Know More About Online Poker
Poker is one of the most popular card games played around the world. Like so many other popular things, the game found its way online where it became a huge hit thanks to big companies such as PokerStars that spent a lot of time and money promoting it. Online poker started to become big in the early 2000s and if we count the initial years, it's been around for over two decades. During this time, the rules of Texas Hold'em (the most played game variation) haven't changed, but pretty much everything else about the game has. So, here's what you need to know about online poker in 2018.
Online Poker Isn’t as Lucrative as it Used to Be
Back in a day, online poker was a nice way to make some extra money on the side or even make a full income. Of course, you had to put in some time and effort to learn the math behind the game and some other finer points, but, generally speaking, it wasn’t too hard to be better than 90% of the competition. Over the recent years, however, the online poker landscape has changed quite dramatically. The ratio of good to recreational players (fish) has been quite distorted – and in a bad way. So, if you’re looking to start making money with online poker in 2018, keep in mind that you’ll have a hard time mimicking the success of early-day legends of the game. To do what they did ten or fifteen years ago, even if you had the same talent and dedication, you’d probably need to work twice as hard (and that’s optimistic).
You Won’t Get Much Outside of What You Win at the Tables
During poker boom years, players would get a lot of perks simply for playing. Those who were really after making serious money could land lucrative rakeback deals and online poker rooms in general were much more generous (source: https://www.beatthefish.com/black-chip-poker-bonus-code/). You could even hope to land a sponsorship deal if you were a solid and consistent player. These opportunities are all but gone in 2018. Due to a number of reasons, especially the ban in the US, online poker has lost a lot of its appeal, leading to diminishing player numbers and big companies losing interest. This resulted in online poker rooms significantly reducing their reward programs and rakeback deals. So, these days, most of what you earn will come straight from your table profits and you can’t rely too much on any extra money.
You’ll Need Additional Software to Succeed
In 2018, everyone serious about online poker uses external software to increase their edge. We’re talking about various HUDs (Heads Up Displays) and other applications that gather stats on your opponents and help you make the right decision. While the debate about this type of software has been going on for years, most rooms still allow it (source: https://www.pokerstars.com/poker/room/prohibited/?no_redirect=1) and you can’t really expect to win against those using it if you are playing relying just on your memory and intuition. The software such as Hold’em Manager or Poker Tracker is a must in 2018, and you might look into getting some other poker tools to help you along. These aren’t horribly expensive so you won’t have to spend too much money but learning how to use the stats gathered by these programs can take some time. All of this isn’t to say you shouldn’t give online poker a try in 2018. It is still an interesting game and you can still make money at it. Just don’t go in expecting it to be easy because if you do, you’ll be setting yourself up for a disappointment.