Should I give up online poker?

[gabyyyyy]

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Should I just give up playing online? For starters I really don't trust it. Second I feel it is way too volatile.

Thoughts?

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The first thing you have to understand about online poker is that everybody wins. Everyone who responded to your post bragged about how well they are doing. [Maybe not overtly, but the implication is there.] They kill the online games. How many people have you talked to who don't clean up playing online?

I have trouble beating the online games. I don't win anywhere near what I should be winning facing the competition I'm facing--which is the weakest I've ever seen anywhere.

I make 90% of my income playing live with real people. I know lots of great players who can't win playing online. And when I say win, I mean win significantly. As bad as the players are I should be KILLING online poker, but I'm not. How often do I have to beat my head against the wall before I figure out that making $10 an hour playing online is a waste of my time.

I hang out here to help my girlfriend. She used to watch me play and said she'd like to give it a try. So she watched me, and I explained what I was doing and why. She started with $100 and did the rakeback, bonus thing whenever possible. I'd read the boards and fill her in on all the latest deals and utilites to make the game go more smoothly. But I wouldn't let her use Poker Tracker. I told her that was just a crutch that you wouldn't be able to use when you started playing live, so why become dependent upon something that you should be doing for yourself with your own observational skills. [Of course this is where all of the online geniuses say, "well you don't win because you don't use Poker Tracker," which of course is nonesense, but it makes them feel superior.] Use your brain and you can beat the game; you just won't be able to beat it for much. You don't need any crutches. Just pay attention, play solid poker, play within your bankroll, and you'll know what to do.

So she played and grinded and got bonuses and now she has about $3000 and she's thrilled. [A large chunk of that is from bonuses, by the way--A year and a half later.]

Online poker: I don't trust it one bit, but I still play once in a while. If you can't see em shuffle, deal and cut the cards you'd better be damn careful especially when the only outlet you have to complain to is the site itself.

But like I said everybody here wins, so take what I say and what everyone else says with a very large grain of salt.

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Totally agree. Thanks for the input!