Finding the
right poker room can be as
involved a process as finding
your favorite online casino.
Poker rooms can be thought of
as online casinos that
specialize in poker and card
games. Gamblers are as
individual as snowflakes and
the variety of poker rooms out
there can cater to your
individual needs. For some
players a poker room is just a
great way to burn free time
and perhaps make a little
extra cash on lucky days. On
the other hand poker rooms can
be a training ground for
professionals. Many
professional poker players
admit to keeping their skills
sharp at poker rooms. Online
poker rooms have even become a
great way for amateur players
to get involved in the
professional card playing
circuit; qualifying for
real-world poker events by
winning satellite tournaments
online.
Software and
game quality can make or break
a poker room. When it comes to
software, players are looking
for stability and quick game
play first and foremost.
Flashy graphics and sharp
sound effects are of course
important, but what good is
that if your game is
constantly being interrupted
by a choppy software platform.
Standards of poker room
software include: player
notes, multi-table play,
statistics, and language
options. A decent poker room
will have an array of great
games being played around the
clock, including all of the
favorites: Texas Hold'em,
Omaha, Omaha Hi-Lo, Seven-Card
Stud, Seven-Card Stud Hi-Lo,
Five-Card Draw, and Caribbean
Stud.
Chris Moneymaker
represents the dream of the
everyman poker player. Back in
2003 Moneymaker was working as
an accountant and played poker
on his spare time at the Poker
Stars poker room online.
Winning a tournament at the
card room granted him
satellite entry into the
mother of all poker
tournaments, the World Series
of Poker. Chris Money maker
went on to win the WSOP and
not only walk away with the
coveted bracelet, but the $2.5
million dollar first prize.
Since then several other poker
rooms have arranged to send
online poker players to big,
live poker tournaments all
across the globe.
It is
also no secret that online
poker rooms give players more
than just a shot at the big
leagues; they can also give
you the skill to hold your own
against the true professional
players. It has been a long
legal debate as to whether
poker is a game of pure chance
or a game of skill.
Professional player know that
it is definitely a game of
skill, with a few chance
elements. Some experts say
poker involves as much skill
as a game of chess. Evidence
of the games skill-based
nature is apparent when you
watch televised poker
tournaments and consistently
see familiar faces in the
final rounds. Online card
rooms are a great way to stay
in practice. And like any game
of skill, the more you
practice the better you get.
Chris ‘Jesus’ Ferguson has
won five World Series of Poker
bracelets. He is a legend on
the live poker circuit, but
even he confesses to keeping
sharp at online casinos. In
2004, Ferguson helped launch
Full Tilt Poker, a well
respected online poker room.
Poker rooms have in some way
become to poker players what
endorsement deal are to pro
athletes. Several players from
the poker world have sponsored
online card rooms, some more
successful than others.
Online poker rooms are
just the newest venue for
gamblers to play a long
respected card game. Poker
rooms offer games 24 hour a
day, 7 days a week. Playing in
a tournament at a poker room
could earn you a life changing
trip to a major poker
tournament. Who knows? Maybe
some day you will have an
online poker room named after
you.
