Online poker has taken the game out of smoky bars and casinos and into a global gaming environment where anyone can log on to play at any time of day or night for real money. There are ring games at virtually any stakes as well as thousands of tournaments from free to huge buy-ins. There is also a huge number of poker variants to choose from.

For a new player learning to play poker online it can be a bit overwhelming and a little intimidating. Thankfully most online poker sites provide a wide range of options for players to learn the rules and get comfortable with the game. This includes practice tables where players are dealt fake chips and can try their hand at different strategies without worrying about having to pay for real money. Many poker sites also offer a variety of ways to deposit and withdraw funds from their site including credit cards, debit cards, pre-paid cards and bank transfers. They may even accept third party eWallets such as PayPal.

When a new player does start playing online it is a good idea to sign up for a poker site that offers a safe and secure environment. This means they should be licensed in their country and use a high level encryption system to protect player information. Ideally they should also use a service that provides a IRS IP PIN for their users to help prevent tax fraud.

Once a player has gotten familiar with the basic rules of poker it is time to work on their game. As any top pro will tell you poker is a game of skill over the long term and those who spend as much time studying it as they do playing will generally be the ones to win big. Studying poker can include attending live training sessions, networking with successful pros and using poker software that allows you to watch back your gameplay and analyze it for mistakes.

Another good tool for studying poker is a site like Advanced Poker Training that has you play live-like AI opponents and gives you feedback on your plays to point out weaknesses. The site also has “Beat the Pro” challenges that put you head-to-head against a top pro in a virtual skills challenge.

While learning to play poker online it is important for a new player to have a solid understanding of the math behind the game. Because you aren’t able to pick up on tells when playing online it is important to have a firm grasp of the probability of hitting different hands. This will allow you to be confident in raising your bets when you have a strong hand and calling when you don’t. In addition a solid understanding of the math will help you when it comes to reading other players. This is particularly important in EP where you need to be very tight and only open with the strongest of hands.