Online Poker Vs Brick And Mortar Games – What Type Of Poker Is Best For You

• Author: Thomas Kearns
• Filed under: Poker
• Date: Dec 8,2009

Since the birth of online poker there has been a debate going on as to what form of poker is better. Online or live in a casino or card room? The answer, unfortunately isn’t as easy as a simple either or. Like most questions in poker the answer is, “it depends”. While live poker and online poker have basically the same rules, there are a lot of differences.

If its speed and sheer volume of hands that you’re after than online poker is the hands down winner. Dealing, shuffling, counting chips, and collecting cards is all done automatically by the poker room software. A lot of time is also saved by knowing how much money is in the pot at all times and how much money is in each players stack. When you also factor in the clock that is put on each player when it is their turn, you start to get double and even triple the amount of hands per hour when compared to a live game. Another thing to consider is the fact that you can play several tables at a time online. If you are good enough to play six to eight tables at once you may well get 600 or more hands in every hour. Under some conditions you may well end up playing more than 20 times the number of live hands that would be dealt in a similar amount of time. As a skilled player, the more hands you play the more money you make right? The answer again is “it depends”.

Live poker also has some advantages. While you will only play twenty to thirty five hands per hour, you should be able to make a lot more per hand on average. The competition in live games is extremely weak when compared to similar limits in online poker. It has been my experience that the 20/40 limit holdem game at the local casino is much softer than online games as small as 1/2. This means that you should be able to play live games at much higher stakes without being “out of your league” skill wise. In fact some players at these levels in a casino often are unaware of poker information as basic as hand rankings. I’ve seen players who are unaware that their two pair is going to loose to a flush even after the cards are all turned over. Players this weak might as well have ATM embroidered on their baseball caps. For a skilled poker player we would imagine that higher staked and weak opponents lead to more money right? Perhaps…

Since each game has its advantages and disadvantages financially, there must be something else to separate these two forms of poker. There is. Live poker offers a much more social environment. If you’re looking to have some fun and shoot the breeze with the other players, than live poker in an actual brick and mortar casino or card room would probably suit you better. On the other hand, internet poker offers its own conveniences. If you’re only looking to play for a half hour or so, you may not want to drive to the casino, park, get on the waiting list, ect. If you play online all you have to do is fire up your computer and find a game. You can even play in your under ware, your old sweat pants that your wife won’t let you leave the house in, or nothing at all. The other advantages that online poker has are all the software available, rakeback, bonuses, and multitabling. If you’re all business, than online poker may be the better route for you.

So the answer to our question whether online poker or live poker is better… It really depends on what you are trying to get out of your poker experience.

The author of this article plays online poker and gets Rakeback at Carbon Poker where they offer the Highest Carbon Poker Rakeback.

categories: poker,gambling,games,recreation,entertainment,hobbies,hobby,casino,betting