Sportsgrid Staff
Host · Writer - Published: 04/29/25
Playing online poker for real money in the US is tricky. Depending on where you live, there may be a couple of places where you can access real-money poker games, but for the majority of people, it’s off limits.
In this guide, we’ll look at a recommended alternative to real money online poker, as we introduce sweepstakes casinos and the social poker experience they offer. Sweepstakes poker may not provide the excitement of real-money poker, but if you live in a state with few legal options, we think sites like Stake.us and Clubs Poker provide ideal alternatives.
Not wishing to start our guide to real-money online poker sites on a downer, but chances are that you’ll struggle to find places to play online poker for real money depending on where you live in the USA.
While some states have relaxed their online gambling laws in recent years, in most jurisdictions, using real-money poker and casino sites remains prohibited. Indeed, the US has some of the staunchest legislation on the planet when it comes to restricting access to online gambling and betting sites, so the prospect of playing poker online for real money may be off limits to you.
We’re sorry if that’s not the news you wanted to hear. However, we think we have an alternative for you in the form of free poker sites that should prove more accessible in your jurisdiction.
When we talk about “free poker sites”, we’re specifically referring to sweepstakes casinos. These are unique gaming sites where you can access casino-style games (think poker, slots, and tables like blackjack and baccarat) in a 100% legal and legit way, all without spending a dime or reaching for your wallet.
Sweepstakes casinos operate within current US gaming legislation, which states that brands can operate so long as they offer all their games, bonuses, and features on a 100% no-purchase-necessary basis. That means you can access sweepstakes casinos for free with no mandatory deposits or purchases required.
Although slots are the mainstay of sweepstakes casinos, the best brands often feature popular table games like poker, too. Indeed, sweepstakes poker is becoming more and more popular, prompting some well-established sweepstakes casinos to bolster their free-play poker offerings to satiate this growing demand.
Right now, you might be thinking, free sweepstakes poker sounds great and all, but how does it actually work? That’s a fair enough question, particularly given that, unlike real-money online poker, you won’t be wagering with or winning real cash here.
So, to understand how poker works on sweepstakes casinos, you need to familiarize yourself with the mechanics of sweepstakes gaming. These sites operate on what’s known as a “dual currency” gaming model, wherein two virtual coins, Gold Coins and Sweeps Coins, stand in for real money wagering.
Let’s take a quick look at the characteristics of Gold Coins and Sweeps Coins and how they relate to free-play sweepstakes poker.
| Gold Coins (GC) | Gold Coins are used to play poker at sweepstakes casinos on a 100% fun-only recreational basis. These free coins are ideal if you’re looking to try out different sweepstakes poker games, as you can pick up more of them easily. |
| Sweeps Coins (SC) | Sweeps Coins allow you to access poker games in sweepstakes mode, with the potential to redeem your winnings for real prizes. Sweeps Coins can be exchanged for prizes like cash and gift cards when the right conditions are met. |
Now that you know the mechanics of how sweepstakes casinos work and the free virtual currencies they use, let’s take a closer look at how poker plays out on these free-play gaming sites.
We’ve listed a couple of options below if you need recommendations on the best sweepstakes poker sites to use.
Activate the brand’s welcome bonus to receive a free starting sum of Gold Coins and Sweeps Coins. On most sweepstakes casinos, this simply requires you to register for a free account, although you may need to add a bonus code in some cases.
Once you’ve registered and verified your account, collect your free GC and SC then head over to the brand’s games library. Here, select “Poker” from the category options available.
Toggle between “Gold Coins” and “Sweeps Coins” poker gaming modes. Remember, if you choose to play with SC, and win more, you may be able to redeem them for a prize.
Enter your favorite poker games. Some sweepstakes casinos offer live variants of free-play poker, where you can play with real dealers and fellow players. However, there are iterations where you’ll be playing against a computer, too.
From there, sweepstakes poker follows the same rules as standard poker, except you’ll be playing with Gold Coins and Sweeps Coins rather than real money. If you win your hand, you’ll receive Gold Coins or Sweeps Coins, depending on the current game mode you’re using.
Remember we said that Sweeps Coin winnings can be redeemed for prizes in certain scenarios? Well, you’ll need to take care of a couple of key requirements before you can swap Sweeps Coins for prizes like cash and gift cards.
All sweepstakes poker sites have “sweepstakes rules”, which essentially provide a blueprint on how to collect and redeem Sweeps Coins. They usually contain key rules like a minimum redemption threshold (often, 100 SC) as well as a playthrough requirement, which tells you how many times you’ll need to use each SC before it qualifies for redemption.
Make sure you familiarize yourself with a brand’s T&Cs and sweepstakes rules before you play, so you know the key points you’ll need to satisfy to redeem SC for prizes.
With real-money online poker off the table in most US states, we thought it was worth recommending a couple of sweepstakes casino brands that you may be able to access as solid alternatives. It’s worth noting that these sites may or may not be available depending on your jurisdiction, so check their respective terms of service for a list of legal states and geographical restrictions before registering.
Stake.us offers a tremendous free-play poker experience, blending classic table poker variants with a reliable sweepstakes gaming system for which the brand is renowned. It’s possible to play three iterations of poker at Stake.us, including the classic Texas Hold’em, the four-hole Omaha system, and the beloved Pineapple Hold’em, where players start with three cards but discard one after the flop.
Before playing poker at Stake.us, you can easily switch between Gold Coins and Stake Cash gaming modes, with Stake Cash serving as a rebranded version of the “Sweeps Coins” we discussed earlier. And it gets better, because with our exclusive Stake.us promo code, SPORTSGRID, you can claim up to 56 Stake Cash + 560,000 Gold Coins + 5% Rakeback when you register with the site as a brand-new member.
As its rather apt name suggests, Clubs Poker is a site dedicated to bringing you the very best sweepstakes poker experience on the web. While there are some slots and alternative table games to play at Clubs, most of the site is taken up by – you guessed it – sweepstakes poker games. And, as with Stake.us, you can select from a range of different variants here, including Texas Hold’em, Omaha, and Pineapple Hold’em.
The great thing about Clubs Poker is that most of its free-play poker games offer a live, multiplayer experience. That means, after choosing between Gold Coins and Sweeps Coins game modes, you’ll enter a real virtual poker game room, where an immersive experience awaits. The brand’s bonuses aren’t half bad, either, particularly the 2,500 GC and 0.5 SC daily login promo.
If you’re passionate about poker but live in the US, finding legit and legal places to play your favorite table game can prove difficult. That’s why we think that sweepstakes poker games offer the perfect alternative to real-money poker, bringing all the excitement of the poker table without the risk of accessing illegal sites and games.
Here at SportsGrid, we’re committed to helping you enjoy an unrivaled online casino gameplay experience, regardless of your favorite games and where you live in the US. So, whether you’re looking to play poker online or are eager to find out how to play roulette at sweepstakes casinos, our expert guides and resources are here to help.
In some states, yes, but in most jurisdictions, no. That’s why we recommend sweepstakes poker as a good, legal alternative.
No, sweepstakes casinos don’t offer real money wagering or winnings on poker games – or any games, for that matter.
Nope, all sweepstakes poker games are 100% free to play, with no mandatory purchases or deposits required.
_1682010035.svg)
