Online poker started around 25 years ago, offering players the opportunity to play against each other for real money. It was a major development in the world of casino games, and it brought new excitement to many people who would never have tried it otherwise.
The COVID-19 pandemic is believed to have pushed both professional and recreational players away from live casinos and venues, making online poker more appealing to a larger pool of casual players than usual. As a result, many sites saw traffic double or more than double during the period of the pandemic.
While some players prefer the social interaction of a live game, others prefer the speed of online poker, where hands are dealt much faster than in land-based casinos and cardrooms. Advanced players also like the fact that they can choose to play several tables at once, with each table displayed in a separate window on their computer display.
The negative side of online poker is the risk of fraud. Fraudsters can be harder to detect online, as they cannot read body language or other tells that might signal a weakness. However, many top-rated online poker sites have security personnel that can view card and player patterns as well as check a player’s computer IP address to identify possible collusion or other suspicious activity. Moreover, many top-rated poker sites offer generous bonuses and promotions to attract new players and reward loyal ones. These bonuses are based on the amount of rake that a poker site takes from each real-money pot.