Beginner Insights for Those Thinking about Transitioning From poker To Live Poker Thursday, December 10th, 2020 | Written by Renee
The rules of poker don’t change whether you are playing live poker or online poker. A similar set of rules and strategy principles apply according to the poker variant you’re playing. For this reason, an online player can also play at a casino and vice-versa, as their skills and knowledge of the game are adaptable in both settings.
But while this is the case, there are still some major differences that transitioning players need to consider, especially with regards to the environment, as well as the types of players they’ll be up against.
For example, if you’ve been playing online poker using data kamboja for quite a while and are planning to try your hand playing live games, you must brace yourself for a brand new atmosphere, with features that are new to you. This means that you must consider adjusting your strategy to keep up with your opponents. But before anything else, you must familiarize yourself with the major differences between playing poker live and online.
Physical Reads Are Important in Live Poker
The moment you sit down at the poker table inside a singapore online casino, you’re unconsciously giving your opponents an idea of the type of player that you are. That is because in live poker, players observe each other – their facial expressions, body language, their mannerisms, and the way they talk. This is not how it works online where all you see are avatars.
The behavior of a live player gives away a lot of information. Physical reads play an important role in live poker, so you should try your best to control your emotions and not let them spoil your play. Similarly, pay close attention to the actions of your opponents. Is someone acting differently when they bluff and when they have a strong hand? You should take note of that and adjust your game accordingly.
Live Games Are Played at a Slower Pace
Since online games are basically played with the help of a software, players can play hundreds of hands per hour and switch between tables simultaneously. Because of this, the games are much faster. This is in contrast to a live streaming app showbox where you can only play at one table. So expect the games to be much slower at a casino.
Usually, live players are only able to play around 30-40 hands per hour, and this boils down to a number of factors – the game is facilitated by a live dealer who is tasked with shuffling and dealing the cards, distributing the pots, and collecting the chips.
These tasks take time. Also, some players, especially those whose main purpose is simply to have fun, will want to have some chit chat here and there in the middle of the game. This might annoy you, but you just need to deal with it.
Live Players Aren’t Too Conscious About Bet Sizing
You will also discover that live poker players are flexible with their bet sizing, and assuming that they have very strong hands, if you open for up to 10x, they’ll call you. Things are different online, as players usually do not go beyond their range. In live poker, players aren’t too conscious about sizing and bets, so try to adjust your play by trying different reflow raises and post flop bet sizes and collect information from there.
Live Games Tend to be Softer
A major difference between playing live poker and online poker is that the live games are not quite as tough as online games. For this reason, the strategy will be soft and loose especially in live cash games. Things are tighter in tournaments, but in general, live games are arguably softer. So you can achieve a bigger win rate playing at a casino, but do take note that that the size of your winnings could be much smaller compared to playing online.
Another thing to remember is that you’ll potentially play higher rake in live games than in online games. So forget about the online rakes that you used to complain about; rakes charged by casinos are much higher, so be prepared for that.