In current years internet poker and particularly the Hold em variant of the game has come to dominate our tv sets. I am often asked to comment on the differences in play between on line poker and land based rooms which I look to set out in this article.

1. Speed of online poker bet on is roughly twice that of real world poker play. The number of hands per hour in a land poker site would be circa thirty per hour at best, maybe as low as 20. Typical web based poker casino game would see fifty to sixty fingers per hour, and anything up to one-hundred-twenty per hour for short handed "Turbo" play.

Two. Rake collected by a web-based poker site is going to be five per cent or less of each pot whereas real world rooms might be 10 percent or even higher. In this regard net bet on may be the far better value option. Some countries, such as the Great Britain have laws against the taking of rake. Instead they either charge by the hour or by the tournament. This is the reason that Caribbean Poker is favoured over Texas holdem in real world betting houses in the UK.

Three. The top quality of player located in a web based poker room will typically be lower than that in traditional rooms. There are lots of reasons for this except to really go to a real world smoky room sitting down at a table of 10 takes an element of confidence that you do not need in an on-line poker environment. Traditional gamblers are usually greater in that they usually understand the casino game prior to wagering it. By way of contrast your average internet based poker newbie has just watched the WPT on the Travel Channel or ESPN. The only exceptions to this that I have identified occur in Vegas where you have the full range of extremes from holiday makers trying their hand with the very best in the world.

Four. On line poker gamblers can pick and choose the time of day they play as they can play twenty four hrs a day, 7 days a week and do so from the comfort of their own home. Brick and mortar gamblers must plan ahead and have to the venue at the due starting time.

5. Internet poker gamblers have much more choice, in the number and selection of games to decide on from, ranging from free of charge play to cash games to tournaments of all sizes. If you want to win a seat at the upcoming 2006 WSOP, then you need to be looking towards on line poker tournaments exactly where a far greater assortment of options await such as satellite entries from as little as five dollars.

6. Poker Tells in between net and brick and mortar poker wager on are incredibly different. Brick and mortar players spend much more time observing body language and voice tells by means of opponent questioning than they do observing time delays amongst bets and wager size relative to the potential odds of increased hands. Internet based Poker Tells have much more to complete with timing, wager size, and table position instead of the judgement of facial expression.

7. Poker etiquette is a lot more disciplined in traditional poker rooms. The on-line poker experience can frequently be spoiled by drunken fools who believe they have Phil Ivey’s ability even though they clearly do not. Catch a lucky card in a web based poker site and you might come across your self on the end of some verbal abuse (by means of the typed chat system). Phrases such as "you’re an idiot" and worse wouldn’t be tolerated in a brick and mortar room but go largely unchecked internet. You always have the option to turn off gambler chat except my preferred betting style is always to goad the offending player into betting on tilt (usually a basic thing to do). One recourse you do have against abuse would be to report the player to the pit boss and they is going to be either banned from chat or thrown out of the space altogether.

8. Internet poker gives you the unique ability to wager on more than one room at a time. Clearly this isn’t an selection open to real world players. I know of men and women who bet on up to six tables simultaneously.

As you may see both environments have the prospective for a really great casino game of poker. Different experiences to suit unique gambler needs. Personally I do not have a preference between the two. I value the convenience of web play, but still like the interaction of a live room.