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Tips for Transitioning from Online Poker to Live Poker

Many poker players got their start playing online poker games before transitioning to the world of live poker. Some adjustments need to be made in order for the transition to be successful. This article will highlight the major differences for those online players who are looking to give live poker a try.

Live Poker is Much Softer At the Lower Limits

The first thing you will probably notice is that live poker cash games just aren’t as aggressive as they are online, especially at the low limit tables. A $1/$2 no-limit hold’em cash game in a casino is so much softer than $1/$2 online.

Since it’s the lowest limit you can play, many novice players flock to the game. The players in live games are loose and passive for the most part. These players didn’t travel to the casino to fold every hand they’re looking to play a lot of hands to try and make a hand on the flop and will play much more passively.

They tend to do a lot of calling on later streets such as the turn and river when the pots (and bet sizes will be much bigger.) On the other hand, online poker players will usually adopt a tight and aggressive style of play.

Bet Sizes

Raises tend to be bigger in live cash games and you will get more callers. A 3-4x bb pre-flop raise is fairly standard to see in online poker games and will usually only get 1 or 2 callers, but when you’re playing live poker raises tend to be 5-10x the bb and there are times where half the table will want to see the flop.

Also, there is a lot less 3-betting and 4-betting taking place. Live poker players are generally only 3-betting really good hands so you have to give their re-raises a lot more respect, and they will be limping in and calling with a much wider range as they like to see lots of flops.

Live Poker is Tedious

When you’re playing live poker games you’ll be dealt around 30 hands per hour in a no-limit hold’em cash game as opposed to 60 to 80 hands or more per hour at any given table on the virtual felt (depending on whether you’re playing at full-ring or short-handed tables). So you will need to be a lot more patient to prevent yourself from playing too many speculative hands out of boredom.

Tilting can also be problematic in a live poker setting due to the slow nature of the game, especially after getting sucked out on because you’ve been patiently waiting to stack the fish at your table but they end up catching their lucky card and stacking you. To prevent spewing off more chips after a bad beat, it can be a good idea to step away from the table for a bit.

Understand Live Tells

One of the main advantages that live poker players have over online players is they get to see players reveal information about the strength of their hands via live poker tells. Psychology and live tells play more of a part in it than most online players would like to believe.

The key to spotting poker tells in live poker games is to be observant at the table and use the info to make better decisions – even during hands you’re not involved in. Keep track of hands which go to showdown to get a better idea of the range of hands that your opponents are playing.

It doesn’t hurt for you to be conversing with other players at your table. When you’re talking with them about poker they will be giving away a great deal of information with regards to how they approach the game. Also, being friendly with other players can help you to get paid off.

The most widely accepted rule when it comes to reading live players: strong is weak and weak is strong. For example, when you see a player aggressively betting their chips it is often a bluff.

Don’t be Intimidated

As mentioned above, online poker tables average around double the hands that you would see per hour in a live poker game. As such, online poker players have a huge leg up when it comes to the number of hands they’ve played in their lifetime, and this experience should translate to making good decisions when migrating over and playing live poker games.

When playing live cash games – always have at least 20 buy-ins for the limits you’re playing at. This will ensure that you are well rolled and not playing with scared money.

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