spot regarding online poker traffic in Nevada.

WSOP.com Nevada was heavily promoted during the summer World Series of Poker. This helped it draw players away from Ultimate Poker.

The software used by WSOP.com was far superior to the one used by Ultimate Poker. This included the introduction of Omaha, Omaha High/Low, Seven Card Stud and Seven Card Stud High/Low. Ultimate Poker only offered Texas Hold ’em at the time.

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Real Gaming became the third online poker room in Nevada. Backed by South Point Casino, a locals casino on Las Vegas Boulevard south of the Strip. The site only offered No Limit Texas Hold ’em cash games and one-table tournaments.

The competition proved to be no match for Ultimate Poker. The site struggled with inferior software and an inability to improve it in a timely manner.

Ultimate Poker dealt its last hand of online poker in Nevada on Nov. 17, 2014. It previously folded its New Jersey operations on Oct. 5, 2014, citing the bankruptcy of its business partner Trump Taj Mahal as the reason. Ultimate Gaming, its parent company, has since ceased operations.

WSOP.com now controls more than 99 percent of the Nevada online poker market. Real Gaming struggles to draw a single full table and is completely dark most hours of the day.

Nevada Interstate online poker compact

Nevada and Delaware launched the first poker liquidity sharing agreement in March 2015, and New Jersey joined the mix in May 2018 to create a tri-state player pool in the US.

As the only platform available in all three states, WSOP.com was the only site to take full advantage of the liquidity sharing at launch. WSOP revealed new promotions, a bigger and better rewards program, and larger tournament guarantees in conjunction with its suddenly larger network.

888 provides WSOP.com’s platform and hosts the only poker network in Delaware. There are three skins on the Delaware poker network: Delaware Park, Dover Downs and Harrington Raceway. All are racinos that operate video lottery casinos in the state.

Nevada live poker rooms

Nevada is the home to live poker in the US. Las Vegas is where most of the action occurs.

Venetian is the largest poker room in Las Vegas. It offers 59 tables. That number goes up during its Deep Stack Extravaganza tournament series.

Bellagio is the second-largest Las Vegas poker room. It spreads 37 tables. Other major Las Vegas Strip poker rooms include Wynn, Aria, and Caesars Palace.

There are several popular poker rooms in Las Vegas located off the Strip. The Orleans is the largest and is the home of Omaha High/Low and Fixed Limit Hold ’em in Las Vegas. The Orleans draws an equal number of locals and tourists.

Red Rock is the second-largest locals’ poker room. You’ll find it at the far west end of the Las Vegas Valley in the suburb of Summerlin. Green Valley Ranch, in the southeast part of town, is another active poker room in the locals market.

Visiting Las Vegas

There are numerous activities in the area if you need a break from poker. Rio has a zip line running between two hotel towers. The Palms offers a movie theater. Gold Coast has a bowling alley. All of those options are within walking distance.

Those with a car may want to explore Las Vegas and the surrounding area. Red Rock is a national park just west of the valley. Valley of Fire is about an hour north, Hoover Dam about an hour east. All are great outdoor activities.

Here are some of our favorite nongambling attractions in Las Vegas.

Those looking to party can take a cab for less than $10 to the Las Vegas Strip. There are top nightclubs at Cosmopolitan, Bellagio, MGM Grand, Aria, Wynn, Encore, Venetian, and Caesars Palace.

Those that enjoy the old-school feel should take a trip downtown. It will cost about $25 each way from Rio. Make sure to get in the cab at the convention center and tell the driver to take Industrial (part of which has been rechristened as Sammy Davis Jr. Drive) to keep from getting long-hauled on the highway.

Downtown Las Vegas is where legalized gambling started. It offers much better odds for those looking to gamble. The best blackjack in Las Vegas may be at El Cortez.

Great video poker is spread at numerous casinos. Craps players will want to hit the 20x odds spread at Main Street Station. In addition to better gambling, the minimum table game bet is often just $5 downtown.

While downtown, you may want to check out Fremont East. This is a block that’s undergone recent revitalization and is between Las Vegas Boulevard and El Cortez. It includes a strip of bars and clubs.

Here are our five favorite things about downtown Las Vegas.

Where to stay for the World Series of Poker

Finding a great place to stay can be tough. Rio typically offers competitive rates.

Make sure to check out Gold Coast. Directly across the street from Rio, it will likely be cheaper. The Orleans is just two blocks away, although it is a little too far to walk.

If you have a car, you may want to check out some of the locals’ casinos owned by Station. Staying downtown is another option.

Some players choose to stay at an extended stay to save some money. These are always hit and miss. Avoid the area along Tropicana the next exit down the highway from Rio. Most other neighborhoods with extended stay hotels will be in more desirable areas.

People often ask me if online poker is rigged or not.
And my answer is always the same: if it is rigged, then it is definitely rigged for me. Because I have made a lot of money playing this silly little card game on the internet!
In all seriousness though, this is big concern that many people have. In fact my recent 'Is PokerStars Rigged' post has quickly become one of the most popular articles I have ever published.
So here's the short of it:
Online poker on the whole is not rigged. The financial incentives for the poker sites to maintain the integrity of their games are just too important. However, there are some legitimate concerns about some of the smaller poker sites in particular. The bottom line though is that you are the customer and you hold all the power. If you think a certain poker site is rigged, then you should withdraw all your funds and absolutely refuse to play there.
However, this is a fairly simplistic answer. So let's dig into specifics in the case for and against online poker being rigged. I will also talk about issues like bots, collusion and superusers.
Alright, let's go!

Is Online Poker Rigged? What's the Deal!


So let's get right into it. Is online poker rigged or not? What the heck is the deal here? Why do I get so many bad beats?!
When people talk about online poker being rigged the most common complaints I hear are a mathematically improbable amount of 'setups' (example: AA vs KK) and bad beats (example: you have AA, bad player with 74 offsuit hits two pair on the river).
Here is a good example of a so called setup hand:

But anyone who has played poker longer than a few days, knows that eventually these always go both ways. They are simply a part of the game, so it's like complaining about the rain.
People also often talk about a 'big stack advantage' in poker tournaments as well. This means that they believe the poker site rigs it in order for the bigger stack to win more all-in preflop coinflips (example: AK vs 99).
The logic behind what exactly the poker sites gain by rigging these hands and allowing the big stack to win more flips is a little bit less clear. Especially since most of the people who complain that online poker is rigged play incredibly low stakes, like $10 games.
Some people however claim that there is widespread collusion, bots or 'superusers' in many games. Now this is a bit of a separate issue because this sort of cheating (if true) is more likely to be perpetrated by the players themselves, not the poker sites.
However, let's put that to the side for a moment and discuss the case for and against online poker being rigged first.

The Case For Online Poker Being Rigged


So let's look at the facts for why online poker is rigged then shall we?
Well, unfortunately the facts for online poker being rigged are few and far between. The arguments in favor of online poker being rigged would be much better classified as 'anecdotal' instead.
For instance, if you go read any 'poker is rigged' thread on Reddit or a poker forum you will find that most of the comments are actually just angry, incoherent and expletive laced rants.
And they are always missing that one massively important pesky little detail:
Evidence.
Instead their arguments usually go something like this instead:
'OMGGGZZZ, my pocket AA got cracked 3 times in a row, on the RIVER, every time STUPID JOKERSTARS, rigged, I will get my lawyer and sue POKERSTARS!!!, OMFG so mad right now, how can anyone play on this RIGGED poker site???'
Now, the problem with 'arguments' for online poker being rigged like this is that while they certainly demonstrate a large amount of emotion, they just aren't supported with anything close to what we would typically deem as evidence.
And unfortunately, when making such seriously allegations and threatening lawsuits against a multi-billion dollar company you are probably going to need some of this!
The main problem here is that 'my pocket AA got cracked 3 times in a row' just doesn't mean anything. Like at all.
In fact this is such a completely commonplace and mathematically likelyReal occurrence in poker that it is trivial to even consider.
You would need a sample size of thousands of instances where your AA was getting beat too often in order to have a real and substantive argument here.
And luckily for all of those who believe that online poker is rigged, this is actually really, really easy for them to do.
You can just use a program like PokerTracker, import your poker hands, and then filter for all instances of AA to see your winning percentage.
Pocket Aces should win approximately 85% of the time versus a random hand.
Best real money online poker redditSo, if you had a sample size with thousands of instances of AA where you are only winning at 70%, 60% or less, then you would have a real and legitimate complaint!
However, I have never seen anyone who claims that online poker is rigged actually produce a statistically significant sample size like this. Instead they have sample sizes of 3 hands, 10 hands or 100 hands.
Incredibly small sample sizes like this would be quickly refuted by any amateur mathematician as well within the bounds of simple variance and standard deviation.
And for all those threatening lawsuits against the online poker sites this sort of 'evidence' would also be quickly dismissed from any court of law as pure silliness.

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The Case Against Online Poker Being Rigged


The evidence for online poker not being rigged is far, far stronger. And the reason why is because once again, you can just go check it for yourself!
Most poker sites these days will allow you to download your hand histories as you play. Hand histories are a small text document which includes every bit of information about a poker hand.
For Example:
  • Exact time the hand was played
  • All player's stack sizes
  • Who bet, folded, called etc.
  • Who was the winner of the hand
  • Who was the loser of the hand

And as mentioned before, we have highly sophisticated online poker tracking programs these days like PokerTracker and Hold’em Manager.
Using the pocket AA example again, you could simply go into either of these programs and filter for this hand only. Then you could see if your winning percentage differs dramatically from where it should be.
Furthermore, it wouldn’t even take that many hands to figure this out. In order to get a sample size of 1000 instances of pocket AA for instance, you would only need to play 220,000 hands of poker.
You get dealt pocket AA 1 out of every 220 hands. 220 x 1000 = 220,000.
Now this might sound like a lot, but for anyone who plays online poker seriously and multi-tables this is not really that many hands. Any serious poker player could easily do this in a couple months.
In fact, I have actually played this amount of poker hands in one single month several times throughout my poker career.
A post shared by Nathan Williams (@nathan79williams) on

By the way if you are curious about how I play this many hands of poker, and still keep track of all my opponents, yes I do use several poker software aids and tools.
For the complete list of all poker software and tools I use as a pro at the tables, click here.
However, my suspicion is that many of the people complaining about their pocket AA being cracked too much have not even played this many hands in their entire lifetime!
After all, it is hard to play a lot of poker when you are too busy writing angry expletive laced comments on Reddit and threatening hare-brained lawsuits.
Look, if you truly believe that your pocket AA is losing way too often then you owe it to yourself to at least do your homework first so that you know for sure.
Play a statistically significant sample of hands (i.e. 200K+), run it through a tracking program, and then post the evidence for all the world to see!
Opinions are great. Everybody has one. But what we need in order to solve the debate once and for all about online poker being rigged or not are facts. Clear verifiable evidence.
Unfortunately for all the people claiming that online poker is rigged, they never seem to have much of this. However, I know that I can look through my own database of millions of poker hands and prove them dead wrong in a second.
Another thing that would help a lot of the people who believe online poker is rigged is to simply get better at poker.
Because when you have an extremely high win-rate you won't worry about the routine ups and downs as much anymore.
This is something that Daniel Negreanu actually mentions specifically in his brand new advanced poker training course. Instead of worrying so much about the losses, just focus on winning more!

Poker Sites Have a Direct Financial Incentive NOT to Rig Online Poker


The other big problem for the online poker is rigged crowd is that the poker sites actually have a direct financial incentive to maintain the integrity of their games.
In other words, they have a clear motive NOT to rig online poker.
PokerStars for instance made $877 million dollars in revenue from poker in 2017. And that is actually a 4% increase over 2016 for all the people who think the popularity of online poker is trending downward.
What these numbers really prove though is the point that I have been making on this blog for many, many years now.
And That Is:
The poker sites themselves are the real big winners in poker and they always will be. They are the real 'sharks,' not the players.
If you disagree please tell me the name of a poker player who is making nearly a billion dollars a year. I would pay anything to get coaching from this guy!
So simple common sense and logic will tell us that when you are already crushing it beyond belief in business the last thing you want to do is change anything or risk your reputation.
No of course not. You just want to keep the gravy train rolling!
You really have to ask yourself what PokerStars for example has to gain by rigging the river in your $10 tournament. Nothing. But they have everything to lose.

You Are The Customer, You Have All the Power!


But hey believe me, I get it. Some people will never be convinced no matter what I or others say.
Even though there is absolutely no evidence to support their claims nor even a motive for many of the poker sites to rig anything, their minds are already made up.
And that's completely cool.
You can believe pink monkeys orbit the moon too and Tupac Shakur is alive and well living on an island in Malaysia with Jim Morrison.
At the end of the day though it doesn't matter what I believe or what you believe because the bottom line when you are playing poker (online or live) is that you are the customer.
And therefore, you have all the power.
A post shared by Nathan Williams (@nathan79williams) on

So if you believe that a certain poker site is rigged against you then you should vote with your feet and simply withdraw all your funds and never play there again.
Something that I can never understand is how many people complain that a certain poker site is rigged (let’s just use PokerStars as an example again) and yet they continue to play there!
Why on earth would you continue to play at a poker site that you are convinced is rigged? This defies all logic and even just common sense.
There are literally hundreds of other online poker sites to choose from. And if you are convinced that all of online poker is rigged against you then you can just go play live as well!
Also, remember that when you withdraw your funds and go play somewhere else this is a huge loss for that poker site. They rely on the rake that you pay to keep creating those multi-million dollar profits.
So if you are convinced that an online poker site is rigged, hit them where it hurts, in the pocket book. Withdraw your money and never play there again.

What About Poker Bots, Collusion and SuperUsers?


Alright, let’s get into the much more serious discussion now of poker bots, collusion and superusers.
This is a legitimate concern because unlike poker sites rigging the river against your pocket aces, there is actually real evidence that this sort of cheating has occurred.
But the difference here is that the cheating is almost always done by the players themselves.
They are often the ones who are trying to run poker bots, collude with other people at the the table or find out somebody's hole cards (superuser).
In the past several years there have been allegations of bots in particular being used on nearly every major online poker site.
And this isn't just speculation. There have been many high profile cases of poker sites publicly refunding players because their security teams uncovered gross rule violations.
Now while they rarely spell out the exact details of what type of actual cheating occurred (for pretty obvious reasons) it is clearly some sort of bot ring or collusion in many cases.
Now should you be concerned about playing against poker bots, colluders and so on? Absolutely. But here's the thing. You are battling against human nature here.
Whenever there are significant amounts of money on the line, a small amount of people are going to engage in shady practices or even outright cheating.
Remember that little global financial meltdown we had about 10 ago? Ya, enough said.
Look here's the thing. There is always going to be some form of cheating or angle shooting in poker no matter what games you play in. And it doesn't matter if you play live or online.
Does this mean that you should never play poker again? No of course not. You just need to be realistic and vigilant when playing poker.
I would also be a lot more concerned as a mid or high stakes poker player about this sort of cheating because of the much larger amounts of money in play.
However, less than 5% of the people reading this article right now actually play in these games. I know this because I asked 1,124 of you what stakes you play a few months ago!
But look here is the bottom line once again. You are the customer. If you feel that something isn't right, then send the poker site an email, and give them some specific names and details so they can investigate.
If you do not find their reply to be satisfactory, then withdraw all of your funds immediately and never play there again.

Final Thoughts


So should you trust online poker? Is online poker rigged?
Well, I think the glaring lack of any real evidence or even a motive for most of the major online poker sites to be rigging anything speaks volumes.
But as we all know some people will never be convinced.
I get hands sent to me every single day like this one where people are convinced that it is 100% rigged against them:

However, it is much easier to just say that something is rigged against you rather than to address the real core problem: Not understanding basic fundamental poker strategy.
After having coached 100's of low stakes students before in the past, this is the real issue in my experience working with other poker players.
But since there is tons of high quality advanced poker training programs available these days to help you improve, this really shouldn't even be an issue anymore.
As for the much more serious and realistic issue of poker bots, colluding and superusers I think there is a reason to have some level of concern about this.
You should be vigilant about any poker games you are playing in and don't be afraid to report any suspicious behavior either.
All major online poker sites have a security team dedicated to maintaining the integrity of their games. It is their job to investigate your concerns!
But as I have said again and again throughout this article, at the end of the day you don't have to listen to me or anyone else. You are the customer and you hold all the power.
If you think there is something amiss with a certain online poker site (for any reason whatsoever) then my advice is to immediately withdraw all your funds and never play there again.
Lastly, if you want to know how to consistently make $1000+ per month playing low stakes poker, make sure you grab a copy of my free poker cheat sheet.