Betting real money in the U.S.

First time to these forums, I can already tell that I'll be spending a lot of time here. I have a quick question though, I remember hearing about some type of law banning online gambling in the U.S. and was wondering If I would be able to bet on poker over the internet, or if it's illegal now. Any insight on this would be greatly appreciated. I'm not planning on putting a large amount of money in at all, only 20$-30$ to start off with, so I was also wondering what the best site to use is? I've used Absolute poker for a long time, always liked it, but I don't think it's the best for betting real money on. Thanks again in advanced for any feedback .

There is no federal law against playing poker online, the law makes it illegal for financial institutions (such as credit cards) to transfer funds to and from poker rooms. So each room has different restrictions and ways of handling money transfers.

At your level, I wouldn't worry about Absolute Poker or Ultimatebet money games. Why change sites?

In any case, to answer your question about 'best site,' we would have to know what games you play, in what forms (ring, MTT, SNG) etc. If in doubt, the big sites (such as pokerstars and tilt) seem more reliable right now, but 'seem' is the operative word.

So I wouldn't be able to transfer money via credit card? How else would I do it? Do any sites let me use paypal instead?
Btw, I might just use Bodog poker, just trying it out and I like it so far, seem to be a decent amount of players also.

Most sites won't accept US credit cards. However there are some VISA/MC gift cards (like the All Access brand cards) that usually DO work at most sites, a lot of folks pick those up at a convenience store, load them with money, and deposit from that. It costs a few bucks extra, but if you deposit enough up front and manage your bankroll, the one-time fee isn't bad.

SportsBook.com, which runs a Cake skin, does accept most US credit cards at this time. They took mine, which didn't work anywhere else. Their poker room isn't too bad, I've done pretty well there, but it's a little buggy and definitely not up to the quality of Stars. You can however use your account for other gambling (sports, etc.).

Otherwise most US players either use snail mail or bank draft to fund or withdraw their accounts. I've used eCheck on PokerStars and my credit card on SportsBook. So far I haven't funded my FullTilt account but will likely use eCheck or the equivalent if I do.

Thanks a ton for all the info, thats very, very helpful. I will probably swing by a couple of local stores and see if I can find any of those credit card things, I forget what they're called >.<. If I can't find any I'll just use the sports site. Thanks again for all your help.

at least they did last year. When you get your credit card statement, though, look for something like 'floral shop' or something - it's just not gonna say 'poker room'. No idea if they are breaking some kind of international banking laws, but they do get around it.

My debit card issued through chase bank did not work on Bodog. I then tried my Amazon credit card issued through chase bank and it did work, weird. Neither worked when trying to deposit on pokerstars and had to do e-check, actually my credit card got locked out and I had to call and tell them it was me making those attempts.

I bank with Chase and my debit card works just fine. I call Bodog Customer Support direct, give them the info, and it's almost instant. Try again but call instead of doing it online.

The most popular choice I've seen talked about around here is the prepaid All Access cards. Pick them up at local groceiry stores etc.

I love bodog and have never had a problem depositing. If you do their customer service is excellent and will help you.