What is Online Poker?
Online Poker is a game of cards played over the internet. It has become hugely popular in recent years, partly because it offers real money prizes but also because it’s something that can be played at any time for any stake you’d like from the comfort of your own home. It is also a very social and entertaining game and rewards actual skill unlike slot machines or the lottery.
People started taking Online Poker more seriously in 2003 when a man called Chris Moneymaker won the World Series of Poker Main Event through a tournament online and single-handedly elevated poker to the mainstream. It didn’t take long for the game to grow into a worldwide phenomenon. Since then it has been embraced by millions of players across the globe and is now available to anyone with an internet connection.
In addition to the obvious reasons for its popularity, Online Poker is a safe and secure game that is tightly regulated in those states where it is legal to play. It is a very fast-paced game and the bets are made continuously until one player has all of the chips or everyone folds. It is a very social and interactive game and the participants can communicate with each other through the chat function of the poker website.
It is possible to win cash prizes at an Online Poker table and there are many different poker sites to choose from. However, not all poker sites are equal and you should always look for a site that is licensed in your country and uses a trusted banking system to ensure your security. You should also be wary of websites that operate offshore as they often do not adhere to basic consumer protection and regulation requirements.
Getting money on and off of poker sites is a lot easier than in the past as most major poker sites accept a wide range of payment methods including credit cards, debit cards, pre-paid cards, bank transfers, e-checks and third-party eWallets. Depending on your region there may even be some options to play poker in the currency of your choice.
There is a lot of debate about whether tournament poker requires more or less skill than cash game play. Certainly there is more chance involved in the later stages of a tournament as blind bets rise relative to players’ chip stacks, but at earlier stages, precise hand selection is still vital. Another big difference between tournament and cash game play is that many players tend to call more preflop and postflop with weak or medium-strength hands when playing online, whereas this is much less common live. This may explain why bad beats happen more often online than in live games.
