Online Poker vs. Casino Poker – What’s the Difference?
Australia online casinos offer multiple forms of table games in addition to online pokies. Many online casinos offer various forms of casino poker games. For those that are familiar with standard poker, you might think that this would be an easy way to make some money at online casinos, especially if you’re good at poker.
However, online casino poker games are very different than standard poker games and today we will take a look at some of the differences between standard poker and casino poker.
What is Casino Poker?
Many people will refer to poker games played at a casino as “casino poker,” but this is not the case. Casino poker refers to games that are offered in the pits of live casinos or as part of the table games at an online casino.
Casino poker games have many elements of standard poker but have one significant element. You are playing against the house rather than your other opponents. Games in poker rooms only use dealers to pitch cards and collect rake. They don’t actually participate in the game.
Casino poker games are very similar to games like blackjack where you’re playing against a dealer, and as we all know, the house almost always has the advantage in those forms of games.
Casino Poker is a Lot Faster to Play
If you like games with lots of action, then casino poker is going to be more your speed. In standard poker games, a single hand can take several minutes and if you are not in a hand, that’s a lot of downtime.
For casino poker games, most games take no more than a minute to play. You could reasonably get 50 or more hands in an hour in most casino poker games where you’re lucky to get 25 to 30 an hour in regular poker, and that’s assuming you have a lot of folding pre-flop or pre-draw.
Payouts Based on a Pay Table Rather Than Pot Size
In casino poker, you are not building a pot to win at the end of each hand. Rather, you are placing a fixed bet and then once the hand is over, winning hands are paid out based on a pay table. This is similar to blackjack.
For example, if you are playing Let it Ride Poker and get dealt two pair, you would win 2 to 1 on your bet. If you bet $5, you win $10 in addition to getting back your bet. In a standard poker game, you and your opponents would build a pot that you could win at the end of a hand.
Casino Poker Has Lower Bets
Generally, you can play a hand of casino poker for a lot less than you can regular poker. In regular poker, you are going to dedicate several dollars per hand that you play. Even in a $2-$4 Limit Hold’em game, you’re going to put up no less than $4 to play in a hand past the initial deal.
For most casino poker games, you can play for as little as $1. Online casino poker games may allow you to bet a lot less, sometimes as little as .10 to .25. While there are online poker games that offer micro stakes betting, you still have to commit about $5 to $10 per session. For casino poker games, you do not have the same forms of bankroll commitments.
No Separate Software Necessary
One of the biggest advantages of playing casino poker over standard online poker is that you do not need additional software to play the games. Once you’re signed up to play at the casino, you should be able to play all the casino poker games offered at online casinos.
Online poker typically requires you to download additional software or a separate poker client from the casino client. While there are browser versions of online poker rooms, they are often not as robust as online casinos, meaning your options for play will be limited.
To learn more about casino poker or to play casino poker games like Let it Ride or Texas Hold’em Poker, check out our list of recommended Australia online casinos.