Online Poker Overview and Information

Thanks to the internet, anyone can now hop online to play online poker for fun or for real money against real opponents. It's a game where you once had to host live poker games or drive to the casino, but can now play any time you want against thousands of opponents from the comfort of your home.

Online poker has totally changed the game, too. New poker players that we probably never would have heard of if it wasn't for the internet are now celebrities. The game even changed my life and brought me more success than I ever could have imagined only a few years ago.

Even if all you want to do is get a little practice or try out a new poker game, you can sign up with a poker room and use play money to get started. Thanks to online poker, you can get as much practice as you want against real opponents. Try going to a live casino and asking them if you can play with fake money!

Poker Games

The most popular online poker game is Texas Holdem. This is also called the "Cadillac of poker" because it is a fun, highly strategic game and is very versatile. What I mean by "versatile" is that the game is designed so that it can be played in cash games, in tournaments and in the limit and no-limit varieties.

Other popular poker games include Omaha, 7 Card Stud, 5 Card Draw and 2-7 Triple Draw poker. The games all use the same cards you're used to seeing but the rules vary widely. Some of the games resemble others on the outside but even small differences in the rules have a big impact on the flow of the game. If you would like additional information about each game such as how to play, rules of the game and strategy, take a look at our poker games page.

Online Tournaments

Online poker tournaments are now massively popular as well. For just a few dollars, anyone can sign up to a poker site, join a tournament and win hundreds of thousands of dollars after only several hours of play. Online poker tournaments have also boosted the attendance of the yearly World Series of Poker tournament thanks to smaller online satellite tournaments that can get you free entry to the WSOP for only a small buy-in fee.

If you can recall, back in 2003, a guy by the name of Chris Moneymaker made poker history by winning the then-biggest WSOP first place prize of all time. When it became known that he qualified online for only $39, online poker took off in a big way. Today the WSOP is even bigger than ever.

There are two major sites that lead the way when it comes to online tournaments; Full Tilt Poker and PokerStars. Both sites offer huge tournament selections, WSOP qualifying tournaments, and much more.

Online Cash Games

Online poker cash games have also taken off in recent years thanks to their constant availability. Cash games are different than tournaments because in cash games you buy in with real money and can come and go as you wish. There's no limit to the number of buy-ins you can bring with you and there are no prizes for being the last person at the table. Your only goal in cash games is to take as much money as you can from your opponents.

Cash games aren't quite as popular as tournaments but they are still very much alive and kicking. With buy-ins starting as low as $2 and going all the way up to $100,000, cash games are accessible to people of all skill levels and bankrolls. Some of the top cash game players in the world play exclusively online because the super high stakes games are accessible from anywhere in the world.

If you're a beginner, don't worry; there are lots of fellow poker newbie's out there. The small and medium stakes cash games are perfect for cutting your teeth and getting the thrill of playing for real money. And when you're ready to cash out your winnings, all you have to do is visit your online poker site's cashier and request a check, bank transfer or initiate a cash out via one of many other withdrawal methods.

Best Poker Sites

Now that you have a a background of what online poker is all about, you want to make sure you play at a trusted site. We have reviewed multiple poker rooms to help come up with the best options. Some of the things we look as when recommending a site are how well the software works, amount of traffic to the games, security, and deposit bonuses. If you are ready to give online poker a try for either play or real money, we suggest any of the following sites:

Rank	Poker Room		US?	Bonus	Get Started
#1		Full Tilt Poker		100% up to $600	Play Now!
#2		PokerStars		100% up to $600	Play Now!
#3		Titan Poker		100% up to $500	Play Now!

If you have watched any of the WSOP on television in the past, you have probably heard of PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker as they are heavily advertised. Full Tilt is the home of many poker professionals such as Phil Ivey, Mike Matusow, Howard Lederer, Allen Cunningham, and much more.