10 reasons you should be playing online poker

Interested in the game of poker? There are plenty of reasons to play online. We’ve narrowed it down to ten of our favorites, so read on to see why playing online poker can be even more enjoyable than playing live.

1) Convenience

Imagine a card room with no commute time, no irritating traffic jams ,and no dress code. You could play all night in a onesie and slippers if that’s your cup of tea! Such a card room may never be a reality in a brick and mortar setting, but it does exist on your computer.

Online poker allows you the freedom to do what you want, when you want, and in whatever attire you please. There are no long waiting lists — instead, there’s a cornucopia of games running to suit any budget, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.  

You are not restricted by player capacity, nor are you subjected to second-hand smoke. Your home can be your own personal card room that opens and closes when you want it to. Online poker puts you in control and lets you choose your own poker path, rather than have it decided for you.

2) Community

Some online poker sites will be community-based initiatives, with a friendly and thriving player base. There are plenty of opportunities to converse and debate with like-minded people and even forge long-lasting friendships.

Not every hand of poker is about winning — for some, it’s the camaraderie and social experiences that outweigh the thrill of victory.

Community-focused sites will have forums where people gather to discuss the merits of a hand, a hot topic, or join in with community promotions and giveaways.  

Players will often arrange social games, be it through a private club or meeting at a prearranged time. Getting involved in these games and the community behind them is a great way to interact and learn, especially as a newer player.

3) Information – Replaying Hands & Player Notes

One major advantage of an online card room is that you can see previous hands in real time. With a click of a button, you can review any hand from your session and get information. If you missed a showdown because you were distracted, for instance, you can easily and clearly see what happened in the hand. Information is powerful in poker, and the replay tool allows you to stay ahead of the curve.

Another aspect of information in online poker is note taking. Most poker sites will allow you to save notes on each player that you play against. If you notice that someone does something noteworthy, then you can quickly jot down the relevant points and they will be saved. The next time you come across that opponent, you can simply refer to your notes.

4) Multi-Tabling

One advantage to online poker is the number of games that can be played simultaneously.  In a live card room, you would not be allowed to play more than one game at the same time, but online, you can have as much action as you wish.

Playing more games at once is a great way to accelerate learning, by increasing the number of hands played per hour, experience is gained at a faster rate.

The key to playing multiple tables at once is comfort, do you feel pressured for time too often? Then simply remove one table and see how you feel.  There is nothing worse than timing out with a great hand because your focus was on another table.

5) Keeping Your Mind Active

It is important to keep your brain active. There are known active health benefits for challenging yourself mentally on a regular basis. A regular outing for your brain is known to help stave off degenerative diseases and improve well-being.

Poker is fantastic for keeping you sharp. With so many things to be cognizant of, including math, observation, and psychology, it’s a real skill tester.

A hand of poker is also a puzzle in which critical thinking skills can be developed. Just like attempting a crossword, online poker can be a great place to stay mentally active and potentially get rewarded for it.

6) Promotions

Online poker sites will often offer a greater amount of promotions than their brick and mortar counterparts.

Promotions could include special offers for joining, or site-run events that focus on a specific game type for a period of time. These events are a great way to try out aspects of poker that are new, in a fun, challenging, and rewarding environment.

Promotions can be very lucrative, often greatly rewarding the top performers in a daily, weekly, monthly, or annual leaderboard contests. They stimulate healthy competition and even may stir up a friendly rivalry or two between players competing for the top spots.

Leaderboards are a great way to get involved in a site’s poker community, as they’ll often be discussed on the forum. People frequently congratulate the champions at the table too.

Sites may offer promotions on chip packages, which is a great way to boost your bankroll. When purchasing a promotional package, you will receive a bonus chips, and these can provide great value.

7) Rankings and Achievements

An advantage of an online poker site is knowing how you measure up against the competition. Some sites will offer a ranking system which will order players based on certain criteria.

Rankings are a great way to see how you are performing against the field and offer motivation to learn and practice more, thus increasing your own ranking. A further element to ranking systems online is that you get to see how you match up globally, as players from all over the world can compete.

Another element to online poker is achievements, which are digital rewards for completing a challenge or mission. It maybe something as simple as “Win a hand with two Aces” but it can definitely get more complex.

Achievements are fun to earn and they can lead you on a journey to poker self-improvement. Unlocking 100% of your achievements is a challenge, and just like a video game, progression can be felt when each one is unlocked.

8) Physical “Tells” are a Thing of the Past!

Have you ever played in a card room and bluffed in a big pot? It’s very easy to get nervous and give off physical signs that can betray your hand. As your opponent thinks longer and longer, maybe your breathing becomes labored or you start to sweat.

With online poker, there are no physical reads and you can bluff with slightly more confidence. If you bluff in a card room, it would not be wise to scream “Fold!” at the table when your opponent is thinking. However, from the comfort of your own personal home card room, you can do whatever you want, and be fully confident that your opponent will not be able to get any physical information from you.

9) Learning New Games in a Controlled Environment

One superb advantage of online poker is that stakes are much lower than their live counterparts. Live casinos can not viably run a penny game, as it simply isn’t economically viable.

Online, there are stakes ranging from minute to gigantic. This means that you can dip your toe in the waters of a new game without losing your bankroll, and you may face people with similar learning intentions. This kind of setup is perfect for branching out into unknown poker variants, in a safer, challenging, and fun environment.

If you are not a fan of the new variant you have tried, you can simply leave the table and find a new game immediately — something that is not always possible in a live setting.

10) Noise

Card rooms can be noisy places, with plenty of packed tables full of chatter and every player shuffling their chips. The constant click-clack of chips and the sound of voices can make card rooms feel uncomfortable.

It gets worse when there is one player at your table who simply won’t be quiet. Maybe they offer “insight” into every hand, whether they played it or not. Maybe someone has an irritating habit that just grinds your gears. Wouldn’t it be great to mute these people?

Offline, all you can do is put up with it or change tables. However, in an online card room, you can simply mute any player who’s gotten on your nerves, meaning you have full control over your poker experience. You can control how much noise there is and how that matches your comfort level, which can offer a more pleasant overall experience.