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Copyright 2004 Cable News Network
All Rights Reserved
CNN.com
August 4, 2004 Wednesday 10:44 AM EST
HEADLINE: Online
poker: A whole new card game
BYLINE: By Sid Lipsey CNN Headline News
BODY:
Your cell phone rings to the tune of
"The Gambler." You think Ben Affleck's best performance
wasn't in a movie but in his winning hand at the last celebrity
poker
event. You couldn't care less about politics, but you can argue
for hours whether you should play or fold an unsuited Ace/6.
Might as well face it: You're a poker fanatic.
And if you can't make it to a casino, or it's one of those rare
nights when ESPN is showing something other than a poker tournament,
there are a number of Web sites that allow you to play poker online
for a lot of money, very little money or no money at all.
"You're not going to believe this, but
I've never played
poker in a land-based poker room," says Vikrant
Bhargava, general manager of PartyPoker.com
-- which bills itself as the "World's Largest Poker Room."
Bhargava says he finds the high-stakes atmosphere
of traditional casinos intimidating. Who can blame him? With the
rumbling cacophony of slot machines, screaming gamblers and fast-talking
dealers -- not to mention the ever-present risk of losing all
your money -- a casino isn't exactly a welcoming environment for
novices.
But when you go online, it's a whole new card
game. At Pokerlistings.com, you 'll find listings and descriptions
of various poker Web sites. Some of them offer "play money"
games that have no buy-in fees; all you're playing for are bragging
rights and skills you can some day take to a real game.
Online
poker can provide valuable, and free, lessons on
when to bet, when to raise, when to hold
'em, when to fold 'em, when to walk away, when to
run ...
well, you get the idea.
For traditionalists who feel it isn't really
gambling unless you're ... well, gambling, you can certainly play
for real money online. But be warned: If you start losing too
much too quickly, many poker sites will crack down with the vigilance
of a watchful bartender who cuts you off after you've had one
too many. PartyPoker.com's Bhargava says players who rack up big
losses are contacted by customer care agents or in some cases
blocked from making the deposits required for "real money"
play.
Whether it's for play money or real money,
online poker is not quite like the real thing. For one, it's impossible
to check your opponents for "tells" -- body language
that indicates who's playing with a good hand and who's bluffing.
But that limitation cuts both ways -- sometimes to your advantage.
If you fidget, giggle uncontrollably or turn three shades of purple
when you lie, you can still bluff effectively behind the safety
of online anonymity.
All told, online
poker can be a low-risk way to learn the game --
which is ironic, as poker is inherently about risk. But it's also
about gaining an advantage on your opponents. And what better
way to do that than to practice your skills cheaply, conveniently
and online?
Judging by the traffic on sites such as PartyPoker.com,
that idea is certainly catching on. Who knows? Internet poker
may become so popular that in the future, instead of showing 20
hours a day of poker, ESPN will start showing 20 hours a day of
online poker.
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