{"id":22433,"date":"2024-07-17T04:39:01","date_gmt":"2024-07-17T09:39:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/?p=22433"},"modified":"2024-08-15T03:33:13","modified_gmt":"2024-08-15T08:33:13","slug":"online-vs-live-poker","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/online-vs-live-poker\/","title":{"rendered":"Online Poker vs Live Poker: 9 Key Differences You Need To Know"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Although No-Limit Hold\u2019em and all other poker variations have the same rules<\/a> and strategy principles both live and online, there are still some major differences that you should know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While I wouldn\u2019t go as far as saying they’re completely different games, a live player trying their hand online (and vice versa) could be in for quite a surprise. The goal of this article is to emphasize some of the biggest differences between live and online poker games, which should make the transition easier. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Knowing the main differences can help you adjust much faster and boost your win-rate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019ve played NL200 or higher stakes online,\nor heard the stories about it, you\u2019re probably aware these games are tough. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Here you\u2019ll find dedicated grinders who know\nthe strategy and don\u2019t make many mistakes. Beating online cash games at these\nstakes requires a lot<\/em> of work of the tables.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Live games at the same or similar level, on the other hand, are a lot easier. A decent NL10 online grinder will be a favorite in most NL200 live games. That’s because most casinos don\u2019t spread anything below NL200 (it\u2019s not financially viable), so everyone who wants to play poker has to play these stakes or higher. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Online, you can play as low as NL5 if you simply want to have some fun, and many recreational players choose this option. Because of this, you won\u2019t find many people just looking to blow off some steam in NL200 games online, while you can find plenty of such players in a live setting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Of course, it works both ways. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A decent winner in their local 1\/2 game sitting down at the same stakes online can be in for a rough ride. Therefore, when transitioning from one setting to another, be sure to choose an appropriate stake<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Online players are used to playing several tables at once and seeing hundreds of hands per hour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With live games, you are limited to just one table, and the pace of that table will also be much slower than any online game you\u2019ve ever played. You can expect to see only 30-40 hands an hour at most live games. There are several reasons for this. <\/p>\n\n\n\n First of all, it takes a live dealer some time to shuffle<\/a> and deal cards, collect chips, distribute pots, etc. Secondly, a lot of live players like to take their time and aren\u2019t necessarily just focused on playing, especially at lower stakes. Many of them are there to have fun, laugh, and talk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you come from an online background this can be quite annoying, but that is the reality of the game and you can\u2019t do much about it. So it\u2019s better to know this in advance and come prepared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the biggest differences between live and online poker<\/a> is the presence of physical reads in the former. <\/p>\n\n\n\n While some people think poker tells are overrated, I tend to disagree. I\u2019m not saying that live reads are the most important part of poker strategy, but they can be quite significant in large pots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Many recreational players give away a lot of information about the strength of their hand, so if you put enough attention into it, you\u2019ll be able to figure them out. Some slam chips when bluffing, while others only talk when holding a strong hand or do something else that gives away information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once you pick up on certain poker tells<\/a>, you can get involved in more pots against these players and increase your edge even more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Whether it\u2019s tournaments or cash games, be prepared for more multiway scenarios in live games. In online poker, people will often fold their bad hands and move on to the next table. <\/p>\n\n\n\n However, live players are forced to sit at a\nsingle table and choose to get involved with a lot of speculative hands, just\nbecause they don\u2019t want to be bored and keep folding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cold-calling 3-bets is not uncommon in lower stakes games. While you\u2019ll rarely see these moves online, people will routinely do it in a live game, followed by several other players joining the action. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Since there is no way around it, you\u2019ll need to handle these multiway pots and make necessary changes to your strategy. So, you\u2019ll need to be patient and wait for really good spots to get your money in ahead and make some disciplined laydowns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you try opening for 5x in any decent online game, you can expect to get called only by the top of your opponent\u2019s range. Contrary to this, live players don\u2019t care as much about the sizing as they do about their hands. <\/p>\n\n\n\n What I mean is that if they like their hand, they will call your 3x, 5x, and sometimes even 10x open. So, you should experiment with your preflop raises to figure out how much your opponents are ready to pay and then take advantage of that information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can also vary your postflop bet sizes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n People often don\u2019t pay attention to sizing, and you can get away with really small bets when you\u2019re trying to control the pot or really big bets when you\u2019re going for value. It’s nice that you don\u2019t have to worry about balancing all that much in live games. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Unless you\u2019re playing against a particularly tough lineup, no one will see what you\u2019re doing. And, if you\u2019re up against tough opponents, get up and find an easier game; it shouldn\u2019t be hard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you\u2019re playing online, you are just one of many other players for your opponent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As such, you\u2019ll hardly get noticed unless you\u2019re making some really big mistakes or giving a particular player a very hard time. However, its completely different in live games. <\/p>\n\n\n\n People spend several hours sitting with the same players, so naturally, they see what you\u2019re doing and try to figure out your strategy – sometimes even subconsciously. Therefore, building your image for a single session (or even for the long run if you\u2019re playing against the same players) can be beneficial. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, if live players tag you as a big bluffer, it\u2019ll take a lot of convincing to change their minds. No matter how often you turn the nuts<\/a> on the river, those few big bluffs you ran will stick in their minds for a long time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n There are no set rules as to what you should or shouldn\u2019t do when building your image. The only important thing is to be aware of what people are likely to think about you and then take advantage of that perception by doing things they don\u2019t<\/strong> expect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Although live games are much softer, it doesn\u2019t mean that you will win more money by playing live instead of online. While your win-rate in terms of BB\/100 will likely go up quite significantly, you\u2019ll play much fewer hands as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you win at 2BB\/100 online and play 600 hands\nan hour playing multiple tables, you\u2019ll need to win at least 12BB an hour in\nthe live setting to win the same amount. <\/p>\n\n\n\n1. Live Poker<\/strong><\/strong> Games Tend To Be Much Softer At Comparable Stakes<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
2. Live Poker<\/strong><\/strong> Games Move At A Much Slower Pace<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
3. Reads Can Play An Important Role In Live Poker<\/strong><\/strong> Games<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
4. You\u2019ll Play More Multiway Pots In Live Poker<\/strong> Games<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
5. You Can Take More Liberties With Bet Sizes In Live Poker<\/strong> Games<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
6. You Can Easily Take Advantage Of Your Table Image In Live Poker<\/strong> Games<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
7. You Can Have A Bigger Win Rate In Live Poker Games But Make More Money Per Hour Online<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n