South Dakota Poker Laws

Poker has always been a popular game in South Dakota. The “Dead Man’s Hand” originated in Deadwood, South Dakota. It was the hand held by Wild Bill Hickok when he was killed by Jack McCall. Legend says that the Dead Man’s Hand contains two black aces, two black 8’s and the 9 of diamonds.

While poker and other gambling games were widespread in Deadwood and other parts of South Dakota the game was never explicitly legal. That changed in December 1989 when voters approved commercial gambling in Deadwood with a $5 maximum bet. The bet was raised to $100 in 2000 and to $1,000 in 2012.

Is Online Poker Legal in South Dakota?

South Dakota has not yet legalized online poker in the State. In fact, it has not even been discussed by lawmakers. South Dakota’s small population would make it unlikely to support intrastate online poker. It would have to network with other states to have proper liquidity. South Dakota is not likely to regulate online poker in the near future.

Where Can You Play Live Poker in South Dakota?

While online poker is not yet legal in South Dakota, players may find legal poker in Deadwood or on reservations. Some poker rooms have not adopted the $1,000 bet limit as this requires upgrades to security systems to implement. Games with a $1,000 bet limit often have a minimum buyin of $100.

The most popular poker game in South Dakota is Spread Limit Texas Hold’em. It is played similar to no limit except there is a maximum bet. All South Dakota poker rooms offer tournaments. State law requires the house fee for a poker tournament to be 10% or less.

South Dakota poker rooms with $1,000 bet limit:

Cadillac Jack’s (Deadwood) – Cadillac Jack’s is a four-table poker room that offers several spread limit games. The spreads are 2-10, 3-15, 2-100, 2-1000, 5-1000 and 10-1000.

The Lodge (Deadwood) – The Lodge is a five-table poker room that specializes in Spread Limit Texas Hold’em. The most common spreads are 2-1000, 5-1000 and 10-1000. An Omaha Hi game may also be found on Sundays.

Royal River (Flandreau) – The Royal River Casino is a three-table poker room located just outside of Sioux Falls. The most popular games are 4/8 Limit Texas Hold’em, 3-1000 Spread Limit Texas Hold’em, 2-10 Omaha High/Low and Dealer’s Choice.

South Dakota poker rooms with $100 bet limit:

Silverado (Deadwood) – Silverado is a five table poker room. It specializes in 4/8 Fixed Limit Hold’em. Players will find 2-100 Spread Limit Texas Hold’em on Friday and Saturday nights. Omaha High/Low is offered on Tuesday and Friday night.

Saloon No. 10 (Deadwood) – Saloon No. 10 main game in its three table poker room is 2-10 Spread Limit Texas Hold’em. It also offers 2-10 Seven Card Stud High/Low on Tuesday and Thursday and 2-10 Dealer’s Choice on Saturday nights. There is a special cash game every Sunday at 2pm.

Prairie Wind (Pine Ridge) – Prairie Wind is a four-table poker room located on the Pine Ridge Reservation. It is only open on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The most popular game is 2-10 Spread Limit Texas Hold’em.

Fort Randall Casino (Lake Andes) – Fort Randall is a three-table poker room that specializes in 2-10 and 2-100 Texas Hold’em.

Rosebud (Mission) – Rosebud offers four tables. The main games are 2-10 and 2-100 Spread Limit Texas Hold’em.

Dakota Sioux (Watertown) – Dakota Sioux’s four-table poker room is open Friday-Tuesday. The most popular game is 2-10 Texas Hold’em. Omaha High is also spread upon request.

Where Can I Play Online Poker in South Dakota?

Online poker is not yet regulated in South Dakota but it is still available. We recommend playing online poker at Bovada. It is the U.S. facing brand of Bodog and is the largest company that offers online poker in South Dakota. Bovada offers soft tables full of fish. It targets these types of players by making its tables anonymous. Bovada does not show full tables and there are no waitlists. This helps keep more tables active so that there is maximum action at Bovada. There is a 100% up to $1,000 first deposit bonus at Bovada but few promotions once this is cleared. Winners are paid with lightning speed. Western Union cashouts are processed in just a day or two.

If anonymous tables and few promotions are not for you then we suggest Carbon Poker. It is a member of the Merge Gaming Network. Carbon Poker offers rake rewards up to 35% and a first deposit of 200% up to $5,000. There are also monthly reload bonuses and the Poker Maximus series is offered several times a year. This major tournament series offers combined guaranteed prize pools around $1 million.