What is online poker?
When you play online poker, you are not playing against the "house".
Online poker is when you play poker against other players on the Internet. The poker site has no interest in favoring one player over another. In fact, the poker site has a very strong interest in making sure nobody is cheating and that the games are completely fair so you will return and play again.
How does the poker site make money then?
Just like in a real brick and mortar casino a fee is collected. This fee is called the rake. The rake online is far less than what is collected in live poker rooms. In addition, by maximizing bonuses you can save a great deal on the rake.
So here is how online poker works.
The Poker Website:
The poker website has information about the games, rules, rake schedule, promotions and FAQ. Here is where you can download the poker client or in some cases use a non-downloadable version. The poker client is similar to an advanced video game that you would download on your computer and will show a graphical display of a poker game that you will be able to interact with in real time with players all over the world.
A computer hosts the poker games, acts as cashier, dealer and host and is the source of all communication between the players. Each site has a support team to help you with any issues you may have via a e-mail, telephone and/or live support. Read our Review of Online Poker Support for more details.
Each poker site has Real Money or Play Money games. Real money games require you make a deposit and buy chips and the site makes money by collecting rake from most pots. Play money games are hosted for free at no cost to you as a promotion for the poker sites.
All of the poker sites represented on our website have the highest ranking of security. From the time you visit the poker site to downloading software, playing in the games, ensuring your funds - every step of the process is very secure. Your computer will NOT become infested with annoying pop-ups and you won’t be put on any mailing lists.
The first decision you have to make is to decide where you want to play. We’ve narrowed the choice down for you by choosing secure and reputable sites and provided information about each of these online poker sites to help you make an informed choice about what poker site would be best for you.
Poker Stars is the site we recommend because it has the most traffic, excellent support and high-quality software. To help you choose a poker site see our Poker Room Reviews section. |
beginners guide