Live Poker vs. Online Poker

If you have played poker in a land based casino such as the MGM Grand and online then you’ll understand that there are some noticeable differences between the two games. There are lots of benefits about playing poker in a land based casino, but I personally feel they’re more benefits when playing online poker. We’re going to talk about some of the positives and negatives of playing live poker and online poker so that you can see the differences between the two of them.

Live Poker

* Playing poker in a land based casino allows you to actually see your opponent while you play which is a benefit for everyone. By actually seeing your opponent you can pick-up on numerous tells and flaws in your opponents game that you wouldn’t be able too notice when playing online poker.

* In a land based casino you also have the ability to communicate with the other players on your table and in most cases this can be a lot of fun. Some casinos also provide entertainment which you can see from the poker room while you’re not busy playing a hand.

* One of the negatives about playing poker in a land based casino is that you actually need to travel to the casino. If you live close to a casino then this isn’t a big deal, but if you don’t then this can become a problem. In some instances you might even need to stay a night in the casino hotel. The money it costs for gas, accommodations, food and entertainment all need to be considered when playing in a land based casino as they take away from your poker profits.

Online Poker

* When you play online poker at a site like PokerStar.net there are no costs associated with it except for your buy-in and internet connection. You don’t need to pay for travel, gas or anything like that plus you even get to play in the comfort of your own home. You can play in your bed while watching television or you can play in your living room while taking care of the kids. The possibilities are endless and this is a huge reason why online poker is so successful.

* Most online poker rooms nowadays offer impressive loyalty programs which far outweigh the comp programs offered by land based casinos. Some poker rooms also offer full tilt poker rakeback which is an amount of money that you earn back each month based on how much poker you play. I have never seen a land based casino offer a percentage of the rake you pay while playing in their casino.

* The amount of players that play in an online poker room is massive. Some poker rooms have anywhere from 10-100K players online playing poker at all times of the day which is incredible. You can choose to play in a wide range of cash games and tournaments plus you never need to wait to start playing.

* The only negatives about online poker is that some poker rooms take awhile to payout their players, but if you read our poker reviews you will never have a problem with that. Basically playing online poker is better then playing live poker in practically every single category.

Online Poker Rakeback for Beginners

If you still don’t have a rakeback account and you’re playing online poker then you’re missing out on some money. Rakeback has become huge the past couple years and basically everyone is playing with rakeback today. The only major poker room that doesn’t offer rakeback for their players is PokerStars, but that is because there in-house loyalty program is better then most rakeback deals on the market.

For those of you that don’t know rakeback is a percentage of your rake that you receive back from the poker room. Every time you play online poker you pay a rake or fee and this is how the poker rooms make money. With rakeback you can earn a piece of the rake back each month. Most online poker rooms will payout the rakeback on a monthly basis although there are some providers that offer weekly and daily payouts.

Rakeback can be calculated in two different ways and it’s important you find out which way your rakeback deal will be calculated before you start playing. When you’re playing in cash games your rakeback can be calculated using one of two methods. The first method for calculating rakeback is by dividing the amount of rake in the hand by the amount of players dealt cards. The other method for calculating the rakeback is by dividing the amount of rake in the hand by the amount of players that actually put money in the pot.

Most poker rooms use the dealt method which I find is the best because you’ll earn rakeback even if you don’t play in the hand. If you’re a tournament player then your rakeback is calculated by taking the fee and dividing it by the amount of rakeback you receive. With rakeback deals ranging from 25-30% on average the amount of money you can earn each month can really add up quickly if you play poker regularly.

If you’re trying to figure out how much money you can earn from ultimate bet rakeback you should also take into consideration any fees that the poker room charges. Some poker rooms have processing fees and bonus deductions which will be deducted from your rakeback every month. In most cases your rakeback money will be deposited into your poker account directly so that you can use the money to play poker with if you want.

Apart from being able to earn money each month with rakeback you’ll also be able to participate in other events. Most poker rooms and rakeback providers offer rake races and special rewards to entice players to play more. There is no doubt that rakeback is designed for the player and there is no reason why any online poker player wouldn’t have rakeback. You can earn rakeback will basically every poker room out there nowadays so you’re not limited in the choices you have.

Signing up for a rakeback account is completely free and it only takes a few minutes of your time. Once you’re signed up you just need to play poker and watch the money get deposited into your account. Even if you don’t play a lot of poker right now you should still sign-up for an account so that if you start playing more poker you’re already set to start earning rakeback.

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