In current years on line poker and particularly the Texas hold em variant of the game has come to dominate our tv sets. I’m usually asked to comment on the differences in wager on amongst web poker and traditional rooms which I look to set out in this article.
1. Speed of web based poker play is roughly twice that of traditional poker play. The amount of fingers per hour in a land poker room would be circa 30 per hour at ideal, perhaps as low as twenty. Typical web based poker game would see fifty to sixty hands per hour, and anything up to one-hundred-twenty per hour for short handed "Turbo" play.
Two. Rake collected by an on-line poker site is going to be five per cent or less of each pot whereas land based rooms might be ten percent or even higher. In this regard online bet on will be the much better value option. A few countries, such as the United Kingdom have laws against the taking of rake. Instead they either charge by the hour or by the tournament. This will be the reason that Caribbean Poker is favoured over Holdem in land based casinos in the UK.
Three. The top quality of player located in an internet poker room will generally be lower than that in real world rooms. There are many reasons for this but to in fact go to a real world smoky area sitting down at a table of ten takes an element of confidence that you do not need to have in a web poker environment. Real world players are often far better in that they usually understand the casino game before playing it. By way of contrast your average web-based poker newbie has just watched the WPT on the Travel Channel or ESPN. The only exceptions to this that I’ve observed occur in Vegas where you have the full range of extremes from holiday makers attempting their hand with the very best in the world.
Four. Internet poker gamblers can pick and opt for the time of day they play as they can bet on twenty four hrs a day, five days a week and do so from the comfort of their own home. Real world players must plan ahead and obtain to the venue at the due starting time.
5. Web poker players have extra option, in the variety and selection of games to decide on from, ranging from no cost play to cash games to tournaments of all sizes. If you would like to win a seat at the upcoming 2006 WSOP, then you have to be looking towards net poker tournaments exactly where a far greater assortment of choices await such as satellite entries from as little as five dollars.
6. Poker Tells in between online and traditional poker wager on are really different. Real world gamblers spend a lot more time observing body language and voice tells by way of opponent questioning than they do observing time delays involving wagers and wager size relative to the prospective odds of greater hands. Web based Poker Tells have a lot more to complete with timing, bet size, and table position instead of the judgement of facial expression.
Seven. Poker etiquette is far more disciplined in land based poker rooms. The net poker experience can often be spoiled by drunken fools who believe they have Phil Ivey’s ability even though they clearly do not. Catch a lucky card in a web based poker site and you may uncover yourself on the end of a few verbal abuse (by means of the typed chat system). Phrases such as "you’re an idiot" and worse wouldn’t be tolerated in a brick and mortar home but go largely unchecked net. You often have the alternative to turn off gambler chat but my preferred playing style would be to goad the offending player into wagering on tilt (usually a basic thing to complete). One recourse you do have against abuse is always to report the player to the pit boss and they will likely be either banned from chat or thrown out of the room altogether.
8. Web poker gives you the unique capability to bet on far more than one home at a time. Clearly this is not an choice open to land based players. I know of people today who bet on as much as six tables simultaneously.
As you may see both environments have the potential for a really good casino game of poker. Unique experiences to suit various gambler needs. Personally I don’t have a preference among the two. I worth the convenience of web-based wager on, but still enjoy the interaction of a live room.