Poker Winner Blog

Online poker casinos offering real-cash games often offer introductory play- money games. These are a great place to start. Here’s why:

Because they are meant to get clients used to the graphics and procedures of cash stakes games, these play-money games are user-friendly by design. You’re a potential cash client, and the online casino hopes to expand its business by making you feel welcome and comfortable.

Although the games are remarkably easy to use, the programming and graphics are highly sophisticated — they’re identical to those used in the money games. Overall, the games are far superior to games offered at Internet sites intended strictly for entertainment.

Players will be somewhat more serious than those you’ll find at sites meant strictly for fun. (Notice we say “somewhat more serious.” You’ll still see seven out of ten players calling the flop. But at least it won’t be ten out of ten!)

You can watch the game of your choice before you play, and then select your seat to give yourself a positional advantage.

If you wish, you can watch the cash games. If the procedure for doing so isn’t clear, don’t hesitate to ask about it. Ask other players by typing in the chat window or send an e-mail to the designated helper to get directions.

At Internet poker casinos that offer real-money games, you won’t have to pay to practice in the play-money games. You may have to go through the motions of setting up an account, though. (Setting up an account doesn’t mean you have to provide a credit card number, but you will probably have to give your name, address, e-mail address, and telephone number when you register.)

Getting started

First, you need to download the game site’s program files to your computer.

You then supply a user name or handle by which you’ll be known in the games. Some people use their first name or initials, or an amalgam of parts of their first and last names. Others adopt imaginary, literary, or humorous names — feel free to be creative here.

Once you choose your handle, you may not be able to change it easily, so choose carefully. (Your handle is the only way opponents will be able to identify you to remember how you play, so it wouldn’t be fair to keep changing it.)

Finding games

Your ISP may offer play-money poker games. These less-sophisticated games make fewer demands of your computer. If you have questions or problems, send an e-mail and ask for help. Most game sites respond promptly to inquiries.

If you’re already using America Online (AOL) as your ISP, you can play Seven- Card Stud, Hold’em, Omaha High, and others (including tournament games), for a small fee per hour. Hours and minutes are meticulously posted to your account, which is available for your inspection at any time. The total accumulated time is simply billed to you with your regular fee.

AOL has made it easy to find and use the games. To learn about them, use keyword AOL: HOW TO PLAY GAMES ON AOL. To get to the games, simply go to keyword POKER.

If you’re not on AOL, your ISP may offer play-money poker games under the categories Entertainment or Games. If not, or if you don’t like the games, try Gamestorm.

Looking for serious play-money games

If you’re serious about poker, not afraid of a challenge, and have some quality time to put in, you might like to participate in IRC Poker. (IRC stands for Internet Relay Chat.) IRC Poker is a real-time network poker game community offering heavy-duty poker games and tournaments played for imaginary “etherbucks.”

What’s heavy duty and serious about that? Plenty. IRCers are highly competitive, motivated, and serious about their games. Even expert players participate — they enjoy the challenge. IRC Poker offers pot-limit and no-limit games and tournaments, as well as limit tables, giving players on short bankrolls the opportunity to test their skills in high-limit poker with virtual dollars. In short, most IRCers can flat out play, so listen up, pilgrim. Playing here will definitely improve your game, but don’t expect anything about it to be easy. You won’t get fancy colored graphics, sound effects, or kid-glove coddling here!

IRC game screens are anything but inviting, and if you tarry too often, you may find yourself unceremoniously dumped from the game by the IRC poker police (longstanding dedicated players who get to enforce the rules).

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