Are Online Poker Rooms Rigged?
Internet poker rooms earn their profits by taking a commission from each round, so they are totally disinterested in how well individual players do. None of the money you win comes from the house. Therefore, contrary to the complaints of some who’ve had bad poker experiences, it’s very doubtful (and certainly not logical) that the games would be rigged. The only potential for cheating is on the part of players colluding with one another. Most Internet poker rooms are very thorough about monitoring for collusion and removing suspicious players. They are very thorough when it come to keeping things clean.
Depositing and Withdrawing Money
Gambling sites are online merchants, similar to Amazon.com or Netflix or any other Web site where goods orservices can be purchased. They offer a variety of payment options, although credit cards and e-cash are the most common. Think of it as purchasing a service. The customer (the gambler) logs onto a secure server and transfers money to the merchant (the online gambling site). This is done by filling out an online form, of which the required fields typically include name, address and phone number, plus the account number for the chosen payment mechanism (credit card, debit, e-cash, etc.). When the form is submitted, the information is sent to the site operator, who despoits them into a playing account.
When you deposit money at an online gambling site, an account is set up and you gamble with that money. The account is accessed by entering a unique user ID and password. For all practical purposes, you’ve purchased a stack of virtual chips, and if you gamble it away, you can deposit more money into the account using the same technique. Additional transactions (withdrawals and deposits) are made through the cashier page, which is typically accessible through the site’s main menu or index page. The main difference between online gambling sites and common online retailers is that gambling sites have to provide a means of withdrawing money. It’s the equivalent of cashing in your chips. It’s a much more enjoyable process for obvious reasons, but it’s also easier because the site’s operator already has your banking information.
Gambling sites typically give customers several cash-out options, including bank drafts, wire transfers, and the transfer of funds back inot an account set up by a third-party procesor such as Netellern or Firepay.
Software Considerations
Internet casino operators deliver their products using two general types of software: games that reside primarily on the server (the Web site host’s computer) and games that reside primarily on the client’s computer (the computer of the gambler).
Server Games
Server games are played in your Web browser. You register and fund your account using the casino’s Web site and enter the games without ever leaving the browser. The most common platforms use Java and Flash technology.
The Advantages - You can play immediately, you don’t have to install software onto your machine, and you can play from any computer with capable Internet browsing software.
The Disadvantages - Game play is often a little slower, the graphics, sounds, and animations are often inferior to those of client games, and you have to go through the casino’s Web site every time you want to play.
Client Games
Client games are generated by unique software applications. The player downloads these free-standing programs from the casino’s Web site and then installs it onto his computer. To enter the casino, the player launches the software by clicking an icon, rather than bringing up the games in a browser through the casino’s Web site.
The Advantages - The graphics, animations, and sounds are much more robust, and the game play is much quicker. Plus, you can launch the casino application from your desktop without having to go through your Web browser.
The Disadvantages - Forget about instant gratification. You have to go through the download and installation process prior to beginning play. You often have to download upgrades periodically as well. Further, the software takes up space on your hard drive and you can only play on computers on which the software has been installed.