While all of the major poker sites will allow you to play for free, the vast majority of players will prefer to play with real money.
If you’re new to the game, then starting on the free tables is a great way to learn the rules and see how everything works, but once you’ve got the hang of things, we’d certainly recommend going on to play for real money.
Don’t go thinking that you need to deposit a lot of money because you don’t. In fact, most poker sites will accept deposits as small as $20 and offer real money games for as little as $0.01. However, the truth of the matter is that, there are a lot of advantages that open up to you when you decide to play for real money:
Poker Sites for Money
Real Money Poker Bonuses
As you’re no doubt aware, when you decide to register with an online poker room, you’re offered a welcome bonus which generally consists of free cash.
However you’re not able to take advantage of that bonus until you make your first deposit. It’s only then that you can start to work towards getting a load of free cash added to your bankroll.
Improve as a player
As mentioned above, playing at the free tables is a great way to learn the rules of the game, but the truth is that you’re only going to learn so much there.
There’s a huge amount of difference to playing free poker and poker for real money. For example, the free poker tables are so much more aggressive than the real money tables. People don’t have a bankroll to worry about so are more than likely to call every bet made and hope they draw lucky.
Now that may be fun for a while, but ultimately how are you going to improve as a poker player in that sort of environment? There’s no point trying to bluff someone, because they’re going to call you in every situation. Equally, how are you supposed to learn to read your opponents when their actions are always going to be same no matter what cards they hold?
The truth is that you need to play for real money to improve as a player. Even if you’re playing for micro stakes you’ll notice a big difference in the way the game is played and you’ll find your own game is improving too
The Buzz!
If you’re looking for excitement, then playing poker for real money is the only way to go.
When there’s no money involved, it’s impossible for you to feel the nervous excitement of waiting to see whether your bluff will be called.
Or the sense of satisfaction that a player gets when the cards are turned over and he can see the tough call he has just made was the right decision.
Poker is a hugely exciting game based around people’s reactions and emotions and it’s only when you’re playing for real money that you get to experience the game at its best.
Playing poker for free removes all these essential qualities from the game, which is why we recommend making a small deposit with your chosen poker room – you don’t need to deposit much to experience online poker at its very best!
Real Money Poker Deposit Options
There are a number of different ways to deposit real money with a poker site. Some of the most popular are as follows:
Play Poker with Credit Cards
By far and away the most popular way for poker players to top up their bankroll. Credit cards are fast and easy to use although players in the US might run into a few problems due to the recently passed UIGEA bill.
Real Money Poker with Neteller
The most popular ewallet solution, Neteller currently has members in over 140 different countries and allows funds to be transferred quickly and securely, meaning that funds can be added to your poker bankroll instantly.
Moneybookers Poker Deposits
Moneybookers has become hugely popular with online gamers recently due to its low costs and secure transfer methods. Moneybookers ensures that funds can be sent to a huge number of poker sites instantly so there’s no delay in your poker schedule.
Real Money Poker Using Paypal
Despite being hugely popular with online retail shoppers, Paypal is still relatively new to poker players. The world’s largest eWallet is secure and user-friendly and ensures that money can be shared with poker rooms or other Paypal users with just a single click of the mouse.
