Best Online Poker Sites Ireland - 2024

Check out the best online poker sites in Ireland for 2024 below. Each of these sites has been carefully reviewed and ranked for Irish players looking to play poker online. You'll also be able to claim a bonus just for signing up.

This page highlights the best poker sites available in Ireland. We tasked our experienced team of professional poker players with reviewing every single online poker site operating in Ireland. Only the absolute in the business made it onto our shortlist at the end of the rigorous review process. Read on to learn more about how we rank the best online poker sites, the poker tournaments they host, and the bonuses available to new and existing players.

How We Rank the Best Online Poker Sites

We focus on several important criteria when assessing the strengths and weaknesses of the various poker sites in Ireland. These are some of the main areas we cover:

• General reputation
• Ease of registration
• Quality of the user experience
• Strength of the mobile app
• Poker game variety
• Site traffic and liquidity
• Breadth of skill levels
• Range of buy-ins
• Guaranteed prize pools
• Customer support
• Security record
• Bonuses and promotions

The best online poker sites in Ireland excel in most of these categories. They offer a strong all-round user experience via the website or the mobile app. As with our online casino recommendations, they are all licensed, regulated operators with flawless security records and a proven ability to pay out in full and on time. These poker sites provide a broad selection of convenient deposit and withdrawal methods, and they make the process simple.

We highlight the poker sites that offer an array of games to suit all bankrolls. You should be able to play the games you enjoy, at buy-in rates you feel comfortable with, against players of the correct skill level, at any time of day. The best poker sites provide comprehensive game variety, a broad buy-in range, lots of guaranteed prize pools, a large field and strong liquidity.

There are lots of rival poker room operators for you to choose from, so poker sites must work hard to stand out from the crowd. Many of them provide exciting bonuses and promotions. We highlight the best online poker sites for sign-up bonuses, loyalty schemes, and so on. You can read our in-depth reviews, choose the sites that most appeal to you, claim your poker bonus and start playing poker tournaments today.

Our Team of Online Poker Ireland Experts

We have assembled a team of online poker experts to conduct our reviews. They are all professional poker players, so they have an innate understanding of what constitutes a great online poker site.

Our poker experts conduct thorough reviews of each of the poker sites in Ireland. They then compare their findings in a bid to uncover the best poker sites on the market. Only the very best poker sites make it onto our list. We regularly return to these elite poker sites to ensure they maintain their high standards. If standards slip, we remove them from the list. We may also add new poker sites if they offer a world-class online poker experience.

How the Best Online Poker Sites Work

The best online poker sites make the registration process simple, offer a long list of convenient deposit methods, and give you an attractive welcome bonus. You should then be presented with a wide selection of poker online tournaments that you can enter.

Irish poker players should find action to suit all budgets, from the casual poker player and beginner to high-roller. The best poker sites receive a large volume of traffic, ensuring that you can always find a suitable game, but the performance of the site must never buckle under that volume. Each game must be fair and secure.

These are some of the leading game categories that you will find at the best poker sites:

• Sit & Go (SNG) – Sit & Go poker games are essentially mini-tournaments. They typically involve one table, but there are multi-table sit & go’s. Players pay the same entry fee, and each receive the same starting chip stack. The blinds increase over time, ensuring players battle each other until only the winner is left. Sit & Go’s are available mostly for Hold’em and Omaha, and the top Ireland poker sites feature exciting versions including Heads Up, Double Up, Turbo, and Satellites.
• Multi-Table Tournaments (MTT) – Multi-Table Tournaments offer the largest winning potential, with certain events offering prize pools over $1,000,000. MTTs are large-scale poker games that involve more than one table. As players are knocked out, the table numbers decrease until there is only the final table left, and players battle for the lion's share of the prize pool. Some of the best types of MTT poker games to play in Ireland include EPT and WSOP Satellite events, Turbo, Hyper Turbo, Rebuys, 6 Max, 9 Max, and Deep Stack.
• Progressive Knockout / Bounty Tournaments – Progressive knockout tournaments are a cool type of poker game that allows users to make extra money by knocking opponents out of the competition. As the game progresses, the bounty on players' heads increases based on how many knockouts they deliver. This allows Irish players to win cash from bounties and the standard prize pool.
• Multi-Flight – Multi-Flight events are typically big tournaments with several phases for players to qualify for the main event. These flights take place over different days, and at the end of the session, the remaining players are awarded entry to the next stage, and continue progressing.
• Freerolls – Freerolls are the first style of poker game many Irish players first enjoy. The best poker sites offer these free events to reward new and existing players. Certain free rolls cost $0 to entry, while others may require players to have deposited in the last week, or reach a certain VIP level.
• Satellites – Satellite poker events provide excellent value for players looking to win big with small bankrolls. These events are available at multiple stakes, with some starting at just $0.10. Players can compete against others to win entry to a higher stakes tournament. These satellites provide everyday users with the opportunity to win entry to some of the world's biggest offline and online poker competitions.

You should find also freeze-out tournaments, re buy tournaments, re-entry tournaments and multi-buy tournaments. The best poker Ireland sites will also offer deep stack, turbo, and hyper-turbo games to suit a wide variety of players. If you win money at a tournament, you should be able to make a quick, reliable withdrawal direct to your bank account or e-wallet account. 

Why Play Poker Online?

Online poker is available to everyone but still requires a great deal of poker strategy. It is a game of skill rather than a mere game of chance, which is why it’s so thrilling and why it offers a wide variety of ways to win for those who master it. Players are rewarded for making astute decisions in pressured situations, and they can make vast sums of money from their exploits at the poker table. It is fun, social, and thrilling if you win.

Playing poker online offers several benefits. It is very convenient, as you can play from the comfort of your own home. You will enjoy a lot more variety by visiting the best poker sites. It also means that you can compete against people from across the country or the globe, rather than simply people in your local area, and that makes it easier to find fellow players with similar bankrolls that want to play at a similar speed to you. You can also enjoy free games to hone your skills.

Playing at online poker sites is very secure, and the fairness is upheld by the operators. You will also receive bonuses at online poker sites, which is not a feature of in-person poker games. The poker sites take a fee for hosting poker tournaments, but that can be cancelled out by the savings you make by avoiding travel costs, physical equipment and so on.

Popularity of Online Poker in Ireland

The advent of online poker sites has helped the game soar in popularity in the Ireland. Of course, you can now play in a broad range of poker tournaments at any time of day or night, without having to leave your house.

Poker offers the tantalising opportunity to profit from your skill as a player. Irish poker enthusiasts can hone their skills and refine their strategies before pitting their wits against their peers.

Everyone has heard stories of unknown players buying into a satellite tournament and going on to win seven-figure payouts by triumphing in the main event. They want a piece of the action, and online poker Ireland sites can help them turn their dreams into reality.

Types of Poker Online

The best online poker sites in Ireland feature an incredible range of cards to play for real money. Locals can sign up for an account, and battle opponents around the world in the top poker variants, including Hold’em, PLO, and Stud. We’ve listed the most popular types of poker games Irish players can enjoy this year.

Texas Hold'em – Texas Hold’em is the most popular type of poker game. It’s available in limit, pot, and no limit versions. Hold’em games involve players receiving two hold cards, and the dealer placing five community cards in the middle over four rounds of betting. Players can use two hole and three community cards to form the best five card poker hand and win the pot.

Omaha – Omaha follows the same hand ranking system as Hold’em, but players receive four personal cards, while five community cards are placed in the center over four betting streets. Gamers can use three private cards and two cards from the middle to make their best poker hand and beat opponents. The top sites offer fixed, limit, and pot limit Omaha games.

Seven-Card Stud – Seven-Card Stud is unique to other types of poker games, and players are dealt seven cards. Three cards to start with two face down and one showing, followed by another 4 individual cards over four betting rounds. To win Seven-Card Stud, players must use five cards from their hand to form the best poker hand at the table.

Five-Card Draw – Many casino players may be familiar with Five-Card Draw, which is what many video poker games are based on. Each player is dealt five cards, followed by a betting round, and then a draw. This is where players can select how many and which cards they want to discard to receive new ones. After a final betting round, whoever has the best five card poker hand wins the game.    

Caribbean Stud – In Caribbean Stud, players only have to beat the dealers. Players place an ante bet to participate, and the dealer serves each member five cards face up, while the dealer's hand has four cards face down and one facing up. Players can fold or make a call bet, and if they have a better hand than the dealer, they win. In this version, the dealer must have a King or Ace in their hand to continue.

Three-Card Poker – Three-Card Poker is easy to learn and offers fast-paced gameplay that many customers love. Each member at the table receives three cards, and must beat the house to win the bet. There is one round of betting after players receive their cards, and the dealer must have a Queen high or better to qualify.

Pai Gow Poker – Pai Gow is a unique type of poker game. It’s vastly different to traditional games, and players must make a separate five card and two card hand. If both of their hands beat the dealer’s two hands, they win the round. If only one hand is stronger, this results in a push, and players are refunded their bet.

Live Poker vs Online Poker

The most obvious difference between live poker and online poker Ireland is the pace of the game. Online poker often sees 60 to 100 hands per hour, whereas you might only get 30 hands per hour at a live table. Online players can also choose to play multi-tables.

You can try to read your opponents and figure out their tells when playing live poker, but that is largely eliminated online. On the flipside, you can use tracking software and other valuable tools to help you gain an edge when playing at a poker website.

Online Poker Tournaments

Online poker tournaments provide you with the opportunity to test yourself against fellow players in a wide range of formats. The online poker sites take a small fee for hosting the games, and simply bring players together to battle it out for glory.

Online poker tournaments range from free-to-enter events offering modest prizes to GGPoker’s WSOP online poker festival, which generated a prize pool worth $27,559,500 in 2020. You can play in multi-table tournaments, or quicker Sit & Go events that are typically wrapped up within an hour.

The variety is very exciting. You can choose from freezeout tournaments that only permit a single entry or rebuy tournaments that allow you to get back into the action if you crash and burn. There are deepstacks for players that enjoy a measured pace and hyper-turbo games for players that prefer breakneck action. You can play bounty hunter games and progressive KO tournaments, where you are rewarded for eliminating rival players, along with shootout tournaments, satellite events and major series.

In each case, the rules will be explained clearly before you begin playing, and these online poker sites guarantee the fairness, security and safety of each game.

Free Poker vs Real Money Poker

You can take part in free-to-enter tournaments known as freerolls by visiting the best poker sites. These poker online tournaments sometimes offer cash prizes, or they may provide the winners with free entry into cash tournaments, or merchandise. Some Irish poker sites require you to earn loyalty points by entering real-money games and then use them to gain entry into freerolls.

Freerolls are great for beginners. You can find several licensed free online poker sites that essentially provide players with free site credit in a bid to win prizes, just like a casino bonus.

Real money poker is an entirely different prospect. You will be required to deposit funds into your online poker Ireland account and use your money to buy your way into poker tournaments. If you are successful in these real money tournaments, you will be paid out in cash. You can then use your winnings for more tournament entries or withdraw them at any time.

Bonuses to Play Poker Online

Poker players in Ireland looking to increase their gameplay will be able to claim one of several bonuses online. Below are the typical promotions you'll find at the best online poker sites. 

No Deposit Free Chip - Although rare, the best online poker sites sometimes offer a free chip with no deposit required. For instance, players who sign up for the first time may get a €5 chip to buy into a tournament.

Match Deposit Bonus - The most popular type of welcome bonus at the top poker online sites is a match bonus. The majority of operators will match your first deposit up to 100% or more to a certain amount. For instance, you may deposit €10 and get an additional €10 in bonus funds.

Rakeback / Cashback - Similar to a cashback bonus, many sites offering poker online will also provide a rakeback bonus. This entitles players to a small percentage of the rake for every game or tournament played.

Reload Bonus - A reload bonus is similar to a match bonus, but is offered to existing players. Many of the top online poker sites will offer multiple reload bonuses throughout the week to reward active players. 

VIP Promotions - Aside from the bonuses mentioned above, those playing poker online in Ireland regularly will typically be eligible to join a loyalty or VIP program. These will typically entitle players to higher cashback or rakeback percentages, larger reload bonuses, and exclusive prizes. Occasionally, players will also be given free entry into prestigious poker tournaments.

Latest Online Poker sites

Our team of poker experts constantly monitors the market to identify new poker sites. New poker sites are always pushing boundaries, ensuring that the game quality and game variety on offer in Ireland remains high. We sign up for accounts with these new poker sites, deposit cash and play in a variety of tournaments. Our reviewers test them based on all the criteria laid out above – reputation, game variety, traffic, bonuses, deposits and withdrawals, and so on – and we will add them to our list of the best casino sites if they excel.

For that reason, you should bookmark this guide to the best poker sites. You will then be kept up-to-date with all the most exciting newcomers to the market.

Poker Software

There are several leading software developers that supply the best online poker sites in Ireland. They include Playtech and NetEnt, which are responsible for iPoker and MPN respectively, while operators like 888 Holdings and Entain produce excellent poker software.

You can also use poker software aimed at individual players to boost your chances of success. HUD poker tracking software is a vital tool for many players. Programmes such as Hold’em Manager, Poker Tracker, GTO Trainer, ICMIZER and PIO Solver can help you gain an edge on your rivals at online poker tournaments.

Poker Sites Payment and Withdrawal Methods

You should be presented with a broad selection of deposit and withdrawal methods at a top poker site. They should always accept debit card payments. Most debit cards in Ireland are powered by Visa, but some banks use MasterCard, so that is typically an option too. Credit card payments are prohibited at Irish gambling sites.

You can alternatively send a direct bank transfer to online poker sites, or use an e-wallet such as PayPal, Skrill, Neteller or ecoPayz. Some accept PaySafeCard prepaid vouchers, where you buy a card in a shop and enter a code to fund your account. Some also accept pay by phone, where you can top up your account balance and add the cost to your next phone bill via providers like Boku. ApplePay, Google Pay, Trustly and Revolut are some of the other options accepted.

All deposits should be free and instant. You should also be able to make free withdrawals, but processing times vary from one site to the next. The withdrawal speeds also depend upon the method you select. Your debit card details should be saved on your account, so you can withdraw to the linked bank account. 

Poker Sites Security

The best poker sites are protected by the latest and most aggressive Transport Layer Security encryption software. This keeps your personal details and account balance secure at all times. They also hire dedicated teams of security experts to ward off threats from hackers and other scammers.

We only recommend legal online poker sites with impeccable security records on this page. However, we also urge you to always select a strong password, keep it to yourself, and take extra steps to protect your account, like two-factor authentication.

Poker on Mobile

You can now enjoy online poker tournaments in the palm of your hand. The leading online poker providers will typically invest in a high-quality poker app that can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play. If that is not available, you should be able to access a mobile-optimised version of the site through the browser on your mobile device.

While mobile poker apps are very convenient, and you can also enjoy some exclusive promotions, it can be difficult to use tools like a HUD on a mobile device, multi-tabling can be tricky, and you should remember that you will need a stable connection to thrive in an online poker tournament.

What is Poker Rake?

The poker rake is the fee that the website hosting the poker room takes as a commission. That is how poker sites make money and pay for their operating costs.

In online poker tournaments, it is typically a percentage of the tournament fee, and it can go all the way up to 20% on certain events. In cash games, rake can be collected via several different methods. The most common is the pot rake, which can range from 2.5% to 10% of the pot in each hand, typically up to a predetermined maximum amount.

There may alternatively be a time collection, whereby the site takes a set fee from each player at specific intervals of the game, such as every 30 minutes. Dead drop is another way to collect the rake. This means that every player pays the same fee, rather than just the winning players. There are also fixed fees, tournament fees, and no rake tournaments.

The higher the rake, the lower your expected value, which can change your strategy. For example, many players feel compelled to play a tighter style when the rake is higher.

Explore More Cards Games

Poker is an exceedingly popular card game, but you can also broaden your repertoire by playing several different table games, such as blackjack and baccarat. The best online casinos also offer exciting games like live roulette, craps, bingo, slots, and live gameshow-style titles like Deal or No Deal, Monopoly Live and Dream Catcher, plus slightly more obscure games including Sic Bo, Pai Gow, Fan Tan and Casino War.

Many great online poker sites have separate online casino sections that allow you to play these games. For example, you can enjoy 888poker, 888casino and 888sport in one place, while sites like Bet365, Ladbrokes, Coral and Paddy Power have an online casino alongside the online poker room.

Best Online Poker Experience - Our Verdict

The poker Ireland sites listed on this page are the best in the business. They excel when it comes to game variety, traffic, liquidity, prize pools, breadth of buy-in opportunities, user experience, bonuses, and reliability of payouts.

You can read our in-depth reviews to find your perfect match within this elite group. We would also advise you to sign up for accounts with multiple poker sites in Ireland. That means you can claim several bonuses, and you will also gain access to a very broad selection of online poker tournaments. Remember to bookmark this page to be kept abreast of the hottest new poker sites and for up-to-date information on the very best poker sites in Ireland.

References

1. ICLG - Ireland Gambling Laws and Regulations
2. UK Gambling Commission
3. GambleAware
4. National Casino Forum
5. Gaming Regulators European Forum
6. Problem Gambling Ireland
7. Isle Of Man Government - Gambling and E-Gaming
8. BeGambleAware
9. gamblingcommission.gov.uk
10. The Betting and Gaming Council
11. International Association of Gaming Regulators
12. The Alderney Gambling Control Commission
13. Gamblers Anonymous
14. eCOGRA (eCommerce Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance)
15. Rutland Centre - Treating Gambling Addiction
16. Department of Justice and Equality Ireland - Gambling & Betting Act