Online poker is an easy-to-play, intellectual game that can be thrilling and rewarding. Unlike slots or the lottery, it rewards skill rather than luck. It’s also a game that can be played anytime, day or night and for any stake you choose from the comfort of your own home. Getting started is simple – you simply sign up for an account with a recommended cardroom, deposit funds and start playing!
A large player pool means a great deal of variety in the games you can play. Beginners can learn the game with a small bankroll while experts can challenge themselves in high-stakes tournaments. Moreover, online poker sites offer a great selection of bonuses and promotions for players of all levels.
To become a better player, you should try to focus on fundamentals and avoid overthinking. In addition, it’s important to pay attention to how other players bet. A player’s bets and their actions are clues to whether or not they’re bluffing, so you should look for tells and other patterns when you play with a new opponent.
There was a time when the contrast between live and online poker was quite stark, with many professional players belonging to one group and ignoring the other. But this is changing, and now most top players regularly play both. In order to do so successfully, however, they need to be aware of the differences between the two types of poker.
Besides the obvious difference of not being able to see other players’ reactions, there are several other differences between live and online poker. First of all, the pace of play online is much faster than in person. This speeds up your variance, which results in bigger gains and losses over short periods of time.
Another way that the online version of the game differs is in how the rake is charged. Each poker site charges a rake, which is a small percentage of the total pot. These rakes are used to cover operational expenses and generate revenue. The amount of rake charged will vary between poker sites, but it’s usually somewhere in the range of 2.5% to 10% of the total pot.
It’s a good idea to track your results after each session. This will give you a clear picture of where your strengths and weaknesses lie. Most poker websites have their own tracking systems that you can use. These will give you a good overview of your win rate, number of flops seen and times you went to showdown.
It’s also a good idea to read strategy content and poker theory books. Some of the best books include Harrington on Hold’em, Theory of Poker and Super/System. Reading these can help you become a more informed player and give you a solid foundation to build on.