Online poker has revolutionized the world of gambling. It enables players to play poker anytime, anywhere from their desktops or mobile phones. It offers a wide range of stakes and games, making it the perfect option for both recreational and high-rollers.
Licensed and Secured Sites
Online poker sites are monitored by governments and financial bodies to ensure game integrity, safe transfers and data protection for their players. They process thousands of secure transactions each day and are the most trusted way to play poker.
Unlike live poker where players can only see their opponents’ actions, online poker offers players the opportunity to track and analyze their sessions. This allows you to determine where your weaknesses are and can help you improve your poker skills.
Poker Variety
In addition to the classic poker variations, online poker sites offer a wide range of games including no-limit Texas hold’em, Omaha and stud. They also feature satellites to the most popular live tournaments around the world, which is great for those wanting to try their hand at these high-stakes events.
Tells
Reading tells in a live game is an integral part of poker strategy. Many old-school players have read Mike Caro’s famous book on the subject, while live players of every stripe are familiar with the practice of looking at their opponent’s actions for clues about their hand’s strength. However, in online poker, tells are much less evident and tend to depend on bet size more than observed emotions.
The Pace of the Game
Compared to live poker, online poker moves at a far faster pace. In fact, most live players will only see 25 to 30 hands per hour while online players can see up to three times as many. This means that players need to make quick decisions, or risk having their hand folded due to time pressure.
Player Diversity
In poker, player diversity is key to success. While live poker games are dominated by players of similar skill levels, the same is not true online. The majority of players are at a different level of skill, which helps reduce the influence of randomness on their outcomes.
Bad Beats
There are more bad beats in online poker than in live games, which makes it easier to recover from losses if you’re an experienced player. In fact, some internet discussion forums are replete with tales of spectacularly bad luck suffered by a particular player in an online game.
Multitabling
Online poker allows you to play multiple tables at a time. Some professional poker players are able to play up to dozens of tables at once, but that is not something beginners should attempt.
Software to Download
To get started with an online poker site, you must first register for a user account and download the software from the website. The process is relatively simple and should not take too long on most computers.
The next step is to start playing. Most online poker sites will require a minimum deposit of a certain amount to play. The smallest deposit is usually just a few dollars.