Playing Poker Online: A How-To Guide To Playing Safe

Playing poker online can be a fun experience, but it also has its dangers. The number of hackers stealing information and money from players is growing larger by the day – and they are constantly developing new techniques to deceive people. For this reason, every online player should have enough knowledge to avoid becoming a victim of fraud or theft. Here is a general guide to help you stay safe when playing online poker.

Use Strong Passwords

Creating a strong password for online poker isn’t difficult, yet many people neglect this crucial step. When creating a passcode, it is recommended to use at least seven or eight characters. Combining upper case and lower case letters and mixing some numbers between those can make the password stronger. Avoid actual words, phrases, and number sequences, especially if they can be easily connected with your personal information. If you struggle to remember a complex combination, use multiple simple words that are harder to figure out. Change your passwords periodically and don’t reuse or interchange them between your other accounts.

Only Trust Verified Authentication

Because online poker involves financial transactions, just using a simple username and password won’t be enough to ensure proper security. This is why professional gambling operators will ask for copies of your government-issued identification before you can make a transaction or withdraw funds. Some poker sites will also offer a two-step authentication process as an extra security measure to protect your online information from ending up in the wrong hands. Here, in addition to a standard username and password, you’ll also need a code sent via text message or app to your phone.

If you find a complex authentication process tedious and feel that it won’t let you have the full experience, you aren’t alone. However, you should keep in mind that this system has been designed to ensure it’s really you who is gaining access to your account. A comprehensive article at beastsofpoker.com/ggpoker-review/ will give you a little more insight on how fun trusted games can actually be. Playing poker is supposed to be fun – and it can be, but only if your personal information stays protected, and you are successful in avoiding being scammed. A trusted gambling site will also encrypt all this information as soon as they are entered into their system.

Research the Operators

Your own security measures won’t be worth much if you can’t trust the game operators. Online gaming platforms with long and trusted histories also have lots of user reviews. Make sure you read what other gamblers are saying about the services that the game offers. Are they satisfied with how the site is processing deposits and withdrawals? Does the site have a privacy policy to protect its customers? You should get answers to all of these questions before signing up. While this doesn’t automatically guarantee safety, it could still help you decide whether or not to select a particular site.

Don’t Play As Admin

You should never play online poker on a PC in which you are registered as an admin. If you do so, a hacker could secretly install a program on your PC while that session is on. Or, if you play on your personal computer, log out of the admin account, set up a new one, and use this for playing poker. An enormous advantage of trusted poker sites is that they usually don’t give admin rights to employees. This way, the operator can prevent them from loading software the company doesn’t want and prevent malicious codes from running.

Avoid Public Wi-Fi Hotspots

Your local coffee shop’s Wi-Fi connection is perfectly suitable for a quick newsfeed to browse on your phone. However, these networks should never be used for activities like online poker, shopping, or banking. Remember, the information you enter on these sites is sensitive – and you don’t want to risk getting it stolen through a public network that’s easily breached. Some Wi-Fi networks can appear legitimate – when, in fact, it is criminals creating fictitious networks that will direct your data to their own. A great way to protect your information is to use a VPN, which allows you to surf anonymously and safely.

As you can see, the trick to avoid being scammed is essentially to stop hackers from hijacking your computer. This can be done using the appropriate software, and of course, some common sense. Fortunately, reputable poker sites have also invested in tighter security measures. Plus, they can provide sophisticated encryption to keep your information safe from unwanted eyes. But ultimately, it is you that has to ensure your data stays protected whenever you go online.