There are many online poker sites. They are very popular now, and if you play on them you have a chance of actually playing against professional poker players! Many players actually play online because they are able to play from their own homes. A lot of players will also play the game online because they are sponsored by that site.
Poker Pros and Online Game Stakes
Many poker pros play online because they are sponsored by websites, or for comfort reasons. However, one thing to note is that the pros tend to play high stakes games. Not all sites offer high stakes games, and only one within the regulated US market tends to offer high stakes games. PokerStars is the main website where there are large jackpots and high stakes games. They have been known to host some pro players, even on its New Jersey site!
Before the regulations imposed upon playing online poker and other online gambling, many pros were known to play on other sites, such as Bovada, Full Tilt and Party Poker. Many stars still play on those sites, but they are not within the US regulated market. The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act was created to prevent vaguely defined “illegal internet gambling”. Because of this, most publically traded sites from outside the USA stopped accepting US players. This took a large portion of the player pool from the US, and restricted online poker players ability to actually play cash games.
Sponsorships and Poker Players
Some pro players may play on sites due to being sponsored by that site. For example, Team PokerStars includes Daniel Negreanu, Chris Moneymaker, Kevin Martin, and Jamie Staples among quite a few others. Some can be found playing online, even on the USA site! PokerStars offers poker rooms and poker tournaments, they have great customer service and can even be played on your mobile device!
Bovada is not legal on the regulated US market but features Evelyn Ng and Amanda Musumeci. Another unregulated site mentioned earlier, Party Poker, is host to Tony G, Kara Scott, Mike Sexton, Bodo Sbrzesny, Jaime Alguesari, Tyron Krost, and Dragan Gaic.
Play High Stakes!
The biggest key to finding yourself playing with pros that are not sponsored by certain sites is to play at high stakes tables. That gives you the biggest chance of running into pros. Even if you live in the US, finding the highest stake sites possible means you might end up at a table or tournament with someone famous. Pros like to play with large pots, and the only way to do this is to play high stakes.
Also, winning tournaments online can lead to you being invited to real life tournaments. This is another way to play with the pros! It isn’t online, but by starting online you can follow the same path as some current pros. Quite a few started online and ended up winning big in real life tournaments. This is something that is possible, and if you really have a desire to play with the pros, it is always an option!