Online Poker is a booming multimillion dollar industry with fortunes won and lost everyday. As a poker player keen to start playing in the online poker world, it can be daunting with some many poker rooms and bonuses available.
There are many common mistakes and pitfalls that can be easily avoided and this article aims to deliver over ten years of online poker experience is an easy to follow guide.
1) Select a reputable online poker room that is easy to navigate
Sounds obvious but many players pick the first room that gets advertised. The largest and most reputable poker rooms include sites such as Pokerstars, Full Tilt Poker, Ultimate Bet, Cake Poker, and Party Poker.
2) Sign up to the poker room through a reputable poker88 rakeback provider to collect a deposit bonus
Online Poker rooms offer bonuses to sign up new players. When you first sign up to a room you have the opportunity to sign up for a few financial extras including
a) First Deposit Bonus
b) Rakeback
c) Rake Races
d) Free Rolls.
There are many reputable rakeback providers including Rakeback Power, Rakebrain and Raketherake. Most offers between sites are similar but check out a few and ensure you follow the sign-up instructions correctly.
3) Get used to the poker room and practice with play money
Start at the play money tables. Tweak the poker room settings to your liking and get used to buttons, sounds, and graphics. When you are comfortable with the room, it’s time to consider a real money deposit. Deposit Bonuses usually match your initial deposit i.e. Deposit $600 and get a $600 Bonus. The bonuses are slowly released after you play a certain number of hands.
4) Finances and Depositing
There are a few security procedures to go through when depositing real money. Often you might need to provide evidence including a license and utility bill to ensure you are a real person. There are many deposit options available and you should take the time to read through the different options available and work out the best for you. A recommended international and secure option is Neteller.
5) Forums and Strategies
It’s time to start improving your game. Check out Two Plus Two Forums. This is the oldest poker forum on the Internet and any question you have about poker is likely to have already been answered.
6) Poker Books
There are numerous books around to improve your poker skills. I recommended starting off simple with either Doyle Brunson’s “Super System” or Dan Harrington’s “Harrington on Holdem”. There is no bad book on poker, the more you read, the more you will learn.
7) Software
I would firstly recommended Holdem Manager – A database that records all the hands you play so that you can review mistakes. It also allows you to have real time statistics about your opponents while you play. Table Ninja is a use program that allows you to use hot keys instead of clicking the buttons – Very useful if playing many tables.
8) Training Websites
Numerous poker training sites exist to make you a better play and the leading site would be Card Runners – packed full of poker training videos for all games and skill levels, blogs, strategy forums and coaching also available. Worth checking out. Other training sites include Deuces Cracked, Poker Savvy, Grind School and Poker Pwnage.
9) Bonus collecting and find a poker room that suits you
Once you played enough hands at a poker room to collect the deposit bonus, it is time to move onto another room. Why not start collecting the next deposit bonus available? Eventually you should find a poker room that feels natural and the competition should be easy enough that you can make a steady profit.
10) Take the time to enjoy yourself
Poker can be rivoting, frustrating, infuriating and confusing all within five minutes. Remember poker is to be enjoyed, you will lose hands and win hands but hopefully still be smiling at the end of the day.