Online poker takes the card game we know and love to a whole new level. It allows you to play from any computer, laptop or smartphone that has an internet connection. It also gives you the opportunity to play a variety of games and stakes, from the smallest (literally) to the highest. It’s a great way to learn the game and to test out more advanced strategies without risking much money.
Once you’ve found a good site to join the first step is to download the poker software. This is usually quite small and shouldn’t take long to download on even the slowest connections. Once you’ve done this it’s time to create a user account which is often required before you can start playing. There are often age checks here too so it’s important to ensure you meet the minimum legal requirements for your jurisdiction.
After creating an account the next step is to deposit some cash. Once again this is usually fairly easy, depending on your region there may be a number of options available including credit cards, debit cards, pre-paid cards and third party eWallets. You should also review the sites banking section to see what the minimum and maximum deposits and withdrawals are as well as any fees per transaction.
Then it’s time to start playing some hands! Online poker offers a ton of possibilities, you can play cash games, tournaments, Sit & Go’s and any other special format game the site runs. In the lobby the games will be categorized by their type and you should spend some time looking at each one to find out what sort of players you’re playing against. Most sites will have a dedicated “beginner” tables which are aimed at new players to help level the playing field.
As you continue to play poker online your understanding of the game will grow. You’ll become more familiar with the underlying math involved and your ability to use statistics like frequencies, EV estimation and combos will develop as well. These will soon become ingrained in your mind and you’ll begin to instinctively apply them when you play.
As you play more and more poker, you’ll start to feel the urge to climb up the stakes. This is completely natural and it’s how most winners progress. Just remember to stick to your bankroll management strategy and don’t be discouraged if you lose a few big hands. Just drop back down a bit for a while, grind it back up and try again. It’s a lot easier to recover from bad beats when you’re not playing with too much money at risk. Besides, it’s never too early to start dreaming about winning the lottery! Haha! Good luck. 😉