Is High Stakes Poker Illegal?

An illegal high stakes poker game is one which takes place with stakes in excess of US$10,000. The vast majority of poker games at the professional level are capped at US$2,000/$4,000, so any game in which the stakes exceed this amount is considered illegal.

This is because the US government considers such games to be gambling activities and as such they are not allowed to take place without proper licensing and regulation.

Although there is no clear answer as to whether or not high stakes poker is actually illegal, it is clear that it does not enjoy the same level of legal sanction as lower stakes variants. This means that there is a greater chance that players involved in illegal high stakes poker games will be caught and punished.

In some cases, players have been arrested and charged with crimes such as money laundering.

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