Online Poker vs Live Poker – Main differences and How To Choose One to Play
There is a popular opinion that playing live poker or playing online are two very different things. More so, some people even argue that they are actually two different games instead of two different dimensions of the same discipline. Stories were heard from professionals in the brick-and-mortar gambling world who tried their luck online and were not doing well. Then there were online avid gamers who showed up at live events and had problems with the handling of the cards or with the label of the game.
So if you are unsure about which type of poker to lean towards – virtual or traditional – in this article, we tell you what the differences are between online and casino games and how to adjust to them to win.
Key Differences Between Online and Live Poker
When entering the world of poker, whether online or offline, it is important to know its ins and outs in order to make a good decision. Here are some of the fundamental variances when it comes digital and live versions of poker:
Different Formats
In the land-based establishment, the majority of the time you will have the option to play tournaments or cash games, in Texas Hold’em and Omaha, six-handed and nine-handed poker. But there are usually more options when it comes to live casino games, where there is a wide variety of alternatives. Among them, Stud and Badugi, three-max, short-deck, heads-up games, and innovative variants such as fast-fold and Razz, among others.
Level of Difficulty
Given the fact that virtual poker is much faster in terms of gameplay, you will have no choice but to make quick decisions, which forces you to be more skilled because the hand is played in an instant. Besides that, you can play more hands in a single day online than in a whole month at the physical house.
To put it differently, casino users see poker as a social activity, while online gamblers are strategic. They are used to thinking quickly and playing more hands, so they accumulate more experience. That explains why the online mode of the card game is widely considered to be more difficult and skill-intensive.
Post Flops
Casino players are usually lazier than online players with their preflop calls, but post flops tend to be different. Online players are more likely to make large postflop calls with weak hands or medium strength than what usually happens in the casino. This means that big lanterns tend to happen more often in the casino than what happens online.
This trend could be justified by the fact that for many players it is easier to press a button than to make a difficult call live. The fact of not having to endure in person the shame of making mistakes makes it easier to make those decisions online.
Accessibility
Accessibility is another factor that is worth paying attention to when choosing between two modes of poker. It is likely that you may have trouble finding a free seat at a live poker table, unless you choose to play at a table in Sin City, of course.
And if you are a fan of the classic five-card game, for example, video poker is the last place left for you. Across the web, you can play around the clock, from anywhere, and you can do that for bets as small as five cents a hand.
Flexibility
As mentioned above, in the online game mode there is the possibility of playing some hands on a table and then going to another room to play against other adversaries.
If you don't find the game interesting or prefer something else, you just have to leave the table and go to another one. However, since there is no direct and physical contact with the table opponents, you must have more game strategy.
Simpler Strategies
It may sound counter-intuitive but video poker can be played with much simpler strategies. Despite being more difficult and skill-intensive, the games there are played with five or more randomly distributed cards where you only have to make a decision during the hand: which of the five cards you should keep. You can learn a basic strategy for each game in a matter of minutes and you can even have a cheat sheet with you while you play.
Online Poker vs Offline Poker: Which is Best to Choose
To top everything up, it should be clear that virtually all the choices of your liking will be included in the online poker offer of the best gambling establishments. This is mainly due to the existence of smartphones and the appearance of mobile apps have also made things easier for online poker.
Playing online is much more comfortable since you can play from the living room of your home without the need to move to a traditional game room. That said, if you are looking for social contact and interaction with other people at a live poker table, opt for the offline version of the game instead. For some people, there is nothing like receiving cards, lifting them and looking at them, playing with the token towers and having good conversations at the table.
