Game Rules, Ranking of Hands, Game Glossary and more - all about the poker game

Picking your First Online Poker Room

Back to Articles - Poker Articles

Like any other first-time experience, choosing your first online poker room can be an awkward and potentially troubling experience. It's intimidating as well because there are so many online poker rooms and so many poker players that it might be a little off-putting to have choose one and pony up to the table.

However, if you follow these easy steps, you'll be well on your way to your poker millions. The first step in choosing your online poker room is to find a site that compares online poker rooms. There are literally hundreds of these sites online and it is a best practice to visit many of them to compare their comparisons. Plus, many of these sites are just fronts for the poker rooms themselves and their so-called poker rankings are nothing but a shill for their sponsors. On these sites, you're unlikely to get anything of any value.

But, on the other hand, when you find an honest-to-god internet poker review site, it can be enormously helpful. If the reviews are independent and detailed, you can save a lot of time searching around aimlessly on the net. Plus, the good review sites will give in-depth reviews about user experience and how to collect on winnings, etc. They will have sections on variations of poker played like Texas holdem so if you're looking for a particular flavor of poker you can find info about it at these sites.

Once you find a site that offers the aforementioned accoutrement the next step is to compare the sites. Pick four or five and then check out each of the sites to see what they offer. Some sites will specialize in Texas hold'em whereas other sites will be general online poker rooms where many variations of poker are offered.

Beyond that, be sure to check out the bonus signup offers that each site offers. Most sites offer similar bonus signup offers but every now and again you'll find something special. Be sure to read the terms and conditions very carefully before you sign up. Some nefarious poker rooms will attempt to lure the unsuspecting and naïve poker player with too-good-to-be-true offers and in the small print, they'll take away your bonus and keep your cash. Long story short, be careful and cautious when signing up for bonuses. Make sure to stay away from sticky bonuses; sticky just means they're hard to get because of their adhesive characteristics.

That's about all there is to it. Following these simple steps should get you signed up and playing poker in no time. Good luck and have fun.

- by Ronald Torr