The online world now makes it so easy to play poker, with sites like Sky Poker basically accessible as soon as you can get your PC booted up. This ease of access is of course a lot more convenient than arranging a trip to your local bricks and mortar casino to play poker, but can also facilitate conditions that are less than ideal for pursuing success in the game. Here we look at some of the avoidable distractions that can easily throw a spanner in the works when you play poker online.

One of the basic prerequisites of poker success is paying attention to the game – and this means each hand, whether you are still in or not. Physical casino card rooms usually have a few rules for players at the table that automatically help in maintaining this concentration, such as banning the use of headphones to play music, or reading during hands in which you are no longer active. Similarly, talking on a mobile will almost always be prohibited in a bricks and mortar poker room.

When you play poker online, however, all of these distractions can be in place if you are so minded. This freedom to multi-task can quite simply be deleterious to your game play. Whether you play poker online or face to face, there are vital tells and other information to pick up from the betting patterns of other players – and you are going to miss out on some of this information if you allow your playing environment to feature too many distractions.



Another rule from the bricks and mortar casino that you should impose during your online poker sessions is only to play in one game at a time. You would never be allowed to play multiple games in a casino card room, and this is largely for the benefit of the other players, to keep the game running smoothly and at a reasonable pace. While technology can now allow you to play poker in several games at once, the fact that it is possible to spread your concentration thin in this way does not mean that it is a good idea.

If you are going to play poker in a practice game for pretend money then there is of course no threat of damage to your financial health, but you are still arguably picking up a bad habit. Just as you should never attempt to play poker online while drunk, as you’re the critical judgment needed for success will be impaired, playing multiple games simultaneously is simply asking for trouble. None of the other online players is going to be impressed – they simply won’t know – and unless you have the mind of a chess grand master, leave grandstanding to easier pursuits. Like driving… kidding!