Poker has been played in smoke-filled backrooms of bars and casinos for years but the game took a big leap forward when it moved online and was made available to players from across the world. Now it’s possible to play poker from the comfort of your own home for real money at sites that are regulated and offer basic consumer protection.

The best online poker sites have a mix of games and tournaments that appeal to all levels of players, from newbies to seasoned pros. They have a good amount of traffic and a variety of ways to earn bonuses, including loyalty programs, deposit matches and freerolls. Some also have large guaranteed prize pools and daily monster stack tournaments that allow skilled players to run up huge stacks of chips.

Once a player finds a site that suits their needs they can sign up for an account by providing their name, address, phone number and email address. They will then choose a username and password. Once their account is active they can select the type of game they want to play and their stakes. Some sites even offer free trial accounts so that players can try out the software before making a deposit.

While the rules of poker are the same whether you’re playing online or live, there are some subtle differences that you should be aware of. For example, there is no way to read physical ’tells’ when playing online so it takes more skill to size up opponents without the benefit of their body language. You can, however, learn more about your opponents by paying attention to how they bet.

One of the biggest benefits of online poker is that you can play more tables simultaneously than you could in a live setting. This allows you to make more money by doubling the number of hands that you play. However, you should only multi-table if you have the skills to do so.

There are many tools that can help you improve your game, but the most important are a hand history tracker and a HUD (heads-up display). A hand history tracker lets you log your play and analyze it to find areas of improvement. A HUD overlays your table with information about your opponents’ betting tendencies, letting you know things like how often they raise pre-flop or fold to a bet.

Poker is a difficult game to master, but it’s possible to become a profitable player if you put in the work. By studying strategy and tactics, networking with experienced players, joining a training site such as Chip Leader Coaching or Upswing Poker and working to improve your play after every session you can get better at poker faster. The top pros spend as much time studying the game as they do playing it. So if you’re ready to put in the work, find an online poker site that offers training videos and a wide variety of games and tournaments, then start stacking those chips!