Beginner's Guide to Online Poker
If learning poker seems a little daunting - to help, most poker rooms like KS Poker provide free play Practice tables where you can learn the game without risking any of your money.

And remember - when you play online, your identity is anonymous. So, if you think you have made a stupid play, there’s no need to feel any embarrassment, no one at the table knows who you are!

Introduction
As you master the rudiments of Poker and begin to understand the subtleties and strategies, putting them successfully into practise, you will feel the glow all poker enthusiasts experience, as they progress in this rewarding game.

To help the beginner, (in addition to our humble contributions), all of the poker rooms provide extensive help, guides, rule-books and tips on how to get started and play poker successfully.

You’ll find that most online poker is played in US dollars, though there are some poker rooms where play is available in pounds.

Most poker rooms offer ‘free’ money, usually in the form of sign-up or ‘welcome’ bonuses. Most of these (certainly the ones advertised on this site) are genuine - so take full advantage of them.
Click here to see details of our Loyalty Programme.

At most tables the stakes are played according to set limits. These can range from as low as 10 cents right up to hundreds of dollars. Pick one to suit your level of competence, confidence and your pocket.

Look out for the tournaments. There are plenty of them and they are great fun – and the prizes can be big, very big! The great thing about most tournament play is that once you have paid the entry fee (and some are free - look out for ‘freeroll’) you play with notional money, rather like playing for points. In this way, your exposure is strictly controlled, so however poorly you play, you can only lose the amount of your initial entry fee.

Every game, of course, has its own rules. Make yourself familiar with them before taking a seat a table, especially if you intend playing for real.

Seven Tips for Beginners
1) If you have a poor hand, fold quickly and limit your losses. That way you can continue playing your good hands for as long as possible.

2) Start small. Don’t come-on like some big time pro, unless you’ve got plenty of money to lose. Until you’ve mastered the game, play at the lower limit tables and play within your budget.
When sitting at the table, players normally must buy-in a minimum amount of chips - usually equal to ten times the lower bet limit of the game. For example: at a $2/$4 table the minimum buy-in is $20; at a $20/$40 table the minimum buy-in is $200.

3) Make your winning hands pay. When you’re the one holding the unbeatable hand, raise as much as possible and make the other players pay dearly if they want to stay in the game.

4) Don’t play too many hands. Remember that the first 5, (or 7), cards you’re dealt will be the foundation of your hand and the odds are against improving on it. Put your weight (and your money) behind the higher value hands, like the top players, who only play about 25% of their starting hands. The hands you lay down can be the key to profitable play.

5) Play your own game. Don't let your judgement be impaired by the speed of other players around the table. If you need a bit more time to think about your hand, take it and make the right decision.

6) Study your opponents - especially when you’re sitting out of a hand. Watch what the other players are doing; try to pick out the stronger players and the weaker ones. See how they bet, how much they bet and in what position they are in when they do bet. Try to work out when players are bluffing (betting on a poor hand) and when they are not. Learning how your opponents’ play is key to winning.

So, to sum up: Don't play for more than you can afford, the groceries still have to be paid for! If you can't beat the other hands, fold early and live to play another day. Win big on your good hands, lose small on the poor ones.
Tip number seven? Poker is a great game - enjoy it!