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Whether you want to play for real money or simply enjoy the social aspects of the game, poker online is a great choice. Many famous poker players started out as a hobby and progressed into the big leagues by building a bankroll, playing at lower stakes, and learning from their mistakes. Playing for real money gives you a sense of motivation and forcefully focuses your mind on improving your game.

Several software applications are available to help you improve your online poker skills. These include hand database programs that can save, sort and recall all of your hands played. They can also scan active tables and display previous statistics from hands you have played with a specific player next to their name (known as a heads-up display or HUD). Other software includes odds, equity, or variance calculators. Some of these tools even let you quiz your opponents or scan your own past hands for likely errors that you should have avoided.

Most of these applications are free to use and are approved by poker sites that operate under an international license such as the Malta Gaming Authority or Curacao, or a local license such as Kahnawake or the Keystone State. In addition, the most reputable poker operators also adhere to strict rules and standards regarding safety and security.

A good poker website will offer a wide variety of games and stakes. These games include cash games, where you can join and leave at any time, and tournaments. The latter are similar to poker tournaments held at the World Series of Poker, where players buy in for a fixed amount of money and prizes are awarded to those who last the longest.

Another advantage of a top poker site is the ability to play on mobile devices. This is particularly important as more and more people use smartphones and tablets to access the internet. Mobile poker platforms offer a condensed version of the poker client but are designed to be easy to use and have many of the same features as the desktop software.

Some of the best poker sites feature a high percentage of rakeback. This is a way to reward loyal customers for their contributions to the game and can make a huge difference in your profitability as a player. Some sites pay rakeback in the form of cash while others do it through loyalty points that can be redeemed for bonuses or cash. Regardless of the method, make sure to find out how much rakeback you’ll receive before making a deposit.