While Idaho might not have a lot of citizens, those who do live there deserve to have great online Gambling options. This is especially so since the state is lacking in land-based wagering establishments and the government shows little desire to change that.

Sadly, many small states would easily be forgotten as it just is not worth it for sites to offer games there. Idaho is lucky in that respect though as offshore sites have decided that allowing online poker in Idaho is an excellent idea.

A full roster of commendable Idaho online Poker sites provide options for the players of the state. Below, we run down all the best sites available along with the various promotions they offer. Please keep in mind that we have vetted these sites and all options presented are fair, provide quality games, and perhaps most importantly, pay out winnings in a timely manner.

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There are a myriad of online poker sites that accept Idahoan customers, and finding a good one might feel like looking for a needle in a haystack. We've narrowed the list down for you a bit by eliminating any rooms that are disreputable or dishonest. Whichever of the companies below you sign up with, you'll get to enjoy functional software, honest card dealing algorithms, and the no-nonsense payout of your withdrawal requests. Read the info we've gathered, and then register your account at the Idaho online poker site of your choice.

 

As the #1 most heavily trafficked online poker site that accepts Idahoans, Ignition Casino Poker deserves to be on your shortlist of prospective internet poker rooms. As a new player, you'll be greeted with a 100% up to $1,000 poker bonus that's worth 30% rakeback in sit & gos and MTTs while delivering a tad bit less valueback in cash games.

Ignition and the other PaiWangLuo Network poker sites hide all player names at the tables as part of their recreational player model. This allows novices to play without the worry that they're being tracked and hunted by sophisticated poker pros. Although the inability to use software tools at the tables may at first seem like a negative, the fact that tons of recreational users flock to Ignition's tables leads to juicy games and more than makes up for this lack.

Cash gamers will be pleased by the range of stakes offered in NL Hold'em, PL Omaha, and PL Omaha-8: from $0.02/$0.05 up to $10/$20. Limit Hold'em and Limit Omaha-8 are also present at levels as high as $30/$60. Zone Poker is Ignition's take on fast-fold poker. In Zone, you can fold your cards at any time and be instantly transported to a new table to begin another hand. The number of hands you can plow through in an hour is much higher in Zone than in normal ring games, so it's wonderful if you want to put in significant volume in a short timeframe.

Ignition spreads sit n' gos from $1 + $0.05 to $200 + $14, and there are a few non-standard games offered, like Beginners tables that award prizes to a larger-than-normal fraction of the field and Triple Ups that pay three times the buyin to the top one-third of the entrants. The poker room beefed up its SNG section in October 2017 with the introduction of Jackpot Sit & Go: a type of competition where the prize pool is determined by a random roll. You could find yourself contending for up to 1,200 times your buyin if the right multiplier comes up.

Ignition provides guarantees to the tune of $1.5 million per week in its tournaments. The most notable of them comes on Sunday afternoons with the $150 + $12 $100,000 guaranteed event. Furthermore, there are plenty of tournament series throughout the year, like the Golden Spade Poker Open, that hand out millions of dollars in prizes across dozens of tourneys.

There are download installers for both PC and Mac users. In addition, smartphone and tablet buffs can use their devices to log into the web browser-based Ignition poker room. One small demerit at Ignition, though, is that multi-table tournaments and non-lottery sit n' gos are not accessible from mobile. Cash games, including Zone Poker, and Jackpot Sit & Go are featured. However, the attached Ignition Casino offers mobile and desktop users the same access to hundreds of casino gaming titles, and you'll even get another 100% up to $1,000 free to check out the casino.

Sign up for Ignition Poker now by clicking on the banner above. Or you can read our detailed Ignition Casino Poker review to find out more about this organization.

 

The Chico Poker Network is a poker group that has risen from relative obscurity to now occupy the third spot in the rankings of U.S.A. internet poker traffic numbers. To sample the gameplay at this rapidly rising internet gaming portal, we suggest that you play at Sportsbetting.ag. There's a 100% up to $2,500 poker bonus waiting for you, and it releases at an enviable 33% rakeback equivalent rate.

The ring games at Sportsbetting are focused on casual players, which accounts for the presence of ultra-low $0.01/$0.02 NLHE and PLO tables. Yet, if you wish to play higher, you'll find action up to $5/$10. PLO/8 is spread too, but the lowest denomination is $0.05/$0.10 for this split-pot game. At specially designated No Limit Texas Hold'em tables, there's a Bad Beat Jackpot running. Take JJJJ or better to showdown and lose, and you might become hundreds of thousands of dollars richer. This BBJ has been activated for almost $1 million in the past. Boost Poker is the name of the Chico network's fast-fold poker product that lets you fold whenever you want and get another set of hole cards right away.

The SNG section is pretty active at SB.ag with games filling up and starting fairly regularly at buyins from $1.34 + $0.16 up through $100 + $9. There is a $215 level also, but you may have to wait around a bit for enough people to register. Near the end of 2017, Windfall tournaments appeared at SB.ag. They're lottery-style SNGs that allow you to play for up to 2,000 times your buyin if fortune should smile upon you. Sadly, the MTTs at this poker room are not anything to write home about. Most of the multi-table contests are for small buyins of $20 and below. There is, however, a $90 + $9 Main Event that runs every Sunday, and it guarantees $50,000. On the final Sunday of every calendar month, it grows to a $100 + $9 buyin and $100,000 guaranteed.

The Chico Poker Network supports Mac and PC desktop and laptop machines. There are also mobile apps for iOS and Android, and they're among the best mobile poker solutions on the market today. You can even play through your web browser if you don't want to download anything.

Three leaderboards reward frequent cash game, sit & go, and tourney players. In total, they're worth $20,000 every week. You'll also collect comp points as you play, and these points can be traded in for tournament buyins at a rate of approximately 5% cashback. There are plenty of opportunities for free money as well in the casino, sports, racing, and other wagering products available at Sportsbetting.ag.

Follow the above banner link to get set up at Sportsbetting Poker. We've prepared a comprehensive Sportsbetting.ag review page for your enlightenment. If you're interested in another poker room on the same network, then browse over to our BetOnline Poker review.

 

Bovada is a partner of Ignition Casino, so almost all the ring games, Zone Poker pools, sit and gos, and tournaments are identical between the two sites. Despite the fact that Bovada's 100% up to $500 poker welcome bonus is half the size of Ignitions, there are other reasons to select Bovada especially if you partake in other forms of gambling besides poker.

The main differentiator between Ignition and Bovada is that the latter site hosts a fully fleshed-out sportsbook and racebook. If you enjoy putting some action down on your favorite players and teams, then you can do so at Bovada, and it's even possible, in some markets, to place wagers after contests have already started with the Live Betting feature.

The list of supported tracks in the racebook section is pretty diverse with venues from the United States, United Kingdom, Ireland, and South Africa available for betting. You can make simple Win/Place/Show bets if you'd like or broaden your vistas by exploring the full menu of exotics. Bovada pays full track odds; there's no funny business going on here.

There are bonus offers for your delectation in each of the gaming divisions of Bovada. On top of the poker bonus discussed above, which is worth as much as $500, you're entitled to three $1,000 bonuses in the casino as well as up to $250 for the sportsbook/racebook. If you transact in the digital currency Bitcoin, though, you'll be able to take advantage of crypto-exclusive deals that boost the total bonus amount as high as $5,500.

Click on the banner above to go to Bovada and open an account. You can first read through our factual Bovada poker, sports, casino, and racebook review if you wish.

 

The flagship brand of the Horizon Poker Network, Intertops, is a fine gambling operator that has been in business for more than 30 years. Its poker room is on the smaller size, but the firm makes up for this with the breadth and profitability of its promotional specials. For starters, you'll get a 200% up to $1,000 bonus for poker when you make your initial deposit.

The rate of Intertops poker bonus clearing depends heavily on the particular types of games you play, but it can be as valuable as 27% rakeback. This adds on top of the 36% rakeback that you'll enjoy as a visitor from ProfRB's pages. Another perk that you can claim is 100 free casino lines, which have an expected value of $90 or even more. Finally, you'll get to enter a monthly $1,000 freeroll after making your deposit.

The cash games at Intertops tend to be for 50NL and lower although you may find tables as high as 200NL during peak hours. The sit n' go lobby is unfortunately virtually empty, and the SNGs that do run are for micro stakes. Most of the multi-table events here are also for low buyins, but there is a daily Sundowner tourney that costs $50 + $5 and pays out no less than $1,200. This guarantee grows to $4,000 on Sundays while the buyin drops to $15 + $1.50.

Always remember to stay on the alert at Intertops for time-sensitive promos. Reload bonuses appear about once every month or two while special tournaments tend to occur on or around major holidays. You may also encounter appealing bonuses for casino games and sportsbetting every once in a while. On a more regular basis, you'll be able to participate in a weekly rake race that disburses $4,000 in free cash to the top 100 users. Intertops also has a Loyalty Levels program that grants rewards every time you complete a tier and gold chips that can be exchanged for no deposit bonuses.

It's easy to start playing at Intertops – just click through the above banner. Our review of Intertops Poker is waiting for you if you'd like more information on this site.

 

The Winning Poker Network is a combination of poker rooms that possess a slick software platform, wide array of game types and stakes, and the second-largest traffic figures in the U.S.A. internet poker environment. The main brand on the network is Americas Cardroom, which will place a 100% up to $1,000 bonus (20% rakeback rate) into your account upon your initial deposit.

The ring game scene at ACR is perfect for high rollers because there's action up to $25/$50 in big-bet games (NLHE, PLO, PLO/8). If the state of your bankroll doesn't allow you to spread your wings at this stratospheric level, then there are tables as low as $0.01/$0.02 too. Limit formats (LHE, LO8, and 7CS) are available with each variety boasting games as high as $30/$60 and even bigger in some cases.

Sit and gos at the WPN range from around $1.50 up to contests that require more than $1,000 to join, but most games higher than about $120 or so have low player participation. Americas Cardroom provides access to two unique SNG game types: SNG 2.0 and Jackpot Poker. SNG 2.0 is a nine-handed match that uses a pregame round to boost the prize pool depending on the results of revealing random cards. Jackpot Poker uses randomized multipliers to determine the amount of cash awarded, up to a maximum of 2,500 buyins.

This site is the leading place to go for massive tournament paydays if you're an American card player. Besides the $200 + $15 Sunday Special, the biggest Sunday Major available to residents of the United States, there are also recurring Million Dollar Sundays that let you pay $500 + $40 for the opportunity to attempt to win your share of the seven-figure prize pools. There are also several tournament series per year, such as the Online Super Series. In most of these series, a leaderboard runs that offers additional goodies beyond the sums won for cashing in the events.

Americas Cardroom proudly administers two weekly leaderboards: The Beast for ring game players and Sit & Crush for SNGers. Each of them distributes tens of thousands of dollars every week to the top finishers in the form of cash and satellite tournament entries. An Elite Benefits program rewards players with complimentary money based upon the amount they rake.

To get started at Americas Cardroom, follow the above banner link. You may wish to peruse our Americas Cardroom poker review to better acquaint yourself with what to expect.

ACR is just one member of a poker network, and all the rooms housed within the Winning Poker Network coordinate their efforts and share player liquidity. This permits them to host more games and develop better software than they would otherwise be able to do acting alone. Other prominent sites on the WPN include: BlackChip Poker (read review), True Poker (read review), and PokerHost (read review). Rakeback is possible at all of these sites, and it may prove superior to Elite Benefits rewards for many individuals. For RB signup instructions, head over to our WPN 27% rakeback informational page. For a thorough comparison of the merits of Elite Benefits and rakeback, read our guide to EB vs RB at the Winning Poker Network.

 

5Dimes is the final room on our list and for good reason: It's a bit smaller than the rest of our partner sites. Yet, there are plenty of reasons to consider playing here – if not as your primary poker home then certainly as an additional entry on your roster of reputable sites. You needn't fear for the safety of your funds despite the size of this poker room because it's a part of one of the top USA sportsbooks that has been around for more than 20 years.

Cash game tables can be found as low as $0.05/$0.10 and as high as $1/$2. Though Limit Hold'em, Pot Limit Omaha, and Pot Limit Omaha Hi-Lo are present, most of the running games are in No Limit Texas Hold'em format. There are seldom more than half a dozen tables with players seated at them, so this isn't the place for you if you're a heavy multi-tabler. Nevertheless, if you don't mind the sparse population numbers, 5Dimes can be a profitable cardroom. The players tend to be unsophisticated in the ways of poker strategy because they're mainly casino and sports wagerers. You should thus have no trouble at all scooping up more than your share of pots.

There are a few tournaments scheduled every day, and some of them don't charge any house fee. You'll get an instant boost to your return on investment if you elect to register for these MTTs. Keep in mind, though, that there are no events priced higher than about $5, so the total money up for grabs is pretty modest. Still, if you like small fields and low rake, this is an excellent internet poker venue. You'll boost your bankroll even further with the 50% rakeback deal that comes standard with your 5 Dimes account.

Following our above banner will allow you to register your new 5Dimes account. To get a more solid understanding of what this site has to offer, check out our Grand Poker Network review.

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How to Choose the Right Idaho Poker Site

There's quite a bit of difference between the sites for online Idaho poker even though all the entities listed above are dependable and ethical. The right one for you will depend upon your own personal playing habits and goals. Although it's not our place to tell you which room would be best for you, we do have a few factors you may wish to think about while contemplating your decision:

 

Online Poker Payouts

Whenever you grow your balance enough that you want to request a cashout, you can do so via check at all of the sites we've been discussing. Other payout methods vary from site to site and may include bank wires, debit cards, and money transfer services. However, we advise all our readers to transact in the digital currency Bitcoin. It's a way to move money around online rapidly and with low fees. All of the Idaho poker rooms that we work with accept BTC for both deposits and withdrawals. If you're intrigued by the possibility of using Bitcoin but aren't exactly sure how to get started, then our step-by-step walkthrough on using Bitcoin for online gaming may be just what you need.

 

Idaho Gambling History

The land now encompassed in Idaho has long played host to a variety of betting games. Wilson Butte Cave, located northeast of Twin Falls, served as a gathering point for indigenous people perhaps as many as 15,000 years ago. Gambling implements made of bone have been discovered there in abundance.

More recently, the Northern Shoshone employed stick dice for the purposes of gaming. Contestants would place their bets on being able to score a certain number of points and then would throw the dice. Depending on which sides landed face-up, different combinations scored varying numbers of points. The next player would then attempt to beat the first player's score, and whoever won received whatever had been staked on the game.

As an interior destination not close to major waterways or trade routes, it took a long time for outsiders to set foot in what is now Idaho although it had been previously claimed by France and sold to the United States in 1803. It's possible that the Lewis and Clark expedition was the first European incursion into the area in 1805.

For a long time, fur trapping and trading were the major economic activities occurring in Idaho, and since most of the practitioners of this industry were isolated loners, there wasn't much opportunity for gambling. However, they would get together for what were called rendezvous every once in a while. These were basically markets that had the atmosphere of festivals, including dancing, drinking, swapping tall tales, and of course gambling.

The discovery of gold in 1860 opened the door for mining claims, and settlements sprung up around ore deposits. Within mining camps, gambling was next to only drinking as a form of recreation, and so numerous houses to cater to these demands soon appeared. When Idaho became a territory of the United States in 1863, the new legislature opted not to shut down these establishments but rather to license them and use the funds generated for educational purposes.

In 1890, Idaho became the 43rd state, and its constitution specified:

SEC. 20. The Legislature shall not authorize any lottery or gift enterprise under any pretense or for any purpose whatever.

Lawmakers followed up in 1899 with “An Act to prohibit gambling, and to provide for the punishment thereof, and for other purposes,” but this new law was unpopular. Many citizens believed that betting and wagering games were part of the tradition of Idaho, and they lobbied for the law to be repealed. Consequently, the legislature passed provisions allowing local jurisdictions to decide whether or not they wished to permit gambling facilities in their localities.

Small casinos and cardrooms soon appeared, offering not only poker but also roulette and casino table games. Another gambling distraction soon gained prominence: slot machines. In fact, the state authorities expressly made slot gaming legal in 1947. Capital city Boise opted to enact its own local ordinance prohibiting slots, but quick-thinking entrepreneurs simply set up shop in neighboring Garden City much to the consternation of the moralistic Boise city fathers. Ketchum was another town that was famed for its slot machine casinos.

All this fun came to an end, though, in 1953 when the Idaho Supreme Court declared that the legislation allowing slots and other gambling was unconstitutional. They referred to the text of the 1890 constitution banning lotteries. In its reasoning, the court used the old common law definition of “lottery,” which held that as long as an activity contained the three elements of chance, consideration, and prize, it was a type of lottery. This decision had the effect of basically outlawing all gambling within the state.

The story since then has been one of slow additions to this completely blank mid-century legalized gaming menu. In 1963, pari-mutuel horse race betting became OK with the passage of the Horse Racing Act. In 1988, voters approved of a plan to institute an Idaho Lottery, and it began selling tickets the next year. At the same time, the constitution was amended to allow charitable bingo and raffles.

In the '90s, the state negotiated gaming compacts with several tribes, and tribal casinos appeared. However, they're restricted to Class II games, like bingo and video gaming terminals, and cannot host Class III gambling, like blackjack tables or poker. The Coeur d'Alene tribe tested these restrictions in 2014 by opening up a small poker room on one of their properties, but it was soon shut down in the wake of an unfavorable court ruling.

In 2011, simulcast race betting was authorized, meaning that wagers don't need to be placed at the track where the race is occurring. Racetracks were permitted to install historical racing terminals in 2013. These machines allow the users to put down their money on the results of past races with all identifying information on the horses and jockeys hidden. However, in 2015, these terminals were outlawed. In 2016, Attorney General Lawrence Wasden negotiated an agreement with the two leading daily fantasy sports companies, FanDuel and DraftKings, whereby they stopped offering real money contests to Idahoans.

Gambling Timeline of Idaho

 

 

Prospects for Regulated Idaho Online Poker

It's most unlikely that Idaho will implement a licensed online gambling environment. It's typical for states to first introduce brick-and-mortar cardrooms before experimenting with an internet poker presence, and Idaho hasn't yet taken this first step. In addition, despite Idaho's early history of wide-open gambling, the past few decades have seen very few legal gambling options open to Idahoans. A final factor to consider is the relatively small population of Idaho, which is just under 2 million. This is probably insufficient for a self-sustaining internet poker market, so inter-state compacts would be necessary before a successful online poker scene develops. These are a lot of hurdles to pass through, and it will probably take many years before Idaho can navigate through them.

 

Land-Based Gambling

There are only a few options for terrestrial gambling in the Gem State, including charitable bingo and raffles, pari-mutuel betting, and a state lottery. There are no commercial casinos, but there are a handful of tribal gaming establishments. Unfortunately, poker is not authorized anywhere in the state, and this includes the tribal casinos too. Even home games are banned, so your best bet for live poker may be to head across the Nevada border to Jackpot where there are some poker games running.

Idaho's Famous Poker Players

Idahoan players haven't really made too much of an impact in the world of poker, but there are exceptions. Kevin MacPhee, of Coeur D'Alene, has more than $5 million in lifetime live tournament winnings and another $7 million online. He first started playing seriously during the Moneymaker Boom, opening his “ImaLuckSac” account on PokerStars and going by the handle “Wu_Wizard” on Full Tilt. His notable tourney scores include winning €1,000,000 for shipping the €5,300 EPT Germany Main Event in 2010 and €883,000 for prevailing in the €10,450 WSOPE Main Event in 2015. He has one other WSOP bracelet, earned in the 2015 $5,000 NLHE Turbo event.

 

Do you have an address in a nearby state?

If you are happen to have another address in a nearby state, be it your business address, summer home, second apartment, family estate, etc, you may have other online poker options available to you. Here is a list of the states that border Idaho and Professional Rakeback's review on each of them: California, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah,