Introduction To Online Poker

August 28, 2009

Tournament poker has experienced a dramatic surge of popularity as millions of people it on television. At the same time, online poker rooms have attracted waves of new fans who want to taste the action of the game. If you have never played online poker, you’ll discover that the experience goes beyond that which you’ll enjoy in casinos. There are a number of distinct advantages. In this article, we’ll explore those advantages along with other factors you’ll need to consider. You’ll learn where to play as well as how to get started quickly without betting.

Advantages Of Online Poker

The greatest advantage for beginners is that online poker rooms such as PokerStars allow you to play for free. One of the concerns of new players is having to compete against those with more experience while risking their money. When you participate online, you can use Play Money. If you run out, you’ll receive more. That way, you can learn the game and develop your strategy at your own pace.

Online Poker Offers No Risk Free Play Options – great for starting out and learning how to play texas holdem – you can’t do this in a casino
Tons of tables, games and types of poker to play offered online
Online Poker is mostly anonymous
Bonuses and even more – read below

Another advantage is the larger selection of tables available. To put this into perspective, imagine walking into the Bellagio in Las Vegas. They’ll have 10 to 20 poker tables. By contrast, communities like PokerStars have over 100,000 members playing online at one time. You’ll be able to find a table easily. Also, playing online poker means you don’t have to travel to a casino. If you’d like to play for 15 minutes, you can logon to your PokerStars account, play, and then leave whenever you need to.

Here’s another benefit that most people don’t realize (and it’s a big one). When you play online poker, you’ll have access to hand histories. This can be an integral part of your training. As you review hands from past games, you’ll have a unique view that will help you develop your strategy over time. You can also use stat tracking devices to see leaks in your game, but we will talk more about those in later articles.

Online Poker Factors To Consider

First, you won’t be able to see the other players. If your strategy relies upon watching for tells, that’s something to consider. Also, what happens if you lose your connection? A lot of the larger online poker sites like PokerStars use multiple servers and can instantly detect if your connection drops. When that happens, they’ll allow you extra time (about 30 seconds) to reconnect.

Where To Play Online Poker

You’ll quickly discover that some poker websites are much better than others, especially for new players. We use (and recommend to friends) PokerStars. They have a massive community of members at every skill level and offer rooms with limits that range from $0.02/$0.04 to $1,000/$2,000. They provide strategy tips that are specifically designed for beginning players to help them get started quickly.

One of the most alluring reasons to play at PokerStars is because they offer the most popular games in their free poker room. You’ll be able to play Stud Poker, Texas Hold’em, and Omaha Poker without risking any money (besides your Play Money, of course). What’s more, they offer a number of freeroll tournaments that are opened to all members. You can join the freerolls without putting up any of your own money and still win cash prizes.

Easiest Way To Get Started

We’ve found that most new players are hesitant to start playing online texas holdem poker because they don’t know what to expect. New players often have an image in their minds that the poker tables are loaded with experienced players who will eat them alive.

This idea could not be farther from the truth.

Playing online poker, you can join tables with other beginners for low stakes or completely for free. The online poker ’sharks’ are not swimming around on the nickle dime no limit texas holdem games, trust me they are looking for much bigger stakes and fish to fry. Plus these low stakes games are the absolute best way to start out playing online poker.

Plus, you can start out in the free online poker tables (all the rooms offer free play). That way, you’re able to learn the game and develop your strategy without risking anything. Of course, when the time comes to put your strategy into action, you can switch to Real Money poker rooms to try your luck. The bottom line is that it’s your choice.

You can get started today by visiting PokerStars and opening your free account. Download their software, register your account, and jump onto a table in the free poker rooms. It’s the fastest, easiest way to experience online poker.

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