Whether one handles the tokens by softly clicking on a mouse or by using a clever trick on the felt of a game table, it is still poker. It is fair to say that in the last few years the Internet has served as a great launching pad for poker. At the same time, poker tables have opened in casinos and the trade of poker equipment, including poker chips kits, has been growing. Considering the attention that the media are paying to poker, you can bet that its success will not be hampered. Even though we are talking about the same game, it must be said that live poker and online poker are very different.

Poker

Playing on the Internet is perfect to familiarize with the rules of the game. Some people start by playing with fake money in order to acquire a basic understanding of hold’em. On the Internet it is always possible to play and the choice and variety of the games renders it impossible for one not to find something that suits him. The computerization of the system ensures that human mistakes such as misdeals, counting errors and players calling out of turn are avoided. Automation also allows the game to be much faster and the possibility to play on more tables at the same time (multi-tabling) amplifies this factor. Thus, on the Internet one can play in one single day more hands of poker than a player could ever do in a month of intensive live play. In addition to the experience you will acquire, playing on a large scale permits to compensate the variance connected to the element of chance that is typical in any game of poker. The Internet has also made the game more democratic and increased the technic level of it by providing the players with teaching material (we are talking large amount of materials). Poker is a game in which an effective strategy does make the difference. Internet players have therefore managed to quickly acquire a great deal of experience and many of them successfully make a living just by playing poker online.

Live poker

Expert players agree on one thing: that live poker is much more engaging and played at a totally different level compared to the variant played in online poker rooms. In fact, if online poker players seem to be more interested in learning at least the basics of poker strategy, this is not necessarily the case for live players, for whom poker is not that different from roulette or blackjack – i.e. just another casino game.

What’s best?

To sum up, we can say that one should choose online poker to get started, to improve his skills, and to take part in free or low stake games. Playing poker online offers the guarantee of a simple, direct, fast and easily accessible gaming experience. Once you have become familiar with the rules of online poker, then you can start playing live poker in a casino or with friends. This opens up to a whole new dimension: the human factor. Having acquired a good deal of experience on the Internet, all you have to do is to get used to the theatrical aspect of the game, to understand the other players’ intentions and emotions, and to outplay PNL professionals. You can then follow the path of Gus Hansen, Tom Durrrr Dwan and Annette Obrestad whose professional careers all started with a mouse click.