If you’ve never played real money online poker before, getting started can seem like a monumental task. As nice as it would be to just start playing with a single click, things are rarely that simple, and there are a few steps you’ll need to deal with in order to get started.
Luckily, none of this is difficult if you know what to watch for. Follow along with the four easy steps in this article, and you should be playing real money poker online in no time!
1 Find a Site
There are hundreds of different online poker sites fighting for your attention, each of which claims to be the perfect site for you. It can be very overwhelming at first, and it can be tempting to simply pick a site at random and go with that. Don’t be tempted to do this! There are a few criteria that you can use to quickly narrow down your choices and come to a conclusion about which site is right for you.
What Sites Can I Play On? In the United States, many sites have either been forced out of the market or have chosen to leave, meaning there are fewer poker rooms for you to choose from. In some other nations, such as France and Italy, citizens can play only on government-regulated sites serving only players from those countries. Knowing your options can save you lots of time and we have made it easy by allowing our editors to compile a list of the best poker sites for real money.
What Poker Games Do I Want to Play? If you want to play Texas Hold’em, of course, every single site will have plenty of tables for you to choose from. However, if you want to play more obscure real money poker games like Razz or Badugi, you’ll need to shop around to find a site that caters to your games of choice.
Is This Site Reputable? While most poker sites can be trusted, some have picked up reputations as places smart players should avoid, due to concerns about management, cheating scandals, or other issues. There are too many reliable sites out there to waste time at untrustworthy poker rooms.
If looking up all this information seems like too much work, there’s a shortcut: you can play at two of our editors favorite online poker sites, BetOnline and Bodog.
2 Create Account
In order to do anything at a poker site, you’ll need to sign up for an account. This step is pretty easy: just download the poker room client and install the software on your computer. Once this is done, you’ll be prompted to enter your login information or sign up for an account. Simply choose to sign up, provide the required information, and you’re set to go!
3 Poker Deposit
Once you have an account, you’ll be able to browse the site and play in play money games. But if you want to play for real money, you’ll want to make a deposit into your account.
Your poker room client should include a button labeled “cashier” or “banker.” Click on it, and you’ll be presented with the deposit options available for your poker site. In most cases, these will include credit cards, bank wires, e-checks and e-wallet payments. Pick the option that’s right for you, and you’ll be given instructions on how to make your deposit.
During this process, you’ll also want to watch out for anything you need to do in order to claim a first deposit poker bonus. At some sites, like Bodog, you’ll automatically receive your bonus just by making a deposit. Other sites require bonus codes in order for you to have a bonus credited to you.
4 Real Money Poker
Now that you have real money in your online poker account, you’re all set to play! Most online poker rooms feature easy-to-navigate lobbies that will help you find a game at the stakes of your choosing. Whether you want to play cash games or try out a tournament, you’re officially ready to play real money poker online.