Poker online for Bern
Online poker at ESBK-licensed Swiss casinos – Texas Hold'em and Omaha, Cash Games and tournaments, in CHF and against real opponents from an international player pool.
Online poker for players in Bern
Online poker has been legal in Switzerland since the Money Gaming Act (BGS) came into force on 1 January 2019 – but exclusively at casinos holding a licence from the Swiss Federal Gaming Board (ESBK). A licensed casino additionally requires a licence extension and the approval of the ESBK in order to be allowed to offer online poker. At present, around twelve online providers are licensed (as of 2025; the licences are valid until the end of 2044).
For players in Bern this means: you play in Swiss francs, deposit conveniently via TWINT and compete against real opponents – not against the house. This page explains which Swiss rooms legally offer online poker, how Texas Hold'em and Omaha work, what distinguishes Cash Games from tournaments and what beginners should look out for.
Important: unlicensed foreign poker rooms are network-blocked in Switzerland. Using them is a grey area at your own risk – without Swiss player protection and with fully taxable winnings. As of: June 2026.
Best Swiss casinos for online poker
Dedicated online poker rooms are rare in Switzerland. These ESBK-licensed providers lead the field. As of: June 2026 · ESBK-licensed providers only.
| Casino | Operator | ESBK | Network / Pool | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Casino777.ch | Casino Davos AG | ✓ | PokerStars network | Switzerland's most important legal poker provider; PokerStars is legal in CH only here. |
| Swiss Casinos | Swiss Casinos Group | ✓ | iPoker network | Skin on the global iPoker pool; broad table offering. |
| mycasino.ch | Grand Casino Luzern | ✓ | Own offering | Texas Hold'em and Omaha, plus video poker machines and live tables. |
| Jackpots.ch | Grand Casino Baden | ✓ | Own offering | Local poker offering of an established Swiss casino. |
| 7melons.ch | Grand Casino Kursaal Bern | ✓ | Casino games | Local Bern ESBK provider (no dedicated poker room). |
Editorial assessment (editorial rating). For pure online poker rooms with a large player pool, Casino777.ch and Swiss Casinos lead the way; 7melons.ch is the local Bern operator, but does not run its own poker room.
How online poker works
Poker differs fundamentally from most casino games: you play against the other players at the table (peer-to-peer), not against the house. The casino does not earn from a classic house edge, but from the so-called Rake – a small commission per Cash Game pot, or a participation fee in tournaments. Poker combines luck and skill: over many hands, skill gains in importance. Even so, poker remains a money game – money can be lost and a win is never guaranteed.
The most popular variant is Texas Hold'em. At the start, each player receives two face-down cards, the so-called Hole Cards. Five community cards then come onto the table in three phases: first the Flop (three cards), then the Turn (one card) and finally the River (one card). Betting rounds take place between the phases.
The stakes are set in motion by the Small Blind and Big Blind – two forced bets that rotate around the table. In each betting round you have the choice between the actions Check, Bet, Call, Raise and Fold. Whoever forms the best five-card hand from their two Hole Cards and the five community cards wins the pot. If several players remain after the final betting round, it comes to a Showdown, in which the cards are revealed and compared.
Poker variants
Online poker is played in several variants. By far the most popular is Texas Hold'em, mostly in the No-Limit Hold'em form: each player has two Hole Cards and can bet all of their chips at any time. Pot-Limit Omaha is the second most popular variant – here each player receives four Hole Cards (of which exactly two must be used), and the maximum bet is limited to the size of the pot, which leads to bigger pots and more action. More classic is Seven-Card Stud, which is played without community cards and in which each player receives several face-up and face-down cards over the course of the hand.
An important distinction: video poker is not real poker. It is a machine-based game against the house, in which a random number generator (RNG) deals the cards – you are not competing against other players. Real online poker always takes place against human opponents at a table.
Cash Games vs. tournaments
Online poker is offered in two basic formats. In Cash Games, each chip corresponds to a fixed amount in real money. You buy in with an amount of your choice, can join and leave at any time and cash out your stack whenever you like. The blinds stay constant, which makes Cash Games especially flexible – ideal if you only want to play a short session.
Tournaments work differently: you pay a fixed Buy-in and in return receive a uniform tournament chip stack that has no direct cash value. The Buy-ins flow into a prize pool that is paid out to the best-placed players according to fixed quotas. Play continues until only one player remains; the blinds rise at fixed intervals. Common formats are Multi-Table Tournaments (MTT) with many participants across several tables, as well as Sit & Go, smaller tournaments that start as soon as enough players have gathered.
Poker hand rankings
Anyone who plays poker must know the ranking of hands. It applies equally across all common variants. From the strongest to the weakest hand:
| # | Hand | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Royal Flush | 10, Jack, Queen, King, Ace of the same suit. |
| 2 | Straight Flush | Five consecutive cards of the same suit. |
| 3 | Four of a Kind | Four cards of the same value. |
| 4 | Full House | A Three of a Kind plus a pair. |
| 5 | Flush | Five cards of the same suit, not in sequence. |
| 6 | Straight | Five consecutive cards of mixed suits. |
| 7 | Three of a Kind | Three cards of the same value. |
| 8 | Two Pair | Two different pairs. |
| 9 | One Pair | Two cards of the same value. |
| 10 | High Card | No combination – the highest single card counts. |
Player pool & liquidity
Online poker only works with enough players active at the same time. The more people sit at the tables, the more games run in parallel, the shorter the waiting times and the larger the tournaments and prize pools become. This critical mass is called liquidity – and this is precisely where a challenge lies for the comparatively small Swiss market.
A purely national Swiss player pool would be too small to guarantee an attractive offering around the clock. The Swiss rooms therefore join international networks: Casino777.ch is connected to the PokerStars network via its Swiss licence, while Swiss Casinos operates a skin on the iPoker network. This way, from Bern you play legally with an international player pool – with more tables, more formats and bigger tournaments.
Important to know: PokerStars is legally available in Switzerland exclusively via the licence and partnership of Casino777.ch (Casino Davos AG). The international PokerStars site without a Swiss licence is network-blocked.
Strategy for beginners
Unlike with pure games of chance, in poker good decisions can make a difference in the long run. Four levers are particularly important for beginners:
- Position: Whoever acts later has more information about the opponents' actions. Late positions are a clear advantage – play more cautiously from early position.
- Starting hands: Not every hand is worth playing. A disciplined selection of strong starting hands is the biggest single-mistake killer for beginners.
- Pot Odds: Relate the size of a possible win to the required bet in order to decide whether a Call is mathematically worthwhile.
- Bankroll management: Only play with money whose loss you can cope with, and at limits that suit your bankroll.
Table selection also counts: sit where you feel comfortable and the limits are right. Skill pays off over many hands – but the variance is high and no win is guaranteed. Start by learning at low limits or in play-money mode, until the rules and hand rankings have sunk in.
Poker at legal Swiss casinos
Online poker is legal in Switzerland only at casinos with a valid ESBK licence. There you play in Swiss francs, and deposits are possible conveniently via methods including TWINT. These providers are subject to Swiss player protection, offer deposit and stake limits and are connected to the federal gaming exclusion.
Foreign poker rooms without a Swiss licence, by contrast, are network-blocked – this also applies to the international PokerStars site, which in Switzerland is legally accessible only via Casino777.ch. When in doubt, check a provider's licence directly with the Swiss Federal Gaming Board at esbk.admin.ch before you open an account or deposit.
Taxes on winnings
Winnings from online poker at an ESBK-licensed Swiss casino are tax-free up to approximately CHF 1'071'000 per casino and year (as of 2026). Only amounts beyond that are subject to tax – a threshold of no practical significance for the vast majority of players. The situation is different with foreign providers: winnings from poker rooms without a Swiss licence are always fully taxable and must be declared in the tax return. When in doubt, individual tax advice is advisable.
Responsible gambling
Poker can be especially captivating: long sessions, the feeling of recouping losses with the next hand (chasing), and the competitive character all raise the risk. Even though skill plays a role, poker remains a money game – a win is never guaranteed. Before you play, set yourself clear time and money limits, use the deposit and stake limits of your casino and treat yourself to regular breaks. Online gambling is permitted only from the age of 18.
Help and advice – free of charge and anonymous:
- SOS Gambling Addiction: 0800 040 080 (24h, anonymous, free)
- Sucht Schweiz: suchtschweiz.ch
- SafeZone.ch: anonymous online counselling
- ESBK: federal gaming exclusion, esbk.admin.ch
Frequently Asked Questions
Find answers to common questions on this topic.