Playing online poker to make money? This is the dream of many players who start playing poker. But how easy is it to be on the winning side in poker? Where can you play and how should you play? How do you learn to bluff, and what can you learn from other games of chance?
And what’s the best thing to do when you lose? Our online poker guide leaves almost no question unanswered.
Play poker online
Playing online poker has long been a thing of the past. The motivation for doing so can vary widely. Some play to pass the time because the game is fun; others want to improve their game; and some hope for the lucky break of a big tournament win.
The Moneymaker Effect
Before the rise of poker, poker was considered, firstly, an old man’s game and, secondly, a slightly dubious affair. With the global poker wave that emerged around 2003/04, the playing field shifted abruptly. Suddenly, poker was seen as the game of the younger generation.
Because you could suddenly play poker online, structures changed. When Chris Moneymaker won $2.5 million at the 2003 WSOP via an $86 online satellite, it sparked a global boom: the so-called Moneymaker Effect.
Poker internationally and in German-speaking countries
The hype occurred primarily in the US, but it spread to other parts of the world. Strategy books soon appeared in German and became bestsellers.
At the latest, when Pius Heinz won the WSOP Main Event in 2011, the world’s largest poker tournament, the game of poker was considered absolutely respectable.
Free play versus real money poker
You can also play free online poker, i.e., play for play money. However, for most players, without at least a small amount of real money, the game lacks excitement.
Poker is generally preferred to play with real money. This is also due to the fact that many players don’t take the game seriously enough and make crazy bets when it’s just play money. This also ruins the playability of the rest of the table.
Software vs. Browser Game
Whether you play in a browser or a downloadable version depends on your preferences, but also on the device you use. For desktop, most poker sites offer both, and browser play traditionally experiences fairly low demand.
With a cell phone or tablet, you usually have to install an app.
Playing poker with your cell phone
Most of the real-money online poker apps you can download are well developed and implemented. Menu navigation in the apps is now also successful on mobile devices, and the game runs stably if you have decent internet access.
Whether you play online poker on a laptop or smartphone doesn’t make much difference. Poker software is usually optimized for Android, iPad, and iPhone.
Multi-player board game
If one poker table is too boring for you, you can also play multiple rounds of poker at the same time. This is possible in most poker rooms.
Of course, it’s easier if you don’t play on the small screen of a cell phone. The best way to play poker is to multiplay on a computer with multiple screens. However, most players prefer to play only one game at a time.
Deposit and Withdraw
After registration, you can fund your player account. There are usually several payment methods to choose from: card payment, instant transfer, Trustly, Skrill, Neteller, and Paysafecard are notable examples.
It’s important that you can withdraw your account balance at any time. The minimum withdrawal is usually €10 or €20, as is the minimum deposit. Maximum amounts are several thousand euros per transaction.
Poker networks
There are poker rooms where players from more than just one gambling site sit at the table. Smaller poker sites, in particular, like to use this type of network solution, or websites that primarily deal with other forms of gambling (such as online casinos or betting providers).
A well-known poker network is called iPoker, which comes from the gambling provider Playtech. Here, poker players from Bet365, William Hill, and other sites sit together at the poker table.
The top online poker sites
However, poker rooms that cater only to their own players are dominant. Incidentally, it’s quite common for there to be no country-specific separation: Australians sit next to Poles, Swedes, Japanese, and Senegalese at the table and play together or against each other.
Among the most popular poker rooms are
● Poker Stars
● Poker Party
● GGPoker
There is a chat feature in almost all poker programs, but you can also ignore it.
Poker Blacklist
We issue warnings against these poker rooms and poker sites:
● poker cake
● poker boy
● Carbon Poker