While online and live poker follows the same rules, there are a few differences to keep in mind when switching from online to live.
In this article, we’ll discuss the differences between online and live poker, as well as five poker tips to help you make the transition as smooth as possible so you can start maximizing your earnings. So let’s get into it and look at the important details.
MAIN DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ONLINE AND LIVE POKER
Here are some distinctions between online and live poker:
In real life, you can try to read a player’s mannerisms. The only options for reads in online poker are the player’s bet sizing and playing ranges.
Speed: The number of hands per hour in online poker is much higher than in live poker.
Calculations: You can see the exact bet and stack sizes in online poker.
Online poker software allows you to calculate statistics on the players you are playing against. In reality, there is no such thing.
Number of Games: You can easily play multiple games online simultaneously, but live poker does not allow you to do so.
Now that we’ve identified the key differences let’s look at how to make the transition and beat your opponents on both fronts.
BE MUCH HARDER ON AGGRESSION
The majority of games played in casinos or at home will be driven by a few looser recreational players. The stronger live players and regs usually wait for these looser players to feed on them and have learned to be patient in doing so. On the other hand, solid fundamentals are typically lacking in their development.
This brings us to the first of three common errors made by live players that we can take advantage of.
TIGHTEN UP AGAINST 4-BETS
Unless you’re playing against a good live pro in a 4-bet, you can be fairly certain you’re playing against a much more value-heavy range than you would online.
Hands like A8s are 4-bet nearly 30% of the time, and Q9s and J9s are 4-bet nearly 20% of the time, according to the GTO range commonly used by online pros. Then, at a frequency, there are a slew of weaker semi-bluffs.
In reality, some live players only 4-bet with KK+, so think about laying down QQ or AK to a 4-bet. Your equity will usually not justify calling depending on the bet size and stacks behind. Even if your opponent occasionally 4-bets AKs, hands such as AQ and JJ perform poorly against their limited range and should be folded.
To online players, folding QQ to a 4-bet may seem absurd, but to be successful live, you must be able to make difficult laydowns pre-flop.
You should always be aware of your opponent’s tendencies, as a player may tire of your aggression and stage a fightback without the goods. You will have no trouble exploiting the table and game flow dynamics when you get good at live poker.
CHANGE THE PRE-FLOP, SIZE, AND LIMPING.
While limping is unusual in online poker, it can happen in live poker games. In addition, live players will frequently vary the size of their pre-flop raise. These actions are fantastic because they frequently reveal the player’s hand strength.
Quick live poker tip: Be cautious when playing hands like 56s in limped pots. Because they can avoid cooler situations and have the nuts more frequently, A4s are far superior.
In general, try to aggressively isolate a single limper to gain a heads-up position against a weaker opponent. Because a hand like KQ frequently dominates parts of your opponent’s limp-call range, using a linear range is a good strategy (Kxs, KT, etc.).
If players are limping in and folding to raises, you should broaden your raising range. Keep an eye on the number of players who have yet to make a move, as well as their likely perception of the situation. In the background, aggressive opponents may notice your actions and react accordingly.
PRE-FLOP WITH A TEN TIMES RAISE?
A 5x or even a 10x raise is not uncommon in live poker. Again, this provides valuable information about a player’s hand strength.
Perhaps 10x is a hand similar to TT, which raises larger because it is strong but frequently faces overcards post-flop. As a result, the recreational player’s thought process may include ensuring that the field is thinned or simply taking it down pre-flop.
Stay alert, and you’ll soon figure out what the various raise sizes mean.
When you are the one raising, you can also take advantage of this. For example, raising very large against some recreational players with very strong hands. This is a good way to increase your chances of winning the pot. And the size of the raise will not appear suspicious, as if you suddenly raised 8x online!
Quick live poker tip: Pre-flop and post-flop raise sizing can reveal a lot about an opponent’s hand. Recreational live players frequently bet in a size corresponding to their hand strength.
REGULARS OF OBSERVATION VS. IMAGE
Here, we have a similar element to online poker. In essence, we must anticipate how our adversaries will perceive us and then exploit that perception. If our image is shaky, we can expect to value bet thinner and be more cautious when bluffing.
If an opponent believes we are very tight, our aggressive play may be overlooked, and we can look to use some well-timed 3-or-4-bets or aggressive play post-flop.
Our image may naturally change during a session/s, in which case we must re-adjust. It is reciprocal, so you must be aware of what your opponent is thinking about you. It is usually more important against regulars because recreational players are less observant and less capable of adjusting.
5 TIPS FOR TRANSITING FROM ONLINE TO LIVE POKER
While the rules of online and live poker are the same, there are a few differences to consider when switching from online to live.
We’ll go over five poker tips in this article to help you make the transition as easy as possible so you can start maximizing your earnings as soon as possible. So let’s get right to the important stuff.
#1 TIP: BE PREPARED FOR THE SLOW PACE OF LIVE POKER.
If you used to play 50-100k hands or 200-300 tournaments per month online, you could expect to play the same number of hands or tournaments in a year of live poker.
This means fewer exciting hands, and cold deck streaks can last for days or even weeks (poker variance calculator).
Because play is slow, patience is an important live skill.
For extended periods of time, you must be able to maintain your focus and detect any tells or patterns at the table. Solid live poker players are both observant and patient, waiting for the right moment to take advantage of their opponents.
Good online players have become frustrated and over-enter the pot in order to play a few hands. Tilt has occurred as a result of a poor outcome.
The preceding points, as well as some additional helpful hints, are covered in the short video below.
Putting everyone on a hand range is a great way to practice staying focused while playing live poker. Try this street to street even if you’re not in hand. This way, you can improve your ability to read your opponents and be ready to exploit their tendencies when you’re in hand-to-hand combat.
#2 TIP: LOOK FOR SPOTS TO SHOW YOUR COMPETITORS. POST-FLOP
Online games are far less forgiving than live games. Players you face will not have such strong fundamentals, and because they have less experience in terms of the number of hands played in their lifetime, they will frequently be unsure how to play their hand on later streets.
This allows you to profit from the frequent huge mistakes made by live players. They are overly passive after a flop, which is a common characteristic. They’ll either miss obvious river value bets or get creative with their monster hands, allowing you to gain more equity and reach the showdown for less money.
Because they are afraid of skeletons in the closet, many live players miss out on easy value bets.
You can get away with pushing some player types out of the pot with pure aggression. Many live players, however, are unaccustomed to playing against aggressive opponents.
A maniac or whale, on the other hand, is much more likely to sit next to you at a live table than in an online game. Depending on the villain, you can make two simple adjustments to scoop up some nice pots: bet thinner for value or potentially call down lighter.
All of these arguments suggest that you should play more hands after the flop. So you can make the most of your opponents’ skill disparity.
#3 TIP: FOLD AGAINST RIVER AGGRESSION MORE OFTEN
In large pots, live players are hesitant to bluff the river because it puts a large portion of their stack at risk. As a result, they’re underbluffing the river, making ostensibly good bluff-catchers easy to avoid.
Even if the pot odds are favorable, you’ll do well in most live games by reducing your calling frequency against river bets or raises.
Of course, there are exceptions to this rule; some maniacs can’t stop bluffing. They’ll be spots where a call with more marginal holdings against those players will be profitable.
At times, their bluff frequency will be extremely high.
#4 TIP: USE IMAGES AND TEXT TO YOUR BENEFIT.
Phil Hellmuth believes that ‘white magic’ has played an important role in his poker success. And while it’s difficult to quantify, images and tells are undeniably important aspects of live poker.
Everything from table chat to table style can have an impact on how players react to you. That is, it has the ability to influence the outcome of a hand.
The opponent’s profile is important because the image is about how players react to you. Here are the two most common uses for your table image.
In this context, image manipulation can sometimes become more of an art form. Everything from your table conversation to how you bet to having recently shown down a memorable hand may have an impact on your opponent’s decision.
To put his opponents under pressure, William Kousouff employs speech play. At times, this can become aggressive and out of hand. I wouldn’t recommend it, but the point is to figure out what works best for you.
It’s perfectly acceptable to sit quietly and make sure you’re not sending any signals. You can still use an image in the ways described below, which are usually the most important.
TIP #5: IMAGE VS. OBSERVANT REGULARS
Here, we have a similar element to online poker. In essence, we must anticipate how our adversaries will perceive us and then exploit that perception. If our image is shaky, we can expect to value bet thinner and be more cautious when bluffing.
If an opponent believes we are very tight, our aggressive play may be overlooked, and we can look to use some well-timed 3-or-4-bets or aggressive play post-flop.
Our image may naturally change during a session/s, in which case we must re-adjust. It is reciprocal, so you must be aware of what your opponent is thinking about you. It is usually more important against regulars because recreational players are less observant and less capable of adjusting.
The video below discusses the image and emphasizes the key points we’ve covered.
TELLS IN ONLINE AND LIVE POKER
Obvious red flags are uncommon. Observations will almost always be pieced together over the course of a session or session.
Assume you notice a player bluffing by spending more time counting out his chips (a common tell). Then, when faced with a bet on the river, you may decide in a close decision where your hand combines a call and a fold to simply fold.
It is not always easy to look for tells, especially when you have other important decisions to make. I wouldn’t prioritize it over other important skills, such as determining the appropriate bet size.
Tells are underutilized at live tables these days due to the emphasis on GTO. It can, however, make a significant difference. Keep an eye out for tells if you’re at ease enough at the table to do so.
You can drastically reduce your learning curve if you can find a player who has been crushing live poker for a long time.
Learning from your mistakes is advantageous, but it is also an expensive and time-consuming method of transitioning from online to live. Having someone to talk strategy and hand histories with can be extremely helpful in getting up to speed quickly. Depending on your situation, hiring a coach may be a good option.
Ilija Jaksic
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