Playing texas holdem poker from your computer on the internet is fairly new still, in comparison with the game itself. Its popularity is a testament to the fact that it has much to offer that regular cardrooms can't. Some of the features online poker rooms offer include playing for fun, small limits, more hands per hour, comfort, tournaments, convenience and anonymity.

Playing Poker For Fun/Free:

First of all, you won't find many casinos or brick and mortar cardrooms that allow you to play for fun. This is one feature that online cardrooms have in their favor. You can actually get a feel for the game before you risk any real money. One warning though is that since you aren't wagering anything, the games are technically correct rule wise but they aren't a good representation of a real poker game; people play far looser, more wild, when playing for free. Obviously! =)

Micro Small Limit Texas Holdem:

The next feature online poker sites have in their court is a step up from the free games: micro limits. You can play on a number of poker sites on the internet at limits as low as .10/20 cents! Compare that with the usual lowest limit you find in a typical casino ($2/4) and you'll not have to risk as much money up front to learn the game.

More Hand Per Hour:

The next strength of online cardrooms is the fact that you get more hands per hour then you would in a regular casino since the dealer doesn't have to deal any cards and people don't have to be constantly reminded it is their turn. I think it is roughly double the speed. More hands means more opportunities to outplay your opponents and make more money.

Comfort And Convenience:

Comfort is the next strength of online texas holdem poker. It is much more relaxing to sit in your own home, in your own chair and play then it is to sit in a casino. Convenience is another reason why playing home often is a good option. Driving to the casino, waiting on the board to sit down and driving back can take away time that you would have been able to make some money with had you played online at home. Games are available 24/7 and you rarely have to wait more then a few minutes to find a seat. This also allows you to squeeze in short sessions unlike playing in a casino where you usually sit there for the good portion of the day.

Online Freeroll and Regular Holdem Tournaments:

Online poker allows you to find texas holdem tournaments all day, every day. That isn't true of regular cardrooms where you usually only find a poker tourny a few times a week. The limits are usually smaller then that of the cardroom variety but the availability makes up for it. If you are interested in learning how to pay tournament texas holdem then online is a great place to start. Look at Chris Moneymaker, who won the 2003 No Limit Texas Holdem Championship at Binions Casino. He was a player who started at online sites.

Anonymity/Lack of Embarrassment:

The last strength of online cardrooms for playing texas holdem poker is that you don't have to actually see anyone and they don't have to see you. If you make some mistakes, the embarrassment isn't half of what it is when you play in real life. The flip side though is that the winning plays, stacking your chips, and sitting in back of a mountain of chips doesn't feel half as good online! There is just something about seeing all those chips in front of you that a number can't represent. You might assume that since people can play anonymously that the poker games would be looser then that of regular casinos. I've found the opposite of that to be true I'll go into more detail in the stregths of live action texas holdem poker