When poker first became popular in the early 2000s a number of people tried their hand at online play. While some were successful many found the game frustrating and expensive. The reason was that poker has a large element of luck built right into it.
The best way to mitigate this luck factor is to play within your bankroll. This will keep you from making stupid decisions when your life is on the line and it will prevent you from taking bad beats too personally. It is also important to track your results so that you know where you are winning and losing money. This can help you decide whether you need to make any adjustments to your strategy.
In the USA there are now a number of legal online poker sites. It is important to check that the site you choose is licensed by your state gaming commission and doesn’t have players from other countries. This is a serious security issue as it could lead to the theft of your personal information.
Most poker websites offer a variety of deposit and withdrawal options. These include credit cards, debit cards, pre-paid cards, eChecks and third-party eWallets. Some poker sites even accept wire transfers. Getting money on to the poker site and then off of it is much easier than in the past.
Many of these poker sites offer bonus offers for new players. These bonuses can be worth up to 100 percent of the player’s initial deposit. These are tied to a number of different requirements including playing a certain amount of raked hands. These requirements can vary widely but usually only high volume players will earn the full bonus amount.
Another good tip for new online poker players is to be on the lookout for tells. These are small indicators that a player is bluffing. The easiest to spot are the time it takes a player to make their decision. The longer it takes a player to act, the more likely they are to be bluffing.
While it is easy to get caught up in the excitement of online poker and try to out-bluff your opponents, poker is a game of skill over the long term. Those who work on their game by signing up for training sites, networking with other pros and brutally reviewing their play after each session are the ones who succeed.
A good poker player can play a tight and solid ABC game and still win a lot of money at the micro and small stakes. The key is to be able to read the other players at your table and use their tendencies to your advantage. For example, if you see that someone is a light 3-bettor then you can exploit this by targeting them with your own light 3-bets. This is where a HUD is extremely useful. A HUD will show you all of the player’s folding stats so that you can quickly target the weaker players.
