Live Poker Strategy

The rules of poker are the same whether you play online or live but the two games are completely different. Making money in each game requires two different approaches. Online poker is based more on betting patterns, volume and statistics. Live poker uses those things as well but there’s more of an emphasis on squeezing out as much money as possible from each person at the table.

When you first make the switch to live poker, you’ll notice a few differences that might trip you up. I can still remember the first time I played live. I was a mess. I was nervous, I acted out of turn, knocked my chips all over the place, lost track of the size of the pot and more. The funny thing is that I was used to having $8,000 or more on the table at a time online but as soon as I bought in for $200 in a live game, I became a nervous wreck.

Once you get used to the way live poker flows, you’ll improve dramatically. In fact, you’ll find live games to be ten times easier than online games. The general quality of play online has improved greatly in recent years. Live games are still extremely soft, though, so it’s worth getting used to live play and checking out the live poker games every once in a while.

1. Learn how to play live at lower stakes

You’ll do a lot better live if you start out playing lower stakes than what you’re used to. You can consider the first couple times playing live as learning sessions. Use these first sessions to learn how to keep track of the pot size and how to avoid acting out of turn. If you’re used to four color decks online, these first few sessions will be good for you getting used to two-color decks.

With all the new things going on, starting out at lower stakes is a smart idea. Your goal in the beginning isn’t to make $400 an hour. All you need to worry about is getting to understand the general structure and etiquette of live games.

2. Don’t overemphasize tells

Tells aren’t as big a deal in live poker games as the movies like to make them out to be. Tells are fine and all, but they aren’t good for basing entire decisions on. Like all other sources of information, tells are just one piece of the overall puzzle. When making decisions, don’t forget the basics: position, table image, stack sizes, betting patterns, notes and recent history.

Now that we have that out of the way, here are a couple basic tells that weak live players often exhibit:

• Shaking Hands – When a player’s hands shake after making a big bet, it’s not because that player is bluffing. It’s because that player has a big hand and is nervous/excited at the same time. You’ll know what I mean the first time you get a big hand in a live game.

• Strong Means Weak – If a player makes a big bet and then stares you down as if challenging you to call that bet, it means that player is weak. If that person really had a strong hand, he wouldn’t try to stare you down and intimidate you out of calling.

• Weak Means Strong – When players go to exaggerated lengths to appear weak, it’s usually because they have strong hands. Some players will sigh loudly and then place a big bet. Others will place a big bet and then look down at the flop with big, scared puppy-dog eyes.

Just remember that no tell is a 100% thing. The above tells are common among new players but that doesn’t mean they are correct very often. You have to note what kinds of hands your opponent show down and then look for patterns in their mannerisms. Even when you do pick up a tell, remember that it’s just one piece of the puzzle.

3. Don’t give off tells

The easiest way to avoid giving off tells is to practice turning into stone after betting. Choose a point somewhere in front of you and stare at that point every time you make a big bet. Concentrate on keeping your breathing in control so that you breathe the same way whether you have a monster or a complete bluff.

Some players will try to talk to you or ask questions after you make a large bet. You don’t have to answer those players or acknowledge them in any way. Just practice your stone face and let them decide. Witty little responses won’t help you any more than remaining completely still and unreadable.

4. Remember that live players are fishier than online players

For the most part, live games are way softer than online games. You don’t have to be very tricky in live games to make a profit. A simple, straightforward strategy will take you a long ways in most live games. Fold your weak hands, bet your strong hands and stay away from weak draws.

If you play an extra tight game and are worried people will notice, try talking to the table. A little table conversation will make you look like a fun, possibly loose player. When you talk, don’t draw attention to the fact that you play tight with comments like “I’m not getting anything tonight!” Just stick with whatever you consider normal conversation.

Live players tend to play with an extremely passive style. If they catch something strong, they won’t always bet it right off the bat. Sometimes they’ll catch a hand like top pair and just call all the way down. You have to be careful with your marginal hands against these players because they will occasionally surprise you with something stronger than you expect.

Don’t even think about bluffing live players unless you know for sure that it’s against a person who knows how to fold. Most live players are so passive that bluffs are a –EV play. You’ll just end up losing money trying to bluff complete fish.

Value bets will take you a long ways in live games. Every time you catch a decent hand, use value bets to make the most money possible. Live players make big calls more often than online players so go ahead and bet with every good hand you get. Just be careful when betting with marginal hands – those live players will sometimes call down with very strong hands and let you hang yourself.

5. Keep a healthy bankroll

Live play requires a huge bankroll because the games are fishier (which means higher variance for you) and because you play fewer hands per hour. A 10,000 hand downswing online might only translate to two weeks of poor earnings. A 10,000 hand downswing in live poker will last for 42 days, assuming you play 8 hours a day.

The fishy players in live poker will also put more stress on your bankroll because they’ll hit you with more bad beats. You’ll make a lot of money off these players, but your earnings will fluctuate widely in the short term. A larger bankroll will provide you with plenty of cushioning to deal with the days/weeks where things don’t go your way.

Practice online first at my favorite poker site: PokerStars

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• The Fish Are Not Your Enemy
• 10 Live Poker Tips
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