Online Poker Vs Real Poker
Ever since the poker boom in 2003, players have had two options for real money poker: at a traditional casino, or at an online poker room. Each option has its own advantages and disadvantages, and this presents players with an important decision when they decide where they're going to start their poker career. This article will look at both online and live poker games, and present an argument as to why you should at least try both options out.
Online poker, which takes the game to the internet and connects players from around the world to play and compete with one another in online casinos, can make a poor man rich on a lucky night. The money that is transferred in these online. Ignition’s Online Poker Tournaments. The online poker real money craze started with tournament poker, and Ignition Poker is proud to offer the No. 1 online poker tournament experience on the planet.
Differences in Setting
The most obvious difference between live and online poker is clearly the interactions between players. At a live poker table you're actually sitting down with your opponents, and can see them and talk to them. However, at (most) online poker tables the only way you can interact with opponents is through a chat box.
Although the setting seems like a pretty simple difference, it actually leads to many other major differences between the games. In live poker you're going to have a ton more information available to you because you're actually sitting down with the other players. Being able to see other players' body language, mannerisms, faces, and even hear them talk cues you in to what cards they're holding (if you know how to read live poker tells).
Online poker offers you less info about each situation, but more opportunities to play every single day.
Ok, so now that you know the differences, let's talk about the advantages of each variation.
Advantages of Live Poker
The biggest advantage of playing live poker is the wealth of information that each player has available to them. Many people underestimate how important it is to physically see the players across the table, but if you can see them, you can read them, and you can really beat them. Being able to read people is a great skill to have in poker that also applies to other areas in life, like business and social situations.
Besides the social interaction, we also love live poker because it makes you handle your money with more care. When you actually place your bills down on the table, and know that the cage is only a few feet away, it really makes you treat it as real money as opposed to playing online where your bankroll is just a number that takes days to cash out. Check out this article on 'Five Live Poker Myths' to learn more.
Advantages of Online Poker
Although online poker loses the physical tells of live poker, there are still some online poker tells to clue you in on your opponents, and besides the interaction between players there are tons of other advantages of online poker.
First of all, the game selection at online poker rooms is ridiculous. At a live poker room you can expect to find 10-100 tables of No Limit Hold'em, Limit Hold'em, Omaha, and perhaps a table or two of Stud. At an online poker room however, you can expect to find hundreds if not thousands of real money tables, offering all the normal games plus rare games such as Razz, 2-7 Triple Draw, and mixed games like H.O.R.S.E.
Also, these games are offered in a huge array of stakes, starting at micro stake tables like $0.01/$0.02 No Limit Hold'em. This is something you'd never see in a live casino, because they can't afford to pay a dealer to deal that small of a game. Another good example is heads up cash tables - that's something else that is only offered online.
Another advantage is the fact that online poker tournaments run 24/7/365, as opposed to the one or two daily poker tournaments most casinos offer. Also, tournaments are offered in stakes ranging from $0.10 to $10,000, so you get a lot more variety than at a live casino. Another tournament advantage is the fact that there are literally thousands of online tournaments every day, whereas at a live casino you could play maybe one or two tournaments per day. Learn more -> Five online poker myths.
If you're a serious poker player playing for a living, you might want to check out online poker because of the simple fact that you can multi-table, and that games are much faster (60ish hands per hour live, 100+ hands per hour online). Also, online poker rooms provide players with sign up poker bonuses that help you double your bankroll pretty quickly.
If you've decided you'd like to try out online poker, make sure to check out FullTiltPoker.com. They're our #1 rated online poker site, because they have smooth software, a big bonus, and great customer service.
Online Players vs. Live Players
This is more of a personal observation I've made, but it seems to me like there are some noticeable and consistent differences between online poker players and live poker players:
Aggression
I seem to notice that online players are much more aggressive than live poker players. This may just be because the games are faster, but I think it's because all the online poker forums promote a tight-aggressive style of play, and many players really take that over the top. Also, most live players read strategy books like Mason Malmuth's, and that promotes a less aggressive style of play.
Age
This is another discrepancy I've noticed by playing with both live and online players: Online poker players tend to be much younger than live poker players. This is most likely due to young players being more tech savvy, and old players being more traditional.
Online Video Poker Real Money
Further Reading:
For more information about live vs. online gambling, check out my buddy TJ's online casino guide, which discusses live vs. online casinos, poker rooms, and sports books.
More General Poker Strategy:
Free online poker can be very tempting and it's easy to understand why so many people play it. When there's no money being wagered, people that enjoy poker as a purely recreational activity can pass the time effortlessly, and that means that free games are frequently packed. They're a great way to learn the rules of any particular poker game, and it's always recommended that new players start with them, but after a while, you're going to need to improve your game, and that's something free play can't do.
Free poker Games Lack Realistic Gameplay
Online Poker Vs Real Poker Odds
Free poker games are very limited in how much they can teach a player beyond the basics and the ins and outs of any given online poker site's software. With no money on the line, free players tend to play every hand they're dealt. After all, there's no real consequence if they lose a batch of 'play money' because there's always more there for the clicking.
This is a marked contrast to real-money games where people are much more interested in getting the most out of good hands. When you play in real-money games, it's rare that you're holding a good hand and a board that matches up and someone goes buck wild and bets heavy with their off-suit low-ended connectors. That situation, though, happens constantly in free games.
Strategies Change from Play Money to Real Money Poker
Your focus on being loose in the pre-flop stage where your passable hand might become truly great and if the flop doesn't hit, you fold. This tightening up after the flop is actually quite different from how great real-money players approach the game, where they'll only play premium hands and then use the flop as a place to be aggressive and wean out the rest of the pack. Ready to try real money poker?
Holdem Poker Online
Being good at free-money games does not mean that you're a good poker player, any more than playing a game like Modern Warfare will mean you're ready to hit the ground in Afghanistan. Players that use free games only to learn the very basics and then move into lower-stakes cash games to improve their skill set are going to be much more prepared to win.
Online Poker Free
To get you started on your poker journey, you can read our Fixed Limit Poker Strategy for Beginners.