Online Poker vs. Offline Poker

Pros:

IT'S FAST-PACED

Because a typical online poker game is run by a random number generator, you won't need to wait for a dealer to collect chips, collect cards, or deal cards. That takes time. Online, that is done within a matter of seconds. As a result, an online poker game is more fast-paced than a live poker game is. In fact, a typical online poker game goes through about 70 hands per hour, while a live poker game only goes through 40 hands per hour.

YOU CAN PLAY AT MORE THAN ONE TABLE AT ONCE

That's one of the perks of playing poker online! No one else can see what you're doing. When you're at an online poker table, you can pay your bills, chat with your friends on Skype, watch an episode of your favourite show, or even play at another table (or two!)

THERE ARE NO DISTRACTIONS AT THE TABLE

If you've ever played at an offline poker table, you must already know how distracting it might be. There's always that player who can't seem to stop talking. Then there's that smelly player. Let's not forget about that drunk player who can't keep his hands to himself. Oh, and check out that player who likes to get up, walk around aimlessly, and then sit back down every five minutes. With so many people around, some more noticeable than others, it's kind of hard to give the game your full attention. When you play poker online, you get to choose your environment. Ideally, you would choose a place that's quiet and comfortable, may it be a coffee shop, your couch, your bed, or even the library. By being situated in a comfortable environment, you'll get to focus on the game without any unnecessary distractions.

YOU CAN USE A POKER TRACKING SOFTWARE

A poker tracking software allows you to track your wins and losses, analyse the way you and your opponents play, generate statistics on yourself and your opponents, and use the data to make decisions on the spot. There is definitely no way you could do all this by yourself with a pad of paper and pen at a live poker table.

THERE ARE LOTS OF DIFFERENT POKER VARIANTS AVAILABLE

Many casinos offer one, two, or if you're lucky, three different poker game variations with limited stakes, buy-ins, and rules. When you visit an online casino, you get to choose any type of game you want to play, as well as any level of stakes, any amount of players, and any buy-in amount. The possibilities are (almost) endless!

YOU CAN PARTICIPATE IN HUGE TOURNAMENTS

Brick-and-mortar casinos don't have huge tournaments that often. When they do, it's always on a certain day at a certain time. Online poker sites, on the other hand, have huge tournaments all the time. You can stroll into an online casino any time and there's a high chance you will stumble upon a huge poker tournament.

IT USUALLY COMES WITH A WELCOME BONUS

Online poker rooms offer generous welcome bonuses, at least compared to those at brick-and-mortar casinos. You'd be getting more bang for your buck at an online poker site than at a brick-and-mortar casino.

IT'S CONVENIENT

Okay, where do we begin? Online poker saves you time, energy, and money. Instead of getting dressed, pumping your car with gas, driving all the way to a casino, plunking down cash on food and booze, and then driving all the way back home, you can just grab your laptop, plop down on the couch, and start playing poker in a matter of minutes.

THERE'S A HIGHER CHANCE OF PLAYING INEXPERIENCED PLAYERS

Let's face it: playing at a live table can be really intimidating. Even the most experienced poker player in the world has experienced this feeling when they first started playing at a live table. In today's time and age, inexperienced players tend to start out by playing online. This is good news for you. The more inexperienced players you have at your table, the more hands you'll probably win.

YOU DON'T HAVE TO LISTEN TO POINTLESS TABLE TALK

Here's a little-known strategy some poker players like to utilise: they loudly ramble about pointless stuff just to annoy and distract other players from the game. When you're playing online, you don't have to look away or plug your ears to block out the pointless drivel spewed by other players. It only takes one click for you to block it all out, and it is when you close the chat box. You'll be back to peace and quiet in no time!

Cons:

Of course, offline poker has some redeeming qualities, which can make it better than online poker in some ways. As much as we love online poker, we're aware that it comes with a few drawbacks. Let's cover a few of them here:

YOU CAN'T SEE OTHER PLAYERS, CANT DETECT THEIR TELLS

Online poker is full of faceless users, so it's pretty difficult to tell whether or not a player is bluffing. While playing live poker at an actual table, you'll get to observe other players and spot their tells, which will help you make better decisions (and increase your chances of winning).

CAN BE DIFFICULT TO KEEP UP WITH LOTS OF TABLES

The more distractions you have, the more mistakes you will make. Playing a few tables at once means you might accidentally place a bet at the wrong table, fold the wrong hand, or mix up your stacks and bet an inappropriate amount of chips at one table. If you really want to pull this off, you should give the games 100 per cent of your attention. That means not doing anything else in the meantime.

FASTER PLAY MEANS YOU CAN LOOSE FASTER

The faster you play, the less time you have to think about your next move. Also, the more hands you play per hour, the more likely you will lose all of your money faster. This can easily be avoided if you play wisely and bet conservatively.

So now that we've established that online poker is much different from offline poker, you can jump in to the action at the tables feeling more confident you are playing the game that is right for you.

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