Online poker is growing in popularity for many of the same reasons it has always been popular: it’s social, it rewards real skill unlike slots or the lottery, and it’s accessible to anyone with a computer or smartphone. It is also an exciting game to play, with plenty of action and suspense. However, learning how to play can be a daunting task for newcomers.
There are a lot of ways to learn poker, from books to tutorials to e-books. There are also a few websites that offer poker coaching and strategy advice. But the best way to really get to know the game is to just play it. Online poker gives players the opportunity to practice their skills at their own pace, without the pressure of being in a live casino.
Several software programs have been developed specifically for online poker. These include hand databases that save, sort and recall all of your online hands. They can also scan the active tables for known players and display previous statistics from hands played with them next to their name (known as a heads-up display or HUD). Some programs even provide quizzes or flag likely mistakes.
Other features of online poker that make it more convenient than in-person games are the variety of games and stakes available. For example, you can easily find Hold’em tournaments at a range of stakes online, while it’s more difficult to do in live casinos. Players can also find a wide variety of cash game games, including Omaha and Omaha Hi/Lo.