Online poker is great and can be played by anyone with an internet access. The poker boom that has started in around 2003 has not lost its momentum and in recent years, dozens of poker rooms sprung up offering the ever increasing number of players the opportunity to play their favorite game. With the increase in popularity more and more new players are exposed to this fascinating game.

New players should be well aware that no poker pro has fallen from the sky. Even Doyle Brunson, one of the greatest players ever, has started from scratch. Therefore, new players should make sure they know their way around the internet poker scene before they start playing. To do so, they should follow a few basic steps.

Online Poker Rooms

Room			Rating	Bonus	Review	Visit
2.		888Poker		$88 free + $400	Review	Play Now

An Internet poker career is highly impacted by the choice of a good place to play – that is, by the poker room. Choosing the right site to play is very important – bonus, promotions and loyalty programs  structure, player base and traffic, tournament offerings and learning aids will significantly affect any player’s career path. So when choosing a site it is important to pay close attention to these parameters and make an educated decision.

Poker Games

The next thing to do is to know the game itself. Here you will quickly notice that one game of Poker is not like the other. There are dozens of variants, which often look similar but have important differences in the rules that can make the difference between victory and defeat.

The number one variant today is clearly Texas Hold’em poker. This is the game of choice in every major tournament. The luck factor in Texas Hold’em has been replaced in large part by mathematics. Texas Hold’em is played in every poker room, and in many online casinos and is also the standard variant in the main event of the WSOP, EPT, WPT, and really any other tournament. Other variants like Omaha, Razz, Stud and HORSE are also very popular and can be very lucrative – if you know how to play.

How to Play

At this point you should really ask yourself if you know how to play the game. In Poker, unlike other games, it is not enough to know the rules. Why? Because it is a science in itself and it cannot be seriously played without a real understanding of its strategies, mathematics and psychologies. If you start playing for real money after reading just one article, it will usually cost you money and frustration. There are hundreds of things to note – ins and outs, pot odds, game strategy, bluffing, and so on and so forth. Therefore, most poker rooms offer their players schools where they can learn the game and free, “play money” poker games where they can practice their game play. Taking the time to learn the game and practice it will not guarantee you win, but it will increase your chances to win and prevent you from embarrassing yourself at the virtual tables.