Playing poker online, like everything else that you do online, affects the security of your computer, and by extension, you yourself. Every time a person connects to the Internet, they are sharing information with hackers who know how to connect into their information that is flying all over the Internet.

For things such as email and MySpace, that doesn’t constitute so much of a security problem. Sure, someone might steal your password and proceed to send out spam from your email account or hijack your MySpace account and send out multiple bulletins to all of your friends about ringtones, but, all things said and done, this type of hijacking is quite minimal compared to what can happen when playing poker online.

Playing poker online involves transferring money, so security for online poker is a slightly different ballgame than simply securing your email and MySpace passwords.

When it comes to securing your online poker experience, you have to be extra careful. One of the most important things that you can do is make sure that your virus protection and general security service are current and updated. Every computer that is connected to the Internet should have a subscription to Norton or McAfee, or some other type of security service if you’re certain of the validity of this ‘other service’. If you know little about computers and software, you should stick with Norton or McAfee; if you really know what you’re doing when it comes to computers, you can venture beyond these, but for the rest of us, there’s the mainstream. Norton and McAfee will help you to secure your computer, not just when it comes to online poker, but in everything that you do online. The services are not free, but it’s a small price to pay for the safety of your files and your money.

In addition, you should make sure that in the security settings of your computer that you have the Firewall enabled. A lot of people disable this because it can be a bit of a pain, but again, for those of us who know little about the inner workings of computers, this move is more than slightly dangerous. A Firewall will help protect the security of your computer by keeping hackers out of your files. Though a Firewall can be somewhat annoying, it is always better to keep your computer protected than to let others potentially access your information. If you’re playing poker online, or doing something else that involves the transfer of money, you should absolutely have your Firewall always on.

The other extremely important thing that you can do to minimize troubles that you have with hijackers is to ALWAYS type a web address into the address bar of your Internet page. Clicking links in your email (or other links) is a dangerous practice; this is how hijackers get your passwords and then use them to their advantage and your disadvantage. When you click on a link in an email that says PayPal, you may be connecting to PayPal, as you think you are. You may also be connecting to a fake Paypal site, designed by hackers so that they can steal your password when you ‘sign in’—even though you’re not signing in to anything. If you get an email from Paypal that says ‘Click here to go to your account’ simply go to the address bar and type in the address for Paypal. This is always the safest way to go to a website. Pay special care when you’re going to sites on which money is exchanged. For everyone from poker players to eBay sellers, this is an important piece of information to remember.