The first hand of online poker was dealt in 1998, and today, millions of hands are dealt every day. The industry has grown a lot in the last 23 years, with many ups and downs. Black Friday and the UIGEA were two of the biggest hits to the industry, but more states are now legalizing it. There have been some notable success stories, too.
Before playing online poker, it is important to protect your identity. Most poker sites will require that you provide additional documentation to verify your identity. This will include your date of birth, social security number, and full name and address. If you’re an American citizen, it is recommended that you get an IP PIN from the IRS to prevent identity theft.
Online poker is legal in most states. However, there are still a few states that haven’t passed laws on it. For example, West Virginia and Michigan have legalized online poker, but they haven’t yet launched their sites. In addition, Pennsylvania is moving towards legalization and is likely to join the combined player pool in the near future.
Playing online poker for real money comes with several advantages. One of the biggest is that players can play multiple games at one time. Whether you’re looking for a hold’em tournament or an Omaha cash game, you can find it at an online poker site. Additionally, you’ll have a better chance of finding active versions of esoteric games, such as limit hold ’em, seven-card stud, and Omaha Hi/Lo.
Another advantage of online poker is that it’s easier than ever to play with multiple people. If you’re not careful, you could be vulnerable to fraudsters, as collusion between players is easier than ever online. However, these websites are increasingly improving their anti-fraud measures. For example, some websites will check a player’s computer IP address. This can be useful in revealing multiple players from the same location. Once the IP address is revealed, the site will cancel a player’s login.
One major drawback of playing online is that you don’t have the ability to tell your opponent’s strategy. When playing online, you can’t use table talk or physical tells, which are very important in live games. Despite these disadvantages, online poker players tend to be looser and make big postflop and river calls, which are less common than in live games.
There are many online poker networks, but only a few have detectable traffic. There are more than 600 independent doorways, but the vast majority of traffic happens on the major networks. Listed below are some of the more popular networks. However, you should always remember that there are many other networks out there. These sites provide a good variety of games, and they also offer bonuses.
If you live in Massachusetts, consider visiting one of these sites to enjoy online poker. It’s not illegal in Massachusetts. However, before you play online poker, you should check with your state’s laws. Many states have laws that prohibit gambling, and the majority of them haven’t yet legalized online poker. Despite this, there are plenty of Massachusetts poker sites that offer their services.