It’s difficult to pick an online poker site that you’re comfortable with. It’s almost as complicated as buying a car. Online poker sites come in all different shapes and sizes. They each offer different variations of cash games, tournaments, promotions, and player bonuses. Some allow players to take advantage of 100% and 200% reload and deposit bonuses. Some don’t. What selecting an online poker room is all about is finding one that matches your personality. Yeah, it might seem a little hokey, but with so many to choose from, it’s important to develop some criteria in order to make your selection. With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the subtle and not-so-subtle differences to look for when you sign up for a poker room.

1. Sign-Up Bonus. Every room has a different sign-up bonus. In fact, I can’t think of two rooms that have exactly the same bonus. Some offer 50% up to $100; some offer 2,000% up to $2,000. Each is drastically different and, when you’re a new player, the deposit bonus something that you’ll notice right away. Some online poker rooms even offer you the opportunity to play in “first deposit freerolls.” Some offer you tickets into major tournaments. Some allow you to have your first buy-in to the site’s premier tournament refunded if you don’t cash. With so much competition, each online poker room has become extremely aggressive in order to attract new customers.
2. Tournament Structures. If you’re primarily a tournament player online, you’ll notice the bevy of different tournament starting stacks, payout schedules, and blind structures that are offered. In some tournaments, each player starts with 150 times the big blind. In some tournaments, it’s 250 times the big blind. In several tournaments, each blind level is five minutes long. In others, the time span between increases in blind levels is more like 20 minutes. It all depends on the online poker room. Moreover, guarantees value drastically by poker room, meaning that you should take a look at what the offerings are on each site. There are enough differences between the online poker rooms for you to take a careful look.
3. Game Offering. Each online poker room offers a different set of games. From Omaha to Razz to Hold’em, every online poker room puts up a variety of games for its customers. Some tables are six-handed, some are 10-handed, and some are heads up. Depending upon what style of poker you’re used to playing, hunt down the online poker room that matches your needs the best. If you’re predominantly a Stud player, find the online poker site that offers a wide variety of Stud games. It might take a little bit of searching, but they exist. Visit each site at different times of the day to make sure that there’s a ring game running.
4. Country Exclusions. Some online poker rooms do not allow customers from different countries to join. Make sure that the online poker site allows residents of your nation to play; otherwise you’re wasting valuable time and energy. Residents of the United States: This means you. There are only about a dozen sites that you’re able to play on.
5. Deposit and Withdrawal Options. Make sure to check out what options are available for putting money into and taking money out of the online poker room. Many of these options have fees involved. Sometimes, these added and unexpected charges can add up rather quickly. Given the multitude of e-wallets, see which the online poker room offers. Credit cards, checks, and wire transfers are among the other options available.