Because of this, you've got decided that you want to play poker Online, and also your hunt for the perfect site has begun. But alas, you can find literally hundreds of poker sites on the web. How do you discriminate between all of these available sites, to find that desired site ? You can find several key criteria that you should be aware of, within your quest to discover the poker site that's 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 - If you are looking to play online poker for pure recreation, and not for money, ensure that the site you are enthusiastic about accommodates "free" players. Most online poker sites do cater 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 that you are adverse to downloading such software onto your system, in which case you might want to check to determine in the event the poker site alternatively has a web-based poker interface, that allows 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 whole lot faster than web-based sessions. Software installations harness the power of the local PC's CPU, whereas web-based interfaces depend on downloading any screen real-estate updates over the web during play. This could be slow, particularly, in case you are running over a slow internet access (e.g., a dialup line). Hence, in the event you are after speed, select local software installations; in the event that you are concerned about your computer's safety or can't afford the disk space used written by journal.aiou.edu.pk a software installation, select a web-based poker site.

Methods of Deposit/Withdrawal - If you are preparing to play poker for money online, it's extremely important to look at the methods of deposit and withdrawal that a poker site supports. Many of these sites permit major credit cards to be used, which seem to be the universal deposit mechanism of choice. Others permit the usage 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 and also the poker site itself. The main criteria to look-at are: 1) What methods of deposit/withdrawal are supported through the poker site, and just how many of these methods are supported through the locale that you are living in ?; 2) Is it legal to fund/withdraw to/from a poker site, from the jurisdiction that you'll be playing in ?; 3) What are the fees related to the 3rd party eWallet companies that you are able to use, and just how reliable are they (this latter question may be researched on some of the poker message forum boards) ?

Locale Restrictions - Some poker sites restrict the playing for money (and also free play sometimes), according to your locale, as well as the laws governing gambling within your locale. You should check with the laws of the local jurisdiction and check with the poker site, to see if there are actually any imposed restrictions on play, according to 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, E-mail support, and live chat support. The better of these that a poker site offers, the better. For telephone support, check and find out should the poker site offers toll-free support from your playing jurisdiction or not.

Game Variety - Depending on your degree of poker playing expertise and your interest in variety, it is important to find out which game types the poker site supports. Just about all of the sites offer Texas Holdem, but based on your level of interest, you should check to determine should 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's usually predicated on the very least initial deposit. Many bonuses also are calculated in line with the sum of money deposited and spent on the site. Furthermore, many sites offer reload bonuses, that are bonuses that will be offered to existing customers, beyond their initial deposit bonus, and as an incentive to keep you as a customer.

Graphics and Useability - This really is a very important consideration. Every poker site has a different look and feel to it. If you're going to be playing poker for money, it is vital that you feel at ease with the screen graphics and your ability to navigate (via mouse or keyboard clicks) throughout 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 first, before actually considering it for real-money wagering.

Game Features - You should always look at the game features that will 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 continually be considered.