The world of online poker is a vast and diverse one. There are stand-alone rooms and the sites of major networks as well as a number of poker apps available for players who wish to play on the go. All of them offer a different experience to live play and it is often worth trying both in order to get a sense for what suits you.
Once you have found an online poker site that offers your preferred game and has a good selection of limits to choose from the first step is usually downloading their software. This generally does not take very long at all and should not have any limiting impact on your internet connection. Once installed the software will require you to create a user account and will generally ask for proof of age (although this is sometimes done before downloading on some sites). This can be accomplished by sending a copy of your driver’s licence or passport.
Most online poker sites have a dedicated section of their lobby that is categorized by cash games, tournaments and Sit & Go’s and also perhaps by their special format game offerings. There are often a number of ways to filter these lists so that you can see exactly what’s on offer and find games at your level. Many sites even have specific beginner tables that allow you to be seated with players who classify themselves as such. This can dramatically level the playing field for new players and makes the game far easier to learn.
Learning the fundamentals of poker takes some time and practice. A large part of this is learning the basic odds of various hands. While this may not be something that a person who has never played poker before would want to spend their time on it does have the potential to make a huge difference to your poker success.
Another big thing to learn is basic poker terminology and terms. This will be especially important if you plan on playing in a multi-player game. There are a lot of words to remember but some of the most important include:
It is also a good idea to familiarize yourself with some basic poker math. This isn’t the most exciting aspect of poker but it is important to understand how much your opponent will have to call if you make certain hands. Eventually this will become second nature and you’ll start to keep a natural count of things like frequencies and EV estimations during hands.
Getting money on and off of poker sites is very easy now thanks to the wide availability of a variety of deposit options. These methods vary by region but usually include credit and debit cards, pre-paid cards, third-party eWallets or bank transfers.