The best thing about online poker is the huge number of choices it gives the player. No wait, it’s the convenience. No, it’s the choices. I was right the first time.

You could make a case for either one. Online poker rooms have ridiculous amounts of traffic — usually counted in the thousands, or even tens of thousands. It’s usually a bunch of poker sites and even an online casino USA or two all networked together.

So what does this mean to you? Well, it means that you never have to ‘organize’ a poker game; there’s always one ready to go. And when I say ‘one’, I mean hundreds, with all sorts of different games, different limits, and players of vastly different skill sets.

So say it’s 3:43am, you’re wide-awake with less than fifteen bucks burning a hole in your pocket and you’re in the mood to play a little Omaha Hi-Lo with a bunch of sharks. No problem (well, you may have to talk the sharks into playing for those kinds of stakes, but let’s assume they’re also thrifty sharks)! Then, when you’re done with that, you can switch over to a quick sit-n-go Texas Hold’em match against a bunch of fish for some quick cash. Then you can get back to bed, if you like., or play a little online slots. It’s all good.

That’s variety and convenience right there. And guess what? You didn’t have to call around, get the word out, figure out a good time and place, find a replacement for Jimmy whose wife is pissed off at him, buy some beer and chips, find a replacement for Mike who was called in to work at the last minute, set up the table and find the cards and chips (they’re on the top shelf of your closet right next to that Christmas present that you never wear), et cetera, et cetera…

So that’s the deal about online poker rooms. Now, I can see your point about getting together with the guys. Sometimes you just need that. But if you want to play poker, fahgeddaboutit…