Online Poker

Welcome to our extremely long guide to online poker. The purpose of this guide is to provide you with solid information about playing online poker for real money. If you’re trying to get started immediately, the first section provides a list of the best poker sites to play for real money at.

Online Poker Sites

Online poker sites have been around since the early days of the internet. However, it wasn’t until Chris Moneymaker won the 2003 World Series of Poker that online poker sites exploded in popularity. Today, hundreds of online poker sites exist on the internet. Internet poker sites come in all sizes and offer different features and promotions. We’ve played at most of the top online poker sites and have narrowed our list of favorites down to a handful.

Best US Online Poker Sites

Bodog Poker

Not only does Bodog have a great online casino, but they also offer poker rooms as well. These poker games are rather small right now, as most poker players in the U.S. are avoiding playing online. However, you can find up to 1000 players on during peak times. The advantage of playing poker at Bodog is the lower competition level. Most serious poker players have stopped playing online for the time being. Bodog has poker players that don’t have a giant bankroll like the other poker giants used to have.

5Dimes Poker

5Dimes is a combination sportsbook, casino and poker site. They are currently allowing new players from the United States. While the poker software that they offer is a little bit primitive compared to other poker sites, there is one thing that I like about 5dimes. That is the fact that most of the poker players at 5Dimes aren’t professional poker players. The players at these tables are primarily sports bettors and play poker on the side. That means your chances are that much better if you have been playing at other sites for a while.

Cake Poker

Cake Poker is one of the few online poker networks that were unaffected by the recent events. They have a small, but growing, group of followers who are back up online and playing poker. If you are looking for a place to play online with your friends, I would suggest giving Cake Poker a try.

Carbon Poker

Carbon Poker originally opened their doors to US poker players; but were forced to close their doors shortly after. However, Carbon Poker is about to start accepting American players once again. This will be a major boost to the online poker scene as Carbon was one of the best before they left the market. (Update October 2011 – Carbon Poker is not accepting USA customers currently)

Best International Poker Sites

Party Poker

The original poker giant. If you played online poker back before 2006, you were probably playing here. Party Poker is still up and running strong. They are simply waiting until the US government decides that playing poker online is legal. Once this happens, Party Poker will be number 1 again.

PokerStars

PokerStars.com has been around since late 2001. Because of the 15,000+ cash game players and 100,000 daily tournament players PokerStars is still one of the largest poker site online. These numbers have taken a hit since they were forced out of the US market. They are still up and running without any problems. You can still find many great poker tournaments to play in.

Titan Poker

Opened in 2005, Titan Poker is a popular online cardroom on the iPoker network. Titan Poker has built a good-sized player base of about 5,000 cash game players and 25,000 tournament players during peak hours. If Titan Poker accepted US players, it would certainly be in a position to take one of the top spots for best online poker room.

Online Poker Games

While you won’t find too many crazy poker variations that you play at home with friends and family, you will find plenty of action at online poker games. Here is a list of some of the poker games you can play online for real money.

• Texas Hold’em
• Omaha
• Seven-Card Stud
• Five-Card Draw
• Razz
• H.O.R.S.E.
• 2 to 7 Triple Draw Lowball
• Badugi

The larger the poker site, the more of a chance you have of finding the online poker game and limit you want to play.

Online Poker Bonuses

One of the most interesting (and profitable) things about playing poker online, is how poker rooms offers online poker bonuses to new players. These online poker bonuses are offered to entice new players to deposit and play at a particular poker cardroom.

Online Poker Deposit Options

Finding safe and reliable online poker deposits is one of the challenges that new online poker players face. Below you’ll find a list of the best poker deposit options for US and non-US players.

U.S. Poker Deposit Options

• Visa/Mastercard
• Diners Club
• Instant EChecks
• Entropay
• eWalletXpress
• MoneyGram
• PIC-Club
• UseMyWallet
• Western Union

Non-US Poker Deposit Options

• Neteller
• ClickandBuy
• EcoCard
• Click2Pay
• Giropay
• Instadebit
• Moneybookers
• MyCitadel
• Paypal
• Paysafecard
• Ukash
• UseMyBank

Online Poker Cheating

One of the major concerns online poker players have is cheating in online poker. Players are fearful on getting cheated by the poker sites themselves, other players working together, and players using cheating software. If you want to learn about all the ways people cheat at poker, there’s no better read than Bill Rini’s Definitive Guide to Online Poker Cheating.

Online Poker Tips

There are several ways you can make your online poker experience more rewarding (and profitable). Here are 5 online poker tips to help you have more fun, and win more money playing poker online.

1. Don’t have to stick to one poker site. One thing we recommend doing when you’re new to online poker, is try a variety of poker sites. Each poker room has a different feel, features, and loyalty programs. Plus, by depositing at different rooms you take advantage of several online poker bonuses to build your bankroll.
   
   
2. Play the play money poker games. If you’re brand new to poker in general, playing free poker is the easiest way to learn poker. Even if you know how to play games like Texas Hold’em, using the play money poker games can be a great way to get accustomed to the software.
   
   
3. Make sure you play within your bankroll. Even if you’re just playing online poker for fun, nothing will prolong how long you can play poker like bankroll management. In other words, if you deposit $100, you shouldn’t play $100 No Limit Hold’em. Even if you feel like a good poker player, one unlucky hand would leave you broke. Instead, use the $100 to play micro stakes cash games and tournaments. One large poker sites you’ll find games as low as $0.01/$0.02 cash games, and $1 sit-n-go tournaments.
   
   
4. Avoid the urge to berate other players, no matter how bad they may be. There are some terrible poker players online, especially at the lowest stakes. Even if they call you down with nothing and draw out on the last card, refrain from telling them how bad they play. Instead, try to have the mindset that you will win money from them eventually. If you berate them for poor play, they will try to play better against you, or worse, they’ll leave.
   
   
5. Use loyalty points and winnings to become better at online poker. Sites like Pokerstars have great loyalty programs where you get points for playing poker for real money. These points can be used for all kinds of merchandise including poker books. Using loyalty points for poker books is a fantastic way to increase your poker knowledge for free. Another great way to use a small percentage of your poker winnings is to invest in online poker software like Hold’em Manager, a statistical program that helps you find leaks in your own game and weaknesses in your opponents.