Choosing an Online Poker Site

Choosing an Online Poker Site.

Choosing an online poker site involves a number of different factors which the player should consider before depositing his or her hard earned money, including:

Does the poker software work well on my computer? Its a good idea to try the poker room out by playing some free (play money games) before depositing funds. Some poker software may work poorly on older computers and operating systems, or machines on a slower dial-up connection. This may make play un-enjoyable for you, and also others at your table.

Is it an active and popular poker site? Visit the poker site at the times you will be playing to see how many games of various types and limits are in progress. If you like to play tournaments, find out what kind of tournaments are available.

What kinds of features and perks are important to me? Some rooms offer options and features such as letting you take online notes on other players, letting you play in multiple games at once, or offering bonuses or prizes for building up loyalty points.

Is the poker room trustworthy and established? Find out if the site you will be playing on is secure. Try a few searches on your favorite search engine to see what others think about the site. A 'whois' or 'internet archives' search will let you know when the site was established, helping you avoid 'fly-by-night' sites.

What about payouts? Find out which methods you can use to deposit money. More importantly, find out how easy it is to withdraw money from your account. Restrictions on withdrawals can vary by method, waiting periods, and number of withdrawals allowed in a month, for example.

Customer Service? Does the site provide a 1800 contact number, or do they respond to e-mails promptly?