Online poker is a game of skill that can be played over the Internet, allowing players from all over the world to compete against one another. It has become one of the most popular games in the world, and has contributed to a huge increase in the number of people who play poker. The rules are the same as in a brick-and-mortar casino, but online poker requires a different set of skills that don’t require reading physical ‘tells’ from opponents. Online players can size up their opponents by monitoring their betting tendencies instead.

To get the most out of your online poker experience, you should look for a site that offers a user-friendly interface. This includes features that make it easy to find the types of games you want to play, as well as clear and easily identifiable buttons for placing your bets. Some sites also offer additional conveniences like rakeback, which returns some of the money that the poker room takes from each pot to its players.

The best online poker sites feature a wide variety of card games, including the standard Texas Hold’em and Omaha, as well as more exotic variations such as Razz and Badugi. In addition, many offer generous deposit bonuses and other promotions designed to attract new players. Some even have mobile apps that make it easy to play on the go.

There are many ways to fund an online poker account, including credit or debit cards and prepaid vouchers. In addition, some sites accept cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin. Regardless of how you choose to deposit, you should always make sure that the site you are playing at is highly regulated and adheres to basic consumer safeguards and regulatory standards.

A good online poker site will allow you to practice your game without risking any of your real money. This is a great way to become familiar with the software platform and determine if it works for you before investing any of your own money. Some poker sites also offer free games and tournaments that give players a feel for the software and how it operates.

After Chris Moneymaker’s 2003 victory at the World Series of Poker, unregulated online poker flourished. But eventually the US government’s enforcement of the Wire Act forced a number of sites to cease operations within the United States. However, the Trump administration’s reinterpretation of the Wire Act may help bring about a revival of multi-state online poker in 2023.

Multi-state agreements would mean that regulated states could combine their player pools, creating a larger network with more traffic and potentially bigger profits for the operators. A few states have already signed up for this, including Nevada, New Jersey, Delaware and Michigan, with New Hampshire and West Virginia looking to join them. The future of online poker in California remains uncertain, however. Its 40 million residents dwarf the combined populations of the four other states that currently participate in interstate online poker.