Stern-faced avatars and silly dealing animations, wearing pajama pants to a no-limit tournament, walking no further than your couch for access to thousands of players worldwide, each contribute to the allure of online poker. But before you slip out your VISA and start typing in the account number, take a few precautions to protect yourself and get the most out of your money.
There are hundreds of online poker companies out there, all of which are owned and run overseas, most often in Scandinavia and the Caribbean. That means you have plenty to choose from. They're all fairly similar but with noticable differences in user interface, online assistance, and tournament structures.
It's well worth your time to do a little shopping around. Remember that you're not just gambling; you're also paying for a service, paid in the form of a rake the company takes from each table's pots. They make money hand-over-fist, so you owe it to yourself, and your wallet, that you're getting the most enjoyable, safest experience.
First, check for any sign-up deals. Many of the bigger companies will offer free bonuses, a percentage of your original deposit that will be credited to your account. These deals always have a requirement, such as playing a certain number of hands at a normal table game. If so, you can get off easily later on by playing the lower limit tables until the requirement is fulfilled.
Sign up for a free account and sit down at a table. The controls are usually easy, but some easier than others. The pacing of online play is very fast, and you need to be comfortable to respond quickly.
Play a few hands at the free tables and then check out their online support. Do they have a hotline? A twenty-four hour helpdesk? You may not need them now, but when you do play with real money, will they have someone available to troubleshoot or resolve issues with their software or abuses by other players?
While you're at it, also check their tournament schedules. Look in the table/tournament directory after you've logged in to see the range of tables available. Look for lots of daily and weekly schedule tournaments, which means that the tournaments will happen frequently enough that you won't feel like you're missing out if you can't make them. Often there are sit-and-go tournaments that wait until the table is full before starting. There are also guaranteed-prize-pool tournaments that will award at least the set amount of money regardless of the number of people who sign up and pay the buy-in.
If you've finally found a site that feels right and offers the features you wanted, it's time to make a deposit. But there's one problem. Most credit card companies will outright refuse any charges to an online poker site. This goes back to the dawn of the industry when thousands of disputed charges caused the credit card companies to swear off online poker credits altogether. If you plan to use your credit card directly, call your credit card company ahead of time and tell them that you authorize the charge. They'll confirm your identity on the phone and you'll be able to give them the name of the poker site and the apporiximate time that the charge will take place.
If they still refuse to authorize the charge, you have another option. A entire third-party industry exists to transfer money online. Charges to e-wallets go through without complication and are usually instantaneous, making your funds available for transfer instantly. There is, of course, a surcharge, but it might be your only option. It's better to avoid giving any company your checking account number and to make withdrawals. Using a credit card and a third party is much safer and also helps to insure that you never go beyond your spending limit if you use only what you've transferred.
Regardless of which poker site you use, you'll enjoy your experience all the more if you have the peace of mind and the comfort of using a service you trust.