Online poker is a fun, easy to learn, intellectual game that can be thrilling and rewarding. Unlike slots or the lottery, it rewards actual skill. It is also something you can play at any time, from the comfort of your own home, at a range of stakes. However, before you start playing for real money it is important to familiarize yourself with the game and its rules.
The first step is to sign up for an account at an online poker site. You’ll need to provide a few pieces of information including your name, address, email and phone number. Once this information has been verified you can begin the process of depositing funds to your account. Many sites will require you to download their software which should take only a few minutes and should be virus-free. Once you’ve done this you’ll need to create a screen name and password. You can only have one account at a poker site so make sure you like the moniker you choose as you won’t be permitted to change it later on.
You can make deposits to your account with a variety of different methods depending on the site and your region. Some of these include credit cards, debit cards, e-wallets, pre-paid cards and bank transfers. Withdrawals are a little less simple as you may need to send in documents to verify your identity before you can receive the funds but it’s usually not as long as it was back in the early 2000s when players would sometimes wait weeks and even months for their winnings.