When will online poker launch in Michigan?

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We anticipate Michigan online poker to go live in early 2021. An MGCB spokeswoman noted that they don’t know “whether poker will be among the games included at initial launch.” A lot of elements are at play and it is a huge task to launch both sports and online casinos at the same time, let alone poker.

“The platform providers still must meet other regulatory requirements before online gaming and sports betting can launch in Michigan,” MGCB executive director Richard S. Kalm said in a news release. “The launch date will depend on how quickly they can fulfill the requirements.”

In January 2019, The Stars Group, a global leader in online gaming, announced its intention to enter Michigan’s online poker market. The Stars Group owns PokerStars online poker rooms around the world, including in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

The only PokerStars competitor expected to enter the Michigan online poker market is PartyPoker. An existing deal between PartyPoker’s parent company GVC Holdings and MGM suggests that PartyPoker will likely enter Michigan through MGM Grand Detroit.

Since there aren’t any Caesars’ or Eldorado Resorts’ casinos in the state, WSOP.com doesn’t have an apparent home — yet.

In the fall of 2020, however, Caesars agreed to purchaseWilliam Hill for $3.7 billion. The deal, expected to be finalized in 2021, could be the pathway for WSOP to enter the state.

Will I be able to play poker with players in New Jersey and Pennsylvania?

If and when Michigan joins the Multi-State Internet Gaming Association remains unclear. The MSIGA allows New Jersey, Nevada, and Delaware to share player pools.

A clause in the Michigan gambling bills would have directly facilitated an interstate compact; however, it was removed before the laws passed.

Lawmakers have indicated its removal was intended to address multi-state progressive slot jackpots.

Multi-state poker could be on its way to Michigan. It’s likely a must-have for the online poker market in the Great Lakes State to survive long-term. Curtis Hertel Jr., a state legislator in Michigan, has proposed a bill adding multi-state online poker to Michigan’s gambling offerings.

The bill passed through the Senate in October and then moved through the House of Representatives where it passed through committee in early December.

Michigan is slightly larger than New Jersey, where online poker is barely surviving despite pooling players with Nevada and Delaware.

Adding states, including Pennsylvania and Michigan, to the mix over the next few years would certainly be a boost to the US online poker market.

Online poker in Michigan

Because sports betting and online casinos will likely generate more revenue than online poker, the latter verticals may take priority.

Only existing casino operators, which include three commercial casinos in Detroit and 12 tribal casino operators throughout the state, will be able to procure online gambling licenses.

Each will be allowed one online casino brand and one online poker brand per license, up to two total brands apiece.

The licenses come with a $50,000 application fee, $100,000 initial licensing fee and a $50,000 annual renewal fee.

Michigan online poker operators will be subject to the same tiered tax structure as online casinos.

It starts at 20% for adjusted gross receipts of less than $4 million and peaks at 28% for more than $12 million. Detroit commercial casinos will also pay an additional 1.25% city tax.

Michigan online poker partnerships

PokerStars + Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians

Global online poker giant The Stars Group secured a partnership with the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians Gaming Authority in early January 2020.

The deal gives The Stars Group first-skin market access for all gambling verticals in Michigan, including online poker.

The Stars Group owns and operates PokerStars, which operates in NJ and PA. The Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians operates three Michigan tribal casinos, with the largest being the Odawa Casino, near Petoskey.

Both entities will still need to secure a license and get regulatory approval from the Michigan Gaming Control Board. However, it appears it’s a matter of time before PokerStars Michigan launches.

Partypoker + MGM Grand Detroit

Though there wasn’t a formal announcement, MGM Resorts International and partypoker’s parent company GVC Holdings established a 50/50 joint venture sports betting and online gaming platform for the US in July 2018.

The idea is that MGM Resorts and GVC will deliver their assets, brands, proprietary technology, and industry expertise wherever sports betting and online gaming are legal in the US.

The press release announcing the joint venture specifically named the partypoker brand.

The launch of partypoker Michigan through MGM Grand would appear to be the perfect example of a joint venture in action.

How Michigan online poker will work

Michigan’s online poker will launch as a fenced-in market.

Players who are 21 years or older and within state lines will be eligible to play online poker cash games and tournaments.

Online poker operators will use geolocation technology to ensure all live players are inside the state.

Players will need to sign up for an online account with an operator of their choice and go through identity and age verification before they can play.

One day, state lawmakers may enter into a multi-state compact to allow operators to share player pools with sites in other poker states.

A clause initially included in the state’s online gambling bills that would have directly facilitated an interstate compact was removed before the legislation was passed.

Lawmakers have indicated its removal was intended to address multi-state progressive slot jackpots. Therefore, multi-state poker is still a possibility down the road.

Online poker bonuses and rewards

Michigan online poker sites will offer free play to attract new customers.

Tax breaks allowing Michigan online poker operators a percentage of gross receipts for free play over the first five years of operation all but guarantees this.

Plus, giving free bonus cash as an incentive to sign up has proven to be a successful poker marketing strategy elsewhere.

PokerStars PA has shot out of the gate, posting four to six times the revenue it averages in NJ.

Players who open a PokerStars account in Pennsylvania using the PokerStars PA bonus code PLAY30 and deposit at least $20 will earn $30 in free play.

This offer includes $20 in free play and $10 in Spin and Go tickets.

New PA players also receive a ticket to the depositor freeroll event on the last Sunday of every month. It features cash prizes and a zero-entry fee.

PokerStars’ players in Pennsylvania can also use the promo code STARS600 when they sign up and make their first deposit (or three qualifying deposits within 60 days), and can also earn a 100% bonus of up to $600.

Players need to earn redemption points to unlock the bonus, but get 5 points for every $1 paid in tournament fees or rake in most games. Once earning 100 redemption points, PokerStars PA will release $10 in bonus cash into their account.

PA players can only receive the free-money bonus or the deposit bonus, not both.

PokerStars Michigan should roll out with something similar.

Any tournaments that launch will attempt to stay competitive with a bonus structure to try to attract new players.

Fund your online poker account

There’s little doubt Michigan online poker operators will want to make getting your money on and off the sites as easy as possible.

That means offering a variety of deposit and withdrawal options, including third-party payment processors like PayPal, debit or credit cards, and cash.

Here’s an example of the variety of deposit methods at PokerStars PA:

• Instant E-checks: ACH payment.
• Skrill: A secure online third-party payment option.
• Mastercard or Visa: Credit or debit card transactions through approving issuing banks.
• Neteller: A secure online third-party payment option.
• Stars Transfer: Instant deposits with online banking.
• PayNearMe: Make a cash payment at retail locations, including 7-Eleven and CVS.
• PokerStars Play+ Card: This prepaid card pairs to a Stars’ account.
• Cash Deposit: Cash at the Mount Airy Casino cage.

Poker and cardrooms in Michigan

There’s a massive live poker scene in Michigan with as many as 10 live poker rooms operating across the state.

Walk into any one of the Michigan poker rooms on this list, and you’ll find securing a seat at affordable stakes is as easy as asking for one.

Bay Mills Resort & Casino

Bay Mills Resort & Casino, in Brimley, features a four-table poker room that is open 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

There are regular cash games and low-buy-in tournaments. Players must be at least 18 years or older.

FireKeepers Casino Hotel

The newly renovated 26-table poker room at FireKeepers Casino Hotel, in Battle Creek, is the premier poker room in the state.

The room spreads Texas Hold’em, Omaha and stud cash games at a variety of low to mid-stakes. Plus, there are low to mid-stakes buy-in tournaments every day, including a regular stop on the popular Mid-States Poker Tour.

Promotions include a progressive bad beat jackpot.

Greektown Casino Hotel

Greektown Casino Hotel, in Detroit, features a 12-table poker room offering Texas Hold ’em and Omaha games. There are regular tournaments and high-hands promotions.

Gun Lake Casino

Gun Lake Casino in Wayland, features a 14-table poker room spreading Texas Hold’em and Omaha games.

There are low-stakes tournaments happening five days a week, and promotions include a bad beat jackpot.

Kewadin Casino

Kewadin Casino, Hotel and Convention Center, in Sault Ste. Marie, features a four-table poker room open Wednesdays through Sundays.

There are low-stakes tournaments on Wednesdays and cash games every day.

MGM Grand Detroit

The poker room at MGM Grand Detroit features 17 tables with Texas Hold’em and Omaha action.

There are bounty tournaments three days a week and promotions include splash pots, bad beat jackpots and hot-seat drawings.

MotorCity Casino Hotel

The MotorCity Casino Hotel, in Detroit, features a 17-table poker club spreading Texas Hold’em and Omaha games.

There’s a regular tournament calendar, and promotions include a bad beat jackpot, high-hands and a gas card giveaway.

Ojibwa Casino Baraga

The Ojibwa Casinos, in Baraga, spreads poker on a single table running on Fridays and Saturdays from 6 p.m.

Ojibwa Casino Marquette

The Ojibwa Casino, in Marquette, has poker on three tables on Fridays and Saturdays from 6 p.m. to 4 a.m.

Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort

Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort, in Mount Pleasant, features a 14-table poker room open 24/7.

There’s a six-day per week tournament schedule and promotions include a bad beat jackpot, early bird rake, lucky ticket draws and high-hands.

The room spreads Texas Hold’em, Pineapple, Crazy Pineapple, Omaha, seven-card stud and Razz. Multi-game formats include round by rounds, dealer’s choice, HORSE, SHOE and HOP. Players may request any game type with any limit.

Whether you’re looking for somewhere to play a few relaxing hands of Texas Holdem or you’re on the prowl for fish that you can smash to make a huge profit, you’ve come to the right spot. Our teams of experts have analyzed and tested all of the top real money Texas Holdem poker rooms on the web to find the best options for you. These are the safest, most trusted, and most reliable online poker rooms available, offering high-quality real money action.

4 Reasons These Are the Best Real Money Texas Holdem Poker Sites

• Games Filled With Recreational Players (Not Sharks)
• Cash, Sit and Go, and Multi-Table Tournament Action
• Smooth Table Animations and Quality Game Controls
• Deposit Bonuses, Rakeback, and VIP Programs

Games Filled With Recreational Players (Not Sharks)

Unless you’re not a fan of money, you probably aren’t seeking out the toughest Texas Holdem games on the web. Smart players understand that game selection is critical to being a long-term winning player. But it’s impossible to game select properly if all of your options are tables filled with professional players.

For this reason, all of the real money online Texas Holdem sites we recommend are filled with recreational players. Our review teams have professional poker players who regularly test the sites we recommend to ensure the games are still profitable. Even if you’re not looking to make money playing poker, this will help stretch your entertainment dollar a lot further.

Cash, Sit and Go, and Multi-Table Tournament Action

In order for a real money Texas Holdem site to be worth your time, there needs to be sufficient action available. Before we recommend an option, we ensure there is regular action available across all Texas Hold’em formats.

Whether you play cash games, sit and gos, or multi-table tournaments (MTTs), you’ll want to know you’re not joining a ghost town, but that there will actually be players for you to play with on a regular basis.

Smooth Table Animations and Quality Game Controls

Regardless of whether you’re playing for fun or to make money, you want a poker site that has smooth animations, high-quality graphics and, most importantly, game controls that are easy to use. When the interface is confusing and not user-friendly, it not only lowers the quality of your experience, but it also creates the opportunity for mistakes. It’s very hard to win playing Texas Hold’em online if you’re constantly misclicking, calling when you want to fold, and/or betting incorrect amounts.

Deposit Bonuses, Rakeback, and VIP Programs

Many of the best real money Texas Holdem poker rooms online offer some great perks to loyal players. While you should never solely base your decision on where to play Texas Holdem online based on the promotions, it can be a great way to decide between a few top options. All of the online poker rooms we recommend offer some sort of deposit bonus, rakeback program, or VIP rewards. If they’re giving out free money online just for playing poker, we want you to be able to take advantage of it.

Tips for Choosing the Best Real Money Texas Holdem Sites

Knowing what makes top real money Texas Holdem sites rank above the rest is an important first step in choosing the best poker room for you. But to help you in the picking process, here are a few additional tips to help you make the right selection.

• Check Player Volumes When You Plan on Playing
• Utilize the Play Money Tables to Better Gauge the Interface
• Confirm Deposit and Withdrawal Options
• Check for Overlays, Tournament Series, and Upcoming Events

Check Player Volumes When You Plan on Playing

If you’re someone who likes to play poker online during the day, it won’t do you any good if the site is slam-packed busy at night but a ghost town during the day. When you’re picking out the best real money Texas Holdem option for you, log into the site during the hours you’re planning on playing. See what the volume levels look like and determine if they’re sufficient for you. If things look slow, check again on a different day, as there are slow days from time to time.

• If you like to play during the day and you live in the US… you may want to look into joining a Texas Hold’em poker room with predominantly European players. Nighttime is usually the busiest time for a poker room, so you’ll be hard-pressed to get a lot of action during the day in the US. But due to time zone differences, it will be nighttime in Europe.
• If you like smaller tournament fields and less aggressive action… you’ll have good luck with US poker rooms during the day. The tournaments are going to be smaller in size, and as a whole, the players who play are typically less wild and aggressive as the maniacs that come out at night.

Utilize the Play Money Tables to Better Gauge the Interface

Misclicks and mistakes can be costly at the online poker table. Additionally, keeping your cool is important. Both of these issues can be agitated by a bad layout and poorly designed user controls. If the interface is tilting, you’re not going to be as relaxed when you play. Additionally, you’ll be more prone to making betting mistakes if the controls are set up properly.

Take advantage of the play money tables offered at these real money Texas Holdem poker sites. Play a few hands from the device you’ll normally be playing on to get a feel for how things work. If you don’t like the controls or see the potential for mistakes, go somewhere else.

Confirm Deposit and Withdrawal Options

Hopefully, none of you are looking for real money Texas Holdem poker rooms to try and lose money. Even if you’re just a recreational player, you’re still interested in winning money. Because of this, it’s important that you make sure there are withdrawal options available that work for you. Take a few minutes before creating an account and make sure the deposit and withdrawal options available fit for you. Make sure they’re banking methods you have access to, and make sure the time frames mentioned work for you as well.

Check for Overlays, Tournament Series, and Upcoming Events

Mostly for MTT players, check to see what their current tournaments and upcoming series and events look like. If they are getting big overlays on events, you’ll certainly want to take advantage of that.

Additionally, if they have some lucrative tournament series or events like leaderboard races coming up, that could be a big reason to join. Make sure you’re joining the best real money Texas Holdem site for today and for the future.

Free Online Poker vs. Real Money Poker

Texas Holdem Online Poker Real Money Free

We get a lot of questions about the differences between playing free online poker and playing online poker for real money. To answer these questions, we’d like to address the differences between the two.

To be more specific, though, there are two main types of free online poker that we need to address differently—social casino free poker and free poker at real money casinos.

Social Poker Apps vs. Real Money Texas Holdem

Social poker apps are those that you’ll find on Facebook or through the app store that have no real money option attached to them. You might be able to pay for a subscription to play more or get more chips, but the ability to cash out real money is not there.

These social poker apps are wildly different from real money Texas Holdem for several reasons:

1. The decks are often rigged in these games – Because these are not real casinos, they don’t have to follow the same rules. Often, that means they spice up the action with better flops and better hands for all players. This can be more fun, but it can really restrict your view of how real money poker will be.
2. The players are nothing like real money players – When there’s nothing on the line, people are going to play like maniacs. When there’s not even the ability to move up to real money, the play money players are even wilder. If you’re looking to get better at Texas Holdem, this is not the environment to do it in.

There’s nothing wrong with social casino apps, but make sure you understand their purpose.

Free Play Poker at Online Casinos vs. Real Money Texas Holdem

Your second option for playing Texas Hold’em for free online is to utilize the play money options at the real money rooms. These are closer to what “real poker” will be like, but there are still some major differences. There are also some major differences with the social poker apps.

First, the decks in these games will not be rigged. They will operate under the same random number generator dealers as the real money games. This is nice, as it does start to give you the ability to see how cards will actually fall. Second, the players will still be pretty far from what you can expect in real money games because they still have nothing at risk. The one perk of these over social poker apps is a lot of these players have hopes of moving to real money, so they may play a little more in line.

Can You Win Money Playing Online Texas Holdem?

Texas Holdem Poker Online For Real Money

Yes! Online Texas Holdem games give you the ability to win big without having to leave the house. Additionally, poker is a game of skill played against other players and not the house. Because of this, it is completely possible to win real money online on a consistent basis. There are plenty of professional poker players around the world that make a consistent living playing online Texas Hold’em.

Real Money Texas Holdem Poker Bonuses and VIP Rewards

Another popular topic we get questions about is the different kinds of bonuses and rewards available to Texas Holdem players online. Here’s a quick summary of the different options. All of the top real money online casinos with Texas Holdem recommended in this guide offer some variation or a variation of all of these bonus programs.

• Texas Holdem Deposit Bonuses
• Rakeback or Cashback
• VIP Reward Points
• Free Tournament Tickets
• Freerolls

Texas Holdem Deposit Bonuses

A deposit match bonus is one of the most common you’ll see at online poker rooms. The room will match your initial or reload deposit up to a certain percentage and to a certain dollar amount. This means you could make a deposit of $200 and end up with $400 in your account to play with! Most deposit bonuses are a 100% match up to anywhere from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand.

These deposit bonuses are credited in one of two ways to your account. The first way is they put all the funds in your account immediately as bonus funds. You can start playing with them right away, but you won’t be able to cash them out until you play a certain amount of hands to prevent people from just taking the bonus money and running for the hills. The second and more popular way is for the funds to incrementally be dropped in your account as cash as you play more.

A $100 bonus might be split into 10 $10 bonuses, and as you play a certain number of raked hands, they will credit your account with cash.

Rakeback or Cashback

Some real money Texas Holdem sites will give you a percentage of the money they collect in rake back to you. With a program like this, as long as you break even at the tables, you will turn a profit because of the rakeback. You can think of this as a profit share from the site for every hand or tournament you are involved in.

VIP Reward Points

Many of the online poker sites listed in this guide offer VIP rewards programs for their players. The more you play, the more points you earn toward rewards and tier status. With these points, you can usually cash them in for cash, tournament tickets, trips, or swag.

Free Tournament Tickets

Either through a welcome bonus or through VIP rewards, you may be awarded free tournament tickets at that real money online casino. These are free entries into real money tournaments that don’t cost you anything. If you happen to win the tournament or make any money, it’s all yours to keep.

Freerolls

Freeroll entries are usually awarded through a welcome bonus or as a VIP reward for loyalty. A freeroll tournament is a tournament where nobody pays an entry fee, but the poker room adds money or prizes to the prize pool. For no money, you have the chance to win real money, tournament tickets, or other prizes.

Often, freerolls are a great way to earn extra cash because a lot of people skip them for some strange reason. You may find yourself at a table in the tournament with a lot of players sitting out because they failed to show up for the free money. Your win!

Real Money Texas Holdem FAQ

Are Real Money Texas Holdem Poker Sites Safe to Use?

Texas Holdem Online Poker Real Money Sites

Yes. The online poker industry has come a long way since its early days and is completely safe and secure for you to use. This is, of course, assuming that you’re only using the safest real money Texas Hold’em sites that we’ve selected. Other sites may be safe, but we can’t vouch for them if we’ve not tested them.

Can I Play Poker Online If I Live in the US?

Texas Holdem Poker Online Real Money Australia

Yes! Online poker is not illegal in the US. There are many great online poker rooms that offer services to American players for you to choose from. If you’d like to check the specific laws and legal guidance for your state, check out our US legal guide where we break down our most current interpretation of the laws state by state.

Can I Try Playing Poker Online for Free Before I Play for Real Money?

Yes. All of the real money Texas Holdem sites we’ve listed in this guide offer play money or free money options. You can use these for as long as you’d like to determine if you’re interested in playing for real money. All free play games at these sites use the same software and digital dealing software as the real money tables. The only difference is you have no money at risk.

What Kinds of Texas Holdem Games Are Available to Play for Real Money Online?

The options you have to play Texas Hold’em online at these sites are immense. They offer different stake levels, including micro, low, medium, high, and nosebleeds. Regarding the game types available, they offer cash games, sit and go tournaments, heads up action, multi-table tournaments, and short-handed action.