There are great live poker players and there are great online poker players, but being one does not automatically mean you’re also the other.  Online and live poker have a number of important differences between them, and being aware of these separations can help players that started their poker careers online make a safe transition to live play.

The biggest change from online poker to live poker is the comfort factor.  Online poker offers the benefits of being able to play in your own on your own time under optimal conditions.  Making good calls and laydowns is easier online because the stress that inherently comes from playing live poker is greatly diminished while playing online.  When you can physically see your opponent, emotions play a much larger factor in your decisions.  Maybe this one player is very annoying, loud, and has been bullying you at the table.  Now when it comes time to make an all-in call or laydown, you’re likely to have other elements such as anger or the need to not want to be embarrassed at the table factoring into the decision you need to make.  This is why you need to make sure you are prepared for the social aspects of live poker when you venture out into that world.

Another big problem online poker players have in the transition to live play is that they lose confidence in their hands and strategies.  It’s much easier to make a mathematically correct tough call online than it is live, as it’s far simpler to click “call” on your screen then to physically grab chips and put them in the middle.  Because of this, you’ll see online players laying down big hands simply because they feel out of their comfort zone in a live atmosphere.  The best way to overcome this problem is to build confidence in your own game.  If making a certain move is mathematically correct online, it will likely be just as good of a play in a live setting.

Learn to downplay the fear and social aspects of live play and you’ll be able to successfully bring your online expertise into the real world.

This entry was posted on Thursday, October 15th, 2009 at 11:09 am and is filed under Online Poker, Poker Basics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.