Best Poker Sites to Play for Real Money

The Irish poker community is a vibrant assembly of seasoned players who are ready for their next big win. It is not surprising that most of them are looking for free casino games to snatch a cash prize from the house and experience the entertaining nature of an online poker hall. We have gone through tons of Irish gambling platforms to find poker games that would represent the Emerald Isle and its variety of virtual casinos, and we can now recommend the most trusted poker games for players. If you are a fan of multi-table tournaments and sizable wins, it is time to give poker sites a try.

How the Top Online Poker Sites Work

Poker online sites that cherish their unblemished reputation always make sure that the registration process is simple. You will also find these features at poker sites:

Multi-Table Tournaments:

Online poker tournaments are the biggest event for Irish gamblers, featuring cash prizes of up to 1 million EUR and including MTT competitions like the Irish Poker Open. These are the tournaments with the most impressive number of daily cash prizes, poker tables, and participants. The tournament reaches its apex when there is only one poker table left, with the punters competing for the biggest win as they make the best possible 5-card poker hand.

Sit & Go Poker:

A poker game with 6 - 10 players, with each tournament session lasting 20 - 60 minutes. The bids increase over time until there is only one table left. You must pay an entry fee to participate in the tournament.

Progressive Knockout Poker:

One of the coolest games you can play at online poker sites, which requires a buy-in (up-front payment for participation). After you pay your fee, a bounty is announced on each player’s seat at the tournament. Each time you eliminate someone from the game, you receive half of their bounty.

Satellite Poker:

Satellite poker games are mini-tournaments with bets starting at 0.10 EUR or less. Once you sign up for a satellite poker competition and pay for the entry, you become eligible for another high-stakes tournament game, this time without having to pay the full entry payment.

How to Play Poker Online: Basic Rules of the Casino Game

Poker free or real money games and tournaments are challenging and can take a toll on beginner players. To eliminate the difficulties, we will take you through the basic rules of the game:

Place the Bets

If you are wondering how to play poker for beginners, you have to start by placing your bets. You can either place ante bets, where all of the players contribute an equal amount of money, or blinds, where one of the players goes in with the small bet.

Receive the Cards

You will receive two face-down cards. Here, you have several options:

• Check: Decline the opportunity to start the betting process.
• Bet: Match another player’s bet in cash.
• Fold: Pass up the opportunity to compete with another player because you have a weak hand.

Get the Community Cards

Once you finish the first betting round, you will receive a flop (three cards face down). Here, you have time to decide what you will do in the next round (check, bet, or fold).

The Turn Cards Are Distributed 

This is where the players in an online casino receive the fourth card face up. Once this happens, you can start building a better hand and preparing for the next round.

The Hands Are Finalized 

In poker online games, you receive the fifth card face down. The hands are finalized, and you are asked to reveal your poker hands for the dealer to decide who won the game. If the game is a tie, the highest card in the hand (kicker) may be used to determine the outcome.

How to Win at Online Poker: Strategies and Tips for Playing 

Here are the basic poker strategies for beginners we can swear by:

Learn the Basic Math

Many people believe that poker is a game of pure luck, but it is actually based on strategy. You must know when to strike your hand, how many outs you have if you land a weak hand, and how to assess your wager against other players' bets. When you do all the calculations in your head, you are no longer reliant on chance and can make rational decisions.

Adopt Different Styles

Whether you play poker online free or for real money, this game requires the players to adopt different styles. We recommend trying one of these to secure a win:

• Tight: This is the best style for beginner players. You play with fewer hands and bet with appropriate caution, thus taking fewer risks.
• Loose: Playing with many hands at once is called a loose style. You are more willing to bet than to call when the round starts.
• Slow: If you have a weak hand but a strong holding in general, one of the best poker tips is the tactic known as slow play or sandbagging. This involves a lot of bluff and pretending that all of your hands are weak ones.
• Active: This is one of the most challenging styles you can lead with - it involves a lot of action, a lot of betting, risking everything, opening huge pots, and going for the biggest bets, all for the sake of challenging your opponents.

Never Limp First 

Limping is a tactic in which players decide to bet the absolute minimum to stay in the game. However, if you are a beginner in online poker free games, we do not recommend limping first. You are less likely to win if you limp with many players at the table. Our advice is to call when you know your hand is strong and fold when you are out of options.

Popular Types of Online Poker

Free poker games are not that hard to find, but what is the best poker variant for Irish players? Here is what we can recommend:

• Texas Hold’em: This variant stands as one of the most popular forms of poker, where each player receives two hole cards dealt face down. To win the pot, you have to use two cards from your own hand and three community cards. 
• Pai Gow Poker: Pai Gow Poker is played with a five-card hand and a two-card hand (the hands must be separate). You will have a joker in the deck that will be treated as an ace, and you will have to beat two of the dealer’s hands to win the pot.
• Five-Card Draw: This is one of the simplest poker variants and a foundation for all video poker games you may have played previously. You are dealt five cards, followed by a betting round and a draw. You discard the weak cards to choose a new hand. 
• Caribbean Stud: Here, you will place the ante bet and receive five cards in return. You will be competing against the dealer, who is also operating with five cards, one card on display and visible to all gamblers. The game is made exciting by your showdown with the dealer as you attempt to get a better hand.

How Online Poker Tournaments Work 

The essence of poker game tournaments is having many players competing for the big prize. In most cases, you will have to “earn” your way in, which amounts to you purchasing the entry for a moderate fee. Generally, Irish players will have more chances of winning the tournament if they decide to place a bounty on each player’s seat as they eliminate them one by one. You can try one-time entry tournaments or rebuy competitions that allow you to “freeze” the game and return when you have a stronger hand in play.

Poker sites impose a small fee for entering since they want the players to battle it out in the final round and see how they fare against other gamblers. However, an entry fee does not mean you cannot find a free online poker competition for beginners. Once you are ready to join the team of high rollers, large poker tournaments like the WSOP Online Poker Tournament or the Irish Poker Open will help raise your stakes.

Bonuses and Promotions in Online Poker

Playing poker is impossible without an appropriate bonus. Here are the most common bonuses you can find at online poker casinos:

Sign Up Bonus

A sign-up poker bonus is a motivation that the poker casinos use to keep you in the game. Once you sign up at a poker casino, you will be bombarded with different types of welcome offers, and this one will be provided as a reward for completing the registration form.

No Deposit Free Chip Bonus 

This poker bonus will come in handy whenever you play a thrilling poker game and need a little boost for your budget. For example, an online casino platform that features popular poker variants may want to entice players with poker sites no deposit bonus by giving out free chips.

Reload Poker Bonus 

A reload bonus is a marketing strategy to make the existing poker players stay at the casino. You will get a 100% match for your deposit in the form of cash or bonus funds that you can use on entry fees. For instance, if you deposited 100 EUR as a buy-in for the upcoming tournament, you will get an additional 100 EUR in your account from the casino.

VIP Poker Bonus

If you know how to play online poker games on a professional level and have frequently deposited at online casinos, you will be granted the status of a VIP poker player. The VIP player is eligible for a VIP poker bonus, often involving exclusive perks from the casino, such as bonus cash and free entry into top-tier tournaments.

Regular Online Poker vs Live Poker with Live Dealers

Deposits and Withdrawals on Poker Sites

The best poker sites offer various payment methods for depositing and withdrawing funds. If you have a Visa or Mastercard attached to your casino account, you can be sure that your casino funds will be processed in minutes. The same applies to e-wallet options that include Skrill, Neteller, Jeton, Paysafecard, Apple Pay, and PayPal. It may take several business days for the payments to be transferred to your bank account, but deposit options ensure instant cash transfers. As most online poker tournaments demand an entry fee, the players must deposit a minimum of 10 EUR to start playing. Crypto payments offer a similar range of cashout and deposit options for top online poker sites.

Terms in Poker Online