Can playing online poker improve your live game?
Poker fascinates many people because it is a game of skill with which you can potentially make money. But if you've never played before, then you may naturally be intimidated by the thought of joining a live game at a local cardroom. No one particularly likes learning a new game in front of seasoned players, so this is where online poker can prove useful to new players.
With online poker you can join free or low-cost games online and start to master the mechanics of the game from the anonymous comfort of your computer.
Four ways online poker can help the new player:
You can memorize game rules through actual play and even have reference materials on screen or at hand.
You can develop your skills at calculating the chances of a hand winning pre-flop. Recognizing good hands at the initial stages of poker is a key skill and takes practice to memorize the best hands.
You can begin to learn the dynamics of table position and how it factors into your betting decisions.
You can prepare yourself to handle the emotions that arise with winning and losing.
Online poker games provide countless people with a practical venue for developing important game skills while playing against other people and not just a computer. People can make strange decisions that a computer would not, so you need to be ready to field the wide range of actions that opponents can throw at you. Once you have become proficient at the basics of poker by practicing online, then you are ready to join a live face-to-face game at a local or regional cardroom or casino.
A live poker game will present you with challenges that can't be fully practiced online, like judging the poker tells of people sitting at the same table with you. Also in a live game you need to be mindful of your own physical and verbal behaviors. Many people enjoy playing both online poker and live games. Online poker has the advantage of being immediately available to you at home, which is convenient, but admittedly it lacks the glamour and human interaction of a night out at the casino or cardroom.
