New Jersey is one of the states with the largest population of people who play poker online. The state is not the first to offer online poker, but it was the first that had a large enough population to support the industry. The state has several online poker sites, including 888 Poker, which was the first of the major operators to set up shop in NJ. PokerStars, however, has been a latecomer to the online poker party.
Since 2011, there have been several efforts by state governments to regulate online poker in the US. The US government’s Office of Legal Counsel has been reexamining the scope of the Wire Act at the request of New York and Illinois. With each passing year, the likelihood of a federal ban on online gambling drops. While this is good news for players, many states are still wary about the potential harms it could cause. This makes online poker a high priority for advocates of state legalization.
Regulating online poker is a difficult task. States that allow online poker in their state are likely to follow suit and pass legislation that makes it legal. While many states do not outright ban online gambling, others are considering it. States that allow online poker have strict rules about who can play. In order to operate legally, online poker sites must be based in a US state. Big international brands must form US subsidiaries so they can be held responsible for all their actions in that state.
While play money poker can be enjoyable and entertaining, real money poker is an entirely different animal. While play money poker involves watching a flop and hitting hands, playing real money poker is a mental battle. You can’t afford to play every single hand and rely on luck. Not only does playing every hand lose you money, but playing too few hands makes you predictable and easy to exploit. You’ll also have to learn the mathematical concepts involved in the game and how to maximize your chances of winning.
Beginners can play online poker games using their usernames. While playing under a username can keep opponents from tracking you, playing anonymously prevents other players from using HUDs to track you. Besides that, playing poker anonymously keeps you out of shark-filled waters. In addition to keeping yourself anonymous, you can also practice the skill of playing poker on a mobile device by using Ignition Poker’s Quick Seat option. This allows players to select the poker game they wish to play and be seated at a table instantly.
The US Department of Justice has recently cracked down on several online poker sites. PokerStars was one of the companies involved in the indictment. The US government ordered it to buy the assets of the former Full Tilt Poker company. PokerStars made a settlement with the government to pay back the players and recover a significant portion of their losses. As part of the Black Friday settlement, PokerStars paid out more than $118 million to players in the US.
