Whenever you have people laying money on the line there will be people wanting to take it, either by using their poker playing skills or less honest methods.  In order to protect yourself when playing poker online you have to consider many things and how they can open you up to potential dangers.  We’ve listed some easy rules to follow while playing online poker to protect your money and identity.

            It’s never a good idea to play poker online from a computer other than your own.  Not only does it compromise the security of your information but it can also compromise your job and more.  Many places of business wouldn’t appreciate that your time at work was taken up with playing poker.  On the job many employers use systems for tracking employee computer use so don’t think if no one’s watching it’s okay. 

It’s highly likely that gambling isn’t allowed in your workplace or any other place where public computers are available.  If you’re caught it’s reasonable to assume you won’t be allowed to use that computer again.  Students using school computers can also find themselves losing privileges and even be expelled for gambling on the school’s system.  Beyond the fact that it could cost you a job or education it could also cost you monetarily. 

When you play online you have to give sensitive information that can be more easily hacked into on a public computer.  Unlike your personal computer you don’t know who is accessing a public computer and what kind of security software is in place.  You’re better off to simply resist the urge to use anything other than your own computer for playing online.

            Before you ever hand over an account number know who is getting that information.  Doing research on an online poker room beforehand can save you a lot of potential time and loss later on.  The poker community online is huge, and you should have no problems finding valuable information on the various blogs dedicated to the subject. 

Pay attention to sites that have had legal disputes in the past and ones that get repeated negative comments from people who have played at a site.  Established poker rooms that already have a history are going to be a safer bet than a new site no one knows much about.  You can also utilize a website, like our own, that reviews online poker rooms. 

We let players known everything from what country a site is based out of to what the betting structures are so that players can make the best decisions when choosing a reliable site to play at.  Poker rooms with nothing to hide will make all of their information easy to find and be upfront about the security they have in place.

            There have been instances when online poker rooms have went out of business, had legal troubles or stopped accepting players from a certain country.  What that means to the players on the site is their money could get tied up in courts and temporarily lost.  Though you’ll most likely get everything back it’s an unnecessary inconvenience that can be easily avoided by keeping your account low.  Only keep what’s absolutely needed to maintain your bankroll and cash out the rest, especially if you aren’t playing or your winnings have become sizeable.

            Poker may not seem like a job but the earnings you gain from it are taxed the same as your salary.  Legally you can play poker for money online at approved sites with no trouble at all.  However, if you don’t include the winnings you get when you file your taxes you will find trouble in the form of tax evasion charges.  You may like to gamble but with your taxes it’s just not worth it. 

The government might never to find your unreported earnings, but if they do you can expect it to cost you a whole lot more than a small percentage of what you won playing.  Those just aren’t good odds.

            By now you should know that putting your information on the world wide web should be done with care.  In the faceless world of the internet some crooks find it an opportune place to illegally gain other’s information for their own use with less fear of getting caught.  Whenever you decide to use a poker room, in your research find out what kind of security they offer, who all within their organization is going to have access to your information and what they’ll be doing with that information.

Additionally, be careful about revealing your information once you’re in a poker room.  There’s almost no instance when you need to provide your information again after registering with a poker room, so be very leery of anyone asking you for it after the fact and report whoever is doing the asking.  There’s no way to actually be at the tables playing for money unless the establishment already has your info.

            Chatting in the poker rooms is used to make the experience more entertaining and give players a way to communicate with each other like they would in a casino game.  But with the privilege comes responsibility that some ignore.  It’s during these chatting sessions when other players can try to pry your information out of you and harass or bully you.   

To avoid identity theft never give out your personal information or the information of others even to players you think you know.  A con man could have already singled you out and are masquerading themselves as a player you’re already familiar with.  If you feel someone is fishing for information or are harassing you in any way report them to operators immediately. 

If at all possible save the chat window for future reference and to save their information.  And don’t worry about the other player holding it against you because complaints remain completely anonymous.

            The name you choose to represent your player onscreen is called your handle.  It is a public name that anyone playing you will see.  Therefore you should never include anything in your handle that could give away your information.  Many people don’t even consider this when choosing their handle, but including things like your actual name, location and the like makes it just a little bit more easy for those looking to steal your identity. 

It’s also advisable to leave out any part of any password you may use for personal accounts.  It’s convenient to use things that are easy to remember but that also makes it easier for crooks to steal from you.  

 

For more on playing online poker visit our Internet Poker Terms Page

 

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