Comments on: The Best Thing About Live Cash Games

By: Chris M

Chris M — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 23:23:26 +0000

BLING BLANG BLAOW

By: foucault

foucault — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 13:09:19 +0000

Hi, Pete. It actually sounds like you’ve got a pretty solid understanding of what to expect from live poker. Yes, it tends to be considerably easier than online games at comparable stakes, but it’s also much slower, and you can only play one table at a time. If you play online poker seriously, ie at stakes that are significant to you and on 4+ tables at once, then it’s unlikely that you could have a better hourly rate in a brick and mortar casino, particularly when you factor in stuff like commuting and waiting for a seat.

There are still reasons to play live. Some people enjoy the social aspect of it. Others, usually those who already have a lot of live experience, benefit from skills like reading live tells that they can’t apply online. For my own part, I enjoy it as an occasional break from online play and an opportunity to play what is usually a much lower-stress game. You just don’t get bluff-raised, 4-bet light, etc. in a live game anywhere near as often as you have to deal with such nuisances online.

Even though they tend to be much easier on-balance, live games aren’t just easy version of online games. There are some differences in how the games play:

-live games are almost always 10-handed

-live games, especially at higher stakes, play deep. It’s not unheard of for players to sit 1000 BBs deep, and this can create situations that just don’t arise online.

-there’s less folding and more multi-way pots

All of these differences require skills that you aren’t going to have automatically just because you play online poker. So don’t assume that just because you can multi-table 1/2 NL online, you can go crush a 10/25 NL live game. You very well might be the best all-around player at the table, but it will take some practice in a live setting before you have all the skills you need to beat the game.

By: Pete

Pete — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 09:01:48 +0000

Hi Andrew, I have few questions regarding the live poker scene if you do not mind.

I am a young player who had never been to a casino let alone played in any live poker game that’s remotely competitive. I definitely see myself in the future to be attending it though. From what I understand, the live games are extremely slow compared to online. So how profitable are the live games in comparison to online games? I heard the games are much softer in comparison to online. But is that enough of an edge for one to be more profitable live than online? I would think online would be ultimately more profitable, but seeing as how there are plenty of pros who’d prefer to play live over online, I am a little bit confused.

I hope I have delivered everything that I wish to communicate without confusing you.
Cheers!

By: foucault

foucault — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 17:04:23 +0000

Absolutely not. A week of live poker every 6 months or so is all I can stand. I look at it as a challenge to myself to see how well I can keep my composure despite the boredom and the scumbags. PCA actually wasn’t too bad in that regard, more similar to the interesting and ecclectic crowd at the WSOP than to the band of degenerates who frequent Foxwoods on Wednesday afternoons.

And those are 1K chips. Definitely not $2, but definitely not 5K’s either. Sorry, I did try to make the picture large enough that that was visible.

By: Todd

Todd — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 16:21:58 +0000

/brag

are you ammending your goals to play more live poker in 2010?

are those yellows $5k? at foxwoods yellows = $2 but given the bright color i’m guessing they’re $5k???

well done.