Since the birth of online poker there has been a debate going on as to what form of poker is better. Online or live in a casino or card room? The answer, unfortunately isn’t as easy as a simple either or. Like most questions in poker the answer is, “it depends”. While live poker and online poker have basically the same rules, there are a lot of differences.
Online poker obviously has the advantage of speed. Since the dealing is done digitally, there is no time wasted shuffling, dealing, collecting cards, or anything else that the dealer would normally spend time doing. You also save a lot of time by having the pot automatically counted at all times and the rake is taken out automatically. When you add in the built in clock that most sites have for players to act in time, you will get 2 to 3 times the amount of hands per hour or more by playing online. If you also take into account that you are able to play up to 8 tables or more simultaneously, you could well end up playing up to 600 hands per hour or more. This is roughly 20 times the amount of hands that you might play in a live ring game. More hands equals more money for the winning player right? Again, the answer is maybe.
Playing live poker has its advantages too. Poker is not all about the quantity of hands that you play. Live poker generally has much weaker opponents than similar levels online. You get a lot of casual players who just happen to give poker a try since they’re already in the casino. You will also get players who are unaware of what hand beats what. These players are just asking you to take their money. Soft players lead to soft games. Ive played in 20/40 limit holdem games in the casino that were much softer than 1/2 games online. These stakes are 20 times that of the 1/2 online game that I mentioned, and you should be able to make a lot of money per hand in these games. So for the winning poker player we would assume that higher stakes means more money to win right? Maybe and maybe not.
Aside from actual win rate, each form of poker has its own advantages. Live poker is a much more social game. If you’re a social person and want to get out and interact with people and have some fun, you may enjoy live poker more. The internet however allows you to play poker in your underwear (or whatever). You can play at any time and don’t even have to leave the house. This convenience appeals to a lot of people. When you decide whether online poker or going to the casino is right for you, you need to keep in mind why you play poker. If you play for entertainment or a social experience, than live action is the way to go. If you are strictly business, than with rakeback, online poker bonuses, multitabling, and the huge volume of hands, you will probably do better with online poker.
So the answer to our question whether online poker or live poker is better… It really depends on what you are trying to get out of your poker experience.
The author has played poker full time since 2005 and makes the majority of his income from online poker. He currently plays poker online and gets RakeBack at Power Poker.
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