- Online, the software guides you through the game, telling you when to act, what the action is up to that point, and how much you can bet. Whereas newcomers to a brick and mortar cardroom may find the structure of the game a little bewildering, perhaps being intimidated by the fear of acting out of turn or failing to bet the correct amount, the online game is a lot more straightforward for beginners. Online players are prompted automatically when it is their turn to act, and presented with a list of the betting options available.

- Online you always have clear information on everyone’s stack sizes, the pot size and the size of any side pots.
Whereas in live play it is easy to lose track of the exact size of the pot and perhaps not be able to see how many chips a player has left, this information is provided in clear fashion in the online game.

- Online games are much faster than live-action ones.
A computer can collect, shuffle and deal cards far faster than a human can, and there are no delays caused by the need to wait to change decks or dealers (or take a table charge), while there is also no reliance on a human dealer to work out who has won a pot or manage the chip division in a split pot. In addition, players generally act much faster online, since no-one has to count out their chips to place into the pot, and players can use ‘fold in turn’ and other advance-action boxes to speed up the game. Since there are no visual tells available, the game is also not slowed down by players looking around the table for clues on other player’s hands. Consequently, the faster sites are able to deal at least two to three times as many hands per hour as their brick and mortar counterparts, and even more for short-handed games.

- You don’t need to keep a ‘poker face’ online.
Unlike in a brick and mortar game, there is no necessity to conceal your emotions when you play online. You can jump up and down cheering when you hit a flop without giving away the strength of your hand, since the other players will be none the wiser. Conversely, you can shout and scream at your computer when someone draws out on you on the river, and no-one else will have any idea that you might be ’steaming’.

- Online shuffling results in a more random card distribution than can typically be achieved by a dealer.
Properly programmed computer shuffling software enables a fair and random shuffle without the appearance of clumps of the same cards, as can occasionally arise in live games. Furthermore, there is no risk that the dealer might rig the shuffle, accidentally flash a card or misdeal altogether, or of other players being able to mark the cards.

- Most online cardrooms provide the facility to review hand histories, and also offer note-taking facilities and statistics.
Once a hand has been played and mucked in a brick and mortar cardroom, there is rarely any accurate record of what occurred. However, online hand histories enable players to go back and review the hand, analysing both their own play and that of their opponents with a view to finding ways in which to improve their game. Many dedicated online players also choose to take advantage of the note-taking facilities and statistics functions that most online cardrooms provide.

- An online cardroom can review the record of every hand for possible cheating.
The hand history facility also allows cardrooms to go back and look at hands after they have been played, either to check for any possible collusion or to resolve any other issues that may have arisen. Once a hand has been irretrievably mucked in a live-action game, on the other hand, it is often impossible to reconstruct what occurred with perfect accuracy.