Online poker is played at home on a computer or mobile device with an internet connection. It’s a fun, social and intellectual game that rewards actual skill unlike slots or the lottery. It can be played for free or at the smallest stakes imaginable and players can compete against people from all over the world. There are even satellite entries into the biggest live tournaments. It’s easy to see why so many people love this game.
Getting started in online poker is fairly simple and similar to signing up for a real money casino. You’ll have to provide a few pieces of information and create a username and password. You’ll also need to deposit funds to your account by using a number of different methods including credit and debit cards, pre-paid cards, third party eWallets or direct bank transfers. Once the funds appear in your account balance you can start playing.
To be a successful player in online poker you need to know how to read the game’s rules and understand the betting tendencies of other players. The game also requires a bit of a different skill set to live poker as there are no physical tells and you have to rely on your computer’s software output to get the information you need.
One of the reasons that online poker has become so popular is because it is possible to play for virtually any stakes you want, from pennies to a million dollars. There are also plenty of opportunities to win free cash and other prizes. This makes it accessible to people from all walks of life and can be a very lucrative way to make money online.
The first step in getting started in online poker is to find a site that offers the game you’re interested in playing. There are numerous websites that offer this service and most have a search function where you can type in the name of the game you’re looking for. Once you’ve found a site that matches your criteria you can click on it and be seated at the game of your choice.
In 2014, Nevada and Delaware signed the first multi-state poker agreement, allowing them to combine their player pools. This seemed like a major step forward and hinted at the possibility of more states joining such agreements in the future. However, the DOJ’s recent reinterpretation of the Wire Act has put this on hold for the time being.
Before California can join a multi-state poker agreement it will need to regulate the industry and license operators at the state level. Once this happens, the state can decide whether to join the MSIGA or another interstate compact that would allow players from other regulated states to play against each other. In addition, California would need to adopt a reasonable set of gambling laws. If this is done, it should only be a matter of time before the state joins an interstate poker network.