When you see a game that has half a millennium of tradition, a game that has become so deeply embedded in many cultures around the world, including the contemporary global pop culture, then you know it must be a considerably popular game, significant for many people’s ideas of free time and fun. Of course, we are talking about poker, the most popular card game of all time. Poker developed during the medieval times and has only been gaining in popularity since, but one can say it truly exploded in the 20th century, with all the Western movies in which you could always see groups of strong, alpha-males, enjoying themselves by playing poker.
But today, and when we say ‘today’ we mean the past few years, poker has really taken off and reached another level of popularity, and for a good reason. The reason we are talking about is online poker and the fact that more and more people are deciding to play poker online, as opposed to going to a casino or meeting up with a group of opponents. This is especially true for newbies, and if you are wondering about how online poker became so popular, we will now list some of the advantages it has over conventional poker, and which have made it the juggernaut that it is today.
Before we even start really listing things, the first thing we need to note is the fact that it is much easier to play online poker simply because there are no people around you. In poker, body language is extremely important, and you constantly need to be on guard and tense, which, of course, you don’t have to do if you are playing online. This is especially useful for inexperienced players, who can be thrown off by more experienced poker masters, who will easily just take their money that way.
Another thing you should bear in mind is the rate of play, which is considerably different. With regular poker you will rarely play more than 30 hands per hour, while in online poker, you can expect to play even up to 80 or 90 hands per hour, making online poker a lot more dynamic and fun.
Then there is just the comfort and convenience. You can play online poker whenever you want from wherever you want, just enjoying yourself, eating and drinking whatever you like, watching TV, talking on the phone. None of this is possible when you have to drive for hours to reach a remote casino and then sit among a group of frequently hostile strangers who are often pros just looking to get your money.
Finally, it is important to note just how much cheaper it is to play online poker. Just think about it – with online poker, your only expense is paying for the hands you play. With real-life poker, you have to pay for gas, parking, and then food and beverages at the casino, which is never a small amount and could potentially leave you with no money to play poker.