Largest Online Poker Sites
Larger poker sites is where it’s at. It’s where the action is, the most games, variety, promotions and profit. If there was only one poker site you could signup to, I’d recommend finding the largest one.
The difference between the biggest poker sites (overall) and the biggest sites for US players will be about 45-125,000 players. I’m not kidding. US poker site traffic vs. non-US poker rooms is significant.
That said, the best online poker sites for US players still have upwards of 15,000 players. Not great – but not a ghost town either – there are games running. But it’s not like you have much of a choice either.
And I’ve talked to friends and have found out it’s still possible to play full time with 15,000 players. You’ll notice that games are softer too, so the higher hourly rates should hopefully make up for the lack of volume.
All in all, while US players definitely got the short end of the stick, it’s not as though your totally without somewhere to play. You can still take advantage of the larger poker sites.
To get started right away, pick a site from our list below. If you need more convincing on why larger poker sites are the way to go, you can read my 8 reasons below.
Best Online Poker Sites for US Players
8 Reasons Why You Should Play at the Largest Poker Sites
Here are 8 strong reasons why you should spend the majority of your time at the largest poker sites.
1. More Traffic Equals More Games
One benefit to playing at the largest poker sites is that it’ll be easier to find games running. One of the challenges I ran into as a SNG player is that few sites had the traffic to produce the number of games I needed for the hourly rate I wanted to make.
And I played holdem SNGs. Can you imagine trying to find a site with enough traffic to load lesser popular games, such as razz, badugi or 5-card draw?
2. More Frequent, Larger Guaranteed Tournaments
The bigger poker sites are going to have more cash flow. That gives them the ability to guarantee larger prize pools, more often than smaller poker sites.
The downside to larger poker sites is that the guarantees are usually met. There is a large enough player base to where you’ll see overlays less often.
3. You Can Trust Larger Poker Sites
I wouldn’t say this is always the case. We did see what happened to Full Tilt, Ultimate Bet and Absolute Poker post Black Friday.
However, I do trust larger poker sites like Black Chip Poker tend to have better banking, security and support. They have the money and resources for the best of the best. They also have reputations to uphold.
4. The Most Popular Sites Have the Widest Variety of Games.
Popular poker sites have so much traffic that they can host a large variety of games, structures and variations. And they’ll have the player base to fill those games.
You’ll also find the widest range of stakes at the most popular sites, too.
5. More Freerolls Means More Free Money at the Bigger Poker Sites
Larger poker sites just have more room to be generous with their players. One way the larger sites do this is by hosting a lot of freerolls. These freerolls have cash prizes too, so it’s possible for you to build your bankroll starting from literally nothing.
6. Generous VIP Programs Are Available at the Big Poker Sites
Take a VIP program from a smaller poker site and compare it to the bigger poker sites and you’ll see several differences. The rewards are more frequent, the returns (such as cash back) are larger and you stand to gain more from a larger poker site. The VIP programs can usually pay you 6-figures yearly, and that doesn’t even include what you profit at the tables.
7. Can Play Professionally at the Larger Sites
One of the biggest differences, and this goes hand in hand with the amount of traffic a poker site has, is that you can play professionally at a larger site. They have the games, traffic and stakes to support it.
While possible at a smaller poker site, it’s going to be much harder. You’ll have to have a schedule down (where do your games run the most) and you might even have to specialize in more than one game.
8. More Popular Poker Sites Will Host More Satellites
Again, it comes down to budget, volume of players and marketing. The larger sites will have all of these resources to host multiple satellites to larger live tournaments such as the WSOP. They will also have satellites to these satellites. This gives players with smaller bankrolls the opportunity to satellite in for a small investment.
