Online poker you can play anytime you want -- 24/7 365. You may play it as a whole comfort, right from 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 can set the lighting, temperature, and ambience to be just when you like it. In several ways, with online poker you simply have more control.

You've got 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 should you not want to. You have no sexy waitresses tempting you with mind-altering drinks and otherwise distracting your attention away from the game at hand (pun completely intended). You should not have to drive anywhere (and with gas-prices what they can be, that alone preserves your bankroll tremendously), nor do have to get dressed up or tip your dealer -- all of which save you time and money.

Another benefit of online poker is that you may play against people from world wide. Consider it next time you sit down at an online poker table -- not everyone there even speaks the exact same language. And globetrotting over the internet provides you with access to more casinos and poker rooms than you can ever find in one single place, even if that one place is actually Vegas!

fantastic online poker gambling poker players get to choose from an inordinate selection of cardrooms, game types, and table stakes. Moments ago, we mentioned the ambience of the environment where you are going to 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 more than likely find an online poker room designed around whatever theme suits your tastes. Likewise, you may find rooms more very likely to have more (or less) experienced players, faster (or slower) action, higher (or lower) stakes, etc.

Through the same token, conversely, 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 might 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 experience 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 within your hands as well as the weight of the chips while you place them in 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 cannot 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 is the inability to read the other players. Most expert poker players depend upon inadvertent visual cues given by their opponents -- tells -- as to the particular strength or weakness of their hands. There is one thing to be said for the amount of information you may 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, however, there are various of tells you can look for in online poker as well, you need to simply know where (and the way) to look. But that is a subject for another article.

As for this article, we leave you with the 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 enjoyment. If you like Tivo even though (or maybe if you just ain't got the dough for the theatre, arena, and stadium tickets), then online poker is your ticket.