Online Poker

Online poker is the game played over the Internet. It has been responsible for a dramatic increase in the number of new poker players worldwide. According to latest statistics in 2005, revenues from online poker sites were estimated at US$ 200 million per month.

There are substantial differences between online poker gaming and conventional, in-person poker gaming.

One obvious difference is that players does not sit right across from other poker players, therefore removing ability to observe others’ reactions and their body language. Instead, online poker players learn to focus more on betting patterns, reaction time, speed of play, use of check boxes/auto plays, opponents’ fold/flop percentages, chat box, waiting for the big blind, beginners’ tells, and other behavior in online enviroment.

Another less obvious difference is the rate of play. In land based casinos the dealer has to collect the cards, shuffle, and deal them after every hand. Due to this and other delays common in offline casinos, the average rate of playing hands per hour is much higher.

However an online casino does not have these delays. The dealing and shuffling are instant, there are no delays relating to counting chips (for a split pot), and on average the play is faster due to “auto-action” buttons (where the player selects his action before his turn). It is not uncommon for an online poker table to average ninety to one hundred hands per hour.

For more information visit Wikipedia section about online poker