Online poker
and most of the new generation of poker players play almost exclusively
online and have never seen or played in a live cash game. Back in the days
before poker became a global phenomenon, it was only played in brick and
mortar card rooms, casinos or illegal card rooms there was no internet poker
and the game was played in its original plain way. While the Internet poker
may be convenient, accessible and extremely fast paced, all factors that
allow you to maximize your profit quickly and efficiently, there is simply
nothing like a good live poker. Personally, I have to get away from the
constant stress of online poker now and then and get my much needed dose of
live poker, regardless of the fact you get to hang out and meet new people
or maybe for you to read and analyze your opponents more accurately, poker
is a game that is enjoyed most while playing live. If you have never played
live cash game or do not have at your local casino for a while so there are
some adjustments you have to make to your game before you step into a live
poker.
The first adjustment you need to do is to tighten up and not play too many
hands in online poker pace is very fast and you will see about 50-70 hands
per hour, while in a live casino, you usually have a reseller and you will
only about 20-30 hands per hour. What does that mean for you ?, and an
online player, you're probably accustomed to fast paced and maybe play more
than one table, which means you are used to seeing over 150 hands an hour.
Of these 150 hands most are folded and you probably win around 4-5 big pots
in a few hours, but in brick and mortar casinos where the pace is much
slower, you might only win 1-2 big hands in an hour and get garbage hands
for an hour straight. So you have to be much more patient and adjust to
slower pace, you can not get bored and start playing too many hands. A lot
of tight internet players will approach a live game, and engage in numerous
hands with a weak system just because they are sick of folding. If you can
not adapt to the different pace of the game then you will give up a
significant part of your edge and give the other players at the table, a
significant advantage.
The next thing you should be ready for the live poker is some ridiculous bad
beats, I do not know if it's the atmosphere in the casino or whatever, but
people tend to play a lot more when they play live. Do not be surprised to
see people chasing ladder gut shot or call the river with pocket 4s and then
hit her in the river to crack your AK, will lose players in the casino
chasing long shot draws and if they miraculously suck if you do not
immediately go on tilt. Remember, in the long run your stronger hands will
hold up against these loose players and eventually to get a lot more money
than them, smoothes luck factor in poker always like to continue to play a
solid game and you will reap the rewards.