“Cincinnati Kid” Steve McQueen did it; “Maverick” Mel Gibson flaunted it as well. Thousands of meters of celluloid films on it has been canned. It decks all the casinos on this planet. Welcome to the world of “Full Houses” and “Straight Flushes”, welcome to the smoke filled dimly lit room of the poker night, but only with a small difference. This time nobody is going to swing a Smith and Wesson Model 29 .44 Magnum at you if you win.

Welcome to the world of digital poker. Yes they managed to digitized the game and bring it right into your den. Replace the immaculately dressed dealer with a software program. The opponents experience and expertise is swapped with a complex algorithm and a fancy graphic image. There are charts and statistics which would take care of your payouts and financial health during the game. Sounds like your kinda’ thing?

When the French settled down in <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />New Orleans, they used to play a game called “poque” and that involved bluffing and betting. The Persian sailors at the New Orleans port played a game called âs. Now this game used decks of cards comprised of five suits. These games most likely melded together. As travelers spread the game up the Mississippi River, they changed it to suit their own needs. Con men who plied the riverboats adapted the game, using it to relieve their victims of their "poke," or cash. Gradually the word poque became "poker."

In the 1800s, the game spread like wild fire towards the western frontier. Poker boomed during the "wild west" period of American history, with a poker table in almost every saloon.

Am I going to get snatched? Check points.

· Check for the payment options provided on the site for physical money transactions.

· Also check for the legality of online gaming in your location.

· Check for security features of the website when it comes to credit card transactions.

· Find out if you need additional downloadable software to run the game program.

· Learn the jargons, look for a gambling glossary.

· Once again, read the rules !

Take Kenny Rogers' advice: "Know when to walk away."