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 these own homes. Obviously you can find benefits to playing poker from home, but there are also some downsides that could not obviously become apparent and the differences between true to life poker and online poker can often be significant.
Pros of Online Poker
The first big benefit of online poker could it be offers unrivalled variety compared to offline options. There are literally a large number of poker games occurring constantly of the day and night not to mention every conceivable variety of poker game is available to play if you look in the right place. This is something few players actually take advantage of, but switching up the game you play each time will improve your playing style as well as your poker knowledge in general. nagapoker could even perform ‘multi-tabling’, having multiple game windows running simultaneously to instantly boost the hourly winnings you collect from online tables.The second advantage is the lower cost buy-ins and the low 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 true to life poker. It is possible to play in your dressing gown, it is possible to play dressed as a Storm Trooper, you can play first thing each morning or last thing during the night and you don’t need to purchase casino drinks or food whilst you’re playing, which mount up in the event that you go out and play poker in real life. It is possible to 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’s no delay in dealing or sorting out bets you’ll get 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 it will 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 on the table as you are able to do in real life, as some people fold instantaneously or have their computers take action for them automatically in certain situations. This form of fast play can also result in a simplified, mechanical and ultimately boring poker lifestyle, which in the end is more likely to lead to 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 will let you know whenever a player is bluffing. This can make high risk bets a whole lot riskier than they would maintain real life. It is rather hard to recreate the feel of a poker table online, though some companies do try and do this more than others.