Real Money Poker Sites

Most experienced poker players will be fully aware of how real money poker sites operate, so this page is aimed at those who have only recently taken their first steps into playing poker for real money and those who are still considering whether they should make the step up from playing poker for play chips to real ones.

Our Rules of P.O.K.E.R.

The fact that you are reading this page indicates that you are serious about playing poker for real money, so we have refrained from offering condescending advice and recommend you read this page in conjunction with others on this site relating to “Making the Transition from Play Money to Real Money Poker”, “When to Play Real Money Poker” and “When NOT to Play Real Money Poker”.

Our “Rules of P.O.K.E.R.” are simply common sense things you should do when you start playing poker on real money poker sites and include:-

Protect yourself and your poker account by using a different password on your poker login than you use for other web functions (email, Facebook etc).
Only use the poker site´s auto-login feature if your computer is not shared with anybody else (this is especially true if you have teenage kids!).
Keep your money for playing poker separate from all your other funds so that you know what you can comfortably afford to play with.
Every time you log out of your account make a note of your balance and check that it is still the same when you log in next time.
Remember to verify your account so that you can request withdrawals from your poker site account if you ever need funds in a hurry.

Getting Started on Poker Sites for Real Money

One of the hardest things to do when getting started on real money poker sites is selecting the right table or poker tournament to play in. It is (understandably) easy to develop bad habits when you first start playing poker for real money due to your enthusiasm; and, before you leap into the first Texas Hold´em table with a seat available, or register for the next tournament about to start, here are a few tips that may help you from making novice mistakes:-

Have a look at the action on the table with dual pots (Omaha Hi Lo and 7 Card Stud Hi Lo). You can take a bigger slice of your bankroll to these tables and have a better opportunity of safely collecting some Bonus Points towards your new player poker bonus.
If there are no dual pot games available at your stake limit, your second choice should be the NL Hold´em tables with the higher player-per-flop percentages. There is normally more money on these tables, as well as some pretty bad betting decisions for you to observe.
Always take the maximum allowed to the table provided that it is not so much that you are frightened to bet. If you go into a table with half a full buy-in, you will only win half a full buy-in when you win your first all-in hand!
Finally, remember that it takes a much better hand to call a raise than it does to open the betting and don´t get stressed out about making novice mistakes – we´ve all made them!

Poker Doesn´t Have to be Boring

Texas Hold´em has the nickname of “Texas Fold´em”, because that is what you will be doing around 75% of the time. What many new players fail to realize is that you can use the time while you are waiting for one hand to finish – and a new hand to be dealt – to observe your opponents, consider why they are making their betting actions, and keep notes about the type of player they are.

You will be surprised how often you will come across the same players when you are playing poker for real money, and any information you have about them will give you an edge over them – especially if they are a new player who has neglected to make notes about you!

Finally, introduce yourself at the table. If you have been playing for play money on the site previously, you will probably been involved in table chat already, and you know that you do not have to be a wordsmith to say “hi” or compliment somebody on a well played hand. There may be times when being a friendly player on a tough table could be an advantage to you (but don´t count on it!).

Not Yet Chosen between Real Money Poker Sites?

If you have not yet chosen which of the real money poker sites would be best suited to you, have a look at the unbiased reviews we have prepared on PokerRealMoney.com. Our team have played real money poker on all these sites, and summarized the reviews with our opinion of what sort of player each would suit and why.
Here is a summary of our summaries!

888 Poker – Read our Review of 888 Poker