South Dakota Poker Championship
The premiere free Texas Hold'Em poker league in the state of South Dakota. With over $75,000 in cash and prizes awarded FREE to local winners! This page reviews legal poker sites and online gambling laws in South Dakota. Includes current penal codes. The South Dakota State Poker Championship has been postponed with a new date TBA. Now Part of the Mid-States Poker Tour $100,000 Prize Package Guarant. Mid-States Poker Tour - MSPT South Dakota. European Poker Tour - EPT Barcelona & PokerStars Players Championship - PSPC.
- South Dakota Poker Championship
- South Dakota State Poker Championship 2019
- South Dakota State Poker Championship
There is no question that South Dakota has a love affairwith poker. The game has been played there for ages, even featured in atelevision show about its most famous city of Deadwood. The residents of thestate have had the luxury of playing both live and online in the past, but withthe changing legal environment for poker, we wanted to put this page togetherto outline what is currently available in South Dakota. From where to play tohow to play and everything in between, this is the one resource you need forpoker in this great state.
South Dakota Poker Championship
Online Poker in South Dakota
It appears everything came together just perfectly tocreate the online poker boom that South Dakotans would take advantage of forthe 2000s. From the introduction of hole-card cameras by the World Poker Tourto the introduction of online poker to the 2003 World Series of Poker won by anamateur online qualifier, everything exploded in 2003. Suddenly, anyone inSouth Dakota could pull up one of the poker sites on their computer and withinseconds be connected to players from across the state, country and the world. Cashgames were overflowing, and tournaments featured thousands of entrants playingfor millions of dollars. It really was the golden age for the game.
Unfortunately, the one piece of the puzzle that wasmissing was the law. These sites that South Dakota players were enjoying somuch were all based outside the United States, and their legitimacy from aregulatory perspective came into question. While the laws were a bit unclear,the government changed that in 2006 when the passed the Unlawful InternetGaming Enforcement Act, making the banking transactions themselves illegal.
Between 2006 and 2011, all the major sites offering pokerto South Dakotans left the market (some forcibly), and since then players havebeen left with no outlet for real money online poker. There have been somestates that have passed online poker legislation, and with the amount ofsupport for poker in South Dakota, it is hoped that the state will follow suitaccordingly.
Land Based Poker in South Dakota
As mentioned, the state has a long history with poker,and this started well before online poker introduced many people to the game. SouthDakota has many card rooms, but most of them are in border towns, so that issomething to keep in mind when you are looking to find a game. These rooms alloffer cash games that start at small stakes and are primarily No-Limit Hold’em,but the dealers are proficient so if you can get enough interest, they arelikely to spread other games like Omaha and Stud. Many of the rooms also offerweekly tournaments which won’t break the bank but will give you the same rushas playing a big event.
Here is a list of the poker rooms that are open in South Dakota:
Cadillac Jack’s Gaming Resort (Deadwood, SD)
Dakota Sioux Casino (Watertown, SD)
Fort Randall Casino (Lake Andes, SD)
Grand River Casino (Mobridge, SD)
Lode Star Casino (Ft. Thompson, SD)
Prairie Wind Casino (Pine Ridge, SD)
Saloon No. 10 (Deadwood, SD)
Silverado Franklin Casino (Deadwood, SD)
The Lodge at Deadwood (Deadwood, SD)
Social Poker in South Dakota
While there are many poker players in South Dakotalooking for a way to make money playing the game, a whole other group of playersare only playing for entertainment purposes. These players used to enjoy thesame confines as real money online poker players at poker sites, but now theymainly find themselves playing at one of the social poker sites open forbusiness.
These sites, led by Zynga Poker, allow players to play toearn achievements and awards that they can show off to their friends. Whilethere is no money to be won, many seem to love playing for the recognition, butthere are many that also pay to skip past the early stages and just findthemselves at the exclusive tables. These sites are a great way for SouthDakotans to practice playing in a large-scale environment.
Sweepstakes Poker in South Dakota
Since there are so many American online poker players nowsearching for a way to gamble for real money, some companies have foundcreative ways to make this happen. One way that South Dakotans can play pokerfor real cash prizes is via sweepstakes sites like Global Poker. These sitesoffer tournaments and cash games as sweepstakes events, giving everyone achance to enter with no purchase necessary. To receive a free entry, you mustmail in a postcard with some information on it as you would for othersweepstakes. However, if you purchase some virtual currency from these sites,you can receive sweepstakes entries as a bonus, allowing you to head to thosetables and play games where you can win real money!
It isn’t as confusing as it may sound, and it is the onlylegal way for players in South Dakota to play real money online poker, so wethink you should give it a try.
South Dakota State Poker Championship 2019
Learning Poker in South Dakota
There are lots of way to stay sharp and improve yourpoker skills without being able to access games all the time. There are so manydifferent variants of the game that you can learn, and we can help you getstarted with our Poker Game Guides. Whether you are looking for a refresher onHold’em, or wanting to try something new like Short Deck Poker, our guides willgive you the basics on every game, which you can then take with you to one ofthe many free play apps that are in the market today.
Online Poker in South Dakota FAQ
Are there still real money online poker sitesaccepting U.S. players?
There are, but we don’t recommend them. A small number ofoffshore-based companies have kept their sites open despite the closure of allthe major sites. However, it is hard to say how long these sites will last inan environment where it is near impossible to get money to and from them. Wethink you are better served staying away from these operations.
Why is it taking so long to pass online pokerlegislation in the state?
It may seem frustrating, but online poker isn’t on theforefront of the discussions at the state government these days. Now, withonline sports betting getting some interest over the last couple of years, weare hopeful that the discussion in South Dakota will extend to games like pokeras it has in places like Michigan and Virginia.
Poker in South Dakota
Special Events in South Dakota
Live Poker Rooms in South Dakota
- Cadillac Jack's Gaming Resort (Deadwood, SD)
- Dakota Sioux Casino (Watertown, SD)
- Fort Randall Casino (Lake Andes, SD)
- Grand River Casino (Mobridge, SD)
- Saloon No. 10 (Deadwood, SD)
- Silverado Franklin Casino (Deadwood, SD)
South Dakota Poker Information
South Dakota’s poker rooms are spread around the edge of the state, with at least one room serving each border’s community. Tournament poker in South Dakota is relished by locals with high energy. Typically low buy-ins hide some deceptively fiery action. Many daily tournaments are rebuy events, with fun-loving locals prepared to commit piles of cash to boosting the prize pools. South Dakota’s city of Deadwood is a key location in the cult history of poker, as illustrated by the oft-quoted fact that Wild Bill Hickock played his fatal final hand in a saloon here. Fortunately, such deadly happenings are not seen nowadays. Well-organized events like the South Dakota State Poker Championship take place with no pistols drawn!