Small-stakes Online Poker Play
May 14th, 2009
After some free practice you may want to try playing for very small stakes online before heading to the cardroom for the first time. There are a number of reputable online sites that are now catering to millions of players every day. In the first printing of this book I suggested that you limit online play to practice in the free games. I still suggest that all new players get some free practice before putting their money at risk in a live game; however, my views about online poker have changed. I am now convinced that it is safe, secure, and a great alternative for many players who are not able to make a trip to a cardroom without traveling long miles to play poker for a few hours. There are actually several other advantages to playing online.
Lower Stakes
Online you can play for very low stakes. Since there are no dealers, rental fees, or utilities to pay, the online sites can offer games at very low limits that would not be practical or profitable in a brick-and-mortar cardroom. If you are a new player, you can find some sites with stakes as low as a nickel or a dime. It is a great way to make the transition from free play to money play.
No Intimidation
Sitting down in a live game and facing nine other players can be very intimidating for a new player. Playing online poker is akin to playing a video game, as you are sitting in front of your computer facing a monitor instead of a live person. You can interact with the other players via the chat box or choose to just play your own game without having to talk or socialize. Nobody can see you, and if your hands are shaking because of nerves nobody can see that, either.
Fits Your Schedule
Online play fits your schedule, because you can play anytime you want 24 / 7. No traveling time is involved and there is little or no waiting to get into a game once you are logged on.
Everybody Acts in Turn
Because of the software used in online games, nobody can act out of turn. Some sites have buttons or boxes you can check so you can choose to fold, call, or raise as soon as you see your cards, but these actions will not take place until it is your turn to act.
Keep Notes
In a live game you may not know another player's name, but online each player's screen name is in plain view. It is easy to keep accurate notes about the other players you meet online—the types of hands they play, or whether they're passive, aggressive, tight, or loose. Nobody can see you writing, so you can be as detailed as you want to be.
Safety Concerns
One of my biggest concerns about online poker was the idea of collusion among players. Online players have numerous ways to communicate with each other—for instance, via ICQ instant messenger, or even over the telephone. But collusion happens in brick-and-mortar cardrooms as well, and in a cardroom it is not often easy to spot. Once the dealer mucks the cards the hand is over and it is hard to prove anything improper went on. This is not the case, however, when you are playing online.
The operators of online sites have a recorded history of all hands that have been played by each and every player. Many of the sites use special software programs to track the betting patterns of players suspected of collusion. They can review every hand played by the parties involved and look for anything out of the ordinary.
With new technology and vast improvements in encryption and security, the chance of someone hacking your game is not really an issue. Nobody can see your cards as you play except you. Online poker sites use the same technology that is used by online banks and other financial sites. If you are not worried about banking or trading stocks online, you shouldn't be concerned playing low-limit poker either.
If you want to try online poker I would suggest you pick a site that offers free games as well as money games. Download their software and play free games for a while to make sure you like the way the software plays and the graphics look.
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