Television has taken poker from the backroom to the big time. Today poker is enjoying astounding popularity and poker players are becoming household names. And on force responsible for the continued popularity of the game has been the availability of play at online poker rooms. Online poker allows players to pit their skill against players from around the world. But how does find an online poker room and how does online poker differ from sitting down at a physical table.
Play in online poker rooms can be restricted by country, so the first step is to check to see if the poker room is available where you live. Party Poker and PokerStars are big in Europe while Bovada ad Americas Cardroom are the current names in US poker sites.
You'll be able to join any online poker room available for you to play on for free. You'll need to download and install their software and you'll find that most will offer you a bonus on your first deposit. They also have 24 hour customer service that will help you with the download or deposit process if you have trouble with it.
When you play at an online poker room, you do play against real players. The software is what allows you to do that and the levels that the software reaches these days may leave you astounded. Poker rooms allow you to choose a player name and an avatar that suits your personality. Some even allow you to choose an environment or location to play in. And the experienced player will be pleased to discover that they can play at more than one table at a time. This is a big difference from sitting at a regular table because when you fold, you can shift your attention to the next table and play that hand without waiting for a redeal. Of course you want to be experienced with the online set up before you try to juggle multiple hands.
What games can you play? This is what online poker so popular, because of the number of players online at any one time, the rooms can seat players at virtual tables playing all the most popular poker games from Texas Hold'em, currently the king of poker games, to Omaha Hi Lo. Of course, you might not want to mix different types of games if you're playing multiple tables at the same time. And you don't have to bet a fortune to play an online poker game. Yes, if you read the poker blogging sites, you'll hear about the big players up in the "nosebleeds." These are players who play for stakes so high that they make your nose bleed. But the secret is that most of the players in online poker rooms play for low stakes or even micro stakes.
You can play for free. Now there are two ways this takes place. First, you can literally log in and join in a free game to practice your skills or even just to get used to the controls on the new software you're running. When you play this way, you don't win real money back, but you can gain experience. But online poker rooms also regularly offer free-roll poker tournaments. Players who join these tournaments start with a set level of cash and play to see who the ultimate winner is. This is the perfect way to sharpen your skill and perhaps take home some money.
Of course there are more tournaments than just the free roll tournaments. Online poker rooms sponsor regular tournaments running from pennies in entry fees up to some pretty stiff buy ins. But the prizes in these tournaments can be worth a bundle. In fact, the best way to get to the World Series of Poker might be to win a seat from an online poker room. Every since 2003 when Chris Moneymaker won the WSOP Main Event after winning his way to his first big event from an online site, people have taken online poker seriously. It's serious fun.