Online poker takes the classic card game to a whole new level. It’s available to players of all experience levels and can be played for a penny per hand or even satellite entries into the biggest live poker tournaments in the world. And it’s all available to anyone with a computer, tablet or smartphone and an internet connection.
First up, decide whether you want to play poker for fun or real money. Then choose a website and sign up for an account. The process is simple and requires a few pieces of personal information such as your name, email address, phone number and credit or debit card details (if you’re going to use them).
Next you’ll need to deposit some cash. Check the site’s banking methods to see which work for deposits and withdrawals, how much you can add at once and whether there are any fees per transaction. You should also note that the site will need to verify your identity before allowing you to withdraw funds. This typically involves scanning or photographing a piece of identification like your driver’s licence or passport and a utility bill or bank statement bearing the same address.
Once you’ve deposited some cash you can head to your favourite table and start playing for real money. Remember, however, that online poker is a competitive environment where the best players win most of the time. That’s why it’s important to keep on working on your game. Sign up for training sites, network with successful pros and analyse your play after every session to improve.
The rules of poker are the same online as they are in your local casino or cardroom, but online poker does require a different set of skills as you can’t read physical ’tells’ from fellow players and have to rely on sizing up opponents by their betting patterns instead. Online poker is also a lot faster with hands dealt far quicker than in a traditional bricks and mortar casino or cardroom.
The final thing to consider before you start playing for real money is that many online poker sites offer player stats tracking. It’s a good idea to use this tool as it will give you a detailed breakdown of how you’re performing and allow you to identify your strengths and weaknesses.