A Brief History Of Online Poker
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Online Poker is without a doubt one of the most convenient and easiest ways to play poker being that you never have to leave your house and you can bring the feel of Vegas into your house and never change out of your pajamas. While it may not hold the same excitement as traditional face to face casinos it is still convenient none the less.
Poker has been around for almost 200 years and it’s no secret that the recent online version of poker is a phenomenon. It has certainly without a doubt changed the face of poker and how poker is played and to this day continues to boom with players and activity. It was around the mid 1990’s that online sports books were showing up along with the launch of some online casinos.
The first operational online casino was developed in 1994 by a major online casino software supplier called Microgaming. Although, this was released in 1994, it wasn’t until 1998 that the first online poker room was brought on to the internet and established. The very first online poker room was named Planet Poker and not long after it’s launch became a relatively small poker room but still enjoyed it’s time as the only sole poker room playable online.
Many other poker rooms copied it’s structure with a rake structure set at %5 and up to a $3 max rake. While the industry constantly and drastically changed since 1998, it’s no surprise that the rake structure has remained consistent and for the most part, the same.
Around 1999, Paradise Poker was introduced onto the web and in no time at all became a top industry leader and it was also around this time that a successful poker player named Dutch Boyd developed the online poker firm called Poker Spot. Poker Spot was launched in May of 2000 and it was the very first online poker room to offer tournaments to it’s players in September.
In 2004, Online Poker drastically boomed because of increasing popularity and demand for online poker rooms and it was because of virtual playing tables that the industry’s revenues skyrocketed. When new firms such as Full Tilt Poker and Noble poker were introduced, the industry saw even more entry from new players skyrocketing profits even higher.
Today, many major successful online poker firms are considering becoming public companies. It was in October 2004 that a company called Sportingbet purchased Paradise Poker for almost 300 million dollars. Now there are many online poker rooms that are candidates for public offerings as the value of poker rooms continues to climb higher and higher.
Poker took the online world by storm almost as much as cell phones when they were first introduced. Online Poker rooms offered so many things that a live casino could not such as playing from your home and less money being risked. Online Poker is here to stay and I honestly can’t say I see it going anywhere anytime soon. Whether you’re a novice or beginner, Online Poker is one of the most convenient ways to play no matter who you are, whether you play for fun or for real money.
Online Poker for Enthusiasts
By · CommentsTry your hand in poker online and get the most stunning experience sitting at your drawing room. For those who are greatly fond of the game of poker and are unable to visit casinos or physical poker game arenas, online poker games have opened all new opportunities to help them enjoy the game completely. The best part of the Internet poker is that you can challenge and take up fresh games with players across the globe, crossing borders.
For all poker enthusiasts, playing poker online is a great means of having immense fun, making money, interacting with players from different places of the earth, and an opportunity to participate in larger tournaments. Now, since you love the game you must know the tactics and details of the game in order to come out successful. Firstly you must make sure you select the right online poker tournament that suits your level. Internet poker events allow poker players to pick up the perfect online poker contest based on the contest format, the stakes involved in poker, the kind of game being played and the betting arrangement.
Usually there are numerous poker rooms to select from, thus a player might find it difficult to make the right choice. Here, you can search for a poker contest depending on the stakes or skill level. For starters in the game, there are events with low stakes. For experienced and medium players there are larger and medium level tournaments.
A quite attractive part of online poker or Internet poker is the availability of free poker online, something that attracts players from all over. The free rolls allow a player to get maximum enjoyment from the game playing in a less stressful environment. In case of free poker online, one even gets the chance to meet new people from diverse parts of the globe and build new relations. This is mostly the best means of getting the best from the game by novices. All you have to join an online poker event that’s absolutely free, and test your skills sitting right at your home. The added advantage that comes along is immense delight and chance to meet new challengers.
However, the game is luck related and tactical. In a poker online, besides there remains no chance to view the players sitting on the other end, thus you cannot study his/her expressions. Success in the game entirely depends on the strategies you apply and off course your luck.
Poker enthusiasts loving the game are however, conversant with the plans and strategies applied in the game. A very popular poker game, which allows you to show your good poker skills, is Texas Holdem Poker. In fact, Texas Holdem is a runaway hit among starters since it is the easiest and can be learnt within no time. Some websites even allow playing Texas Holdem Poker with no costs at all i.e. for free. Now, once bestowed with such an opening, newbie’s and well as old pro would love to test and hone their poker skills. Several website also offer surprise gifts and awards for winners playing Texas Holdem Poker. Thus, you are surely ensured to have a wonderful time sitting right at your home.
Some say that to successfully learn Texas Holdem poker it takes much practice, time and lost revenue to master the game. Realistically and truthfully anyone could actually become a holdem poker master in a relatively short time. If anyone really has the determination and time to do so. Are you ready to dive in and master the game of Texas Holdem poker? If the answer is yes, without a doubt, sign me up, or I’m in, then read on to see the basics.
First a brief summary of the game. Texas Holdem poker is played with a standard 52-card deck. Although the game uses a standard deck of cards, it differs from other card games. Texas Holdem uses five community cards which are dealt face up on the middle of the poker table. All players share these cards. The initial starting hand, each player receives two cards from the dealer face-down. No one but the player the cards are dealt to can view these cards. These two face-down cards are known as the hole or pocket cards. After looking at their cards each player can choose to bet and keep the two face-down cards or fold these two cards and remain out of the hand.
The dealer will then burn a card and deal three cards face-up in he middle of the table. This is called “The Flop”. Each player can then decide to check, bet or fold their five card hand. (Their five cards consist of their two face-down cards and the community cards the dealer just flopped for everyone to see.) After a round of checking, betting and folding the dealer will then burn a card and deal another card face-up in the middle of the table. This card is known as “The Turn” card.
Again, each player can then decide to check, bet or fold their hand based on the best five-card hand they can muster from the six total cards. All players must consider their two face-down cards and three of the community cards to create a winning poker hand.
After another round of checking, betting and folding the dealer will then discard the last burn card and deal another card face-up in the middle of the table. This card is called “The River”. Again, each player can then decide to check, bet or fold their hand based on the best five-card hand they can muster from the now seven total cards. All players will then consider their two face-down cards and three of the five community cards to create the best possible poker hand. The player with the best ranked 5-card hand wins the round and rakes the pot.
There are 3 basic poker rules that should be considered when playing Texas Holdem. They are:
1. Your Starting Hand: The two hole or pocket cards is what separates each player. Therefore you must learn the value of these cards and really consider whether you should play the hand or not. If you are dealt an AA (ace-ace) as your pocket hand you will have a much greater chance of winning the hand. If you were dealt a starting hand of 7-2 then you would have the least chance of wining the hand. So, the number one rule is to stay in (bet or call) with good starting hands and get out (fold) with lower cards. We’ll talk about the top ten starting hands here in just a bit.
2. Patience: Always, always be patient. Texas Holdem can be frustrating when you keep getting dealt low starting hands. The key to the game is to remain patient. Stay disciplined and keep folding low starting hands until you receive a good starting hand. You will fold more often than you play. However, if you play patient and smart you will win more than you lose. It’s not difficult to realize that if the betting in a particular round is increasing higher and higher each time
but your cards are always on the low side you must fold.
3. Playing Position: With Texas Holdem a players place and position at the deal could help the players advantage. Players seated in a “late position” (furthest from the button) has a greater advantage Late position players can see and consider all the moves (checks, bets, and folds) of all players prior to making a decision. With little observation and a keen eye a player can learn if there so, so starting hand is worth seeing the next card or not.
Many experts agree that the greatest poker book ever written is a book by the legend Doyle Brunson. Every beginner poker player should read this book from cover to cover to learn the strategies of Texas Holdem and other popular poker games. The book is called “Super System, A Course In Power Poker.” It’s a must.
The key to becoming a strong Texas Holdem poker player is to learn which pocket or hole cards are the best to play and which ones are not. Knowing the top TEN best starting hands while playing Texas Holdem is the best place to start. There are many disagreements over which starting hands are the best. The deputes are due to starting position, style of play, and an individuals skill level. However, mathematically you can’t get better than these.
1. (AA) Ace-Ace: A pair of aces, also known as bullets, pocket rockets, and on occasion American Airlines, is the best starting hand for Texas Holdem, bar none.
2. (KK) King-King: Second is a pair of kings, referred often to Cowboys and King Kong.
3. (QQ) Queen-Queen: A pair of queens ranks third on the list and is most referred to as Ladies and sometimes Bitches.
4. (AK-s) Ace-King (suited): This is where many begin to disagree. The suited ace-king, known as Big Slick is ranked number four by most professionals in the Texas Holdem community.
5. (AQ-s) Ace-Queen (suited): The Big Chick, suited A-Q is also known as Little Slick and ranks 5th on the list.
6. (JJ) Jack-Jack: The pair of jacks Fishhooks, Captain Hook, or just Hooks slides in at number six on the Texas Holdem list.
7. (KQ-s) King-Queen (suited): The Royal Couple king-queen suited is the seventh most powerful starting Texas Holdem starting hand.
8. (AJ-s) Ace-Jack (suited): The appropriate nickname of Blackjack is sometimes called Ajax ranks eighth.
9. (AK) Ace-King (offsuit): This is the only non-pocket pair offsuit that is on the Texas Holdem list. The fact that it’s the two top cards holds weight.
10. (10-10) Ten – Ten: The 10-10 is the only top ten starting hand that does not include a face card. Some believe that a king-jack suited is a better starting hand, but 10-10 rounds off on most Texas Holdem lists.
As you can see, a few simple tips can be a real eye-opener when it comes to learning and mastering the game. Begin playing free online poker at sites like Partypoker.com. The repetition of seeing patience and the use of the top ten hands will build confidence quickly. Good luck and “Shuffle Up And Deal!”
