Online poker is considered one of the most prominent card games on the internet. It's immense; as well as offers a wide range of exciting tournaments with breathtaking winnings. Finding the best online poker room takes time, and learning on your own to be a real poker pro could last an eternity.
The history of poker is still not entirely figured out. Some say it may even be an ancient Persian game, others believe it comes from Germany, France or Ireland. On the other hand, everyone agrees that the poker we play today was most likely developed in the 18th century America. Here, it has been played in several variations, using either 52 or 20 cards and play through mobile casinos.
Poker rose to prominence in the second half of the 20th century when large poker tournaments such as the World Series of Poker were being held. This period witnessed the rise of some of the biggest poker pros around. Also, several popular poker strategy books have been published.
Poker is a Modern Internet Phenomenon
Poker became immensely popular in the late 20th century, when online poker was introduced. Now players could play their favorite game from the comfort of their homes with people all over the world. The traditional poker tournaments became huge events, and famous poker players turned into real celebrities.
Live casinos usually limit the space dedicated to poker. Likewise, the difficulty of the game intimidates novice players from frequenting it. To counter the relatively small amount of income they earn, casinos often increase the rake or the time charge, which makes the games quite expensive. Online poker on the other hand, is considerably cheaper, and therefore widely available.
Many poker sites offer events called satellites. These are competitions by which the winners earn entries to some of the biggest real life poker tournaments. It was through such an event that Chris Moneymaker won admission to the 2003 World Series of Poker. In the end, the previously totally unknown player won the competition.
Is Online Poker Rigged? – Is it Safe to Deposit Real Money at an Online Poker Site?
One of the most prevalent issues in the online poker and online games scene is whether online poker is rigged or not. Many players believe that online poker is fraudulent and online poker rooms manipulate games to determine players to lose.
In reality, most online poker sites are government approved in various countries. In order to get approved, these poker sites will have to prove that they don't practice anything shady and provide a safe and fair gaming environment. Licensed poker rooms will have to operate with complete transparency and submit themselves to regular checks and evaluations.
These are the poker rooms that are completely safe and don't pose any risk of abuse. There are however poker rooms that are not licensed or are licensed in small island nations that do not care about player safety. These sites are however in the minority.
The reputation of online poker is not entirely clean. There were many incidents related to online poker in the past. For example, around 5 years ago the online poker scene was shocked when it was uncovered that certain players at the currently defunct poker room Ultimate Bet were able to see other players' cards and as a consequence managed to illegally cash in large amounts of money.
These things did indeed happen and continue to happen at lesser known online poker rooms even today. Many players have after the Ultimate Bet scandal concluded that online poker is rigged. There is however no reason to generalize.
Ultimate Bet may have been a shady poker room but it was "licensed" in an equally dubious jurisdiction, namely in the Indian reservation of Kahnawake. Incidents and cheating cases such as the Ultimate Bet scandal never happened at poker rooms licensed in reputable countries and jurisdictions.
Is Poker a Game of Skill or a Game of Chance?
Since the dawn of modern poker people have been debating whether poker is game of skill or a game of chance. People without an experience in poker claim that poker is a game of luck, much like any other free online casinos game such as slots, craps or roulette. Experienced poker players, however argue that poker is a game of skill.
There are multiple facts that prove that poker is a game of skill rather than a game of chance. First, the existence of professional poker players proves that poker can be mastered and can generate consistent gains.
Has someone ever seen "professional slots players" or "professional roulette players"? – Of course not, because these games completely depend on random chance. There are, however many players who almost every single time manage to generate substantial amounts of money from playing poker.
In fact, there is even a study conducted by the prestigious Erasmus University of Rotterdam that proves that poker is a game of skill. Analyzing several million real money poker hands, scholars of the University conclude that "skill is an important factor in online poker".
