Online poker

 
Millions of card fanatics worldwide have had reason to celebrate over the past few years: online poker, that most addictive of sports, has blossomed and grown to enormous height and popularity. Rather than having to gather buddies up around the poker table, players can simply hop on their computers and hunt down anybody else who wants to play. The result is a flourishing industry that, as of 2005, was estimated at pulling in $200 million a month. Before joining in on the trend and choosing a particular poker site, however, there are several questions you should take into account.

1. Does the site have good software to play on? There's nothing worse than losing a big pot to a program that's crashed, especially if real money was on the line. Stick with well-established, reputable sites who operated their tables on decent programs.

2. Does the site offer online live support, 24 hours a day? Again, you don't want to lose money because of a programming glitch.

3. Is the site high traffic? The more players online, the more likely you are to run across 'soft' players who you can beat and earn money off of. In the end, online poker is still about earning a bit of extra money.

4. Does the site offer any bonuses for signing up? The better funded the site is the more likely they are to offer some starting money to beginners. There are plenty of poker bonuses to choose from – sign-up, deposit and reload bonuses are just a few – so be sure to pick a site with a wide variety to maximize your initial earnings.

5. Does the site offer a wide variety of games? Almost every online site offers Texas Hold'Em, but the better sites will also include a wider variety of variations for players looking for something other than just the standard. This online poker variety also includes a range of stake levels and tournaments.