Online Poker Room

(some information for this site courtesy of Online Gambling’s poker section and general online gambling info)

I’m sure you know how to play poker, so I won’t waste your time going over the rules of the game. But there are a few important differences between brick-and-mortar poker rooms and online poker rooms. Some of these are obvious, and some you may or may not have considered.

One: until webcams are required (and let’s have that be more later than sooner, says the guy who hasn’t combed his hair in many hours and is still wearing his bathrobe well into the afternoon), you can’t see them and they can’t see you. I’m sure that comes as a blow to all of you who are just looking for the best excuse to wear your cheesy sunglasses indoors. Worse yet, those of you who have made huge sums of money by picking up on physical clues from your opponents are completely out of luck. In online poker rooms, there are no tells…and also,  bluffing is not what it used to be at all.

Two: the main benefit of computers is that everything is streamlined. In online poker rooms, there are simply no delays for shuffling, dealing, counting, or trips to the bathroom and/ or refrigerator. Let’s talk about playing a hundred hands in an hour! At your best, did you ever do half of that in a “real” poker room? I think not.

Three: what’s it gonna cost ya? Well, the best news that I can give you is pretty good: you can play for free. That’s right, there are plenty of free online poker rooms to jump into. And even when you loosen up those purse strings a little, it doesn’t take much at all to get into a real game with real money. Just try telling a dealer at one of those fancy schmancy casinos that you’d like to bet two cents. On your best night, you’d get laughed out of town (and on some nights, you might get thrown out!). Tell it to one of the best online poker rooms, and they might even say “Two whole cents? That’s twice the minimum bet, you know.”

Four: how are your multitasking skills? You wanna try playing more than one hand of poker at the same time? Last time I checked, that was frowned on in Vegas. But all of the best online poker rooms (check the recommendations at Online Gambling for the best of them) will be happy to oblige. Go ahead, feel free to play four or six (or ten) hands at once! It’s a great way to find the table that’s just right for your skill level (and you can take that any way you want it…) As for me, I can’t even walk and chew bubblegum at the same time. But it’s nice to know I’ve got the choice.