Lower Stakes

Online you can play for very low stakes. Since there are no dealers, rent or utilities to pay, the online sites can offer games at very low limits. This would not be practical or profitable a brick and mortar cardroom. If you are a new player you can find some sites with stakes as low as a nickel or dime. It is a World wide “Kitchen table” game and is a great way to make the transition from free play to money play.

No Tipping Required
In a cardroom it is customary to tip the dealer when you win a pot. This tip along with the rake is money you have to pay to play. Online you are not required to tip the dealer which means you are keeping more of what you win. rooms uk

No Intimidation
Sitting down in a live game and facing nine other players can be very intimidating for a new player. Playing online Poker is akin to playing a video game as you are sitting in front of your computer facing a monitor instead of a live person. You can interact with the other players via the chat box or choose to just play your own game without having to talk or socialize. Nobody can see you and if your hands are shaking because of nerves nobody can see this.

Fits Your Schedule
Online play fits your schedule because you can play anytime you want 24/7. There is no traveling time involved and there is little or no waiting to get into a game once you are logged on. Since poker has become so popular it is not unlikely that I have to wait an hour to get into a game at the cardroom where I play. This is after an hours ride to get there and then when I am done I still have an hours drive back home. Online I can log on and ply even if I only have an hour or less to play.

Everybody Acts in Turn
Because of the software used online, nobody can act out of turn. Some sites have buttons or boxes you can check so you can choose to fold, call or raise as soon as you see your cards, but the action will not take place until it is your turn to act.

Pot Odds Shown
When you play in a live game some players find it difficult keeping track of pot odds and determining if they are getting the correct odds to call a bet or not. When you play online you always know exactly how much money is in the pot. You can easily calculate the pot odds for each decision you have to make. If you are unsure you can refer to an out chart and even quickly use your calculator to do the math. This is not something you can do sitting at a table with other players.

Keep Notes
In a live game you may not know another player’s name, but online each player’s screen name is in plain view. It is easy to keep accurate notes about the other players you meet online. In fact most winning players keep a note book by their computer and make notations about the types of hands played by their opponents also whether the player is passive, aggressive, tight or loose. Nobody can see you writing so you can be as detailed as you want to be. If you meet a player a week or even months later you can just look them up in your book.

Multitask
Although you should concentrate on the game at hand, when you are playing online you can do other things in between hands. Some players watch TV, talk on the phone or read. Some players even play in more that one game at a time. Online play is faster than a live game and because you can use the action buttons you can easily jump from game to game on your screen.