What are sign-up bonus codes?
Simple: each online poker site is eager to attract new players -- after all, the more action at their site, the more money they make. Hence, they enlist the help of sites such as this one by providing bonus codes that I can provide to our readers to entice them to open accounts there. These bonus codes usually provide players who open new accounts with anywhere between $25 and $200 of real money when they make their initial deposit with the poker site. In return for helping them attract business, the poker site will pay me a small amount for each new player we send their way.
How do I use the bonus codes?
Easy: each poker site has slightly different protocols, but most involve entering the bonus code provided on my main page when you are prompted to do so during account signup. Some poker sites simply require you to follow a link from my main page, and the bonus will automatically be credited to your account when you make your initial deposit. See our main page for instructions for each individual site. Make sure you follow the instructions carefully, since the bonus cannot be credited retroactively after you open the account.
Is there any catch?
Nope! When you make your initial deposit, most sites put your free bonus money into a "pending" state, which is released once you have reached certain minimal played-hand requirements. For example, if you sign up with Party Poker using the 100CASH4FREE code available on my "review" page, you will get a matching bonus of 20% of your deposit up to $100. So if you make an initial deposit of $500, $100 of free money will be deposited into your bonus account, which is released once you have played 500 hands (every site has a different hands-played requirement, but most are quite minimal, like Party Poker's).
Is online poker safe?
Playing poker online is very safe, as long as you take the general precautions associated with any online financial transactions. Poker sites use very high level security software, and the weakest link in the chain of security is your poker site password. Guard it preciously! Even if someone were able to gain access to your account, they would only be able to withdraw funds to addresses or bank accounts in your name, or ones that you have previously registered with the site. This means that even though a hacker couldn’t transfer your entire account balance to himself, a malicious individual could take your money to the poker site’s tables and lose it all! Although very rare, some individuals have reported instances such as this, and the poker sites are largely incapable of reversing such activity once it has taken place. So take basic security precautions:
1) Do not make your password easy to guess, and change it frequently!
2) Make sure a reputable anti-virus and/or firewall program – such as Norton or MacAffee – is installed on your computer
3) Adaware and Spybot are two popular free software applications that you can run to remove spyware and other malicious code from your computer. We suggest you download them at download.com, and run them each at least once a week.
Should I be worried about crooked poker sites?
This seems to be a major concern for many would-be poker players, but it shouldn’t be for one simple reason: poker sites are extraordinarily profitable. One estimate suggests that PartyPoker.com (the largest online poker site) generates $3 Million in revenue each day! (Poker sites make money by taking a small amount from each pot – between 50 cents and $3 dollars, called the “rake”. It may not seem like much, but over hundreds of thousands of hands dealt each day, it really adds up!) There is simply no incentive for them to cheat their players. In fact, the opposite is true: it’s in their best interest to take affirmative steps to make sure play on their site is completely honest and legitimate. They would be crazy to jeopardize an extraordinarily lucrative business operation.
Isn't it really easy to cheat online?
Another good question, but again something that you shouldn’t really worry about. Cheaters do exist online, just like they exist in real casinos, but most forms of online cheating are actually surprisingly easy to detect. Poker sites are always on the lookout for suspicious activity, such as the same players always sitting at the same table. In fact, if you and a friend each have accounts at Party Poker, and you let your friend log into his account from your computer/IP address, you and he will be prevented from ever sitting at the same table in the future, since Party Poker has detected some kind of relationship between your accounts. Also, unlike in real casinos, online sites are able to keep electronic records of every hand played on their site, which makes going back and investigating suspicious table activity pretty straight-forward. Cheaters, when caught, are banned from the site. In summary, the existence of a small number of people who try to take advantage of the system (just as in any walk of life) shouldn’t dissuade you from playing online.
I heard something about poker-programmed robots playing online...is it true?
This issue has garnered a lot of attention in the press lately, but it might be one of the most exaggerated concerns out there. Yes, poker-playing “bots” (computer programs designed to play automatically, even if you are out of the house) do exist , but they shouldn’t worry you for 3 important reasons:
1) Poker sites are aware of some of the major “bot” programs, and have taken measures to prevent their use.
2) The use of “bots” is expressly forbidden in the terms and conditions of major poker sites, and anyone caught using one is at risk of having their entire bankroll confiscated; most people simply don’t want to expose themselves to that risk!
3) Most importantly, they simply don’t work! Most insiders agree that the technology is very primitive, and robots are completely incapable of taking into account the various human decision-making elements that make poker such a complex game. Contrast this with blackjack: computers could be very effectively programmed to make the optimal decisions in blackjack, because what is “optimal” can be determined mathematically based on what cards are on the table, and what cards have been seen already. But poker contains a whole new element: independent human decision making. Suppose a computer was programmed to fold every time a player raised in a certain situation; that computer would essentially be rendered worthless if the human player instead chose a different course of action! In short, there is no way that a computer can adapt to the myriad of different strategies that can be adopted by human players. Humans can intentionally alter their play, while “bots” cannot, which necessarily constrains their effectiveness.
Do I have to pay taxes on my winnings?
The legally responsible answer (for Americans, at least) is yes. Your 1040 tax return asks you to disclose any gambling winnings over the course of the year (you can, however, deduct your gambling losses from your winnings), and they are taxed just like regular income. Does everyone report their winnings? No way, Jose. You won’t be caught unless you’re audited by the IRS, but if you are, you had better be prepared to answer questions about the mysteriously large cash deposits to your bank accounts. So if you’ve had significant gambling winnings, you should think seriously about whether you’re willing to risk an IRS audit. You’re in luck, however, if you reside in a country that does not tax gambling winnings (Canada, count your blessings!).
Is playing poker online legal?
The short answer is yes…for now. Online gambling is somewhat of a gray area, because while US companies are prohibited from offering casino games online, all online poker sites are based offshore in locations such as Bermuda, or Gibraltar, which have no such prohibitions against them. Many US lawmakers, however, are looking hard at legislative options that might restrict online gambling in the future, and it’s a very important and quickly evolving legal issue.
I'm ready to play online -- how do I get started?
Well You Came To The Right Place.
Click Here! And follow these step by step directions.
