If you want to play online poker seriously, you’re going to need a real battle station. Here’s how!
For a recreational player, just the presence of a screen and a mouse is enough to start an online poker session. But, if you want to take this game seriously, you need not only a good strategy, but also a proper setup. It is well known that most poker players are not only present at a single table during the session, but play different tournaments and cash tables simultaneously. This can only be done through a modern build, which manage to run the game windows without any problems.
That’s Amazing – But How About That Battle Station?
The first thing you are going to need is a decent PC, preferably a desktop machine as it is much more difficult to connect several monitors and peripherals to a modern laptop – something we’ll get to shortly.
You don’t need the most expensive CPU on the market, but you will certainly want something of reasonable specification. The AMD Ryzen 5 3500x would make an excellent choice for a poker rig, with 6 cores at 4.1ghz at a very reasonable price. You can usually pick up a 3500x for less than $160. If you prefer Intel, go for the Core i5 10400 instead.
Be sure to pick the right motherboard and memory to match the CPU you buy – not all parts will work together. If you are unsure checking out dedicated websites as these can tell you if the parts you intend to purchase will be compatible.
Other components you will need are a fast SSD – go for M.2. Buy a nice case too, and a graphics card. The graphics card is a key item, but you don’t need anything too high spec just to play poker. The RX580/RX590 cards from AMD are a little old now but would be perfect for a poker rig.
I’ve Built the Tower – What Next?
Playing many tables at once requires lots of screen real estate, so you ideally want one or more monitors with very high resolution. Refresh rate is not important unless you intend to play regular games on the machine as well. Ultrawide monitors would be a perfect choice, such as the MSI Optix MAG341CQ. This 34-inch monster has a resolution of 3440×1440, perfect for multi-tabling.
One of these monitors would be great, whilst two would be perfect. You should have no problem displaying twelve tables on each screen without having to squint if you go for something like this – perfect for a rig who intends to grind their way through lots of cash games simultaneously.
Be sure to buy high-quality peripherals too – a mechanical keyboard will ensure you make fewer mistakes, whilst a high-quality wireless mouse will save you hours of frustration. Get yourself a decent desk and a gaming chair too – perhaps something from DX Racer.
Oh my … This Setup is Amazing! But Where Should I Play?
Online poker ended up in a stagnant phase after the “Moneymaker Effect” finally wore off. Few people were playing, some sites were infested with robot players, and software known as “HUD’s” began to be used by everyone serious about the game. These HUDs gave players a huge advantage by tracking the activity of other players but soon made the game feel unfairly difficult to casual players who didn’t know about HUD software.
Whilst many poker sites were reluctant to change their rules or platform, Unibet, an important name when it comes to Online Poker in Canada, went in a completely different direction. They developed their brand-new poker software from scratch, which was incompatible with all existing HUD software and also allows you to change your table identity frequently. These changes make it impossible to track specific players between games and tables, ensuring that no one player has an unfair advantage over another.
As a result, Unibet Canada has become one of the best sites in the world for recreational players. They offer a wide variety of stakes and freeroll tournaments for regular players, too. They haven’t yet acquired the huge userbase that some other sites have, but you will always be able to find a game that interests you. Tournament players are well catered for too, with lots of huge prizes on offer daily. If you want to make the most of your newly created battle station, you won’t find a fairer game of online poker anywhere else.
