Florida Online Poker Guide

When it comes to online betting, Florida law does not allow for any markets to domestically operate over the Internet.

That means there’s no online FL poker, online FL casinos, or online FL sportsbooks run by state-based entities.

However, if the sites you use to gamble online are located outside of the United States, they’re legal to use, as there are no FL gambling laws barring access to them.

Even though you can’t gamble online in FL with a domestic operator, you can still legally and safely play online poker and participate in other forms of online gambling if you live in the Sunshine State.

To do so, you must play with a reputable international betting site that operates outside of the country.

Yes, but not domestically.

Fortunately, there are no poker laws in FL that ban participation at offshore gambling sites operating legally within the industry. Of course, most sites can’t be trusted, so you should play your hand with only the most well-known, reputable brands.

For the best online poker, Florida players should stick with the sites recommended in this FL online poker guide. 

The best poker room near Tampa is actually in Tampa, located at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.

There, you can play low-stakes, medium-stakes, and high-stakes poker in Florida, and cash tables and tournaments run 24/7.

If you want to play at a smaller venue, many Tampa Bay casino cruises are available, as are racinos and FL cardrooms like The Silks Poker Room, TGT Poker & Racebook, and similar destinations.

If you’re looking for a poker room, Orlando, Florida, has a number of nearby options to choose from.

You can play at major venues like the Hard Rock Casino in Tampa and the Seminole Casino Brighton (Okeechobee), or at smaller, closer venues like the Orange City Racing and Card Club.

Yes! If you look at poker rooms in Florida on a map, South FL is where most brick-and-mortar gambling options are concentrated.

There are several Class III Seminole casinos to choose from, and you can also play poker at the Class II Miccosukee Resort & Gaming facility in Hollywood.

The biggest attraction, naturally, is the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood, home of the famous “Guitar Hotel.” The best South Florida poker tournaments are regularly held at the Hard Rock.

That said, if you can’t make it to South Florida, you can always play online poker in Florida for real money, which is the top option for most gamblers regardless of where they live in the state.

Most FL poker rooms are player-banked and located at various racino venues and cardrooms throughout the state. At these venues, the house isn’t allowed to take a cut of the action, meaning that all money risked is paid back to the players.

Nevertheless, such venues can earn what amounts to a house take (or “rake”) by charging players for their seats at the table. This is a flat fee paid by each player and is not derived from any winnings or losses during the games themselves.

Florida card rooms with poker tables make an estimated $150 to $200 million annually, with the state taxing these receipts at 10%.    

House-banked poker games like those available at the six Class III Seminole casinos in FL also generate significant revenues, but poker rake is not included as part of the profit-sharing agreement outlined in the new 2021 FL-Seminole compact, so these numbers aren’t reported publicly.