Online Poker

Online poker takes the game of cards that was once relegated to the back room of bars and casinos and brings it to the world wide web in a format accessible from almost any computer, tablet or smartphone. Players can play for free or for the smallest stakes imaginable all the way up to satellite entries into some of the biggest live tournaments in the world.

There are many different ways to play online poker but the best is usually to download an app on your PC or Mac. This will make it easier to navigate the software and keep all your important information close at hand. Alternatively most sites will offer a no download option that can still be used on older computers and mobile devices but will not provide the same experience as the fully downloadable client.

In the past few years online poker has been growing rapidly with several new networks being established and a large percentage of the market now shared by just a few sites. Most of these are either stand alone cardrooms or skins into larger poker network brands. While there are plenty of smaller poker rooms and independent operators most online poker traffic now happens on the big networks that include the likes of PokerStars, Full Tilt, and iPoker.

When deciding which poker site to play at it is important to consider the reputation of the room and its banking options. A legitimate online poker room will offer traditional, well known banking options such as Visa and MasterCard. A website that offers only cryptocurrency or payment processors that you have never heard of should set off alarm bells as these are usually indicative of a rogue casino or room.

Most online poker sites will also offer a range of deposit and withdrawal options. Depending on your region these can include credit cards, debit cards, pre-paid cards, bank transfers, third party eWallets and even good old fashioned wire transfer services. Most poker sites will also offer a variety of currencies to allow players from different parts of the world to play.

While the games and rules of poker may seem simple enough to understand there is a lot more to the game than meets the eye. There are a number of different betting strategies to choose from, a variety of different types of hands and a whole host of other factors that can affect the outcome of a hand. Getting to know the nuances of the game will help you improve your results and hopefully win some money in the process.

In the USA online poker is a huge industry and there are now more licensed sites than ever before. It has taken some time to get to this point though and only a few states now have legalized regulated poker. We will continue to monitor the progress of regulated poker in the US and will keep you updated with any major news or legislative developments.