Online poker is a game of chance where players can play for real money from anywhere with an internet connection. Poker games can be played on desktop computers, laptops and even mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. Players can choose to play for free or at the smallest stakes, competing against other players for satellite entries into live tournaments around the world.
Online tournaments attract high-roller players from all over the world. Many of these players are professional gamblers who make a living from the game, and they bring this experience to the tournament table when they play.
There is no shortage of tournaments online, from small local events to the huge multi-million dollar tournaments that occur every year. The COVID-19 pandemic has seen an increase in online poker traffic, with players who normally prefer to play live games opting for the comfort and convenience of online poker sites instead of traveling to a casino or other live gaming venue.
The emergence of online poker has also changed the way in which newcomers to the game learn it. Back in the heyday of the ‘Moneymaker Boom’, there were only a handful of poker forums worth joining, and a limited number of poker software programs that deserved a try-out. Now, with the advent of Discord channels, FB groups and poker-specific podcasts, there is no shortage of places to find new info, and an infinite supply of tools that can help speed up the learning process.
Using database software to study your and your opponents’ poker stats is a standard practice among all serious poker players, and online poker sites offer a variety of these products for players to use. Some of these are HUDs (heads-up displays) that display player statistics directly on the table, while others are full-featured databases that allow players to dig deep into the weeds of their opponents’ strategies.
The security of online poker is a major concern for players, and reputable poker sites are heavily regulated to ensure that no one can cheat or otherwise rig the game in their favor. While there have been instances of rogue employees and players colluding to win, these are rare and the majority of poker websites follow strict rules that make it near impossible for any player to win unfairly.
Another aspect of online poker that has been a positive development is the ability to play multiple tables at once. While you could not do this in a live game without some acrobatics or teleportation skills, online poker offers the possibility to play dozens of games simultaneously. This has helped make the game more accessible to a wide range of people, from those who would never have tried playing poker in a real-world environment to professionals who have found that multitabling can increase their earnings significantly.
