It is obvious that technology has changed the face of poker. Before online poker rooms, new players could only play competitively at casinos or in private games. This can be intimidating for a beginner and put a lot of people off playing.

Since online poker became popular however, the game has become main stream. People from all backgrounds can play the game from the comfort of their own homes. They can play for big bucks or just pennies. Also they do not have to be in the room with their competitors. Some may say this is a bad thing as reading your opponents by their body language has gone out of the window. For many people however this less intimidating approach is preferred, especially if you are a beginner.

Technology is also changing poker in other ways though. Much of poker is all about maths. Pot odds, the odds of your cards beating your opponents, the chance of getting that ace you need, these all involve mathematical calculations. To an experienced player, they may be so used to doing these calculations in their head that they forget they are doing them. To a new player, these can seem tricky and often you can be spending so much time concentrating on this maths that you can lose sight of the bigger picture. This can leave you with too much to do between turns resulting in silly mistakes and missing key signs from your rivals.

There are however a growing number of poker tools available to the online poker player. These tools can take the number crunching out of the game. These tools read the information that is on screen so you don't have to input data during play. They can then tell you pot odds, the number of outs available to you and much more. Some run Monte Carlo simulations which can tell you the chance of your hand winning. This can all be done much quicker and more accurately than any human. Even for an experienced play this frees up the mind and allows you to concentrate on all other aspects of the game.

Some of the newer generation of poker tools have can even offer strategic advice. These have been developed with the help of professional player and can guide you based on the teachings of that professional.

Some may consider these poker tools to be cheating. Although some poker rooms may forbid the use of such aids, the majority do not. When it comes down to it, poker is about winning and any legal edge you can gain over your opponents you should get. You may feel that you will be fine without them but these tools are only going to get better and if you aren't using them, the chances are many of your opponents are.