Poker was once a game played only in the back of smokey bars or in casinos but it has now gone mainstream and players can play for anything from pennies to satellite entries into world-class live tournaments. Online poker is accessible to players from almost any computer or mobile device and can be played in the comfort of your own home.

When you sign up to an online poker site you’ll generally be asked to create a user account. You’ll be asked for your name, email address and phone number and you’ll also need to choose a username and password. Then you’ll need to choose a deposit method. Depending on the poker site you may be asked to upload money to your account or you might just need to register as a guest player.

You’ll need to check that the poker site you choose is licensed and uses top-notch encryption techniques. It should also be regulated by a recognized gaming authority and have an active community of players. It should also have a decent variety of games and tournaments available to players at all levels.

If you’re a newbie then it might be a good idea to look for a poker site that has a separate tab dedicated to beginner tables. This means you’ll only be seated with other players who classify themselves as beginners which levels the playing field for new players. It’s a great way to get used to the speed and features of an online poker site.

While the rules of poker are the same whether you’re playing in a backroom bar or at an online poker table there is a slightly different set of skills required for success online. For example, when you’re playing online it is much harder to read physical tells like a tight grip or twitchy eye but you can still size up your opponents by monitoring their betting tendencies.

Another great way to improve your chances of winning at poker is to learn the math behind the game. This will help you make better decisions in both cash and tournament games. It’s important to remember that poker is a game of skill over the long run and the best players will spend as much time studying the game as they do playing it. This includes signing up to training sites, networking with successful pros and brutally analyzing their own play after every session.

A lot of new players get confused when it comes to which hand wins in different situations. To make things easier, there are several websites which can explain the results of hands for you. They take into account the number of cards, your opponent’s cards and how they’re arranged on the board. In addition, some of these websites will show you the probability of each outcome based on the type of hand you have.