Anyways, the point is that online poker is a great game. It is possible to win, it is fairly easy to get started and it’s a social game. It’s impossible to play poker without other people and that’s what makes it great. Even when you play online, you still get to interact with and compete against real people.
How to Pick a Poker Site
Here are a few things to consider when looking for a new poker gambling site:
Safety
Most of the mainstream poker sites are great places to play, but we have run across a few bad apples over the years. Always go with poker sites that have proven track records.
Withdrawal Times
Gambling laws in the US make it difficult for poker sites to send money to US banks. As a result, we have seen increasing withdrawal times over the years. It is not uncommon for players to wait several weeks before seeing a cash-out.
Software
Software is more important in poker than in other forms of gambling because it has a direct impact on your performance. Great poker software makes it easy to see what’s going on: you can see the cards, the bet amounts, the buttons and the other players. This is important because there’s a lot of information to process when playing poker.
Player Traffic
The more players there are, the easier it is for you to find games of all different types. Big poker sites can support micro stakes cash games, high stakes games, tournaments and all different poker variants.
Playing Poker Online
One thing that’s nice about playing poker online is that you can start out at very low stakes. Visit a brick-and-mortar poker room and you’ll be lucky to find stakes as low as $1/$2 no-limit with a $200 buy-in. Online poker is a completely different story, with stakes as low as 1c/2c with a $2.00 buy-in. The stakes go up from there to as high as $500/$1,000 with a $100,000 buy-in at some sites.
However, I think the best thing of all about online poker is that it is ultimately a game of skill. There may be certain times in which luck plays a role, but the best players always win over the long run. This is because you compete against other players and not against some kind of built-in house advantage like you do with other forms of gambling.
If you’re totally new to poker, don’t worry! You can start out at the very bottom and play with mere pocket change. As you gain experience and improve your skills, you’ll start to win more bets at those low level games. Then, you can work your way up through the ranks and that’s where the real fun begins.
Here are some key aspects to remember when playing poker:
- Although some luck does play a role in any given hand, skill is the ultimate decider over the long term.
Do not fool yourself into thinking that the other players are stupid and lucky. The only difference between the winners and losers is how skilled they are.
- Skill is not some mystical force that poker players are born with.
Despite the way the movies portray it, success is not all about reading your opponents’ souls and making big plays based on gut feelings. It is a game of strategy and small advantages.
Be sure to check out our articles to help get you started in your poker career. These articles contain helpful information like how bonuses work, position strategies, hands you should and shouldn’t play, and much more.
It may all seem a little overwhelming to the new player at first. Don’t worry; that’s normal. The best thing you can do is get started at a poker site and play a few small stakes games. You’ll get a little experience and slowly start to understand what everyone is talking about in poker strategy articles, books and videos. It’s a learning process like anything else.
Conclusion
Don’t forget about money management. Even though poker is a game of skill over the long term, nothing is guaranteed in the short run. Only play with money that you can afford to lose and don’t be afraid to move down in stakes if you have a bad run. If you do that, your poker career will be long and rewarding.
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