Let’s start with differences of online poker from off line poker game and the pros and cons of the online poker version. The main principal difference is obvious – poker players, the opponents cannot see each other. Hence, on one hand online poker player does not have to maintain his “poker image” and on the other hand the poker player cannot “read” the opponent hand by focusing on the Body Language. So, in online poker room the psychological moment of the game is rather weak, for somebody it is good and for someone it is not so good. In other respects online poker presents only advantages and it will take a long time to name all of them. Here are the main ones.

Any online poker room the same as any online casinos work 24 hours a day 365 days a year and any poker player may play all around the clock hole year.

Online poker room player does not have to tog up and go somewhere. Playing poker online at the computer is more comfortable that at the casino table.

Online poker room player can choose from a wide variety of games including the rarest ones. Online poker room player may play during a fifteen minute break; or leave the table any time. Poker player may participate in a number of tournaments and cash-games. Online poker room player can play short handed tables or face-to-face. Online poker room player may play at several online poker room tables at a time, play many games in an hour with simultaneous shuffling and dealing. Time limit for decision taking makes the game more dynamic. Online poker room player does not have to control and count the jackpot and his own chips.

Playing poker in online poker room is a good practice for the beginners playing micro limits which cannot be found in off line casino.

Before playing the game.

If you are ready to play poker in an online poker room, you should install online poker room client programs. Basically the poker software comprises two parts – server part – here the cards are generated and information about all the players is collected. Client’s part – here the player sees the cards, opponents and makes poker decisions. Both parts of the software are connected via the Internet and constantly exchange information.

Client programs.

Online poker room client programs can be of two types: downloaded (executable programs ) and non-downloaded ( flash or java, played in the browser ). Non-downloaded programs are less convenient though their number is increasing. To play non-downloaded poker room version a poker player should, as a rule, press some button like “Instant Play”, then a small browser window will be opened and the poker room software will be downloaded there. If this is java poker room program, the player should have java scripts enabled in his browser, flash plug-in should be installed to view flash. The poker players are likely to have Internet Explorer 5.5 or higher with 128-byte encryption.

If you prefer downloaded version ( and it is more convenient and functional), please find the section “Download” at the poker room site and download the program (usually 4-8 Mb, though sometimes occur small ones less than 1MB; they download the software after the launch and then will install the client). When the download is complete, start the program and it will install the poker client. As a rule the client will automatically add the icon of poker room at your desktop or to folder “Programs”.

Rules for the registration at online poker rooms, money depositing and withdrawal of the winning money are the same as in online casinos. When registering, fill out the application, indicate your full name, address, phone number, email, select login and password, and also your screen name that will be used during the poker room playing sessions. Almost all online poker rooms accept cards. There are a few e-wallets such as Moneybookes, Neteller, Firepay and so on to ease online poker room players funding options.

© Copyright 2007-2008 www.bonus-map.com

Party poker is one of the most popular poker games over the internet. What is party poker? If you are aware of MMORPGs, (more popularly known as Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game), then party poker is just like that. It is a Massive Multiplayer Online Poker Gaming. You can say that it is a kind of Mecca for poker players that don¡¯t have the time to go to casinos. Party poker is played by up to thousands of online poker gamers. It can also be compared to chatting, where you have the chance of joining chatting rooms, but in this case, you are supposed to join poker rooms.

I recommend party poker online, although there are some differences between playing party poker online and face-to-face poker. The difference relies on the bluffing. Because you can¡¯t see your opponents, you will not have the tell tale signs of their bluffs or can you have a reading of their card. Party poker online only gives us the very basic and fundamental laws of the game. Thus, a newbie can have a better chance of winning against a pro in an online game than in real life.

Party poker employs the basic poker rules, although some rooms have modified poker rules. It is good to first learn the basic poker rules and game play before engaging in serious betting online. However, if you are truly interested, there are party poker gaming rooms that are void of betting. These are strictly and purely gaming only. Party poker can also be compared to online casinos. The payments however are not chips, but are in cash. The payments, also known as bets are placed with the use of credit cards. Most of the party poker sites that are available recognize the standard credit cards.

What does party poker offer to a gamer? Hours and hours of fun! Whether you are a beginner in the game, or a serious poker player, party poker will be your poker gaming oasis. Maybe you want to learn about the intricate yet enjoyable game of poker but have no one to play it with. Don¡¯t worry, because party poker is actually a community in itself. It is a place where you can learn with other beginners. Party poker sites link hundreds, and even thousands of players. The abilities of these players also range from a complete beginner knowing nothing about poker, to advanced and pro players. However, one needs to be wary of your betting, because you might lose serious money in party pokers. The benefits really far outweigh the risks that are involved. Party poker can also reward you a lot of dollars, and might make your wallet fat.

So how does a person eager to play massive online poker do it? All party poker sites require poker gamers to download a poker gaming software. These gaming softwares differ from one party poker site to another. A poker gaming software is limited to that particular party poker site. So if you plan on playing on different sites, you will end up downloading numerous party poker softwares. Most party poker sites will require you to fill up a registration form. All the best party poker sites on the web are on members only basis. This membership will also require a membership fee. In the registration form, you will be asked your credit card number. This is how you will be deducted your losing bets. Your winning pot is transferred to your bank account directly.

Party poker sites earn millions of dollars a year because of thousands of patrons. Because party poker sites can operate online, you have the possibility of playing with poker enthusiasts from around the globe. Place your bets folks!

Online Poker is without a doubt one of the most convenient and easiest ways to play poker being that you never have to leave your house and you can bring the feel of Vegas into your house and never change out of your pajamas. While it may not hold the same excitement as traditional face to face casinos it is still convenient none the less.

Poker has been around for almost 200 years and it’s no secret that the recent online version of poker is a phenomenon. It has certainly without a doubt changed the face of poker and how poker is played and to this day continues to boom with players and activity. It was around the mid 1990’s that online sports books were showing up along with the launch of some online casinos.

The first operational online casino was developed in 1994 by a major online casino software supplier called Microgaming. Although, this was released in 1994, it wasn’t until 1998 that the first online poker room was brought on to the internet and established. The very first online poker room was named Planet Poker and not long after it’s launch became a relatively small poker room but still enjoyed it’s time as the only sole poker room playable online.

Many other poker rooms copied it’s structure with a rake structure set at %5 and up to a $3 max rake. While the industry constantly and drastically changed since 1998, it’s no surprise that the rake structure has remained consistent and for the most part, the same.

Around 1999, Paradise Poker was introduced onto the web and in no time at all became a top industry leader and it was also around this time that a successful poker player named Dutch Boyd developed the online poker firm called Poker Spot. Poker Spot was launched in May of 2000 and it was the very first online poker room to offer tournaments to it’s players in September.

In 2004, Online Poker drastically boomed because of increasing popularity and demand for online poker rooms and it was because of virtual playing tables that the industry’s revenues skyrocketed. When new firms such as Full Tilt Poker and Noble poker were introduced, the industry saw even more entry from new players skyrocketing profits even higher.

Today, many major successful online poker firms are considering becoming public companies. It was in October 2004 that a company called Sportingbet purchased Paradise Poker for almost 300 million dollars. Now there are many online poker rooms that are candidates for public offerings as the value of poker rooms continues to climb higher and higher.

Poker took the online world by storm almost as much as cell phones when they were first introduced. Online Poker rooms offered so many things that a live casino could not such as playing from your home and less money being risked. Online Poker is here to stay and I honestly can’t say I see it going anywhere anytime soon. Whether you’re a novice or beginner, Online Poker is one of the most convenient ways to play no matter who you are, whether you play for fun or for real money.

How to choose an online poker room.

Choice of the poker room for the poker game is very significant. It is prudent to pay attention to the following factors: convenience of depositing and withdrawal options, availability of the required games and consequently – total amount of players, level of opponents, software, support, bonuses, etc…

If you intend to use only credit for depositing and withdrawal funds and bank transfer, then it will immediately limit the list of the available poker rooms. If you can use several methods of depositing and withdrawal funds, for example, you have an account with e-wallets such as moneybookers or neteller then this issue will not restrict your choice.

The next question is: what poker game and at what limits are going to play? Texas hold’em limit and no limit, also single and multi-table hold’em tournaments are popular at any online room, but those who prefer Omaha poker, and stud poker have to choose the most attended rooms (Party, Stars, Full Tilt) to find the opponents. The same refers to those who love high stakes, not all online poker rooms even in holdem have players who stake $50/$100 or higher.

Most poker players want to win money, so they look for weaker poker opponents. Lately the trend of leveling the poker opponents in different poker rooms is becoming more and more obvious, nonetheless Party and casino poker rooms are considered to have less professional poker players (Prima networks, Boss Media, Playtech, Pacific Poker).

Poker player may have specific requirements to the poker room software, for example, non-downloaded software is offered by poker rooms of Ongame, ?2?, Prima and Party Poker. Many poker rooms allow to reduce the size of tables, and the computer screen without overlay holds four table with the resolution 1024?768. For somebody the facility of Poker Tracker can be a criteria. One can buy Tracker and use it, other poker players prefer poker rooms that are not allowed the Poker Tracker.

In general, it is not about WHERE you play but HOW you play. So, choose the poker room with sufficient number of opponents at your selected limit, convenient depositing and withdrawal funds options, maybe good bonus and go ahead!

The game.

After registration, log-in and enter the lobby of the online poker room. Here, as a rule, a poker player will find out the number of players, latest news, choose options, enter the cash desk to make deposit. But the main thing is the choice of the poker games. A poker player may choose the necessary game (holdem, Omaha, stud, etc.), its type (limit, unlimited, pot-limit), cash or tournaments (sit&go or multi table), limits. The number of poker players and anticipants is shown for each poker table and also average jackpot, number of poker players at the flop and number of hands per hour. The poker player can view information about all the players of the selected poker table in anew window. The player may join the vacant table, or wait list (the player can wait for the first vacated table at the particular limit or particular table).

To make the first deposit, enter the cash desk and deposit the required sum, choosing the payment method.

When the table opens, the poker player may take any vacant seat. Appearance of the players and the table differ from one poker room to another, but the principle is the same everywhere – oval table with seats around it. Chat option is usually at the bottom of the poker room site, as well as options and buttons for decision-making. While it is no your turn to lead, you may use the buttons of preliminary choice of action. Tick one of the proposed flags and when it is your turn, it will be done automatically. If you have not performed preliminary choice, then you have to select one of three buttons: Fold, Call, Raise. You can use mouse to operate, but some poker rooms allow to play with keyboard using “hot buttons”. You pocket cards are displayed next to your name, general cards are put in the centre of the table. The poker player usually can view the statistics of his game, communicate with other players in the chat, make notes about other poker players which will be available at every poker game with this opponent.

Enjoy experience with online poker.

© Copyright 2007-2008 www.bonus-map.com

Online poker has become one of the most popular income streams for gambling affiliates. With the popularity of online poker continuing and new poker web sites coming online everyday it makes for a very healthy gambling industry to promote as an affiliate.

The key to success with promoting online poker as an affiliate is to first do your homework. Not all poker programs are the same so you need to ensure that the one you choose to promote has everything you need to give you the very best chance of success. To accomplish this you should complete certain steps during your research that will tick certain boxes. There is not one online poker affiliate program that is going to tick all the boxes of requirements though the more positives you find in a program should mean it is a good program to join.

The first location for research is to check on the brands that the affiliate program promotes. Visit each poker room in turn and start ticking the boxes. Some of the things to look out for are the conversion and retention hooks that will attract the poker player when they first visit. For conversion we are looking at the bonuses for new players. Non-download bonuses are rare and the most common bonus is a matching 100% bonus. This means that the poker room will match the deposit up to a specific amount which is normally $600. For example if a player deposits $100 then the poker room will match this so they will now have $200 in the account to play with.

Have a look for the retention options the poker room has in place. What is going to make a player come back time and time again to play? This maybe the daily tournaments or a reward program. Each poker network will have their own tournaments and they must be available around the clock with bigger tournaments on specific days of the week. Many of the bigger affiliates programs will also promote the World Series of Poker which is a big attraction for more experienced players. Reward or loyalty programs are incentives for players who are awarded points the more times they play. These points can be cashed in or exchanged for prizes. These are examples of how a poker room can bring a player back time and time again by offering tempting bonuses and rewards.

Players will often have a look at the quality of the software the poker room uses. If the poker room has won awards then this is a really good selling point. These days players want to be entertained on state-of-the-art software that provide thrilling graphics and sound giving the player a real feeling of poker room excitement. Some other positives for the brand would be the options for multi-lingual languages, choice of currencies, security and deposit options.

Information about past winners and testimonials will go a long way to give any new player that feel good factor. Poker schools are offered by some poker rooms and this is a great way to educate the less experienced players. All poker players want to improve their game and not all players are of the same level so providing some solid advice and techniques will always increase conversions. At the end of the day it is all about creating the right atmosphere for your players. This is how you can first turn and ordinary web site visitor into an active player and make them feel special so that they come back and play on a regular basis. Players also like to interact with other players so any live chat rooms and forums will make the poker room a more sociable meeting place.

If the brands the poker affiliate program promotes pass the player conversion and retention test then we can have a closer look at the program itself. What type of commissions are on offer for the affiliate? Normally the poker affiliate program will offer a CPA (cost per acquisition) and revenue share commission. The CPA option is a once only payment and does not depend on the players you refer winning or losing. The amount you receive is normally tiered and increases the more active players you refer. This commission would normally start at $50 and rises to $300 depending the amount of players referred and the amount deposited by the player.

Revenue share is a percentage of the rake that is taken by the poker room on every game. The higher the player deposits in games the higher the rake and the commission payable to the affiliate. As you will be receiving commissions for the lifetime of the player the commission can seriously increase over time. Revenue share commissions are also tiered the same as CPA and they normally start at 25% rising to 40% or even 50% in some cases depending on the amount of active players referred.

There is also the additional webmaster commission available and this is normally a flat 5% from the income resulting from other webmasters you have referred.

The next part of research would take a look at the type of marketing materials on offer. You need more than just banners such as landing pages, html mailers, pop-ups and a range of offline marketing options. Promotional materials introduced to market new tournaments or monthly bonuses is a good sign that the program is assisting the affiliates promote anything new at the poker room.

Check that the poker affiliate stats are updated in real time and that the stats are available 24/7. Ideally you will be able to create trackers so you can use them for individual promotions. This will enable you to track the marketing results more accurately and make changes accordingly.

Find out who your affiliate manager is and if they are available to contact quickly should you need any assistance. This person is the key figure behind the scenes and the one you can contact should you need specific banners creating or some marketing advice on campaigns that you may want to start. The affiliate manager is a paid employee of the poker affiliate program and their job is to assist you with the promotion of the brands.

There are additional points to look for as part of your poker affiliate program research but the ones listed here are the most important. The more boxes the affiliate program ticks the better and will give you the best chance of success. The main thing is to enjoy your poker affiliation and hope that the poker affiliate program and you the affiliate can make a very successful team.

Using the proper blackjack betting strategy will instantly put you down the road to maximizing your profits! Along with the proper blackjack strategy you need to have the traits of a winning blackjack poker player. Below are the traits YOU MUST have to dominate the house:

Trait 1 – Blackjack Rules Knowledge

Winning blackjack players know how to play the game and know all the blackjack rules inside and out. You will know how to place bets, play soft and hard hands, split pairs, and when to double down against the dealer. Once you master all the blackjack rules and blackjack strategies, you can move onto learning more advanced strategies such as a card counting system. All these strategies will give you the edge against the house and turn you into a dominate blackjack player in no time at all.

Trait 2- Believe In Yourself

Blackjack involves strategies, knowledge of the game, and self-awareness. To become a winning blackjack player you must believe in yourself. Using the right blackjack gambling tips and blackjack betting strategies, you should sky rocket your way into success. Please believe in yourself and your decision making. One of the worst things you can do is just give up and quit. Blackjack is a highly profitable game and there is no excuse for quitting.

Trait 3 – Commitment

To become a successful blackjack player you need to show commitment to learning blackjack and all the blackjack rules and strategies that come with it. Before you jump into real money situations you should download blackjack tutorials or play blackjack games online for FREE. Once you spend hours and hours dominating the house, at that point in time you can jump into real money situations.

Trait 4 – Persistence

Be persistent. Do not let casinos or other players scare you away just because you are winning. Successful players that count cards will get looked upon as cheating by casino management. Don’t let friends or relatives prevent you from becoming a successful pro blackjack player. Earning a stable income playing blackjack online is definitely an amazing feeling, I wouldn’t be where I am today if I listened to my parents or friends who said it was NOT possible.

Trait 5- Familiarity of the Game

The only way of gaining familiarity of the game of blackjack is to practice. Experienced players make fewer mistakes and quickly learn how to make the correct decisions that give them the best chance of beating the house each and every time. I highly recommend playing at any free casino that offers blackjack for free. Gain as much experience as you can by playing constantly, no matter if its for free or real money. The best thing you can do is play each blackjack hand like there is $1000 or more riding on it. Don’t get yourself into the habit of it’s fake money so I don’t care I am going to hit on 19! Play every hand you SEE your BEST. I wish you the best of luck!