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By: Sharktooth McGraw on Mon Mar 17, 2008

The stunning and meteoric rise in the popularity of online poker may be, at first glance, attributed to the convenience of home play, but there are many other advantages to this new method of play, as versus the traditional approach. For one thing, there’s no dress code – a nifty little fact not lost on a generation of men who feel more at ease thinking and calculating probability in their underwear, who want access to a wide variety of play, and the ability to join just about any game at any time. With online gaming sites that offer poker rooms around the clock, and a range of wages that will fit any budget, the democratization of poker makes good sense.

As online pokers rooms lack the gigantic operating costs as their landed counterparts, the resulting savings are passed to the end-user, with significantly lower betting minimums, smaller rake fees, and an expanded range of wager that includes many different types of bettors. Tie this with the numerous amounts of games on hand, and any player should have no trouble finding the right game, at the right price, at the right time.

All manner of tournament play is represented online – for example, the popular Sit & Go format – and constantly available at varying stakes and size. Multiple-tabling features allow the enterprising poker player to play multiple games at once, allowing the player to get in many hands in a short period of time by switching screens. Over-zealousness is always a danger, though, and there’s a real risk of losing focus when using this feature.

The benefits are more substantial than ease of access and instantaneous availability, though. With the practice mode, or the free promotional offerings of certain sites, players will be able to hone their skills, a feature that can make poker less daunting for those who may be new to the game, but also for more advanced players, who might want to work out some kinks in their game, or even advance strategies that might be too risky to try out in a high-stakes game. All players gain valuable insight into the art and strategies at the heart of the game, while risking little or no money.
In the world of online poker, a player’s nervous tics and emotions will not betray as they might in a live game, and intimidation based on physical appearance is even less of a factor. (That is, unless there’s a particularly fearsome avatar bearing down on you.) This is particularly advantageous to the novice, and redresses the imbalance between a skilled card shark with an ability to read a player’s tells. Not to say that tells are non-existent, but owing to the nature of the medium, they are more easily controlled by the self-aware player, and with some effort, can be learned and used to bate your opponent. Online play allows you to keep notes regarding a particular opponent close at hand, something forbidden in real life, and can be checked throughout the game. As well, a player can also check their own gaming history, learning from past mistakes, continually ratcheting and fixing their own game. It should be mentioned that online one can have access to charts, odds information, statistics, and calculators: the sort of stuff that would get you banned from many a casino in real life!

Online players also save money, time and effort on many of the unnecessary extras that come with real-life play – airfare, hotel bills, room service, and so forth – when they play at home. Also, you don’t have to tip the dealer online, whereas it’s a well-worn custom in real life to tip the dealer when one wins. A small amount like this can often add up, but online, there are no such expenses.

The few disadvantages to online play are easily outweighed by the many advantages for most people – game play, efficiency, lack of expenses, and the ease with which one can initiate or join a game are fine, but it is true that some of the human interaction is lost – staring an opponent face to face, the good natured ribbing and bon homie. Naturally and thankfully, online play isn’t a jealous lover, and you’re free to join that back-room game with your friends down at the car shop, too!