Online poker is a fun, easy to play game that rewards actual skill unlike slots or the lottery. It’s also a game that can be played at any time for any stakes and from the comfort of your home. While there are many different online poker sites it’s important to find one that offers you the games you enjoy playing and is safe to use. To do this you should look at the bonuses, traffic levels and types of poker games offered.
When choosing an online poker site it’s important to make sure that you are playing on a reputable website that uses legitimate software and deals the cards fairly. In addition to this you should ensure that the poker room you are playing at is licensed in your jurisdiction. If not you may run into legal problems if you are caught violating gambling laws in your jurisdiction.
Another thing to consider is the number of players at an online poker site. Generally the more players at a poker site the larger the tournament prize pools and cash games will be. If you are looking for a large player pool check out poker sites that accept players from the USA like New Jersey, Delaware and Nevada. These sites have player-pool sharing agreements with each other to create a huge selection of cash games and tournaments.
The lobby at an online poker site should be easily navigated and well organized with a tab for each type of game the site offers including cash games, Sit & Go’s and tournaments. Usually you will be able to filter for the type of game you want to play and there will be an option to set up your own personal tables. Many poker sites also offer “beginner” tables which will seat you with other players who classify themselves as beginners, a great way to level the playing field for newcomers.
There are a few key pieces of software that any serious poker player should have on their computer to help improve their game. These include hand database programs that save and sort your played hands and allow you to recall them at a later date. There are also a number of poker tool programs that analyze game theory optimal strategy and even provide recommended bet sizings for certain situations. The PIO solver is probably the most advanced of these poker tools but it can be a bit tricky to learn how to use it properly.
The last piece of software that all poker players should have is a good screen capture program to help them record and analyze their gameplay. This will help you spot any flaws in your game and make you a better player. There are free programs out there that can do the job but the more expensive ones are much more feature rich. They can be more than just a simple screen capture program and can do things like show you the history of your hands in the past as well as replay them in slow motion.