There are many distinctions between online poker and live casino poker, also called B&M or “Brick and Mortar” poker. Are the rules of the game any different? No, but there are some matters you should keep in mind when transferring your virtual chips onto real life felt or vice versa.
- Tips
Online, you don’t give any. It’s one of the big advantages of online play and one reason some pros prefer the internet to B&M. If you do give tips, they will probably be given to you in an online tournament somewhere along the line. The exception is in no-limit holdem, when players are given one, two, or three dollars each to start.
- Slurs
Online, players don’t say anything–it’s a language issue. Even if you don’t understand what they’re saying, you can easily get the message if you let a player push the chips in front of you. In no-limit, players can say what they want or even act out the game after they push the cards in.
- Verify your cards
In live play, you have at least a minute to verify your cards after they are dealt. On the internet, however, you sometimes have to click “play” before you get your cards. With the ability to click “play” online, you have the option of verifying your cards faster. That’s a positive convenience.
- Casino distractions
You can play online poker and B&M at the same time. You can do other things while you play a game of nothing but poker. If you’re waiting for a train or plane check the schedule for the casino. Some no-limit B&M games can last forever, unlike games of poker with crop-top tables and 8-player tables.
- Deal with backup
In a live poker room the dealer has to deal every hand, so he or she might be slow to receive a large hand, the dealer can bust out before you reach the end of the shoe (the goal is to finish before that happens), and dealing becomes a time-consuming task. In online poker, the “agen toto 88” (don’t forget) shuffles the cards and distributes them. Picks his or her favorite card at any one of the few shuffle speeds, has the cards delivered to the table, then opens and closes the card box. If your opponent hits the big pot while you’re trying to sort through your cards, you can’t deny your hand the comfort of staring at the floor.
- Bigger pots
If the amount of chips waiting for the player with the big hand is a problem, you can always get up and find another table. With lots of short-stacked players in every pot, it’s easy to let one go by so you can get back to the drawing game. If the dealer is slow to distribute the cards, however, you can get into a spot where the cheap flop may have someone backed into a pot where a big raise or all-in could change things.
- More chances to see cards
Online every hand you play is seeing the same cards. That means that if you have odds to lead out on, say a flush draw, you’ll likely get a look at the turn. You can develop a feel for playing that flop as well as have a feel for throwing out a small bet types of hand. You can develop a feel for semi-bluffing and check raising as well. With lots of players in every pot, you’ll likely have more opportunities to play hands in which you think you have better chances to win.
- ” Minute hands “
In a live game, you have greater chances to flop a monster hand such as a set, a straight, a set/bling, or a pocket pair. You can be more selective with your puts but still have a flush or four of a kind in pretty much any position. You’ll also have lots of other players in the hand who could possibly have better hands than you. When you play short-handed, you’ll be more likely to get a chance to see the flop and/or to hit a draw.
Above all, enjoy more than a hand or two of poker every now and then, practice hand values and skills as much as you can,connect with other players as much as you can.