Online poker takes the card game that everyone knows and cranks it up a notch. Players can play for the smallest stakes imaginable (literally pennies) or for satellite entries into world class live tournaments. And players can do it from their desktop computer, laptop, tablet or smartphone.

The first real money hand of an online poker game was dealt on January 1, 1998. The first few sites were run on older software that often crashed or ran into other problems, and they struggled to attract regular players. However, they did eventually gain popularity. The next big step came in 2013 when New Jersey passed legislation to legalize and regulate online poker. The state became the third regulated market after Nevada and Delaware.

In addition to ensuring that players can deposit and withdraw funds with ease, reputable poker websites make sure they offer fast and secure software. This is important because a player’s security and privacy are of the utmost importance when it comes to playing poker for money.

While there are many ways to practice for free, a player should never deposit any money before he or she has mastered the fundamentals of the game. A good poker website will have a wide variety of games, including video poker, baccarat and roulette. It is also possible to find live dealer tables.

One of the most popular sites for playing poker online is Ignition. It has a huge player base and is known for offering the option of anonymous table gaming, which helps beginner players avoid sharks at their tables and keeps seasoned pros safe from being hunted by their competition. The site is also home to a number of large, regular tournaments featuring multi-million dollar prize pools.

Another great thing about Ignition is that the website has a reputation for customer service. The support staff is available through email, Facebook and Twitter and is very helpful when it comes to addressing player concerns. The software is also relatively light on memory and won’t drain the battery on a mobile device.

The best poker sites will feature a range of payment options that work with a player’s preferred method of banking. Most of these will include bank transfers, eWallets and credit cards. Some sites even offer Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies as deposit methods. The poker site will also have a variety of freerolls and other poker tournaments to keep players coming back for more.

The online poker learning landscape is much different than it was during the heyday of the Moneymaker boom. Back then, there were a limited number of poker forums to visit and a small handful of books worth reading. Today, there are countless poker forums to join and hundreds of poker-related books in the market. In addition, there are dozens of online training sites that provide everything from free lessons to subscription-based poker education.