Playing poker online is a great way to improve your skills before entering tournament play – plus, it’s a fun way to earn a little extra cash on the side. However, the worst thing you can do when you play online poker is to sign into the first room you find. It’s important to put a little time and effort into finding the poker room that best meets your needs. If you’re just getting started, you’ll find that being choosy about the poker rooms you play in will – in the end – help you advance in the game much more quickly.

Software And Usability

Everyone has a different opinion about the best online poker room out there, but if you aren’t yet sure which one’s best for you, start by looking at how easy the program is to use. As a beginner, you’ll be frustrated enough trying to get the hang of the game – don’t contribute to your anxiety level by hanging out in poker room that’s difficult to use. Take advantage of any free trials you can find and use them to determine how easy each poker room is to use. Is the navigation easily understandable? Do you run into any errors, or any freezes in the program? If so, move on to the next option.

Poker Room Popularity

When you’re exploring a poker room, try to get a feel for how many players are active at any given time. Signing up for a program that few people use will only lead to frustration when you sit down to play. After all, you want to jump in and play – not spend fifteen minutes hanging around and waiting for more players to show up. Of course, keep in mind that most online poker rooms have peak times and lull times. If you’re logging on to play at 3:00 am, you’ll probably find fewer players available than if you drop by during the evening hours.

Beginners Welcome

In some poker rooms, it’s a free-for-all – beginners sit down with advanced pokers and learn to play the game in a trial-by-fire way. While some poker students might prefer this method of learning, other beginners will quickly feel overwhelmed. If you’d prefer a little hand-holding throughout the learning process, look for poker rooms that offer separate beginner tables or rank players according to their skill. In these cases, you’ll be able to identify other beginners to test your skills against while you’re all learning together. Some online poker rooms that cater to beginners might even offer educational resources and tips and tricks to help you learn more quickly.

Bonuses, Bonuses, Bonuses!

Let’s face it – as much as we may profess to love poker for the game itself, we can’t deny the appeal of a big fat bonus. If you’re just getting started, you may even be able to earn a special bonus just for signing up. Shop around to see what you can get – if the sites are offering free money, why not take advantage of it? You should also check to see if the poker room hosts tournaments for players, and what type of financial incentives they offer for these games. Winning at a poker game is great, but earning a little something extra when you play poker is even better.