There are many advantages of playing online poker, but before you start, there are a few important things you need to know. Before you play, you should make sure you are at least eighteen years old. If you’re not, you may have to prove that you are older. The poker site you choose to play on may require that you provide additional information to verify your age. Once you’ve gathered this information, you’re ready to play.

Legal online poker websites are required to ask for ID, proof of address, and backups of deposit methods. Some sites even ask for credit card photos, which you can black out to remove any personal information. Know Your Customer policies also prevent underage gambling and include links to help organizations. Players can also self-exclude from poker sites. Online poker has come a long way since 2011, when the Department of Justice chased away the global giants. Today, four states have regulated their online poker industries.

When you deposit money at an online poker site, you may need to convert the money into your preferred currency. Some sites accept payments in different currencies, while others only accept U.S. dollars. These issues do not matter if you regularly “top up” your chip stack, but they do add up quickly. So it’s a good idea to use software that offers currency conversions. If you want to avoid rounding issues, online poker software is the way to go.