Online is more about the cards/Live is more about playing the person

anyone agree? i think you can get away with playing a lot more junk in live playing and just making up for it with aggression.

i have been primarily playing online this year and i think my game has changed. i used to think it was getting worse because of online. i have been winning consistently online and been cashing out atleast double my buy in every week on whatever site.

i have also been playing in atlantic city every weekend and my results haven't been as good. i mean i am only playing 8-12 hours a week in AC compared to multi tabling online but still.

i'm trying to find the balance so that both my live game and online game are both tough to match.

No - not at all. Its always about the cards. The only advantage to live play is that you can see reactions and learn from them - and they are more obvious live.

The perception that its a difference in play comes from the fact that live games tend to be looser because they play slower and people get bored. Once someone is bored, Q9o starts looking like a good hand.

no other opinions?

[OrangeKing]

In both games, you have to worry about the other players in addition to your cards. But in nearly any game in the world, including (likely) all the games you'll play in your life, the cards are almost always going to be more important than "playing the person." There are just too many awful fish out there to worry about getting fancy most of the time. /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[ianlippert]

Playing bad players is about the cards, playing good players is about the cards and the player.

I took down $300 at 5/10 in my local B&M. For the most part the players are way worse than online. That 5/10 game played like a .5/1 on party. The trick is figuring out who the good players are, and figuring out how they play. I took a few good sized pots from players I had pegged as super tight, and could fold to a check raise bluff on the turn. But for the most part I let the donks run into my hands.

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Playing bad players is about the cards, playing good players is about the cards and the player.

I took down $300 at 5/10 in my local B&M. For the most part the players are way worse than online. That 5/10 game played like a .5/1 on party. The trick is figuring out who the good players are, and figuring out how they play. I took a few good sized pots from players I had pegged as super tight, and could fold to a check raise bluff on the turn. But for the most part I let the donks run into my hands.

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300 for what? a limit game? i mean in limit u can't get that fancy at all.

[pokerstudAA]

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i mean in limit u can't get that fancy at all.

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This is clearly wrong. I guess it depends on what you mean by "fancy."

And $300 at 5/10 is 30 BB. Which = A good session.

I would say both are more about the cards. Also, both involve playing the person.

Your standard lines are card/pot-dependent, while deviations from your standard lines are read-dependent.

[phish]

I agree. And the main difference is that online, when I'm multi-tabling, it's difficult oftentimes to even be aware who I'm playing against. Plus, I can remember faces, but names on a screen are a lot harder to keep track of. Plus the players come and go so often online.

[Piz0wn0reD!!!!!!]

nope. its about the cards. you cant bluff fish very easily.

[ianlippert]

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300 for what? a limit game? i mean in limit u can't get that fancy at all.

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I think reads are more important in NL, but only because a mistake in NL can cost you so much. In limit a fancy play is going to net you an extra big bet. Considering you only make 2-3 BB/100 being able to repeatadly make plays like this can increase you win rate significantly.

Out of the 150 or so hands I played only 2 would I consider read based plays.

The first one was against a lose but aggressive player that liked to bluff a lot. I raise the CO with QJo and get called by the button. Flop is Jxx i bet, he calls. Turn is a jack, i bet he calls. River comes Ace and I check based on my read I figure if he doesnt have a hand I will get 1BB and if he does have an ace I will get 2 when I check raise. I get my 2BB

Second example was a young kid (doing homework while playing, lol) who was playing tight aggressive and generally good poker. I have seen him fold the turn to a checkraise when Im pretty sure he was holding TPGK. I raise 88 MP he calls from the button, heads up. Q9x is the flop and i check, he bets. Based on my read the only card i am really scared of here is the Q, but if he called with 2 face cards he may have missed and if he called with TT or JJ he is capable of laying it down so I called him. Turn is a rag, i check he bets and i reraise him. I have never seen anybody fold so fast in my life. Typical ABC for me is to fold a mid pair to 2 overcards, but in this situation my read allowed me to score a few extra bets.

Reads are just as important in Limit but I think they are underrated since you will just be catching a extra bet every 100 or so hands.

[Cancuk]

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i think you can get away with playing a lot more junk in live playing and just making up for it with aggression.......i have also been playing in atlantic city every weekend and my results haven't been as good.

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[PokerCat69]

Reads are more important as the stakes go up. Small Stakes is all about showing down the winner.

Watch the 50/100 NL on UB, you'll see headsup play for 5 minutes sometimes without seeing a showdown. Sit down there with some starting hand chart taped to your monitor and no ability to make reads and see how much cash you make (or rather how quickly u go broke).

[SenecaJim]

I have been playing full time at my B&M about 2 months ( 40-50 hrs. week). Playing 5-10 for now and averaging 500-700 week (so far). Could hit a bad run at anytime, probably will, but, am seeing lotta live play.

I believe your premise is more sensitive to limit or no- limit, but even more by how high the limit.

I believe (for me personaly) there are advantages to live play, but " playing the person " is limited. I do save a BB here or there and make an extra BB here and there, which is a big deal on your hourly earn, believe me, but it does not supercede just playing your cards. Those common slight looks of disgust while puttin chips in save bets for me on marginal hands. But if cards are good, you cannot put face expression over how you play your cards. I'll raise 2 pair hands, even top pair, against some players on river with flush showing cause of how they play, etc. But, cards always first in low limits.

Big advantage for me live is a poker table is like a bottle of wine, it is a living thing, constatnly changing. Live I can pick up the slight changes in table mood or a specific players mood quickly and adust my play instantly to match.