Poker in Los Angeles: Live, Cashgames, Tournaments
If you want to play for real money poker games in Los Angeles in Kalifornien Kalifornien with 3.976.322 residents, you will need to visit a national casino or a poker room.
Only in the national casinos in Kalifornien Kalifornien are real money tournaments of Texas Hold'em allowed, because according to jurisdiction in United States poker is a game of luck. On this website we explain you all the different options to play poker in Los Angeles and show you the legal framework in Kalifornien Kalifornien.
Legal notice: Is it legal to play poker Los Angeles ?
Poker Cash Games can fulfill in Kalifornien Kalifornien and therefore also in Los Angeles the element of the offence of illegal gambling. One can be punished according to these laws if one hosts public gambling or takes part in it.
Is poker a game of luck?
The question of whether poker is a game of chance is still to be cleared. The jurisdiction in United States and therefore also in Los Angeles says however that poker is to be graded as a game of luck.The national casinos in United States have for sure a permission.
Poker in restaurants in Los Angeles
Attention pubs & hosts! There is high risk of losing the official permission to operate a restaurant in Los Angeles if you make yourself liable to prosecution.
Summary
- Poker cash games are generally forbidden in United States and therefore also in Los Angeles.
- The casinos in United States have a permission.
- Often it is very hard for the authorities in Los Angeles to evidence prohibited gambling.
- Tournaments are considered a game of skill, cash games a game of luck
Please note that the information provided does not constitute legal advice under the law and cannot replace legal advice, as such advice always requires knowledge of all individual circumstances, in particular of the specific individual case.
Cashgames: Real money poker games in Los Angeles
Participation in poker cash games for real money is not allowed in public. If prefer to participate in poker games for real money in Los Angeles, you will have to go to casinos & poker clubs and poker rooms in the near area. If you don't like to enter a casino but still don't want to give up poker cash games, you can check out Home Games, which are heavily regulated.
Poker tournaments in Los Angeles
Poker tournaments in Los Angeles are not a problem under specific conditions. Tournaments are permitted as long as no real cash is paid out, but the award is a non-cash prize. In Los Angeles and the surrounding area there are frequent poker tournaments. Upcoming tournaments can be discovered in the tournament calendar.
Poker Clubs: The best poker rooms in Los Angeles
More alternatives are available by the various poker clubs & poker rooms with in and around Los Angeles. In Los Angeles there is a diverese club landscape with various tournaments with non-cash prizes. Here is a good overview:
Live poker in casinos near by Los Angeles
In the city center of Los Angeles you will currently not spot a casino with poker floor. Kalifornien Kalifornien has its casinos mostly in small towns and outside the heart of the city. It is however not a matter to reach them by car or public transport. Most have additional an own transfer facilities. If you want to use your own car, all casinos provide extensive parking facilities for poker players. Today, every casino in United States routinely hosts real money poker tournaments. There are a lot of tournaments and poker events that you can play. Here with us you'll get a summary, structured by federal states, of every places offering poker with their individual schedule and all other information. After only a short drive you can join legal poker games for real cash in one of the casinos around Los Angeles.
Best Poker Players from Los Angeles
The following list shows you the Top 10 poker players with the highest tournament winnings from Los Angeles.-
1. Sean Yu
USD 2,435,882.00 -
2. Vahan Sudzhyan
USD 851,856.00 -
3. Kyle Nguyen
USD 702,701.00 -
4. Kyungmin Lee
USD 791,082.00 -
5. Paul Ladanyi
USD 810,523.00 -
6. Yunye Lu
USD 959,375.00 -
7. Harijs Broza
USD 82,352.00 -
8. Aram Mkhitaryan
USD 37,180.00 -
9. Ophir Atar
USD 500,532.00 -
10. David Rheem
USD 11,244,245.00
Homegames: Pokern for real money in Los Angeles in private locations
In Los Angeles the legislation of the federal state Kalifornien Kalifornien applies. In order not be prohibited to play poker home games in Los Angeles you have to take care of the following:
Is the poker round in Los Angeles public?
If the poker game is not public, it can be allowed in principle and does not have to justify any criminal liability. A poker round is public after the jurisdiction in Kalifornien Kalifornien, if "it is made outwardly recognizably accessible to a not firmly closed circle of acquaintances". An example of this is cash games in pubs in Los Angeles that anyone could join. Attention, this is forbidden!
Habituality
Even a closed society can be considered public in Kalifornien Kalifornien based on § 285 II StGB, if gambling takes place there according to law.If the round takes place regulardy, it is prohibited in private rooms in Los Angeles as well as in public. So, if money games are held for every week on the similar day, it does not matter if it is a private room or not. Both are prohibited.
The best Online Poker Rooms in comparison

Please be aware that online poker is regulated in most states. There are currently 4 states that offer legal online poker for real money in the United States – New Jersey, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. Pennsylvania became the latest to join this group when PokerStars went live in the state on Nov. 4, 2019.
- WSOP/888 US is currently the only poker site that shares online poker players between all three legal online poker states (NJ, Nevada & Delaware). It’s currently the #1 US online poker site by traffic.
- Poker Stars – New Jersey and Pennsylvania
- Party Poker – New Jersey only
- Pala Poker – New Jersey only
Non-regulated online poker sites in the United States are online poker platforms that operate without the oversight of a governmental regulatory body, such as a state's gaming commission. This means they do not have to adhere to the same rules and regulations that regulated sites do, which can sometimes pose significant risks for players. Important considerations for players on non-regulated sites include the potential for unfair games, lack of protection for player funds, and legal risk. Unfair games can occur if the site's software is not regularly audited for fairness. In terms of financial protection, non-regulated sites might not separate player funds from operational funds, which can pose a risk if the company goes bankrupt. Additionally, it is important to note that while playing online poker is not explicitly illegal at the federal level in the U.S., state laws vary widely and some states have laws against playing poker on non-regulated sites. Therefore, players should be well-informed about their state's specific laws before deciding to play on non-regulated sites.