Online poker is becoming hugely popular with the internet producing players who have gone on to conquer real life poker tournaments and allowing people to learn to play poker in the comfort of their own homes. Obviously you can find benefits to playing poker from home, but additionally, there are 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 benefit of online poker is it offers unrivalled variety compared to offline options. There are literally thousands of poker games occurring constantly of your day and night and of course every conceivable variety of poker game is available to play if you try the right place. This is something which few players actually benefit from, but switching up the overall game you play each time will improve your playing style as well as your poker knowledge in general. You could even perform ‘multi-tabling’, having multiple game windows running simultaneously to instantly raise the hourly winnings you take home from online tables.The second advantage is the less expensive buy-ins and the low rake rates which internet casinos take from each game. Because you can find no croupiers, security or buildings to maintain it is a lot cheaper to play poker online, with some tiny minimum bets and some sites even offering free poker games which can serve as an invaluable learning resource. Finally there’s the conveninence that playing online affords over real life poker. You can 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 purchase casino drinks or food whilst you’re playing, which mount up if you venture out and play poker in true to life. It is possible to play poker online whilst you’re performing other tasks.

Cons of Online Poker

The initial negative side of internet poker is the speed of 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 few other issues. Firstly it will be a lot harder to follow what’s going on in a game, like following folds and keep a track of the prior actions up for grabs as possible do in real life, as some individuals fold instantaneously or have their computers take action for them automatically using situations. hatipoker of fast play can also lead to 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 insufficient 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 when a player is bluffing. This can make high risk bets a lot riskier than they would be in real life. It’s very hard to recreate the feel of a poker table online, while some companies do try and do that more than others.