Online Poker Guide
Online poker is simply the traditional card game of poker played over the Internet. There are a variety of different online poker sites that all offer different variations of poker with a wide range of games and stakes available (including completely free games!).
A Brief History of Online Poker
For years poker existed primarily in the back of smoky bars or casinos but that all changed in the early 2000s when the internet and an accountant from Tennessee elevated poker to primetime. Prior to 2000 most poker played on the internet was done in chat rooms and, understandably, was just recreational. That changed when technology advanced and secure online poker sites launched that were able to safely hold players’ cash and let them wager against other.
People started taking online poker sites more seriously in 2003 when an amateur poker player named Chris Moneymaker qualified for the World Series of Poker Main Event through a $40 tournament online. Moneymaker ended up taking down $2.5 million for winning the tournament and single-handedly revolutionized the game. It wasn’t long before poker was being showcased on ESPN and hundreds of thousands of players flocked to play online poker.
Why is Online Poker So Popular?
Online poker is popular for many of the same reasons that people love live poker. It’s a fun, easy-to-play, intellectual game that can be thrilling. The game rewards actual skill unlike slots or the lottery. It’s also something you can do at any time, for as ling as you like, for any stakes you’d like from the comfort of your own home.
What You Need to Play Online Poker
The requirements for online poker are very minimal and there’s a good chance you can play on the same device you’re using to browse this website. Online poker isn’t particularly taxing on computer systems and if you have a laptop or desktop that was built in the early 2000s or later you should have more than enough processing power. These days there are even apps for smart phones and tablets so you can play on the go. That includes iPhones and iPads in most regions.
Online Poker Tournaments
In tournament poker you pay your buy-in and get a stack of chips. The moment you have no more chips you are out of the tournament while the eventual winner is the player who collects all the chips. Tournaments are wildly popular thanks to tours like the World Series of Poker, World Poker Tour and European Poker Tour.
Online poker tournaments are the cheapest way to potentially win a big prize. There are several $10 buy-in online tournaments that have awarded over $200,000 for first place. It’s easy to find big online tournaments over the weekend that bring more players than even the biggest live tournaments thanks to the online site’s ability to host thousands of players with no physical space needed. The famous PokerStars Sunday Million runs every week and offers a $1 million prize pool for a buy-in of just $215.
Sit & Gos
Sit & Gos are basically just smaller tournaments, sometimes only one table or less, that start up as soon as enough players are seated at the table(s). Sit & Gos start all the time on online poker sites thanks to the massive volume of players. Sit & Gos take much less time than massive multi-table tournaments but the rewards are also smaller. Once you start playing Sit & Goes make sure you check out our Sit & Go Essentials series for some great strategy tips.
Cash Games
Cash games, or ring games as they are sometimes called, are an even older form of poker where you play with chips that have real value. Once you have your chips you can cash out at any time, meaning you can play for 10 minutes or 10 hours. Many poker players enjoy the flexibility of cash games compared to tournaments where you are generally locked in for a decent amount of time.
