Online poker has exploded since Chris Moneymaker’s World Series of Poker victory in 2003. From the early days of online poker there have been some major setbacks, especially in the US, but it seems that the industry is finally starting to recover after years of legal battles.
There are a huge number of ways to play online poker and many different formats to choose from. You can play for fun at the lowest stakes or for satellite entries into some of the biggest live poker tournaments around the world. The best thing about online poker is that it can be played on almost any type of computer or mobile device – all you need is a stable internet connection.
Before deciding to play poker online you should first familiarize yourself with the rules and the terminology of the game. There is far too much to cover in a single article, but some of the most important terms include:
Raise – to bet more than your opponent and entice other players to call.
Fold – to discard your hand face down and end your participation in the current hand.
Check – to pass on betting and not increase your bet if you have no good cards.
Multi-tabling – playing more than one poker table at a time. This can be very effective if you’re able to keep up with the action and avoid losing your concentration.
Tell – a physical action or change in demeanor that can reveal whether or not another player is bluffing.
Position – the position in which you are sitting at a poker table (first, second, third etc). Having a good understanding of the position in the table is essential for a good online poker player as it can determine how often you get to act and how strong your opponents hands are.
The rake – this is the amount of money that the operator or house collects on each pot. The rake percentage varies between operators and games but is generally between 3 and 4.25%.
The MSIGA – this is the agreement that allows US regulated online poker sites to combine their player pools. This allows them to offer bigger tournaments and cash games. It also means that players from New Jersey can play online poker with the same operators as those from Nevada and Delaware. This was made possible in 2017 when New Jersey joined the MSIGA. Hopefully this will lead to a more consistent experience for players in the future. However, it’s worth noting that there is still a tug-of-war between the Federal Government and individual states over the issue of regulating online gambling.