Online / Offline Poker
There are many myths on the difference between home poker and poker played online. These myths and misconceptions will be what is discussed on this page.
The first misconception is that skills in live play are the same as online play. This is simply not the case. Playing online is extremely different, especially in the matter of bluffing. It is a lot more difficult to read people when you can not actually see their body language and facial expressions.
This is not to say that people will not bluff online, in fact the contrary. People often forget they are playing with real money and start to bluff and stay in hands a lot more often when they have the feeling anonymity which online play affords.
Another misconception is that many people believe that since they have played Texas Hold’em successfully in real life that they will also be successful with online poker. While some of the skills one uses in real life play transfer directly to online poker, for the most part more skill is needed and less reliance on intuition and luck.
In fact playing Texas Hold’em live has shown to diminish the skills needed for good online Texas Hold’em play. It is the structure and pace of home play that is the problem. Online play is much faster and technical as home play relies on human speed and banter. The game is delayed by human contact. Online play is much faster thus you can lose much more much faster. Conversely it is also possible to win a lot more much faster as well if you possess the skills needed for online Texas Hold’em.
The last misconception we should discuss is the myth that online players are not ‘real’ poker players. This comes from the romancing of old movies and hero’s from the poker tables. We have all seen Maverick and wanted to be that guy who throws the Ace of a huge pot completing the Royal Flush.
In reality this rarely happens. Online play it is not a sprint to the finish line it is a marathon. While the speed of the game is increased, the winner most often in Texas Hold’em online is the patient and skilled player.
Learn skills by reading through these pages on this site as well as reading books dedicated to online play. And then finally, the best advice is to just practice, practice, and more practice.
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