Back in 1993, when Magic: The Gathering first came out, many people thought the game was just a fad and would die out in a little while. However, the game proved everyone wrong and became a sensation pretty quickly. There's a lot that makes this a loved game among fans of card games. To this day, the game is very popular and has now been converted into a digital version, named MTG Arena, of itself to be more accessible for everyone. Another interesting thing about Magic The Gathering is that many people think it is very similar to poker. With the rise of web-based casinos and virtual poker, the comparison between MTG Arena and poker would be an interesting one. So, before you head to a review of the best payout online casino in Canada to see where you should be playing some good old poker, maybe consider giving the new kid on the block a shot too. You never know, the commonalities between the two might give you a reason to play some Magic instead. But first, let's take a look at what MTGA really is.

A Brief Introduction to MTGA

MTG Arena, or MTGA, is the web-based version of the popular Magic game. It is essentially a card game that allows players to collect cards from a massive library to cards. There are new ones added every few months so there's much to collect from. The digital version of the title means that more players from around the world can play the game and take part in competitions. It can be streamed, much like other card games like Hearthstone. Competitive tournaments and matches can be held on a regular basis too. This shift to a mobile version has also allowed the creators of Magic to make it fun to watch. They are expecting the matches to be streamed on Twitch with the fans watching from all over. This push can really take this title far and only time will tell if that does happen.

How to Play MTG

In MTG, you will play as a 'planeswalker' who is a powerful wizard. Your task is to fight others like you for glory and knowledge. Unlike titles like poker, an MTG casino deck consists of various weapons and spells that you can use to defeat your opponents and be victorious. That's essentially how these matches go, whether you play it physically or in its Arena version.

Similarities with Poker

To be honest, there are more dissimilarities between these two than there are similarities. Perhaps the biggest common aspect of the two is that they are both strategy-based. Just like poker players play by keeping a close eye on their opponents for slip-ups or hints about what they are planning or what cards they have, MTG players have to do the same. They are both very dependent on what hand you have and how well you are able to read the player across from you. In this main sense, winning poker and MTG can depend on very similar things like staying calm, not giving away what you have, and often bluffing to make the other person feel overconfident or confused.

Dissimilarities with Poker

The first difference between poker and MTG is in the decks. In all poker tournaments, you will be using the same 52 cards and the same rules. The strategies overall will stay the same and the odds of winning will depend largely on what you have in your hands and how well you can read others. Compare that to Arena and you have cards that are constantly changing. New ones are added on a very regular basis that can completely change the way you approach matches. In this way, every Arena tournament can be different from the previous one as new strategies are created based on the new releases. Another big difference is the amount of money involved. In poker, you have the chance to end up with lots more money than in Arena. If you start playing poker regularly and spend enough time learning it, you'll have bigger chances to get your hands on some money while an MTG player might be lucky to win a few thousand dollars every now and then. Another huge point of difference between these two is the social aspect. Those who love Magic often find the social aspect to be what pulls them further into this title. This is essentially a trading card title which means that players can enjoy not only taking part in matches but also collecting and trading what they have. This is one of the biggest differences between these two, as there's no such thing in poker. This fact also leads to another opportunity that Arena fans have. They can sell rare cards to make more money. Those like Black Lotus often sell for over a thousand dollars and some rare ones are sold for much more. For example, one collectible named Arabian Nights was sold for a whopping $95,000.

Conclusion

So, as you can see, there are many things different about poker and Arena. While you can play both of these now, they're different titles with different strategies and strengths. If you want to make money playing one of these, then poker is the better bet. If you want to have more fun by engaging with the community and collecting rare items, you might want to check out Arena. To compare poker and Arena is not an easy task though because while they do have some very closely connected things as far as the gameplay goes, the overall idea of both is very different. However, that's not to say that you can't experience both. Things you learn from poker can come in very handy when you play Arena, and vice versa. So, give them both a try and see which one you end up enjoying more.