Fantastic Online Poker 697195
So, you have decided that you want to play poker Online, as well as your hunt for the perfect site has begun. But alas, you will discover literally hundreds of poker sites on the net. How do you discriminate between all of these available sites, to seek out that desired site ? You will find several key criteria that you should be aware of, within your quest to find the poker site which is perfect for you. Understanding these criteria, and having the capacity to use them as a basis for comparison, will significantly simplify your selection process:
Free Poker - In the event that you are looking to play online poker for pure recreation, and not for money, make certain that the site you are interested in accommodates "free" players. Most online poker sites do appeal to free players.
Software Download vs. Web-based - Most, if not all, online poker sites require you to download their poker client software onto your computer system to run. In the event you are adverse to downloading such software onto your system, then you might want to check to find out if the poker site alternatively has a web-based poker interface, which permits you to play poker on the site from within your browser. Software installs run the potential risk of viruses and/or adware being loaded onto your system (although most of the reputable firms would never do that), but software installs on your computer generally run a lot faster than web-based sessions. Software installations harness the power of your local PC's CPU, whereas web-based interfaces rely upon downloading any screen real estate updates on the web during play. This will likely be slow, particularly, in the event that you are running over a slow internet connection (e.g., a dialup line). Hence, if you are after speed, select local software installations; if you're worried about your computer's safety or can't afford the disk space utilized by a software installation, select a web-based poker site.
Methods of Deposit/Withdrawal - In the event that you are preparing to play poker for money over the web, it's essential consider the methods of deposit and withdrawal that a poker site supports. Many of these sites permit major cards to be used, which appear to be the universal deposit mechanism of choice. Others permit the use of bank transfer, ACH transfer, checks, and wire transfer from banks. Most poker sites also support some type of 3rd party eWallets, which provide an intermediary between loan providers as well as the poker site itself. The main criteria to look at are: 1) What methods of deposit/withdrawal are supported by the poker site, and how many of these methods are supported by the locale that you reside in ?; 2) Is it legal to fund/withdraw to/from a poker site, from the jurisdiction that you are playing in ?; 3) What are the fees associated with the 3rd party eWallet businesses that you are able to use, and how reliable are they (this latter question can be researched on some of the poker message forum boards) ?
Locale Restrictions - Some poker sites restrict the playing online gambling for money (and also free play sometimes), based upon your locale, and the laws governing gambling in your locale. You should check with the laws of your local jurisdiction and check with the poker site, to view if you will find any imposed restrictions on play, based on your locale.
Support - You should look at the methods of support that a poker site offers. Poker sites generally provide one (or even more) methods of support that include: telephone support, fax support, Email support, and live chat support. The greater of these that a poker site offers, the greater. For telephone support, check and find out should the poker site offers toll-free support through your playing jurisdiction or not.
Game Variety - According to your degree of poker playing expertise as well as your interest in variety, it is important to find out which game types the poker site supports. Nearly all of the sites offer Texas Holdem, but depending on your amount of interest, you should check to find out if they offer games like Five and Seven Card Stud, Omaha Poker (and all of its variations), Blackjack (not poker, but often included as a game option), Stud (and its variations), Draw poker, Tournament support, and limit and pot limit games. Tournaments in particular are very popular with online poker sites, and some site tournaments offer very large prize pools.
Bonuses - Most, but not all, of the poker sites offer some form of bonus to the player, whenever you initially sign up with the site. Each site's bonus is somewhat different, but of the one's that offer first time bonus, it really is usually predicated on the very least initial deposit. Many bonuses will also be calculated based on the sum of cash deposited and spent on the site. Likewise, many sites offer reload bonuses, that are bonuses that will be offered to existing customers, beyond their initial deposit bonus, and as being an incentive to keep you as a customer.
Graphics and Useability - This is a very important consideration. Every poker site has a different look and feel to it. If you are going to be playing poker for money, it is vital that you feel at ease with the screen graphics and also your ability to navigate (via mouse or keyboard clicks) over the poker program. If you feel uncomfortable at all with the poker site, you should definitely not consider playing at it for money. You should always test a poker site out in "free" mode foremost, before actually considering it for real-money wagering.
Game Features - You should always consider the game features that can be available with a given poker site. Game features such as hand history, multiple simultaneous playing windows, player notes, audible and visual indicators, player statistics, connection status indicator, player chat, turbo games, and screen options should often be considered.
Rake - Rake is the amount of the pot that the poker site takes (as part of its fee for conducting business), from each hand. You should always be aware of how much rake a poker site takes (compared to another site). Poker sites usually use a Weighted Contribution rake method or an Average Contribution method, when calculating rake. Obviously, the lower the rake, the better money you shall take home on hand wins, but this criteria by itself should not dictate which poker site you use, since all of the above factors need to be taken into account as well. To conclude, the aforementioned criteria should often be used, when deciding which Poker site is best for you. According to your preferences, several of these criteria should receive more weight than others. Happy Poker site hunting !!
