Reno Legal Online Poker Sites For 2024
It’s safe to say that today’s online gambling market was shaped at least in part by the online poker craze of the early 2000s. While poker has been a very popular game for hundreds of years, all across the globe, it took off into another stratosphere in the early 2000s with the help of ESPN and the WSOP, and the rest is history. About 20 years ago, you might have found a poker room in a casino like the Horseshoe or other old-time Vegas favorites, but it really wasn’t anything of a presence in casinos.
Today, however, you can find poker rooms in all of the nation’s top casinos. In fact, if the casino doesn’t have a poker room, then they have a glaring deficiency in their business model and are losing money to those casinos that do have a poker option available. It’s a game that people prefer to play typically over blackjack and slots, if only because there’s an element of skill involved and the house has no mathematical advantage while playing poker. They still make their money through the rake, but there is no house edge.
Places like Reno aren’t simply prized for their casino resorts, but also for their live poker rooms inside of their casinos. This is why every popular casino in Reno has one thing in common: They also have a large, active poker room where thousands of players decide to try their hand at ring games and tournaments every week. Reno poker isn’t necessarily any special brand of poker, but those loyal to the area have come to appreciate the atmosphere and ambiance of playing poker in Reno’s quality resorts. Does that translate at all to online poker, though?
Top Reno Online Poker Sites Legally Licensed For US Players In 2024
| Rank | Site Name | Bonus | USA | Rating | Play Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | 100% up to $500 |  | 95% | Play Now |
| 2 |  | 100% up to $1,000 | | 90% | Play Now |
| 3 |  | 100% up to $1,000 | | 87% | Play Now |
The Rise and Dominance of Online Poker
Many people are searching for Reno online poker out there today, and it’s understandable. While 2003 might be a distant memory for some, it’s still the point of emphasis for millions who play online poker. This is the year that a young amateur poker player named Chris Moneymaker won an online satellite tournament that gave him entry into the World Series of Poker (WSOP).
The professional players had been making a mockery of online players, claiming that the game requires so much skill that no one playing over a computer screen could ever learn the tells and learn the proper nuances of the game. Moneymaker, however, began to shock the entire world as he not only won the tournament but dominant the field of professionals. Even famous poker players like Johnny Chan were being bluffed off hands by Moneymaker, en route to Chris winning the bracelet at the final tablet. This really shocked the entire poker world of professionals, as they instantly realized they were dealing with a different sort of beast.
For amateur players, it gave them confidence in their ability to win, so long as they honed their craft online. Professional legends like Johnny Moss, Stu Ungar, Doyle Brunson and Johnny Chan were winning in the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s, but after Chris Moneymaker won in ’03, the field was dominated by Internet-based “amateurs,” and the reign of the online player began. After Moneymaker, it was another amateur, Greg Raymer, and then another, Joe Hachem, and another with Jamie Gold, and on and on. Amateurs were not only winning the WSOP, but also the various events leading up to the main tournament.
As more amateur players began winning in Vegas, more and more people started signing up for online poker. Even with the UIGEA shutting down American poker sites in the middle of this frenzy, online poker still remained popular, and it is perhaps the most popular gambling game to ever show up via the Internet.
Is Poker Legal in Reno?
The government has long tried at the federal level to shut down the gambling that takes place in Nevada. While most of it is definitely behind the scenes, there are factions within the federal government that do not want the state of Nevada to be able to offer gambling to its resident. This includes Las Vegas and Reno; many want them to disappear. And for a while there, after the UIGEA of 2006, Nevada was no longer allowed to license any sort of online gambling sites, so the federal government did succeed in having at least some of Nevada’s gambling shut down. However, in 2011 it was a Department of Justice ruling that said it was unlawful for the government to tell states how to manage their own gambling. This eventually led to Nevada offering sports betting and poker options via online websites.
Poker is perfectly legal in Nevada, though you’d likely have to play in either Vegas or Reno. But there are no laws against the game being offered, either at the state level or the federal level. Does this mean that you can find Reno’s best casinos offering online versions of their resorts? Unfortunately, no; to date, Reno hasn’t dipped its toes into the online gambling pool like some Vegas establishments have.
That’s not to say that Reno won’t eventually get into the spirit and create online versions of their best on-location casinos; it just means they haven’t yet. So if you want to play Reno-style poker, you’ll have to do so in a poker room that’s not sponsored by any of Reno’s actual casinos. This is where Reno Online Gambling can help you make the best decision. We can point you in the direction of a high-quality, trustworthy poker room that offers you the same type of gaming experience you’d get by playing at Reno.
Why Choose Online Poker Over the Real Thing
Now, let’s say you really enjoy playing poker and want to get involved in some tournament with a lot of people for a huge cash prize. Which way do you go? Do you travel to some casino whose poker room is offering you some type of big tournament, or do you simply find a quality site online with which to play? While playing at a live, on-location tournament does give you an experience that you cannot replicate without actually being there, you’ll find that you’re actually going to experience many more benefits by choosing to play via an online casino.
While it is true that no online casino can give you that exact experience of sitting down in a poker room in Reno’s casinos, you have to understand that the benefits to your person are just far more numerous when you opt to play online. Some of the many benefits of opting for online poker include but aren’t limited to:
- You get to choose your game online (Hold’em, Omaha, stud, etc) whereas you’re going to have to play whatever the casino is offering at a live game
- Most casinos are only offering a few tournaments a week, where you can find hundreds a day via a quality poker website.
- With online poker, you only have to be good at the statistics; with real poker, you have to keep a straight face, keep your body language calm, etc, to not give away any tells
- The prizes are often bigger via online tournaments, as you can find more people joining up
- Websites are willing to offer you incentives via sign up bonuses and points, whereas the best a casino is going to do for you while playing poker is hand out free drinks (maybe)
- There is no time limit or schedule to worry about; no matter what time of the day you want to play, there’s always going to be traffic via a quality poker website
- You can play via your desktop PC, your tablet, or even your phone
As you can see, playing online poker simply gives you more options than playing at a live casino. While that live experience can never be totally replaced, you may find it much more beneficial to play via a website.
Live Tournaments in Reno’s Casinos
Players of legal age can find any of Reno’s top casinos offering an online presence, but if you’re ever in the Reno area and want to play some serious poker, there are quite a few quality tournaments you can enter at the city’s best casinos. Here are a couple of tournaments you may want to consider.
1: Atlantis Poker Room
The Atlantis poker room not only offers tournaments but even has a Players Association that one can join. Their biggest tournament held is their Lucky 13 tournament, where players can win a share of a $13,000 jackpot. This is small compared to WSOP events and other annual poker tournaments, but you have to understand that the Atlantis tournaments are happening every single week, so you have multiple chances to win here and don’t have to put in a lot of money to play. You can also take part in the Bad Beat Jackpot, where you can win up to $1000 depending on the beating you dish out on people.
2: Peppermill Casino Tournaments
The great thing about poker at the Peppermill casino and resort in Reno is that you’re going to find a live tournament there every single day of the week, repeated on a weekly basis. However, the best tournament they have going is their Monday noon tournament, the $45 buy-in where you can win not only a huge chunk of change but also a seat into their monthly invitational, where you can win even more money. You start with 8k in chips, and there are no re-buys. It’s a no-limit Hold’em game where the top players get paid and everyone else busts flat.
3: The Head-Hunter at Eldorado
The Eldorado in Reno also hosts tournaments all throughout the week, except Tuesdays and Wednesdays, but far and away their most popular tournament is their Head Hunter Bounty tournament. The buy-in here is only $30, with an option to pay an additional $5 for extra starting chips. The goal here, of course, is to win a NL HE tournament, but also to bust out players whose heads have bounties on them. If you take out a player with a bounty attached, you will win even more chips. So there’s an added incentive to go after people rather than just playing your own game, so this adds some serious excitement to the tournament.
The environment in Reno is truly unique and although they’re very close to Vegas, the cities are worlds apart, with many people much preferring the Reno atmosphere over Vegas. This is why so many truly flock to Reno, and also why so many are looking for Reno-style poker rooms via the Internet. We can help you find great poker sites online that are played in more of that Reno-style environment. So if you need a place at which to play, let us guide you there.