PayPal lets you make instant, free deposits without exposing yourself to the same potential identity theft risks that credit card deposits carry. Also, unlike so many credit cards, PayPal makes it easy to deposit and withdraw your cash using the same service.

Once you sign up for free, you can upload money to your PayPal account using your standard bank account or credit card. Then, once the money appears online, you're free to send it to online poker sites via their cashier. Just select PayPal as your deposit method and you'll be taken to PayPal's secure server where you can enter your account information (username and password) along with the deposit amount. That's it! No waiting around necessary to get into some Texas Hold'em action.

Yes. Using PayPal is completely accepted by Internet poker rooms and they should not limit your access to welcome bonuses based on your chosen deposit option. If this presents a problem anywhere, keep looking!

No need to wait. All PayPal deposits will appear in your account instantly, so you can be gambling at the tables within minutes.

Usually, poker rooms have a minimum PayPal deposit limit of approximately $15, but this is bound to vary between different Internet gambling sites. On the other hand, the deposit maximum (which will probably start at a few hundred dollars) is subject to a lot of movement. As always, this number is easy to adjust if you want to play at higher limits.

In 2002, under heavy US government pressure, PayPal stopped completing gambling transactions for US players. At the time, they were the biggest player in the gambling transactions business, but that's a thing of the past for anyone playing stateside.

No, these deposits are completely free. It’s also free to load your PayPal account from your bank and to pull funds in the opposite direction when you're ready to have your cash in the real world.

Yes, just provide your email address (the one connected to your PayPal account) to your card room's cashier. Note that, while deposits should be free, you may very well be charged a small percentage fee when making your online poker withdrawals.

As with most eWallet options, expect to wait four or five business days. Note that this is really up to the poker room's discretion, as the transaction itself is technically instant.

They'll perform the currency exchange for you. This probably won't be free, though, so to keep all of your money, make an effort to play with gambling websites that support your preferred currency.

Your PayPal information will always be safe when using a Texas Hold'em room. This is ensured by the fact that PayPal actually takes care of the transaction from their website, meaning that you won’t have to share anything more than the fact that you have a PayPal account and the email address associated with that account in order to start the transaction. The poker site will never have to store any of your PayPal information on their own servers.

While most of the security work for your PayPal transactions will be handled by PayPal itself, it may make you feel more comfortable to know that online poker sites also use advanced security technology to help protect your cash and your information at all times. This includes 128-bit encryption technology, which is the same standard used by nearly all major financial institutions around the world.

When it comes to making withdrawals to your PayPal account, you won’t have to give poker sites very much information. Simply give them the email address your account is attached to, and they should be able to process your PayPal withdrawal. More generally, you may need to go through some form of identity verification before you can withdraw from some Internet gambling sites. This process may include verifying your mailing address by sharing a utility bill and/or giving the poker room a photocopy of a form of personal identification.

PayPal uses a variety of security features to ensure that your funds and information are secure as possible. PayPal security experts constantly monitor transactions 24 hours a day to ensure that suspicious activity is quietly identified and investigated. In addition, PayPal stores any personal information that you’ve shared with them using the same encryption technology favored by major banks, ensuring that nobody will be able to access or view it without proper authorization.

Your online poker site should never ask you for information about your PayPal account, and under no circumstances should you share your password with someone claiming to represent an online poker site. The only time your PayPal account information should be used on a real money gambling site is when you are making a deposit or a withdrawal from your poker account.