Online poker you can play anytime you want — 24/7 365. You may play it as a whole comfort, right through your own home, wearing what ever you like (or nothing at all), sitting, reclining, or jogging on a treadmill (though we do not recommend it). You may set the lighting, temperature, and ambience to be just as you like it. In lots of ways, with online poker you simply have more control.

You have no others to contend with (at least not in-person) — no one hovering over you, talking at you, pushing you, crowding around you, giving you unsought advice, or shooting you nasty looks. You should not have to smell smoke if you don’t want to. You’ve got no sexy waitresses tempting you with mind-altering drinks and otherwise distracting your attention away from the game at hand (pun completely intended). You don’t have to drive anywhere (and with fuel prices what they’re, that alone preserves your bankroll tremendously), nor do have to get dressed up or tip your dealer — all of which save you time and expense.

Another benefit of online poker is the fact that you may play against people from around the world. Think about it next time you sit down at an online poker table — not everyone there even speaks the exact same language. And globetrotting on the internet gives you access to more casinos and poker rooms than you may ever find in one single place, even if that one place happens to be Vegas!

Online poker players get to select from an inordinate selection of cardrooms, game types, and table stakes. Moments ago, we mentioned the ambience of the environment where you certainly will be sitting down with your computer to play online poker (almost certainly your house), but online poker gives you almost just as much control in determining the ambience of the cardroom itself.

Whether you enjoy an Old West setting, a Hollywood setting, an Egyptian setting, a jungle setting, a resort setting, as well as on and also on…you may almost definitely find an online poker room designed around whatever theme suits your tastes. Likewise, you may find rooms more likely to have more (or less) experienced players, faster (or slower) action, higher (or lower) stakes, etc.

By the same token, on the contrary, when playing online poker additionally, it helps to be aware of its perceived disadvantages as compared to playing traditional “offline” poker. A simple awareness of the real difference alone will make you a far better player.

For one, you do not get that intimate, face-to-face contact with other human beings. But do not rule online poker out as a social outlet altogether. More and more online poker rooms are fostering a real sense of community amongst their players with attractive and appealing member’s clubs, player forums, and sponsored land-based events.

For some poker players, the game just is not the exact same without the feel of the cards in your hands as well as the weight of the chips when you place them within the center of the table (or even the sound of them clinking while you pull the pile towards you after a big win). And you can not substitute a number, however large or small, for the visual impact of the chip stacks — red, blue, and white — increasing or receding in front of you and expect the exact same effect.

But probably the largest deal that makes some offline poker players leery of playing online poker will be the inability to read the other players. Most expert poker players depend on inadvertent visual cues given by their opponents — tells — as to the particular strength or weakness of their hands. There is one area to be said for the amount of information you can glean through looking your opponent in the eyes (thus the prevalence of sunglasses at the poker table) and watching their hands, their posture, their facial expressions, etc. Fortunately, alternatively, there are a number of tells you can look for in online poker as well, you simply need to know where (and how) to look. But that is a subject for another article.

As due to this article, we leave you having an analogy. If you like going to the theatre for your shows, the arena for your concerts, and the stadium for your games, get thee to a brick-and-mortar casino for your poker playing online poker gambling agent enjoyment. If you like Tivo even though (or if perhaps you just ain’t got the dough for the theatre, arena, and stadium tickets), then online poker is your ticket.