This is an article I have been looking forward to writing for some time. There are vast differences playing online vs. playing live, so the question is naturally posed, "which players are better?". Well, you can't compare online pros to live pros, they are two very different animals. However, let's start with 2 fresh players. Two players who have never played the game. The first, begins to play online. The second begins to play live. After 12 months, the players switch. Who would be more successful? In my opinion, it would be the internet player, hands down.

You see, there are really only 2 differences between online play and live play. The first is the sheer exhaustion of playing at a casino table for hours and hours. It takes FAR longer to play 100 hands live than it does online. So to play live takes much more physical stamina. The second, and most important difference, is betting patterns. Betting patterns are really the only tell you have online. You can't see if someone is breathing heavy, you can't see if they are holding their breath; all you can see is the amount they bet and when during the hand they bet it.

When a live player switches to online, they lose an important ability that live pros are best known for: the ability to read people. However, when an online pro switches to live play, they GAIN an extra bit of information. On top of the opponent's betting pattern, they can now see how their opponent is acting. So when the live pro switches, he is at a disadvantage, losing a powerful tool. But when an online pro switches, he is gaining information, further increasing his edge. Recognizing an opponent's betting patterns is more important (in most cases) than reading a players physical tells. Since betting patterns are all you can see online, internet players are ingrained, almost instinctively, to spot the betting patterns of live players. Conversely, live players may have been able to get by with relatively poor betting pattern recognition because of an ability to read people.

Would I generalize that internet players are better than live players? No. But I would say that "newbie" internet players have more potential to become superstars than newbie live players. It really comes down to comfort zone. If internet players can limit their live sessions, so they don't get tired and worn out, I think that they have an important advantage over the live player. The two biggest differences between online play and live play are stamina and betting pattern recognition. In my opinion, it is easier for the online player to be successful by learning the basics, through repetition, than it is for a live player to be successful by losing his edge playing online. I hope this article helps explain the difference between live and online play and helps you adapt to whichever form you choose.