The problem with online poker
March 3, 2008
Going by the title of this post, you might be expecting a rant from me about how online poker sites are rigged, or there are too many sites who allow ‘colluding’ etc… but you’d be wrong! Online poker is going about it’s business just fine. Yes, there have been a few issues been highlighted at ‘reputable’ poker sites, but the outcome of these incidents should give us some faith in the online poker in general.
My problem with online poker is that it has adversely affected my live game. I’ve hardly played a live game this year. Last night was the first time since the beginning of January that I had played live…. and it showed (at least to begin with!)
NLHE is obviously the game of choice the world over, and even more so in a live context. The game is the same no matter where you play it – online or live. But there is one big difference that is obvious.
IN A LIVE GAME YOU CAN SEE THE PLAYERS YOU ARE UP AGAINST AND THEY CAN SEE YOU!
I played a home game with a few mates last night and I realised that I’m rather rusty. To begin with, I was almost being pummelled into submission. My mates were playing head and shoulders above me and I was losing chips in dramatic fashion. It took me an age to read the table and start put them on any kind of hand. It was only after around two hours of play that I started to get a grip on things and I had managed to get a read on how the others were playing, and from then on I started getting more and more comfortable and started regaining chips. However, I bubbled out after running into a monster that I just didn’t see coming. I had pocket 8’s and ran into my mates pocket K’s – the 3rd time he got them in 7 hands.
But that’s neither here or there. My point is, if you like to play live, make sure you make regular visits to the casino or have a regular home game. The more you play, the easier it gets to get a grip of the table dynamics and ultimately, with a bit of luck on your side, you should be able to make an impact.
If like me, you play less and less live games but more and more online games you could find yourself lost, and ultimately being bullied out of the game. You will struggle to read players. You will struggle to put them on any kind of hand. You will lose confidence in your own hands, especially if you are getting re-raised. You need to be able to know how everyone at the table is playing. You have to categorise them (tight, loose, aggressive etc…). You have to suss out what kind of hands they are playing.
I know you need to do these things in online games too, but being able to see – and ultimately read your opponents is of huge importance. Look closely enough, and the amateur poker player has ‘tells’ galore for you to pick up on. Just remember, that you will have a load of tells too – and that was a big part of my downfall early in the game last night.
As with most things in life, practice makes perfect. Sitting at a live game – even if its a $5 home game – lets you practice on perfecting your reading techniques. It improves your abaility to read the table dynamics and recognise certain situations that could be profitable for you or save you a load of chips. It also gives you a chance to work on your ‘tells’. The ones the other players give away, and also perfecting your own poker face to try and limit giving away tells yourself!
If I had had this kind of experience, I know I would have at least cashed, if not won the game last night. But two hours of playing hopelessly had done all the damage to go out before the cash. But it sure as hell has given me the wake up call I’ve needed to start to improve my live game.
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