18+ Online Poker In California
California is known for its picturesque beaches and majestic mountain ranges. It is also the home to Hollywood and all the glamour associated with it. Are you an 18 or older gambler that wants to rub elbows with the Tinseltown elite? Our guide for 18 and over online poker In California can help you step your game up and write that winning script at the digital felts.
There are many commercial California poker rooms, and some of these allow 18-year-old patrons, but most do not. Further, there are a number proper CA casinos located on tribal lands, mostly available to players 21 years of age and older. If you’re between 18-20, though, suitable venues are few and far between, and driving for hours just to play a few hands of real money poker isn’t the most convenient thing in the world.
Fortunately, California is one of several US states that do not restrict offshore online poker sites. This situation allows an avenue for 18+ players to gamble at offshore gaming facilities that provide legal online poker for real money.
There’s no need to bid blind. We’ll reveal the best online poker sites where you can ante up, and we’ll disclose the legal avenues for 18+ gamblers to enhance their bankrolls. Stack the chips in your favor and go all-in with poker, real money California-style!
Best California Online Poker Sites That Accept Players 18 And Up In 2023
Is Online Poker Legal In California For 18+ Players?
Because there are no US gaming laws or state regulations that prohibit playing poker for real money online at a gambling site operating from an offshore jurisdiction, no laws are being broken when playing your hand at such a venue. Our top poker sites accept players starting at 18 years of age and provide the real money poker online California players expect from the best Las Vegas establishments.
Is Online Poker Legal In California?
In order for something to be considered illegal, a law must be violated. No California poker laws are being violated when real money play is occurring online with an offshore vendor. These locations fall outside of the jurisdiction of the USA and are not mentioned in any state or federal lawbooks. Until California poker legislation is passed that regulates offshore gambling, no laws are being broken by playing with an offshore facility.
What Is California’s Minimum Gambling Age for Poker?
To play at one of California’s many in-state poker rooms, the minimum age to participate is usually 21 years old. There are exceptions here and there throughout the Golden State, but finding them is can be a fool’s errand, and compared to online play, they’re fool’s gold anyway!
Remember, these in-state facilities are not allowed to offer online gambling, so unless you actually attend one in person, you can’t play at all. For 21+ players, poker is already inconvenient in CA. For 18+ players, it’s even more so. Luckily, the best legal poker sites California has to offer can be found on this page, and the best part is, they accept players beginning at 18 years old.
California Poker Rooms Near Me
The following is a list of Casinos that are located on Native American lands in the state of California, with each providing a first-class poker room for real money. These retail poker rooms require a minimum age of 21 to play.
- Agua Caliente Casino Rancho Mirage
- Barona Resort & Casino
- Bear River Casino
- Black Oak Casino
- Blue Lake Casino
- Cache Creek Casino Resort
- Casino Pauma
- Chumash Casino Resort
- Coyote Valley Casino
- Feather Falls Casino & Lodge
- Graton Resort & Casino
- Harrah's Resort Southern California
- Jackson Rancheria Casino Resort
- Jamul Casino
- Lucky 7 Casino & Hotel
- Morongo Casino Resort Spa
- Pala Casino
- Pechanga Resort Casino
- Quechan Casino Resort
- Spotlight 29 Casino Coachella
- Sycuan Casino Resort
- Tachi Palace Casino Resort
- Thunder Valley Casino Resort
- Win-River Resort & Casino
How To Play Poker Online In California
18+ CA poker players seeking reputable online poker sites will need to venture offshore for their gambling fix. In-state casinos don’t offer online services, leaving offshore poker sites as the best option. Of course, these sites require membership, but you can sign up in only a few steps.
First, you will need to locate the “Join” button and click or tap it. This will lead you to a page that will ask you to enter your name and address and create confidential login credentials. The next page will ask for your first deposit into your bankroll and will accept Bitcoin, wire transfer, cashier's check, or major debit and credit cards, depending on the site you choose.
We recommend Bitcoin (BTC) above all, but many users prefer more traditional banking methods. Be sure to investigate the welcome bonuses available to new members and familiarize yourself with all of the attached terms and conditions.
Now that you’ve got your bankroll supplemented, you are ready to hit the poker room and trump the competition!
California Online Bonus Poker Options
Online poker rooms are eager to attract business and provide bonus cash to new members as an incentive to join. All bonuses are different from site to site, but they typically match a percentage of your first deposit. A common example would be a bonus that matches 100% of your deposit up to $1,000.
Here’s how poker bonuses work: When you play online poker, you earn comp points. At a particular threshold, say every 500 comp points (this varies by site), you are awarded your bonus cash in $5 or $10 increments. 18+ players will usually have 30 days to receive as much of this bonus as possible, so report to the nearest online poker table now before all that free money disappears!
California Mobile Poker Options
Casinos located inside of California’s borders are not allowed to offer online gambling in any form. For the best online poker California can offer to the 18+ crowd, refer to our list of top gambling sites above. You don’t need to visit the app store for these mobile gaming options, either. Just click on one of our preferred poker site links and find your game of choice.
When using these web apps, the graphic interface will conform to your screen’s dimensions and includes all the bells and whistles of a real application. A native iPhone poker app or Android poker app wouldn’t look or work any better, and by using a browser-based option instead, you never have to worry about downloads or updates. Mobile poker for cash on the go is just a few taps away.
California Poker FAQs
Poker is legal in the Golden State, and California poker rooms are a featured attraction at many commercial venues and tribal casinos. Live poker games are going on right now, and many of these gaming facilities feature routine tournaments. Browse the California poker tournament schedule or just simply join a table. The action is waiting, and all that is usually required is a minimum age of 21 and a stack of chips. But if you’re 18-20, a fat lot of good that does you!
Free video poker games are available at most of our top poker sites and are a premium tool for learning how to play poker (even though they are technically casino games and not part of the online poker room experience).
Free poker offers the same gameplay and action as a real money game without risking any cash, though the competition is all computer-based. The practice that free poker games provide is invaluable for real money play preparation. All 18-year-old gamblers in California should use free video poker as a tool in their arsenal.
Top players who want to test their might against the best competition CA has to offer can enter the California State Poker Championship. The poker tournament is held each May at the Commerce Casino & Hotel located in Commerce, just outside of East Los Angeles. It is a no-limit Texas Hold 'Em tournament, with a buy-in of $1,000 and a grand prize of $1,000,000.
Outside of the championship tourney mentioned above, there are many more poker tournaments California gamblers can trek to. Most card rooms in the state routinely schedule poker tournaments for players 21 and older. If it is 18-year-old poker tournaments you are after, online betting sites are your best bet.
The ultimate way to show the gambling world your poker prowess is by winning the World Series of Poker. There are many qualifiers for the WSOP, both online and in brick-and-mortar poker rooms, and opportunities to attain entry can be played for at the best poker rooms in California. Most recently, a qualifying tournament was held at the Bicycle Hotel & Casino in Los Angeles. That said, offshore poker rooms do not offer WSOP qualifiers, as these are strictly domestic affairs. How very un-Hollywood!
Participation in a social poker or home poker games is not against the law, but there are a few stipulations that must be followed. There can be no person or entity that keeps a percentage of the pot for hosting the game, and the game must be played amongst acquaintances in a private setting. Federal gaming regulations target illegal gambling organizations, not the players.
As long as your private poker game stays private, you’re in the clear. Until, of course, you win all your friends’ money and then have no more friends. But if you play online, that won’t happen, which is just another perk of the legal Internet poker room.