5 Ways to Transition into Live Poker

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Back before the Poker Boom, the only way to play poker was either in a casino, a home game, or an underground card room. Online poker changed that and some players have only played poker online.

If you play online poker exclusively, you may be considering a jump into the live poker arena. The jump may seem a bit scary, especially if you’re more of an introvert. However, it can be done. Today, we will go over the best ways to transition into live poker.

Home Games With Friends

If you’re more of an introvert, the prospect of playing poker in a live casino may be a bit too daunting. Another alternative would be to play in home games with friends or people you are already comfortable with. This will give you a chance to play live poker against other players, but without having to worry about awkward social interaction.

This is best suited for those that are shy and uncomfortable meeting new people. It’s also good in that you get some experience interacting with live chips and cards so that you don’t look like a total newbie at the poker tables.

Pub League Poker

There are many places that offer live poker tournaments, generally for free. Often, these are held in pubs or bars. These games are great ways to get your feet wet at live poker without having to risk any money.

The upside to this form of poker is that you get to practice social interaction and physically interacting with cards. The main downside is that these games generally don’t offer prizes of any value. These games are for those that are more casual players or those wanting to ease into the live game.

Daily Casino Tournaments

Many people cut their teeth in live poker at casinos. Most casino poker rooms offer some form of ongoing tournament. Some offer daily tournaments while others offer tournaments once to three times weekly. As a rule, we classify all of these as daily tournaments.

These games are lower stakes and great ways to experience live tournament poker. The events are single-day events, generally concluding in a few hours.

The upside is that you get the complete experience of meeting players, devising poker strategy, and playing for real money. On the downside, the rake is a lot higher and you will have to deal with more regulars. Some of these events might also have smaller fields, which means smaller payouts.

Casino Cash Games

All poker rooms offer cash games, and you will generally find $1-$2 NL Hold’em spread. For those just starting out, these games are great ways to cut your teeth in live poker. It offers the complete poker experience in a format that you can control.

Only up for playing a couple of hours? Cash games are a great option as you can play for as little or as long as you like. You also can control how much you bring to the table and how many buy-ins you want to spend. Most $1-$2 games will let you get in for about $40. The average buy-in is around $100, but as long as you meet the table minimum, you can play.

For those that are comfortable playing with random players, this is a great option. You won’t win as much as you can in some tournaments, but you also don’t have to put up as much money either.

Small Poker Tournament Series

For tournament players ready to move up to live poker, smaller live tournament series are a great option. Events such as the WSOP Circuit, the Heartland Poker Tour, or seasonal series at your local casino are great ways to test out your live tournament skills.

These events offer a mix of value and variety that lets you see where you stack up. The downside is that you will play against more seasoned players and lower-tier professional players. However, you will have the opportunity to play for larger prizes than you would at a standard daily casino tournament or cash games.