Making the move from Online to Live

Online players who want to make the move to the live game, have no fear! Even if you normally focus on Scratch Cards Online , the cross-over is not as significant as you may think.

Start at a lower level to begin with. Gradually ease yourself to the level that you are used to playing online. Soon you will find that the quality of play in live games is lower than the quality you would find online and you should make money. There are a couple of aspects of the game, though, that can catch online players out. The most obvious difference between the two games is the speed of play. At a live game you will see about 20 hands an hour. Online you will probably see over 60. This lack of speed can knock people off their game and force them to play loose poker. Use it to your advantage. Players who are visibly anxious to play as many hands as possible will be far more likely to pay you off when you hit your cards. Be aware that these sorts of players will try to draw to straights and flushes often, so your bets will have to be bigger than usual when playing against these types of fish.

The other aspect to bear in mind is your behaviour. Are you giving away information through tells or are your nerves getting in the way of playing your optimum game? You must act calmly and try to standardise your play (your bets, the way you put your chips in the middle, the speed at which you call or raise). By all means socialise with the table when you are not involved in a hand, but when you are, keep your mouth shut and make it as hard as possible for your opponent to read you.

Aside from these differences, just play your normal, solid game and you will find that your hours of slugging away at online games have made you a more than competent live poker player.