When playing online poker, it is essential to follow a few steps to protect yourself. One of the most important steps is to protect your identity. The process of signing up at an online poker site can involve entering sensitive information, such as your social security number, date of birth, and address. You should also be sure to protect your personal information by creating an IP PIN, which is a common way to prevent identity theft. This PIN is also useful in general life.

Another way to protect yourself from bad beats is to use idnplay software. There are many such programs available for online play. One of these programs will save your hand history, scan tables for known players, and display past statistics next to their names. Most online sites will allow you to use these programs. Some of these applications also include odds, equity, and variance calculators. Some will even provide quizzes and flag likely mistakes in your play. This software will keep you safe from these mistakes, as well as keep you ahead of the game.

Another important step in playing online poker is to make sure you play only on legal sites. Many US states have passed laws making online poker legal. If you play poker outside of these states, you are breaking the law. However, some operators are regulated and operate only in a few states. Make sure you check the site’s status before deciding to sign up. If an online poker site is regulated, it must be a US-based company. Even big international poker brands must create a company in the US to operate in the US. This means that they are responsible for all their actions within that country.