Poker used to have a reputation of being played in smoky backrooms and saloons. Today, poker has reached mainstream entertainment venues for men, women, movie stars, celebrities and even fundraising organizations. Casinos have needed to rearrange their seating areas to increase space for poker tournaments and decrease Black Jack and slot machines area.
There are high buy in national and international poker tournaments played for millions, and there are tiny local "friendly" games for a few bucks. Tournaments held in Vegas are televised for days on end as participants drop out, and then focus is on the final table.
However, if you don't live near a casino, and your buddies never invite you over, and your budget won't let you even consider a real high roller tournament in Vegas, you can still have plenty of fun online.
And online is where there is plenty of fun and some decent money to be made. Of course, you miss out on the free drinks and chat chat at the table, but you also don't need to cash in, change chips, and wait for seats!
There are many online poker sites, but not many free ones that offer cash payouts. One, Pure Play, has a decent reputation and offers two forms of memberships, both leading to possible qualification for and invitations to their regular tournaments. They have a free membership that allows you entrance into hourly $10 tournaments. This is a great way to practice because if you make a wrong move, no one laughs or gets upset (although many of the poker sites have chat areas where you can indeed talk to your table mates and they can still comment on your ability or stupidity).
Once you gain momentum and begin to learn the ropes, you might want to graduate to some of the paid membership sites. These do require credit cards because these sites make you play for real money since you'll be receiving real money. Some sites do make you qualify, just like you would be required to do in a real casino. Other sites let anyone play who can afford the buy in, typically a few hundred dollars to well over $1,000.
Along with being able to afford to play in these tournaments, it's important to have a reliable internet connection. You don't want to get logged out at the worst possible moment, and it does happen! You are considered out of the game with no recourse, and any money you have on the table is forfeited.
Some of these sites have some pretty high stakes for their tournaments. This is not a place for a beginner, even if you can afford to play. Before opening an account and funding it, do some research on the site to make sure it's legitimate.
Poker tournaments can be fun and very rewarding, but only if you get involved with sites that do what they say. Because online poker is not regulated in the U. S., and because these sites have servers off shore, there's nothing much the government or other officials can do if you believe you've been scammed out of some money.
Author Resource:-
Kevin's passion is playing poker online. At Poker Tournament Web brings you the best online poker tournaments, which with the right skill can lift you overnight into a celebrity and make you rich.
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