A lot of players new to internet poker have little idea which are the best online poker sites. A quick google search might bring up over 100 poker rooms with varying promotions, games, and restrictions. Such a list can be quite daunting but by answering a few questions we can narrow things down considerably. Depending on your location, the type of poker you want to play, and the stakes you are comfortable playing you might be able to find a handful of rooms perfect for your game.
Your physical location is the biggest piece of the puzzle. Recently players from the United States were delivered a blow when legislation was passed making it much more difficult to deposit money online. This forced a vast majority of online sites to close their doors to American poker players and left just a few US friendly poker sites available to one of the biggest countries in the world. If you hail from Canada, Europe, Australia, or any other locale where it is legal to play online poker you will have a lot more options available to you. Don’t worry about breaking the law, poker sites will not accept your membership if your IP address resides outside their terms and conditions. Anyone looking to play online poker from any location should check out the Full Tilt Download before making their decision.
Once you have found a US friendly site you can further narrow down your search by which games you will be playing. The most popular games should all be available on the top texas holdem sites. Every site will offer Fixed Limit, Pot-Limit, and No-Limit Texas Hold’em and the vast majority will also offer Pot-Limit Omaha. Slightly more obscure games such as Seven Card Stud and the Hi/Lo versions of the above games are readily available on most sites but only a handful will offer necessary action at all stakes. Another factor to consider is the size of your bankroll. Some sites offer tournaments for as little at 10 cents and cash games starting with blinds at $.01/$.02. However, other sites might start as low as only $.05/$.10 blinds and $1 tournaments. For someone with just a $50 bankroll the lower the stakes the better. US Poker Sites such as the Full Tilt Poker Download will offer the lowest stakes possible and a wide variety of games.
A few other factors should be considered when choosing a poker room including software, security, bonuses, and customer support. If you are unsure about a room there will be reviews posted online for your benefit. For new players bonuses and promotions are a great way to build your bankroll and move up through levels quickly. You should look for bonuses which are relatively small and easy to clear, such as a no deposit poker bonus. Try to stay away from the bigger bonuses which require a large deposit.
Security is a major issue as well. You can never bee too careful when dealing with money on the internet. Players should search for a room with a clean security record. Their security and PC or Mac Poker software should be integrated and protected by an SSL server which will keep online predators from stealing anyone of your sensitive data. All of this information will be available to you on their website. On the software front you want a stable client which will not crash while you are playing. Being able to play multiple tables at once is also a big plus as it will help you generate more hands per hour and clear your bonuses faster. Finally, the ability to save and review your hand histories is not only a great learning tool but also another security function which helps prevent collusion and team-play online. If you’re new to online poker, it’s good to pick a site that lends you a helping hand. The Full Tilt Poker Academy has poker videos that teach you everything from basic strategy to high-level tactics.
