You can join an online poker site and start playing straight away.
If you are new to the game, and have never played it at all, then it's probably a good idea to start with a demo account. This means you'll start with virtual money. You can practice playing different types of poker and find which game suits you best. Each version of poker has different rules and sometimes a different number of cards.
These include Texas Hold 'Em, which is the most popular poker game played around the world. You will probably have seen professional poker players playing this on the television, and in the World Series of Poker tournament.
Another version of this game is called Omaha. If you can handle Texas Hold 'Em then you might find you like playing Omaha too, as the games are similar, but now you have more cards to choose from.
7-Card Stud is another variation of this cards game.
It's easier to play these games online, than at the actual casino. This is because there are often people from all over America, and even the world, who want to play. There can be thousands of people ready to play at the flip of a card. Finding people to play online is easy.
- You can also choose the difficulty level you play. If you are new and ready to play for cash, then you can start off with tables that only allow small bets per round. That way you can build up your skill level and your account slowly and be unlikely to lose your account at the same time.
- You might even start to make friends if you play regularly, as you begin to recognize people. Normally each person has an avatar and a special name that is the same every time they log into the game. You can identify friends easily this way.
- You also chat with these people as there is normally a messaging system. This allows there to be a social aspect to the game. You won't feel alone while playing on the Internet.
Once you've built up some knowledge of how the games work and have found your preferred version of the card game, you can even start to enter tournaments.
This might seem frightening to you, but it really isn't that hard to join a tournament online.
There are lots of people who want to test their skills against other players. A tournament is a great way to do this. That way you can see how much you have really learned and improved. You probably won't win your first competition, but it can be a great way to improve your skills even further.
In most tournaments, you don't need to actually win to make some cash. It will depend on the entry fee and the number of participants. However, normally the top five or ten will win cash. The amount you can win will increase with how well you finish. If you finish in 5th position you'll win more than someone who finished 6th or worse. However, you won't make as much money as someone who finishes 4th or better.
Playing poker online can be great fun.