no reason to play BM over internet anymore

[iblucky4u2]

How come no one has mentioned that online has some potential downsides such as cheating. You don't know if two players are working together or even if one player is on two or more screen names. Major problem for me with online.

[MS Sunshine]

Yes, it is possible to passive cheat online, with little chance of getting caught, but it is very hard online to hold-out cards or short the pot.

MS Sunshine

[Fat Kid]

Reasons why I willingly drive two hours to get to a real cardroom:

1) I'm not sure about your house, but mine isn't the most exciting of places. For me, sitting at home, alone, staring at a monitor on a Saturday night is not what I like to do. Granted, the casino isn't exactly the place to be, but at least there are other people and the food's better.

2) The game selection is much better live. I can play a large variety of games at different limits live. Online, there just aren't 3 or 4 20/40 games, at least not where I play.

3) My mind doesn't stay focused on the game online. I play too many games, I watch other games, I talk on the phone, I watch TV, I post on 2+2, and other assorted timewasters during internet play. In a B&M room, there are no distractions.

Finally:

4) I make a lot more money live. That alone does it for me on most nights. I'm lucky if I pick up $200 a night in an online game. Again, I'm not sure about your standards, but mine are somewhat higher.

[Mike Haven]

are you a shill for b&m rooms, fat kid?

[PokerPaul]

it might appear easier to cheat online using messenger, cell phone etc., but don't think that cheating is only limited to online poker. Collusion can happen very easy in live games as well.
In college my and my buddy used to play euchre tournaments, and we had signals we used. we did this just to see if we could, becuase no money involved. Anyways, we got really good at this, and before long we each knew what suit the other guy carried, how strong it was, and whether one should go alone or not, and no one ever caught on to us.

We dominated those games.

I have never colluded at poker, but i am certain others do. And the difference live is, once the cards are mucked they are gone. At least online suspicious play can be reported and hand histories examined, and actions taken after the fact......

just my 2 cents

[Jimbo]

In response to Fat Kid:

1) My house is more exciting than the casino plus I can choose the people I associate with unlike all the casino scum you may meet. I cook pretty well so the food is a wash.

2) Better game selection at a casino? You have got to be kidding!!! Let me see a 2 hour drive to 1 casino or a 10 second click to a dozen online poker rooms.

3)Every casino cardroom I have ever been in has many more distractions than my home. Plus I have 100% control of them at home and none at the casino.

4)You make more money live in a single game than playing at three online games with 6 times as many hands per hour? Literally amazing!!

I agree there are several reasons to prefer a casino cardroom over an online room however I did not see a single one outlined in your post.

[Fat Kid]

For the games I play, I think the casino has a far better selection. I'm yet to see an online room that has a better selection of mid-high stakes games than the B&M rooms I go to. If you like playing low limits, online is great. Not only do you save a buck in rake but you save all sorts of other costs. And low limit games really are about being frugal.

If playing multiple games at once does great things for you, that's terrific. All it does for me is screw up my game at all of them. I don't need 140 hands an hour to show a profit, nor do I need 5 tables. But again, I play mid/high stakes, not low limits.

Different players loook for different things. I have not enjoyed internet play in a while but, your results may vary. Some like sitting at home grinding it out, some like grinding it out at the casino. Your house is fun, mine is altogether boring. My list of reasons may not matter to you, but yours is probably meaningless to me. It's all in perspective.

[Fat Kid]

How well does it pay? I might have to be soon!

[LotusX]

If you are talking from a pure EV standpoint, yes playing on the internet will make the average winning player more money. More hands per hours, multiple tables/sites, and several other reasons.



But think back to why you started poker in the first place. It was the excitement, the psychological aspect, the social yet combative atmosphere.

Having "can go on tilt after being sucked out on" under player notes for someone, is a lot different then being at a casino and seeing the guy swear 5 times, turn red, and violently throw in 8 reds for a raise.


Live poker is what poker was meant to be. Online poker is a different brand, and more rewarding in some ways, and less in others.



Anyhow, getting back to your original statement that there is NO reason to play B+M anymore, I would like to think that varies wildly from person to person.



I used to be almost 95% online poker. Lately I have been playing at the TAJ more, and basically just fooling around low limit on Pstars when I'm drunk (yes im a huge fish when drunk). Why?

I no longer rely on playing poker as a major source of income. If i did : A= I would probably play more online due to the multiple games, faster dealing, and no tipping. and B= I wouldn't play intoxicated =p