If you’re interested in playing online poker for money, there are a few things you’ll need to do first. First, you’ll need to find a good online poker room that accepts players from your country. Once you’ve found a room, you’ll need to create an account and deposit some money into it. After that, you can start playing!
Rules of online poker
Poker is a game of skill, chance, and luck. Any player can win or lose at any given time. However, over the long run, the better players will win more often than the others. This is why it’s important to learn as much as you can about the game, use strategy when playing poker, and practice your skills. By doing so, you increase your chances of winning money in the long run.
First, you need to know about the general rules for making combinations:
- 7 cards are involved in the compilation (2 pockets + 5 common);
- The strongest combination of 7 cards is made;
- You can use either one or two hand cards, or none, with at least 3 community cards.
The following are some of the most common poker combinations:
- High Card. The hand doesn’t contain any pairs or better combinations;
- One Pair. Two cards of the same value;
- Two Pairs. There are two different pairs in a hand;
- Three of a Kind. Three cards of the same rank;
- Straight. Five consecutive cards of any suit;
- Flush. Five non-consecutive cards of the same suit;
- Full House. A set (three cards of the same rank) and a pair;
- Four of a Kind (Quads). Four cards of the same rank;
- Straight Flush. A straight flush is a straight (5 cards in order, such as 5-6-7-8-9) that is also a flush (all 5 cards of the same suit).
- Royal Flush. A straight flush that goes to the Ace high is called Royal Flush.
The hand with the highest card(s) wins. In case several players have the same winning combination, the one with the highest kicker card wins. If two players have exactly the same hand, they split the pot.
The first thing you need to do before you start playing poker online for money is to choose a reliable poker room. There are many different poker rooms online, so it might be quite difficult to make a choice. But don’t worry, we will help you with that.
How to choose a good room – tips for beginners
A lot of regulars play in popular online poker rooms, which can be a serious obstacle for beginners. Therefore, when reading reviews of rooms, special attention is paid to the sections “Game disciplines” and “Game contingent”.
Pay attention to poker sites with the best opportunities for beginners. They offer:
- Closed tournaments for new depositors. Only beginners participate in the competition, so your chances of winning increase many times over.
- Weak playing field. Some rooms have a large percentage of recreational players who do not know poker strategies. Such conditions can be found on poker sites with additional sections – “Sports Betting” and “Casino”.
- Generous bonuses for newbies. Beginning poker players can count on no deposit bonuses, bonuses for the initial deposit, or gift tickets for freerolls. Gifts allow you to start playing poker with almost no material risks.
Experienced players can find Rakeback offers and good VIP programs with exclusive privileges on specialized sites. So many bonuses in poker rooms you can use only if you are a beginner.
Bonuses for poker newbies
Poker site administrations are interested in new visitors because they increase traffic and guarantee tournaments. For creating a gaming profile and a deposit, they offer different rewards:
- No deposit bonus – gift money or invitations to tournaments, which are given even before the first deposit is made. Free cash and tickets allow you to get acquainted with the conditions of the game in the room without material investments.
- A delayed bonus – a gift that is won back for a paid commission (rake). For example, a player wants to get a 100% bonus on the first deposit. If he deposits $200, he will have to launder $200 of gift money. The more he plays, the faster he accumulates points and wins back the bonus.
- Instant bonus – an incentive for a deposit or registration, which is credited immediately after the conditions of the promotion are met. For example, if a player creates a $20 deposit, then a $30 bonus is immediately credited to his account. But depending on the conditions, it can be credited in the form of cash and/or tournament money.
TOP 5 poker sites for new players
PokerStars
One of the largest poker communities where you can not only play poker but also place bets in casinos and sports. Main advantages:
- Welcome Bonus (100% up to $600) applies to the first three deposits;
- High traffic even in exotic types of poker;
- Wide variety of games and tournaments;
- Big guarantees – every week the room raffles off about $20 million;
- Prompt and high-quality support;
- Fast cache withdrawal;
- Daily freerolls with real prizes.
Partypoker
It ranks second in popularity after PokerStars. Main advantages:
- The poker client has an analysis of the game history;
- Cashback payout every week;
- Regular competitions with large guarantees (in the championships – about 60 million dollars);
- Weak rivals, which increases the chances of winning;
- Fast and high-quality Partypoker software.
888Poker
888Poker registered newcomers receive several benefits:
- $88 no deposit;
- First deposit bonus (100% up to $400) with the opportunity to earn up to 20% rake;
- Availability of video tables;
- Daily freerolls for depositors with a $1,000 guarantee;
- Upon reaching VIP statuses, players receive win-win lotteries and tickets to VIP freerolls.
PokerOK
The room has a number of advantages:
- Ability to analyze the history of the game;
- Cashback up to 100%;
- View played hands in social networks;
- Multifunctional apps for PC and mobile;
- Buying and selling tournament shares in the GG Network.
Titan poker
The room of the IPoker network has a stylish design, a simple design, and all the necessary functions and settings for a high-quality and convenient game. Advantages:
- High-quality and operational support;
- There are two types of loyalty programs to choose from – standard Rakeback and weekly cashback;
- For the first replenishment of the account, the room gives up to $ 2,000;
- Beginner players can take part in freerolls and win real money.
Some popular rooms, such as PokerStars and PartyPoker, understand that newcomers would like to minimize meetings with regulars. Therefore, separate tournaments are organized especially for them – freerolls, satellites, SNGs, etc.
Tournaments at poker sites
There are a few different ways to play poker for money. The most common are cash games, which are where players sit down at a table and play for real money.
When playing cash games, the stakes (the amount of money being played for) will be determined before the game starts. The buy-in is the minimum amount of money needed to sit down at a table, and the maximum buy-in is usually twice the size of the big blind. For example, if the big blind is $5, the maximum buy-in would be $10.
Tournaments have different rules for how much money players can bring to the table. In most cases, the buy-in (the amount of money needed to enter the tournament) will be a set amount and each player will start with the same number of chips. The prize pool will be determined by the number of entrants and will usually be split between the top 3-5 players, with the winner taking home the lion’s share.
Types of poker tournaments you can find online include:
- Freerolls. These are free tournaments where you can win real money. They usually have a smaller prize pool and attract a lot of players.
- Sit-and-Go. These are small tournaments that usually only last for an hour or so. They typically have between 20 and 180 players.
- Multi-Table Tournaments. As the name suggests, these tournaments take place across multiple tables. They can have thousands of players and last for several hours or even days.
- Guaranteed Tournaments. These are tournaments with a guaranteed prize pool, regardless of how many people play. They often have higher buy-ins and attract fewer players.
- Satellites. These are tournaments where the prize is entry into a bigger tournament. They can be single-table or multi-table satellite tournaments.
Then you can start playing in the free tournaments to get a feel for the game and build up your bankroll. Once you have a good bankroll, you can start playing in the guaranteed tournaments and satellites.
If you intend to play online, then only choose poker sites with a good reputation, bonus programs, and modern software!