As the states across the US open up to the online gambling scene, poker has only excelled in its growth. As of 2024 reporting, the $54 billion US poker market is tipped to grow to $183.3 billion over the next decade. It marks an incredible growth rate of 14.9 percent - which is particularly impressive when you consider how long it's been around for.

Noting this popularity, there's a good chance that more and more people in Pennsylvania and Maryland want to try their hand at online poker. Still, it's not as simple as clicking on the first link and playing a few hands. In the modern space, while there are more safeguards in place, there's certainly a hierarchy of better ways to play. Use this page to find out exactly what to look for.

There's a surprisingly large amount factors to consider when grading the quality of a poker site, and some of it can't be experienced until you have an account. From the reputation of the brand to the number of active players, all of it comes into play at some point during your time. This is why the authority on reviewing online poker sites had clearly laid out its methodology so that anyone can quickly identify the best sites.

According to them, reputation and trustworthiness are atop the list of key factors. After all, if the site's known to be troublesome for payouts and even server reliability, the poker experience will be in tatters. From there, you need to review the size of the player base. The bigger the player base, the more likely you'll meet others of your level and lower to try to wrangle chips from. On the flip side, a small player base will quickly lead to boredom.

It remains true that Texas hold'em poker is the most popular and accessible form of online poker. The rules of play are simply too clear-cut for it not to be popular, and all while the game itself remains competitive and multi-faceted throughout. Still, once you've got Texas hold'em locked down, it's always good to have other poker options to mix up the challenge and your competitors.

Second only to Texas hold'em in popularity online is another community card game. Omaha hold'em varies in that you get four cards but have to use two of them and three community cards to make the best hand possible. It's distinct enough from Texas hold'em to create a new challenge, but also very familiar in its format. Omaha varies greatly now, from hi to hi-lo, to five-card Omaha.