Playing poker online for the first time can be an intimidating experience, but we are here to provide you with all the information you need to make your playing experience a good one. The most important decision you will make about playing poker online is deciding which poker room you would like to try. At Rakeshark.com we happen to know the best rooms available and also have arranged exclusive bonuses for our readers. The list below represents what we feel our your best choices in online card rooms and the bonus you get by signing up with each room:

 

Cake Poker <=$500 New player deposit bonus PLUS entry to a $500 new player freeroll

 

 

Once you have decided on the poker room you would like to try you will need to make a deposit in order to play for real money. If you are new to online poker or just not comfortable with the idea of "putting some money in play" just yet, then by all means try out the play money tables. These will afford you the opportunity to learn all the games and get accustomed to how Online Poker works.

 

If you ready to take the big step and play for real money then you are ready for your first deposit. There are a few things to keep in mind though, most deposit bonuses usually credit you based on how much you deposit. In most cases, if you want to receive the full bonus amount, you will need to deposit at least that amount. For example, with any of the poker rooms listed above, you would need to deposit $500 to be eligible for the full $500 bonus. It is in your best interest to get as much of the bonus as possible!

 

Depositing to Online Poker rooms is usually pretty simple. Most of the time you will be using a third party service like Neteller, Epassporte, Moneybookers or one of the many other online payment services. Depending on where you live, you may be able to deposit with a Visa or MasterCard as well. Now, you might be wondering what happens if you want to cash out some of your winnings or just get your money back. In most cases, the poker room will credit back your original deposit amount to the source of that deposit, any amounts above what you deposited can be returned to you in a number of ways and that usually includes most of the third party payment services we have mentioned.

 

 

If you have made your deposit then you know its time to play poker for real money. Our suggestion: start out at a limit you can handle. Even if you deposited the full $500, remember to play within your limits. For advice on what bankroll is proper for which limits, check out our article on bankroll management. Even if you have plenty of money, we recommend that you start out at a low limit like $1-$2 so you can familiarize yourself with online poker and how it works. It is important while playing online poker that you always pay attention. Online poker is different from poker at a casino in that there is a time limit for each player. If you fail to make your decision in the alloted time, your hand will be folded. Mistakes like accidentally missing your turn and folding a good hand are the kinds of things that will eat up your profit over the long haul!

 

 

1. Try not to chat with the other players, its a distraction and usually people are just jerks anyways. If you are going to talk, keep it positve and short.

2. If you are getting crushed, get up from the table and take a break.

3. Develop a plan for what you do with your profits. If you are simply playing for fun, fine, but if you are serious about making money then create a good bankroll management plan.

4. Read strategy articles and learn everything you can about online poker!