Which one is better, live poker or online poker? There have been plenty of opinions from both sides of the discussion.
Live poker has been established long before. However, the new phase of the game starting from the mid-2000s has been fuelled by the advent of online poker and has led to a crop of players who prefer online poker than live poker.
Whether you’re playing poker in a casino or on your phone, the same poker rules are still used. Players gamble on, bluff, and also get bad beats in both games.
Several of the skills built in one game system could still simply be passed on to the other.
Other players have stated that the games can’t be different. It’s kind of like making comparisons between an actual chess game and online chess, as many people have observed.
Online poker is a video game and live poker is more sports-related.
Everything is a little different in reality and most poker professionals are now engaged in both live and online poker games.
In this post, we will compare live and online poker, taking a look at a variety of different areas. We will also look at how these two choices impact players, based on their differences and advantages.
1. Game Speed
A standard live, full ring poker game takes 25 to 30 hands every hour. Plus, it takes a lot of time to resolve short-term variance.
To reach their true winning levels, Cash game players would have to play several more hours of live poker than in online poker.
Live players may never play sufficient tournaments to solve the extremely competitive multi-table tournaments.
Online poker is much quicker in the long run. A standard full ring online poker game generates 60-80 hands an hour and some websites can handle up to 90 hands an hour for a six maximum game.
These numbers are for single table only. Multi-table online poker is possible and an accomplished multi-table player can cross hundreds of hands an hour or even thousands in a day.
Perhaps you don’t think this speed-up is a huge deal, but it is. For many, playing more hands will potentially make more money, and even if you only play for fun, you probably will enjoy more while playing high pace games.
The slow pace can be very frustrating in the live setting, especially if you don’t get strong cards.
2. Variety of Games
The variety of games on the poker websites is not even comparable with what you would find in a live poker setting. There are many different games available online, while even in the largest live poker rooms, the choices are typically very limited.
For any live poker room, you are limited to the cash game variants the property provides and are tied to the tournament rules of that room.
Live game options include full ring, six-max game, and fast-fold, while turbo systems, rebuys, and additions, large-scale fields with massive guaranteed prize pool are offered in tournaments.
3. Stakes Range
Another great benefit of online play is that there is a wide range of stakes across all budgets. You play cash games with blinds as low as $0.01 or $0.02 and tournaments as low as one dollar.
For those who want to spend large amounts and anything in between is also covered, plus plenty of high stakes are also open.
This goes against the standard live poker room. Many places have very limited stakes and even the larger rooms have a more diverse range that does not match the online poker variety.
4. Convenience Factor
It’s certainly easier to play online poker than playing live, particularly if you don’t live near casinos or any poker room. You do not have to travel because you can play anytime you want by launching your computer or logging into the app.
Many sites also require you to play on a mobile device these days, so even when you’re out, you can squeeze in between some poker session.
Online play is a far more pleasant experience. The chairs are not inherently uncomfortable in the majority of poker rooms, but this does not equate with the relaxation you get when you play at home.
When you’re playing online, you can sit or lie anywhere you want, and you don’t need to dress up.
You need to follow strict dress codes at casinos. You also have to take into account the arrival and departure times.
Some people love and enjoy the appeal and excitement of a casino, while others prefer to lie on the couch and play poker comfortably.
5. Availability of the Game
Around the world, most live poker rooms are open for certain hours only. And those that are available 24 hours a day can not guarantee that you will find games to participate always.
It is very possible that at the time of your visit, only one tournament is going but you are too late to participate. Or there could be a long waiting list of other players vying for a seat for a cash game table.
6. Hand History Records
Most poker sites have prohibited the use of HUDs or heads-up displays such as PokerTracker & Hold’em Manager. However, HUDs remain accessible on certain sites and can still be a valuable tool for monitoring the patterns of your opponents that is not possible in the world of live poker.
Nearly all online poker sites maintain records of all hands played. After your sessions, you can view these hand histories and evaluate with every detail your hands.
With these hand histories, you can share data of your hands and strengthen your game through poker forums and asking advice from your poker friends.
