Best US Site For Cash Games

Here I Go Through The Poker Sites Still Open To US Players In 2011 And Compare Their Offerings Of Cash Games

** Oct 14th 2011 - Some Great News: Merge are back and accepting new US players again, albeit with a small number of excluded states. Carbon, the biggest site on this network are about to become my top choice in several categories - with more games to choose from, great software and some excellent promotions they are a clear lead among the US friendly sites. **

Cash games are where you can really make your skill differences count at the poker table. While the days of massive volume at Stars might be over for now, there are still some great games available – especially at the lower to middle limits.

Cake Poker and Bodog have quickly gone from being the best choice to 'alternates' now that Carbon Poker are open again. Doyle’s Room are now closing (well, rebranding as America's Cardroom ) and the Everleaf Network are good for the lowest buy-ins, however do not have too much choice above the micros at the time of writing. Keep an eye on this page (or my main page featuring poker sites open to US players in 2011) and I’ll let you know if the cash game action changes significantly anytime soon - for now the best way to look at this is that Carbon are in places 1, 2 and 3 - with Cake in 4th and Bodog in 5th!

Here is what to expect at the different sites:

Best US Site For Cash Games 2011 – Carbon Poker

Carbon are the biggest site on the biggest US friendly poker network, they have the best choice of cash games and also the best software of the US-facing rooms. Games range from 2c / 4c blinds, up to $50 / $100, with a huge choice at 50c / $1 and below and a smaller choice up to $5 / $10 blinds which increases in the evenings and at weekends. There are heads-up, 6-handed and 9-handed tables with fixed limit and pot limit games running too.

Key to these cash games are the mainly recreational player base of Carbon Poker, the games are noticably softer than those at Stars (for example). Fun software features, such as the ability to trigger animations (think smileys and headbanging pandas) by typing special keywords into the chat make the games friendly - and friendly games are profitable games! Bad-beat jackpot tables are popular at Carbon, especially once the jackpot goes over $100k, the rake is bigger in these games, however the recreational players will flock to them once the prize gets big - making them even softer than the regular tables.

Carbon have a great loyalty scheme with several levels, this gives cash bonuses as well as goods from their online store and is considered generous by poker site standards. We can also offer SNG Planet readers an extra bonus - 200% matched (max $600) + a free $11 SNG token, simply use coupon code SNGPLANET when you register to receive this.

All-in all a great combination and a clear number 1 for US cash game players - Check out Carbon Poker for yourself now!

Alternate Site For US Players Seeking Great Cash Games - Cake Poker

Pre-black Friday Cake stood out from the other US sites by banning tools such as Heads-Up-Displays’ from their games. This put off a lot of the higher volume grinders and kept the games soft compared to some of the larger sites. I never really understood why a few more players did not make the move to these profitable games.

Fast forward to the Fall of 2011. The games are full of recreational players – some profitable though most not, there are better incentives than ever to get you playing (a gold card exchange for example, as well as lots of one-off promos) and Cake are still welcoming American players to their tables… a win-win.

Cake Poker offer the 2nd biggest selection of games available and goes right up to the mid-stakes. You will find PLO and PLO Hi-Lo increasingly popular too. Expect to have a good choice up to 25c / 50c, a fair choice up to $1 / $2 and a few higher stakes games too, hit the tables on a weekday evening for the max number of games which often hit the $5 / $10 blinds – and also the max number of recreational players unwinding after a day in the office.

Soft games, great loyalty rewards and welcomes US players… a great combo, use Bonus Code SNGPLANET to claim your 110% matched welcome bonus up to $600 at Cakepoker.com

My Current Top Choice - 110% Bonus Code = SNGPLANET

Best US Site For Cash Games 2011 – The Rest

I’m not going to have a separate section for the remaining sites, since the choice of cash games is limited to the lowest levels at Doyle’s Room (about to shift to America's Card room) and Luvin Poker.... and Bodog are leaving the US Market at the end of 2011.

Doyle’s are the smallest of all, their new home on the Yatahay (True) network is attracting new players – so I’ll keep and eye to see how things go there for the rest of the year. You can read my overall review of Doyle's Room here.

Luvin Poker on the Everleaf network have a lot of tables running and a vibrant, fun community too. The games are really focused on the micro-stakes there, with hardly anything to note above 50c / $1… not a bad choice for players of the smallest stakes having some fun, not much room to move up though! My review of Luvin Poker is here.

Conclusion / Next Steps – Cash Game Poker Sites For US Readers

There is one stand out choice at the moment – Carbon Poker. This site combines a big and growing choice of cash games with some generous rewards. I recommed that you Check out the games at Carbon Poker now . Remember bonus code = SNGPLANET for your initial 200% to $600 bonus + free $11 SNG Token

Don't forget to bookmark this page now - I'll update on the US scene as soon as any news comes in!