Online gambling is one of the fast-growing industries in the USA, with online poker being on top of the game. This is because online poker is simple to play. One only needs a good device and a good Internet connection. Over the years, the game has grown, pulling people from all over the world.
Online poker started being popular in 2003 after a poker player known as Chris Moneymaker qualified for the World Series of Poker Main Event through a tournament online. Since then, online poker has been taken seriously all over the world. Online poker isn’t very different from live poker since they both have the same rules. However, there are some notable differences. It’s faster, less risky, and easily accessible. The downside of playing online poker is to play against unknown individuals.
Different people play poker for various reasons. Some play for fun. Others play to learn basic math skills, while for others, it’s a profession. All of these people can find different sites that will suit their needs. Thanks to advancement in technology, there are now many sites to enjoy a good poker game. It’s important to remember that different gaming sites have different features and offers. Here are a few things to consider when choosing an online casino site:
1) Types of Games
Different sites offer various types of poker games. There are, however, several games that can’t lack in most sites. For instance is the No-Limit Texan Hold’em. This game, commonly referred to as Hold’em, is the most played poker game in online poker.
Other games include Razz, 5-Card Draw, Seven Card Studs, and Pot-Limit Omaha. Some of these games are either cash games or just games. One is free to choose the game that suits them best from any poker site.
2) Poker Training
Different poker sites have poker schools where players enroll and are trained on how to play poker online. Some of the sites offer free training, while others do so at a charge. PokerStrategy.com is one of the popular websites that provide free training. However, the site’s videos may not be as comprehensive as those in sites that charge for training. The Global Poker site, on the other hand, charges for one to join their poker school. They offer different courses – from different game strategies to how to think while playing poker, as well as poker strategies for beginners, among others.
3) Poker Tournaments
Poker tournaments are very famous – both online and live. These tournaments are the easiest way to win big money with the most number of people participating in them. In online poker tournaments, the winners may get up to $200,000. This price varies with the number of buy-ins. The bigger the buy-ins, the higher the prize.
There’s another type of poker tournaments known as Freerolls or Free Poker Online. These are free tournaments that sites have for selected customers only. They are termed as free since you don’t have to pay anything to get into the game, but nevertheless, you can win money.
4) Sit and Go
These are small online tournaments that require a few players, probably a table or less. The tournaments occur randomly on different poker sites, and they take less time than the huge tournaments. The most popular Sit and Go is the jackpot tournament. The tournament multiplies the prize pool way before the game starts.
However, Sit and Go tournaments have smaller prizes compared to the other tournaments. This is because of its briefness and the small playing team.
5) Cash Game
One can make money out of playing poker. These games are known as ring games. One gets into the game having a specified amount of cash in exchange of chips that have a monetary value. For one to stay in the game, each player will need to retain a minimum and maximum amount of cash. Also, as one bets, the maximum amount of money that he can bet is the total amount of chips on the table.
Ring games are preferred to tournaments since they are flexible. You can play for as short as 10 minutes, or as long as 10 hours. Depositing and withdrawing cash on an online poker site can be done using either credit cards, debit cards, bank transfers, or e-checks.
6) Poker Books
There are a lot of poker books that one can use to learn poker. In as much as it’s considered an old-fashioned way, a good number of people prefer reading books to training sites. However, this preference varies depending on the level of skill. Beginners will prefer using the training site to reading books.
The popular ones are Theory of Poker, Harrington on Hold’em, and Super System. These books have a lot of content with regards to playing poker. However, if you’re out to only learn the basics of poker, online training sites will be convenient since the information is free.
Since 2013, online poker continues to evolve. More sites come up and more strategies are put in place, among other developments. There’s now an online poker site that hires the strongest coaches and players in the world. Also, the quality of resources has upgraded, and they are now easily accessible to any player online. These resources have helped to do away with the technical aspects of the game.
Poker sites are being diversified in the sense that they don’t only focus on the games and training, but are also adopting a holistic approach. A teacher at the Grisped.com, Evan Jarvis teaches players on how to focus heavily on healthy living and well-being as a way of becoming a prime player. Books that focus on the mindset of a poker player have also been published – for instance, Mental Game of Poker by Jared Tendler and Barry Carter.
Players have also become more creative, thanks to the online training sites. With new strategies used in beating opponents, it becomes hard for one to read the opponent and also to play. The avalanche of information has consequently led to the bridging of the skill gap among the players, making poker a tough but exciting game at the same time.
