Playing Poker in Montana

The state of Montana has a contradictory set of rules when it come to playing poker. Casinos are OK, stick to some simple rules and even a game at home is OK, however it's one of the few states that even mention online poker in its penal code and that is 100% not OK, however many players enjoy playing online at rooms such as Americas Cardroom. Here's all you need to know about getting your game of poker in Montana and the laws governing it.

Playing Poker at Home in Montana

Montana come across as a state with an anti-gambling stance, but when the laws are actually looked at it's not too bad at all. Playing a game of poker at home for example is perfectly fine so long as you stick to a few basic rules. Montana like most states allows poker at home as long as the host, or anyone involved in the game is not making a profit from the game. This means that no fee must be charged and the pot cannot be raked. All participants in the game need to be over 18 and the game must be held in a private residence. There you have it then, stick to a few rules, get your buddies round and enjoy a game of poker at home.

Playing Online Poker in Montana

The state of Montana is one of the few states that have addressed online poker in its penal code and it's not very good news at all. It's way ahead of most states and according to law the online gambling, "includes but is not limited to the conduct of any legal or illegal gambling enterprise through the use of communications technology that allows a person using money, paper checks, electronic checks, electronic transfers of money, credit cards, debit cards, or any other instrumentality to transmit to a computer information to assist in the placing of a bet or wager and corresponding information related to the display of the game, game outcomes, or other similar information." This makes things pretty clear when it comes to gambling online however it does raise a few privacy issues. How are they going to track it, who enforces these laws etc? We are pretty sure that residents of Montana play poker online, albeit flirting with the law, and many poker room will accept them, BetOnline Poker and Americas Cardroom being two.

Playing in a Montana Casino

There are indeed casinos in the state of Montana, run and managed by Native American Tribes. These casinos offer slots, bingo and table games and more importantly poker. Some of them will even have their own poker rooms. There is one slight catch however in that no pot must go over $300. For low to mid stakes players this is not a problem, but should you be looking to play some high stakes poker then casinos in Montana are not for you.