Online poker is becoming hugely popular with the internet producing players who’ve gone on to conquer real life poker tournaments and allowing visitors to learn to play poker in the comfort of their own homes. Obviously there are benefits to playing poker from home, but there are also some downsides which could not obviously become apparent and the differences between real life poker and online poker can often be significant.
Pros of Online Poker
The first big advantage of online poker is it offers unrivalled variety compared to offline options. There are literally thousands of poker games occurring always of your day and night not to mention every conceivable variety of poker game is available to play if you look in the right place. That is something few players actually take advantage of, but switching up the game you play each time will enhance your playing style as well as your poker knowledge in general. You can even perform ‘multi-tabling’, having multiple game windows running simultaneously to instantly raise the hourly winnings you take home from online tables.The next advantage is the lower cost buy-ins and the lower rake rates which internet casinos take from each game. Because there are no croupiers, security or buildings to keep up it is a lot cheaper to play poker online, with some tiny minimum bets and some sites even offering free poker games that may serve as an invaluable learning resource. Finally there’s the conveninence that playing online affords over real life poker. It is possible to play in your dressing gown, you can play dressed as a Storm Trooper, it is possible to play first thing in the morning or last thing during the night and you won’t need to pay for casino drinks or food whilst you’re playing, which mount up in the event that you venture out and play poker in true to life. You can play poker online whilst you’re performing other tasks.
Cons of Online Poker
The first negative side of online poker is the speed at which hands are played. Because there is no delay in dealing or sorting out bets you’ll receive through a game much quicker, so it’s a lot easier to lose money quickly, especially if you’re a beginner. The speed also can contribute to a couple of other issues. Firstly poker88 ‘ll be a lot harder to follow what’s going on in a game, like following a folds and keep a track of the prior actions up for grabs as possible do in true to life, as some people fold instantaneously or have their computers take action for them automatically using situations. This style of fast play can also lead to a simplified, mechanical and ultimately boring poker lifestyle, which in the end is more likely to result in a habit-forming gambling problem. The second most obvious issue is the lack of physical connection with other players, meaning it is a lot harder to out-bluff an opponent or observe any tells that may let you know when a player is bluffing. This can make high risk bets a whole lot riskier than they would maintain real life. It’s very hard to recreate the feel of a poker table online, while some companies do try and do this more than others.