There are a number of differences between playing live poker and online. Some of these differences aren’t a big deal, but others can have a significant impact on your profits. The good news is that the fundamental concepts of bluffing, value betting, and hand ranges are the same in both formats. The real difference is in the details, and these nuances can be the source of avoidable mistakes and losses.
The first difference between live and online is the pace of play. Live games tend to move much slower than online, mainly because the shuffling and dealing is done manually rather than by computer. In addition, players may spend time at the table chatting or watching sports on TV, which can make the game feel even slower than it actually is. This slow pace can be distracting and it’s easy to lose focus or get bored.
Another major difference is the amount of information that’s available to you at a live table. Online, the software tells you exactly how many chips your opponents have and the total pot size, but at a live table this info isn’t available to you. In fact, there are times when a player’s stack size is a mystery even to the dealer!
This makes it especially important to have solid math skills and a good understanding of poker odds when playing live. It’s also essential to be able to read tells well, but new live players often overestimate how much information they can pick up on. It’s best to avoid giving away any physical information, so be consistent with your movements and don’t be chatty at the table.
Additionally, live poker players often have a hard time reading their opponents’ behavior and adjusting to the different aggression levels that are prevalent at the table. The result is that some players go from a tight-aggressive style in online poker to a looser, more passive style at the live tables, which can lead to big losses if the adjustments aren’t made correctly.
One final difference is that live poker doesn’t offer the ability to multi-table, which makes acquiring a large sample of hands for studying winrates and variance difficult. Getting a meaningful sample of 100k hands takes a huge amount of poker play, which is not feasible for most live players.
There are a number of things that can help make the transition from online to live poker easier, including finding a coach, studying video tutorials, and learning through mistakes at the tables. These strategies will help you avoid the pitfalls that many players encounter when making this change and ensure that you’re ready to succeed at the live tables!