Playing for Money on the Internet
There are new Internet sites hosting on-line poker every day.
The sites are hosted in locations that regulate Internet gambling, and they are legal operations.
Depending on the state you’re located in, it may not be legal for you to play on them, however.
This area of law is till somewhat in flux.
I’ve played on some of these sites, and the games are good games; the site operators go to great pains to keep the games good.
However, player collusion is a serious potential problem that cannot be eliminated in Internet poker games.
The sites do attempt to monitor the games and investigate any activity that suggests that two players might be sharing information about their hands.
The sites themselves are legitimate. Play on these sites at your own risk, however.
As legitimate as the sites themselves are, you cannot eliminate player collusion.
Most cheats don’t really play very well and don’t get that much of an edge by collusion, but if two good players are colluding and sharing information about their hands, it would give those players a tremendous advantage. Just be wary.
COMPUTER GAMES
Many casino game software packages contain a poker game. Most are weak games.
They don’t offer many realistic options, and their computer opponents play weak-predictable strategies.
An exception is Turbo Texas-Holdem. Wilson Software distributes games for Holdem, seven card stud, Omaha-8, and Ohmaha High.
There are both ring-game and tournament versions, and they run on Windows systems.
I’m mostly familiar with the Holdem version, which is much more than a game.
It’s a very flexible poker simulator. Computer players are driven by large tables describing each decision point.
The tables can be modified to create player profiles to match the playing habits of the poker players you most frequently play against in your live games.
Developing profiles on your regular opponents can be invaluable for use in testing various strategic questions.
You can simulate alternatives against the exact game conditions you face.
Mathematics of Poker / Other Books on Holdem / Poker and the Internet
