Online poker is one of the fastest growing games in the world. It blurs the lines between players from all over the world and lets them play for stakes that are as low as pennies or as high as they can afford. Unlike slots or the lottery it requires actual skill and you can win real money for winning hands. It’s a game that can be played at any time of day or night from the comfort of your home or wherever you have a computer and an Internet connection.
There are many ways to learn to play poker but I would recommend starting with a good training course. Many of these courses have a lot of free content up on their websites and YT channel that will give you a taste of the material before making a purchase. Most of these courses also have a structured curriculum that will help you improve over the long term.
Another great way to learn poker is through reading books or studying strategy articles. There are a few really great poker books available like Harrington on Hold’em and Theory of Poker but if you are not ready to commit to that level of study try starting with some of the many free strategy articles out there. There are also many online poker sites that offer a no download version of their software that is quite user friendly and won’t put a huge strain on even the most archaic of Internet connections.
Most poker sites have a lobby that is categorized by Cash Games, Tournaments and Sit & Go’s as well as any special format games they run. This makes it easy to navigate and you can usually find a game to fit your bankroll. Many of the top sites also have a dedicated beginner tables that will place you in a table only with players who have labeled themselves as beginners. This dramatically levels the playing field for newcomers and helps them get accustomed to the speed of online poker.
In addition to these free tools there are a number of poker programs that will make your online poker experience better. These include hand database programs that save, sort and recall all of your poker hand histories. They will also scan active tables for known players and display previous statistics from hands with them next to their name (known as a heads up display or HUD). Other poker programs can calculate odds, equity or variance for you or help you spot likely mistakes in your play. These programs will also help you keep track of your bankroll and make informed decisions on when to call, fold or raise. The best part is that you can use these tools on any device including mobile phones.