The future of online poker can be described in many different ways. Looking directly from a player's point of view, players have many more choices now then say five years ago.

Today, a player can choose from many different online poker rooms. Some of the big gusy are still around (Paradise Poker, Party Poker, Poker Stars, etc.) and other smaller rooms are gathering new players everyday. It seems the best way to get new players is to have a huge sign up bonus and many freerolls. A solid affiliate program is essential for the growth of a poker room. Just ask Party Poker!

Today, a player has a vast amount of games to choose from. No longer do you have to play limit Texas Holdem. Seven Card Stud, Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo, Omaha, and Omaha Hi/Lo are just a few of the games being offered today.

With the popularity of poker on television, poker rooms will improve their tournament structure. Currently, Poker Stars is known as the best tournament site strictly because of their tournament structure. Players don't have to worry about being blinded out early in a tournament because all tournaments start players with a significant amount of chips. This way, more skill is involved rather then going all in on the 10th hand of a tourney.

What will the future bring? It's difficult to tell. While many of the online poker rooms will be battling for customers, you can expect the software to improve greatly. I'd guess to say the poker room that comes out with the best software and is player friendly will dominate the market for many years. It helps to have a nice marketing budget as well.

About the author:

Rich Spaulding is a poker tutor for www.pokernoise.com. He has helped hundreds of players over the past three years and continues to teach.