Advantages of online poker

The boom in online poker occurred as a result of the advancement in technology and secure connectivity across networks. Now, because of the ability to play poker from the comfort of your living room, online poker is thriving like no other form of ‘gaming’. In this regard the advantages of online gaming are simple and come in various forms.

The most crucial factor is that bricks and mortar gaming establishments have long considered poker to be an unprofitable offering. A casino cannot deal with the amount of players needed to pull in profits via the rake (% of each pot) and as poker is renowned for being a game that can scare off novices, very few will play at a real table. What is more, a casino or ‘real’ poker room cannot compete with the virtual world of online poker with its endless supply of tables, staked games and formats. In online poker it is possible to log in and play multiple tables, multiple limits all at the same time and this is made even easier with ‘auto-action’ buttons which aid the hand playing process.

Online poker is big business, as gaming companies are constantly trying to outdo one another to get player numbers up on their site. After all, more players = more rake. As such they offer a whole host of incentives and tools to entice new players to enroll and existing/old players to reload. All poker sites offer generous sign-up and reload bonuses and most offer very appealing bonuses based on raked hands played. They commonly give 100%-200% signup bonuses and 20%-50% top-ups for subsequent deposits. They also use loyalty point systems per hand played which can then be either converted into cash or used as buy-ins to enter tournaments.

Online poker also provides a whole host of games and tournaments for limit and no limit poker. These games can be played at every possible level of play, from micro-limit tables with 1c/2c limits all the way up to high roller stakes where hands run up to thousands of dollars. What is more, for every micro-mega game there is also a different variation of poker available, such as Texas Holdem, Omaha and Razz.

Online poker is also suitable to a broad spectrum of players because of the abundance of tools available to players and slick nature of hand handling/processing. The fact that you are provided with an abundance of statistics on which to base decisions is highly beneficial. Being provided with stats pertaining to % of players going in to see the flop, average pot size, hands played per hour, gives players helpful indicators to make better tactical decisions and assess opponent skill levels with more accuracy. What is also great is that all online poker sites offer poker schools, ‘play money’ and freeroll tournaments. These types of game are a great way for beginners and novices to gain an introductory knowledge of the game of poker allowing players to ‘get their feet wet’ without having to worry about maxing credit cards. With such an array of ‘learner’ options the level of poker skill is generally raised as is the throughput of players on every site. Thus as more players learn the game it raises the bar in terms of overall poker playing ability. Hence whilst there will always be ‘fish’ (players who are easy to win money off) it is becoming more challenging to find poor players. However for advanced players online poker offers a wealth of opportunities to exploit players of lesser ability therefore making online poker a profitable pastime.

There are many that consider online poker to be a fraudulent activity, too easy to manipulate and ‘tweak’, via bots and insider knowledge. Many believe such a ploy does indeed tilt the balance in the houses favor. Bad beats, ridiculous cards being dealt, unbelievable hands winning out, they all happen far more online than in real life. However online poker companies make millions by skimming a ‘rake’ from every hand. The risks are too great and it would be extremely foolish for them to be caught performing such illegal operations. I know that strange things happen online, i.e. rarely does a low pair or high win a hand, and what about that time you were dealt pocket K’s only to lose to an opponents pocket aces. As bad as this seems, consider that on an online poker site thousands of hands are played every minute. Therefore since online players get to see more hands, there is a greater likelihood that you will see larger pots, more improbable bad beats and power hands winning the day. At the end of the day online poker is heavily regulated and audited by gaming commissions and established auditing companies such as Pricewaterhouse, which closely scrutinize random number card generator software and payout patterns.

Bricks and mortar casino’s and poker rooms cannot compete with online poker for many reasons, the most crucial being bottom dollar. Online poker also brings the game to our living rooms. With the different game formats and stakes, with the abundance of statistical aids and facilities available, players do not need to worry about being intimidated by taking a seat. What is more, as body language and style are more difficult to deduce the novice player has more scope to learn. You can play at a level of table you are comfortable with, whether it be of the cents or hundred dollar variety. You can pick your virtual wits against others in new and exciting ways that real poker cannot deliver. Online poker is a great forum for bringing the game of poker to a global audience. The speed of processing hands, the vast array of player abilities, the enhanced features of each and every poker site, make the online variety a great way to play social or professional poker.