Online poker is a skill-based card game played over the internet. It is one of the most popular card games on the internet and is played by millions of people around the world. Its popularity is growing rapidly because it offers a number of advantages over traditional live poker. It is also more convenient to play than live poker, since players can play whenever they want, day or night. It is a very fast and easy game to learn, and it can be played by players of all levels of experience.

The first virtual poker site was Planet Poker, which launched on 1 January 1998. It was the first poker site to allow real money play, and its simple interface attracted thousands of new players. It had many software issues and crashes in the beginning, but it gradually gained stability and popularity. A few years later, there were a number of other poker sites that looked more modern and had better software.

In addition to the traditional live and online poker rooms, there are now a number of independent poker networks that offer online poker games. These include the iPoker, WPT, and Party Poker networks. In addition to their own poker rooms, they also provide a number of services for their players, such as tournaments, ring games, and cash games. The iPoker network has more than 400 poker rooms, and is one of the largest in the world.

One of the most important tools for improving your online poker game is a poker stats program, which can help you improve your strategy and win more money. These programs can save and recall your hand histories, and they can also display previous statistics for your opponents next to their names in the poker client (a heads-up display or HUD). Some of these poker stats programs also include odds, equity, and variance calculators.

Some players have questioned whether it is worth paying for poker training when there are free resources available on the web. While there are hundreds, if not thousands, of “YouTubers” and poker streamers, this type of content tends to be low-level and may not really help your game. In contrast, the best poker training sites online are constantly updating their content and adding videos with advanced plays and explanations.

A good example is Upswing Lab, which features top tournament player Fedor Holz as a coach. This site has a lot of video content, and it is organized into different segments that let you concentrate on improving your weaknesses.

Another great poker stats tool is HM3, which has a top-class HUD with customizable stats and situational popups. HM3 also provides a wealth of reports, including vsHero stats that show you how well you perform against specific opponents. This kind of information can be very useful when you are trying to identify your weaknesses and make big improvements. HM3 is free to try, and its paid version comes with even more powerful features.