About Us

US Poker is a comparison site built for one job: helping US poker players work out where to play, deposit and cash out with the least hassle. This page explains what we do, how we put our rankings together, and what to expect from a site that earns a small commission from some of the operators it reviews.

What we actually compare

Online poker in the US is fragmented — regulation runs state by state, there's no single federal licence, and the sites available to you depend heavily on where you live. Against that backdrop, we focus on the things that decide whether a real money game is worth your time and your bankroll: how fast a site pays you out, how deep and active its player pool is, what the rake and rakeback actually look like once you run the numbers, and how straightforward deposits and withdrawals are in practice.

Fast payouts sit at the center of our reviews because it's the question we get asked most. A site can have a strong game selection and still be a poor choice if cash-outs take a week and a stack of email verification. We look at the withdrawal methods a site offers — cards, ACH, e-wallets, crypto, prepaid options like PayNearMe — and how each one tends to perform in terms of processing time, minimums, and any fees attached.

How we score and rank sites

Our editorial ratings are built from a consistent set of criteria, weighted toward what matters for a player choosing where to deposit real money:

• Payout speed and methods — how many withdrawal options a site supports, and how that compares across cards, e-wallets, ACH and crypto
• Traffic and liquidity — cash game and tournament activity across stakes, since a thin player pool means long waits and worse game selection
• Game variety — No Limit Hold'em, Pot Limit Omaha, Sit & Gos, fast-fold formats, Spin & Go-style lottery games, and mixed games where offered
• Rake structure and rakeback — the effective cost of playing once rake, rakeback and loyalty rewards are all accounted for
• Bonuses and promotions — the headline offer, but also the playthrough or clearing requirements, time limits and eligibility conditions attached to it
• Software and mobile experience — client stability, HUD and tracking software support where permitted, and how the iOS/Android apps hold up at the table
• Licensing, security and support — how a site handles fund segregation, KYC verification, and how responsive customer support actually is

Commission from an operator never buys a better position in our rankings. Where a site pays us to be listed, that relationship is disclosed, but the score itself is based on the criteria above and nothing else.

How the sites on our list differ

The offers ranked on this site aren't interchangeable. A few examples of how they diverge on the things that matter most to a real money player:

We go into far more depth — including full write-ups of each site's traffic, rake, and cash-out speed — on our main rankings page. This page is about how we approach that work, not a substitute for it.

Where our commission comes from

Some of the poker sites listed on benchmarkreporter.com pay us a commission if you sign up through a link on this site. That's how we keep the site free to use. It doesn't change what we write: a site's rank reflects its scores on payout speed, traffic, game variety, rake and the other factors above, not the size of any commission arrangement. Where a bonus or promotion is mentioned, we try to state the material terms — deposit requirements, playthrough conditions, time limits and eligibility — alongside it, because a headline number without those details doesn't tell you much.

What our reviews don't claim

We research and verify what we can about each site's licensing, payment methods, traffic levels and bonus terms, but we don't publish fabricated statistics, invented player counts, or figures we can't stand behind. We also don't test sites by depositing or playing ourselves — our reviews are built from publicly available information, operator disclosures, and ongoing monitoring of terms and conditions, which change often enough that we recommend checking a site's current offer before you commit.

Poker is a game of skill mixed with variance, and no amount of research into rake structures or payout speed changes that. We don't present any site on this list as a way to make money reliably, and nothing here should be read as investment or income advice. If you're weighing up how much time or money to put into online poker, our responsible gambling page has resources worth reading first, including links to state-specific support and the national helpline, 1-800-GAMBLER.

Eligibility and where this applies

Online poker in the US is regulated at the state level, and availability, minimum age and licensing requirements vary depending on where you live. Most regulated states set the minimum gambling age at 21, though a small number allow 18. Every site we review is subject to whatever licensing and consumer protection rules apply in the states where it operates — we don't make specific licensing claims we haven't verified, and we'd encourage you to check a site's own terms for the current legal position in your state before signing up.

Get in touch

If you've spotted something out of date, have a question about a review, or want to flag an issue with a site we cover, our contact page has the details. For the full terms covering use of this site, see our terms and conditions.