Poker World Review (PWR) is dedicated to promoting responsible gambling. As part of our commitment to bringing you everything you need to know about poker, online poker and news from around the industry, we also undertake to provide you with guidelines for responsible poker playing and where you can find help for problem gambling.

Our commitment to responsible gaming begins with discouraging people from attempting to sign up at a poker site if they are under age. Players must be 18 years or older, or the legal age set out where they live, to play online poker, and poker sites require that you verify you are at least 18 years old before they'll allow you to play.

If you have children and would like to protect them from gambling online, there are protection software programs out there than allow you to limit the websites your children have access to. Programs such as SafeKids and NetNanny can help you control what your kids are doing online when you can't be there to check up on them.

Players should also be aware of the laws where they live to determine if they're allowed to play online poker or engage in any other online gambling activities. In some cases, poker sites do block players who live in certain areas due to legal concerns.

The second aspect of our commitment to responsible gaming is letting you know the signs that you may have a problem with gambling and what you can do to protect yourself if you think you may have a gambling problem.

Some questions you can ask yourself to evaluate if you may have a gambling problem include:

• Have you ever lost time from work or school due to playing poker?
• Do you neglect your own welfare or that of your family to play poker
• Have you spent more money on gaming than you intended?
• Have you ever sold anything or borrowed money to finance your playing and had difficulty repaying it?
• Have you felt guilty about playing or had severe mood swings because of your gambling?
• Have the results of your playing led to thoughts of suicide or other self-destructive behaviors?
• Do you argue with your family and friends about your gaming?

If these questions raise a red flag for you, there are many options available to get help. If you need advice on how to play responsibly or to get help controlling your play, organizations that can help you include GamCare, Gamblers Anonymous, National Council on Problem Gambling, Adictel and Responsible Gambling Council of Canada.

We want people to enjoy their recreation time when they're playing online poker, and the key to that is to do it responsibly and saty safe. In order to do that, you can do simple things like setting time and money limits on your play and only gambling with money you can afford to lose.

Think of playing online poker as buying fun, not investing money. Quit while you're ahead and don't just keep playing because you're bored or as stress relief. It's important to think of this as entertainment or a hobby and not another source of income in order to keep gambling in moderation and keep the game enjoyable.

Remember, if you choose to play poker, play responsibly.