Online Poker versus Live Poker
Edited reviewed in-house372 wordsby the EasyPlay.Vegas desk
Having been in and around poker for 10 years I always thought I preferred live play over playing on the internet as that’s how I learned the game before there ever was internet poker. However, I’ve been playing quite a lot of poker recently, both live and online, and I have to say I now think I prefer to play online. Let me tell you why:
21+ No operator we name holds a licence from a state regulator, and what you are allowed to play is settled by the state you sit in, not by us. This desk books no wagers, holds no balances and deals no cards — every button hands you over to the operator, and the terms you agree to there are the operator’s own. Conditions ride on every offer. Who pays this site, and for what.
Casino sites with a welcome from a $20 deposit
What put each of these rooms on this page, and what its welcome offer demands in exchange. A commission reaches us if you open an account; every figure is the operator’s own.
- 1
Welcome from a $20 deposit
250% up to $1,500 on the first deposit
- Minimum deposit
- $20
- Wagering
- 40x on bonus plus deposit
- Licence on record
- Curacao
- Running since
- 2016
- The catch
- Wagering is 40x — nothing on this list asks for more.
- 2
Welcome from a $20 deposit
245% + 55 free spins
- Minimum deposit
- $10
- Wagering
- 40x
- Free spins
- 55
- The catch
- Our record names no licence for this operator at all.
- 3
Welcome from a $20 deposit
200% up to $500 on the first deposit
- Minimum deposit
- $20
- Wagering
- 40x
- Running since
- 2013
- The catch
- We hold one independent record of this operator, which is thin for this list.
- 4
Welcome from a $20 deposit
230% match up to $20,000 across the welcome package, code ROYALSHOW
- Minimum deposit
- $10
- Wagering
- 40x on bonus plus deposit
- Licence on record
- Government of Anjouan (Union of Comoros), Curacao eGaming
- Running since
- 2020
- The catch
- The operator has only been running since 2020 — a short record next to the rest of this list.
- 5
Welcome from a $20 deposit
100% up to $2,000 + 20 free spins on the first deposit
- Minimum deposit
- $20
- Wagering
- 35x on bonus plus deposit
- Free spins
- 20
- Running since
- 2013
- The catch
- No crypto payout is listed in our record — card and wire only.
- 6
Welcome from a $20 deposit
100% up to $1,000 on the first deposit with code CAWELCOME100
- Minimum deposit
- $20
- Wagering
- 25x on bonus plus deposit
- Licence on record
- Curacao
- Running since
- 2011
- The catch
- We have not tested a withdrawal at Bovada Casino ourselves.
- 7
Welcome from a $20 deposit
Welcome offer up to $8,000 across the first four deposits
- Minimum deposit
- $10
- Wagering
- 30x
- Licence on record
- Anjouan, Comoros Gambling License Authority
- Running since
- 2019
- The catch
- We hold no independent record of this operator beyond its own pages.
- 8
Welcome from a $20 deposit
250 free spins on the first deposit, 25 per day for 10 days
- Minimum deposit
- $20
- Wagering
- 1x on the deposit
- Free spins
- 250
- Licence on record
- Panama Gaming Commission
- The catch
- We hold two independent records of this operator, which is thin for this list.
- 9
Welcome from a $20 deposit
125% up to $1,000 on the first deposit with code SIGNUP1000
- Minimum deposit
- $20
- Wagering
- 30x on bonus plus deposit
- Licence on record
- Curacao, Saint Kitts And Nevis
- Running since
- 1996
- The catch
- No poker room sits behind this account.
- 10
Welcome from a $20 deposit
Crypto welcome: 300% up to $3,000 split between casino and poker
- Minimum deposit
- $20
- Wagering
- 25x
- Licence on record
- Curacao
- Running since
- 2016
- The catch
- Casino only: there is no sportsbook on the same wallet.
Every room above accepts deposits from the United States and keeps the account in US dollars. Not one holds a licence from a US state regulator; a licence our record does name is printed in that room’s card. A commission reaches us if you open an account, and every figure above is the operator’s own — read yours in their cashier before paying anything in, and our procedure says what this list is and is not.
Online Poker versus Live Poker – Dave Tarbet
- The speed of the game. With Online Poker you can play a minimum of 60 hands per hour on a 10 handed No Limit Hold’em table. Compare this with about 30 hands per hour in a live game. And that’s with a good dealer.
- Live you can only play one table, although I have on occasions seen players try and play two! Online you can play up to 8 tables at once.
- There are no dealer errors online. No misdeals, no exposed cards and you always know exactly how much is in the pot and how much the other players have in front of them. And you don’t have to tip the dealer!
- The rake is a lot lower online. Land Based Casinos have to charge more because they have more costs and not as many tables.
- Tournaments start every 10 minutes as opposed to only one or two per day in a real casino.
- You can play naked if you want! And if you haven’t done this you really should try it!
- The online poker room is always open and in a very convenient location. You don’t have to worry about driving to your local casino or trying to get even before they close at 4am.
- Lastly, and most importantly, is the amount of players in an online cardroom compared to a real cardroom. How many players can your local cardroom accommodate? 100, 200 or even 500, it’s nothing when you have online rooms with 50,000+ players. What this means is that you can always get a game at the time you want and at the limits you want. There are always new players to keep the games going and fill the empty seats.
In fact the only thing I miss about playing online are the hot cocktail waitresses in skimpy outfits! ( I hope my wife isn’t reading this ) Seriously though, although you may not be able to look your opponents in the eye, I think it’s a small price to pay for all the obvious advantages of playing online. So until next time check the auto post blinds box and move the raising bar all the way to the end.
