You’re torn. You’re nervous about trying something new, but you love to play poker. You don’t want the hassle of acquiring a bunch of your poker-playing friends together and you live miles away from the nearest land-based casino. Obviously the first advantage of an online casino is a no-brainer. Convenience. You can play any time you want. So if you are up at two in the morning and itching for a game, sit down in front of your computer and after a couple of clicks you are off and running. You should not have to get dressed or wash or shave; play in your pajamas, no one can see you. (Be sure you turn off the webcam if you want your privacy.)

Some casinos offer low-bet poker games. Would you believe two-cent bets? You may even find no-bet or free games. I only recommend these for a beginner and advise you not to spend a great deal of time playing for free or low-bet games. Why? These games are not real-life situations. If there is little or no money involved, why fold? Just keep on playing and hope to make that monster hand. You haven’t got much to lose. If you’re a real newcomer to playing poker, then certainly practice at the free games, but bear in mind you will be playing an alternative game with different strategy at the for-money tables.

After you become good at learn online gambling poker, you may play more than one game at a time. If you turn into a poker junkie, go for it.

If you pick the right online casino you will be able to play differing types of poker and different casino games altogether. Had enough Texas Hold’em? Click, click, click and you’re playing seven-card stud. If your head is aching from focusing on poker, take a break and try your luck at roulette or blackjack.

Environment. Playing online may have fewer distractions. No background noise. No waitresses disrupting your concentration by offering you drinks. No dealer or other players attempting to chit-chat with you. No big screen TV with your favorite team struggling to win the big game. Whenever you fold a hand, don’t take a break because study time begins. Do some detective work and observe your opponents. Are they frequent folders? Do they bluff often or never? Do they raise on mediocre hands? This valuable information is up for grabs; don’t waste time.

Finally you have earned a bonus for reading this far. Here is just one disadvantage of playing online versus land-based casinos. You can not capitalize on “tells” online. What’s a tell? A tell is one area a player does that gives away what he is holding. As an example, suppose you notice a player always smiles when he has a winning hand. This might be very valuable information. Alternatively, be careful. Good players may fake tells to throw you off. Doyle Brunson attributes a whole lot of his success at the poker table to his ability to read faces, but then he competes at the brick-and-mortar casinos.