Consequently, you've got decided that you want to play poker Online, and also your hunt for the perfect site has begun. But alas, you can find literally hundreds of poker sites on the net. How do you discriminate between all of these available sites, to seek out that desired site ? You'll find several key criteria that you should be aware of, within your quest to locate the poker site that is perfect for you. Understanding these criteria, and being able to use them as a basis for comparison, will significantly simplify your selection process:

Free Poker - In case you are looking to play online poker for pure recreation, and not for money, make sure that the site you are serious about accommodates "free" players. Most online poker sites do appeal to free players.

Software Download vs. Web-based - Most, if not all, online gambling site poker sites require you to download their poker client software onto your computer system to run. In case you are adverse to downloading such software onto your system, then you might want to check to find out in the event the poker site alternatively has a web-based poker interface, that allows you to play poker on the site from within your browser. Software installs run the potential risk of viruses and/or adware being loaded onto your system (although a lot of the reputable firms would never do that), but software installs on your computer generally run a lot faster than web-based sessions. Software installations harness the power of the local PC's CPU, whereas web-based interfaces rely on downloading any screen real-estate updates via the internet during play. This will likely be slow, particularly, if you are running over a slow internet connection (e.g., a dialup line). Hence, if you're after speed, select local software installations; if you are worried about your computer's safety or can't afford the disk space used by a software installation, select a web-based poker site.

Methods of Deposit/Withdrawal - If you're planning to play poker for money on the web, it is very important to think about the methods of deposit and withdrawal that a poker site supports. Many of these sites permit major cards to be used, which appear to be the universal deposit mechanism of choice. Others permit the usage of bank transfer, ACH transfer, checks, and wire transfer from banks. Most poker sites also support some form of 3rd party eWallets, which provide an intermediary between financial institutions as well as the poker site itself. The main criteria to look at are: 1) What methods of deposit/withdrawal are supported by the poker site, and how many of these methods are supported through the locale that you are living in ?; 2) Is it legal to fund/withdraw to/from a poker site, from the jurisdiction that you will be playing in ?; 3) What will be the fees affiliated with the 3rd party eWallet companies that you are able to use, and just how reliable are they (this latter question can be researched on some of the poker message forum boards) ?

Locale Restrictions - Some poker sites restrict the playing for money (as well as free play sometimes), determined by your locale, and the laws governing gambling within your locale. You should check with the laws of the local jurisdiction and check with the poker site, to determine if you'll find any imposed restrictions on play, based on your locale.

Support - You should look-at the methods of support that a poker site offers. Poker sites generally provide one (or even more) methods of support that include: telephone support, fax support, Email support, and live chat support. The more of these that a poker site offers, the greater. For telephone support, check and see should the poker site offers toll-free support through your playing jurisdiction or not.

Game Variety - Determined by your degree of poker playing expertise and your interest in variety, it is essential to ascertain which game types the poker site supports. Almost all of the sites offer Texas Holdem, but based on your degree of interest, you should check to view whenever they offer games like Five and Seven Card Stud, Omaha Poker (and all of its variations), Blackjack (not poker, but often included as a game option), Stud (and it is variations), Draw poker, Tournament support, and limit and pot limit games. Tournaments in particular are certainly popular with online poker sites, and some site tournaments offer very large prize pools.

Bonuses - Most, although not all, of the poker sites offer some type of bonus to the player, whenever you initially sign up with the site. Each site's bonus is somewhat different, but of the one's that provide first time bonus, it is usually predicated on the very least initial deposit. Many bonuses are also calculated based on the sum of cash deposited and spent on the site. Moreover, many sites offer reload bonuses, which are bonuses that can be offered to existing customers, beyond their initial deposit bonus, and as being an incentive to keep you as a customer.

Graphics and Useability - This is an extremely important consideration. Every poker site has an alternative look and feel to it. If you're going to be playing poker for money, it's important that you feel comfortable with the screen graphics and your capability to navigate (via mouse or keyboard clicks) through the poker program. If you feel uncomfortable at all with the poker site, you should not consider playing at it for money. You should always test a poker site out in "free" mode first of all, before actually considering it for real-money wagering.

Game Features - You should always look at the game features that are available with a given poker site. Game features such as hand history, multiple simultaneous playing windows, player notes, audible and visual indicators, player statistics, connection status indicator, player chat, turbo games, and screen options should always be considered.

Rake - Rake will be the quantity of the pot that the poker site takes (as part of its fee for conducting business), from each hand. You should continually be aware of how much rake a poker site takes (in comparison to another site). Poker sites usually use a Weighted Contribution rake method or perhaps an Average Contribution method, when calculating rake. Obviously, the bottom the rake, the greater money you shall take home on hand wins, but this criteria by itself must not dictate which poker site you use, since all the above factors need to be looked at as well. In summary, the aforementioned criteria should often be used, when deciding which Poker site is best for you. Based on your preferences, several of these criteria should get more weight than others. Happy Poker site hunting !!