The saying “you don’t have a second chance to make a first impression” also applies when you join a poker site. Poker sites only give you one chance when you create an account, and most of the information you enter can’t be changed afterwards. If you only read one page on this entire site before you create an account, make sure it’s this one.

1 – Don’t sign up unless you are getting something for free.

Poker rooms will give you free money, in the form of a bonus, just for playing. The biggest bonuses poker sites give out are to new players, and once you join you can’t go back and get another welcome bonus or offer. Check out our bonuses page for the biggest bonuses you can get as a new player.

2 – Do use you real name, address & birth date.

You can get away with entering fake information about yourself on a lot of sites on the Internet, don’t do it at a poker site. Because poker sites handle your money, they need to make sure you are who you say you are. If you enter in false information about yourself, they will find out at some point and shut your account down.

3 – Don’t create more than one account.

Some people think they can just start fresh and open another account to fix anything they didn’t do right the first time. This is a huge no-no. Poker rooms will only ever let you have one account and if their security team finds you have multiple accounts, they will shut them all down and permanently ban you from playing at their site.

Most rooms also have a policy of only one account per household. This can be tricky for room mates or family members that want to play at the same site. Check the poker rooms policies on this and if in doubt, contact their customer support before another member of the same household creates an account.

4 – Don’t use someone else’s payment method

Poker rooms are targets for scammers and fraudsters. They’ve seen it all before and take fraud extremely seriously. If you try and use someone else’s payment method you are putting your account and play at that room at risk. Even if it does go through they will still review your account in the future and lock you out, confiscating any winnings you have made. Only use your credit cards or other payment methods when adding money to your account. It’s just not worth the risk.

5 – Do use a valid email address that you can access at all times.

Poker rooms primary way of communicating vital information, including password resets is through email. Be sure you enter in a valid email address when you create your account.

6 – Do check your spam folder & white list the poker rooms sign up email.

As soon as you sign up check your email. Within a few minutes an email from the poker room with your account details and any important sign up info will be in your inbox. Check your spam folder for the email if it’s not in your main inbox. And regardless of where it ended up, add the poker sites email address to your whitelist to make sure any future emails get to you. If you don’t get any email, are you sure you completed #5 above? Contact the sites customer support immediately to make sure they have your correct email address on file and sort this out. It will be a big deal later on.

7 – Do use a strong password that is unique.

Treat your poker account like your bank account. You need to protect your money and account from un-authorized access. If someone does use your account and drain the money in it, it’s your responsibly and the site will not re-reimburse you. So be extra vigilant with account details. If you suspect someone has used your account, change the password and contact customer support immediately.

8 – Do pick a poker nickname / username that you like!

This is a tricky one as picking a unique name when you signup can be tricky. The one you like might be taken already or you may not come up with anything you like. Most poker rooms will not allow you to change your username after it’s been created so make sure it’s not your real name and something you want to display at the tables.

9 – Don’t sign up from an unsecured location or public WiFi.

Make sure the connection you are using is secure. Poker sites do use encryption technology for  transmitting important information but just to be on the safe side it’s good to use a connection that you trust.

10 – Do read the poker rooms terms and conditions when you sign up.

Most people don’t read these but it’s important to at least take a scan. Like a bank, poker rooms are handling your money, and you need to understand and play by their rules.