The people of the UK are no strangers to online casino gaming, with almost £6 billion being spent on digital gambling per year. One of the most popular forms of online gambling in the UK is poker, which explains why there are hundreds of licensed online casino platforms offering a huge variety of online poker titles and variants for UK players.

If you’re a fan of real money poker, you might need some help navigating all of this to find the best UK poker sites for you, such as PokerStars and bet365 Poker. If so, we have got you covered. Read this essential guide to UK online poker platforms to find out how and where to play the best online poker in 2023. Try Bet365 Poker, or sign up for a Coral Poker account to get started with £30 with of tickets. 

 UK Best Poker Sites for 2023

• PokerStars UK
• bet365 Poker
• Unibet Poker
• 888 Poker UK – play with free no deposit bonus
• PartyPoker UK

If you’re looking for the UK best poker sites in 2023, we have got you covered. Here are some of the top UK poker sites you need to know about: 

PokerStars UK

One of the most established and popular poker sites in the UK, PokerStars offers a huge number of different poker games, as well as hugely competitive poker bonuses. PokerStars is ideal for new UK poker players, due to its extensive and helpful poker guides and free-play titles. PokerStars has also taken the leap into the metaverse with VR Poker.

Bet365 Poker

Bet365 has its own sleek poker platform, Bet365 Poker, which has a number of award-winning and exclusive poker games. In addition, you can also enjoy playing with players at your own skill level with the Bet365 Beginner Tables, which guarantee a level playing field.

Unibet Poker

If you’re a social poker player, Unibet Poker is the one for you. This is one of the few online poker platforms in the UK that allows you to play real online poker exclusively with your friends, rather than with random strangers. Their generous poker bonuses are also not to be sniffed at. 

PartyPoker UK

Party Poker is one of the biggest and flashiest poker sites in the world, which helps to explain its star-studded list of celebrity partners. With 26 different poker variants and its celebrated Sunday Millions tournament, which has a £1 million prize pool, PartyPoker isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. 

UK Poker Apps

An increasing number of players who visit the UK’s best poker sites prefer to play mobile poker, as this allows for total flexibility and freedom. For a seamless mobile poker experience, you need a great poker app. Here are some of our favourite apps for playing UK online poker:

• Bet365 Poker: The bet365 mobile poker app is available for free on iOS and Android and offers absolutely flawless and user-friendly online poker, no matter what mobile device you have. The bet365 poker app also has some of the most extensive payment options of any gambling app right now. 
• Unibet Poker App: the Unibet mobile app is sleek, immersive, and extensive, with fully customizable avatars and dozens of mobile poker games to choose from. You can also access daily promotions and bonuses exclusively via the app. 
• PokerStars: As you might guess from it being the biggest poker site in the UK, the PokerStars app has it all. Bespoke avatars, daily tournaments, social gaming, and a huge number of poker variants – you name it!

What are the Top Poker Game Providers?

Behind every UK poker site is a number of top-notch game developers that are responsible for designing and deploying the best poker games. Many seasoned UK poker players will even look out for the names of specific game developers on websites, as these are typically a sign of quality gaming. Here are some of the top poker game developers to keep an eye out for: 

• PlayTech: One of the world’s largest and most celebrated casino game developers, this Isle of Man-based company designs and deploys some of the top live poker titles that you can find on virtually all major UK online casinos. 
• Creatiosoft: This Texas-based developer has been creating top-quality table games for years and continues to develop popular online poker games for online casinos all over the world. 
• MobiWeb Technologies: Based in the US, India, the UAE, and Kuwait, MobiWeb Technologies is responsible for some of the world’s most popular mobile casino games and has dozens of industry awards to back up its claims to offer the most user-friendly mobile poker in the world. Try GG poker.

Top Poker Promos in the UK

If you’re on the lookout for free poker bets to boost your bankroll, the UK best poker sites have plenty to offer. In order to get the most bang for your buck, it pays to know what kinds of bonus promotions you can take advantage of. These include: 

Poker Welcome Bonuses: These are bonuses offered to all new members of a UK online casino site. Once you create your account, you will be offered free bets, subject to certain conditions, as a thank you for signing up.

Matched Deposit Bonuses: This is when the casino doubles any deposit that you make with your own money. For example, a £100 100% matched poker deposit means that, if you deposit £100 in your poker account, the casino will also give you £100 free to play with. 

No Deposit Bonuses: These are poker bonuses that do not require any deposit from you. Although there will be wagering requirements, you still get free poker bets on real money poker games. The 888Poker in the UK offers new poker players a chance to start with the 20 no deposit bonus.

Themed Bonuses: These are poker bonuses that offer free cash to players that choose to play certain poker games and variants, as part of a campaign to promote that poker game. 

Most Popular Poker Tournaments

The UK is home to some of the biggest and most lucrative poker tournaments in the world. If you’re a die-hard poker fan, here are some of the major poker tournaments you need to know about: 

• PokerStars European Poker Tour London: The so-called EPT is probably the most prestigious poker tour in Europe, with the London finals attracting hundreds of millions of online viewers every year. Tens of millions of pounds are up for grabs, so only serious players need apply. 
• Grosvenor UK Poker Tour: One of the more exclusive UK poker tournaments, the Grosvenor Tour has been running for decades and has a minimum buy-in of £1100. Tune in to see some of the poker world’s sharpest minds compete for eight-figure jackpots. 
• The Genting Poker Series: The Genting Poker Series takes place in dozen cities across the UK and has a grand prize of £100,000. The main event has a buy-in of £400, but online players can take part in all side games for just £5.50. 

What is the History of Online Poker in the UK?

Poker has been a popular form of massive entertainment in the UK since the 19th century. Although the game is thought to have originated in the old American West, it is commonly believed that the poker first came to the UK in 1872.

It was during this year when the then US ambassador to the UK, General Robert C. Schenck, reported teaching the game of poker to his British friends in London. After this, poker took a long time to take off among the general public, with the first casinos offering poker being the ultra-exclusive clubs of Mayfair and Fitzrovia in the early 1900s.

Even then, the game did not really take off in the UK until the turn of the new millennium, when smash-hit TV shows such as Late Night Poker helped spark a new craze in 2000. The UK’s love of poker intensified following the legalization of online casinos in 2005, and the subsequent liberalization of the online gambling industry in 2007, following the formation of the UK Gambling Commission.

Major UK platforms such as Poker Stars were launched soon after, going on to become so popular that they were able to break the world record for the world’s biggest poker game, with more than 225,000 players taking part in a game on the Isle of Man in 2013. Today, online poker is a massive industry in the UK, with players staking countless millions of pounds at some of the biggest poker sites in the world. 

Online UK Poker FAQs