Online vs. live tournament poker

I just recently started playing poker "seriously" and have read harrington's books on NL holdem tourneys and i've found them helpful...i've fared relatively well online and won a couple of MTT's and made a few more FT's, but when it comes to live poker i just cant seem to think right or something...it's like all of my knowledge goes out the window and i'm a newbie again...has anyone ever had something like this happen to them?...and if so what might one do about it?...it could be just my nerves getting to me because i actually have to face the people...and will this get better with more experience?...thanks...in advance

From the MTT FAQ - 1st Draft :

I play MTTs online and am about to play my first live one, what do I need to know?

It's the same game, so don't be intimidated. The biggest difference is that because of the speed of the game online, you'll be playing fewer hands per hour than you are used to (especially if you multi-table), this may make you anxious, don't let this happen, stay calm. Also, if you are used to the structure of online tournaments and are playing in a major live tournament, chances are that you have a lot more starting chips and slower blind levels than you are accustomed to, you need to adjust your strategy accordingly (PokerStars has deep stack tournaments that can be good for preparing for this).
Finally, there are rules to live poker that you need to know regarding how/when to act. The Brick and Mortar thread has a newbie guide you should read before venturing into live play.


Boxman's comments:

There's a lot more to keep track of when playing live, that people take for granted playing online. Pot size, chips stacks, acting out of turn, who's still in the hand, etc. are things that can distract you from playing winning poker.

But if you can focus on playing ABC poker and let the dealer run the table, you'll have that much less to worry about. Don't sweat if you come off looking like a noob at the table. Who cares if you forgot to post your blind? The dealer will ask you to post when it's your turn. And don't worry about reading tells or giving tells. Half the field can barely read a flop, let alone what cards you may be holding.

Let your chip stack do the speaking. Good luck! [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

HTH, John