live game vs online: is it a completely diffierent game?

[dd323]

Its not a completely different game, and betting patterns are probably more important than physical tells. But that said there is much that can be picked up if you pay attention live and I think in certain games it can dramatically increase your edge.

For instance, there was this one guy who was a solid player, and generally winning money from the rest of a terrible table, but he had some really obvious tells in how he put his chips in the pot, that telegraphed if he was strong or not. I could play any two cards against him, and win almost any pot. By the end he was making comments like, "I know you're bluffing but I never catch you with a good hand." I was completely card dead that night, but still made a profit.

This was an extreme example, and normally I wouldn't overvalue a physical tell like this, but I do think smaller versions of this add up.