Transitioning from online to live.

[Pokey]

OK, folks; it's time again for a community service thread. Unfortunately, I'm not really qualified to write this one, so hopefully we can work together and cobble up something appropriate.

Seeing as how many of us are going to be offline for some time, we'll probably be wandering into the brick-and-mortar casinos near our respective domiciles. So, here's the question:

<font color="blue">What changes must a successful online player make to his game in order to become a successful live player?</font>

My thoughts on the subject:

1. Dollar for dollar, your opponents will be MUCH worse. Live players are horrendous compared to online. Expect to get paid off with all sorts of crap. Expect to see more straightforward play. Expect to see loose-passives and laughably bad LAGs. Expect the $1/$2NL live tables to play like a $0.10/$0.25NL online table, and expect the $2/$5NL live tables to play like a $0.25/$0.50NL online table. I hear that the $5/$10NL live tables usually play worse than the $1/$2NL online tables. Adjust accordingly.

2. Work on your patience. You ADHD'ers with your 12-tabling lifestyles are going to have a bitchmother of a time getting used to 30 hands an hour. The temptation to start playing subpar hands and try to "make something happen" can be overwhelming; don't fall for it. Keep playing your game, knowing that you'll get a hand less often but you'll get paid off far more handsomely than you usually do.

3. Preflop bets must be MUCH larger to get the job done. If you're trying to isolate at a $1/$2NL online table, a 4BB+1/limper strategy works great; live, try something more like 10BB+2/limper. (This is table-specific, but 4BB+1/limper will NOT work at limits of $2/$5NL and lower.)

4. People think in terms of dollars, not fractions. A $50 bet into a $200 pot has more folding equity live than a $10 bet into a $5 pot. Adjust. This usually means that c-bets won't work, but river bluffs will work beautifully.

5. Bluff less, value bet more. Calling stations abound in live play at the lower limits; prey on them. Also, keep rule #4 in mind when you do -- you can overbet the pot on the flop and still get customers, but when your bets start to get large in comparison to the pot, be ready to fold out the opposition.

6. Tighten up, especially OOP. Given that preflop raises are MUCH larger than you're used to, the risk of a raise behind can be devestating. Be sure you're getting proper odds before you play a hand. That will often mean that hands like 54s and A7s will have to go into the muck preflop from EP, rather than warrant a call or raise. This will be table-specific, but as a general rule it won't be profitable to play this kind of hand. On the other hand, you'll get paid off far more generously with your true made hands, so that evens things out nicely.

7. Welcome to the world of reads. Check out Caro's Book of Tells, because it still works. Watch hands when people bet, watch where they look, watch for talking patterns and gestures, watch for covering their mouths, and be DEATHLY afraid of the guy who shrugs and raises, or sighs and raises. Also important, make sure that YOU aren't giving off tells when YOU act. Bet the same way every time, protect your hand the same way every time, wait the same amount of time every time, and occasionally (against a good opponent) use a reverse-tell to trick your opponent into doing what you want.

8. Watch for rule-breaking. When software isn't in charge, mistakes can happen. Be sure that your cards are always protected by a chip or object, because if dead cards touch your hand, your hand is automatically dead. Never muck cards at showdown unless you're CERTAIN you're beaten (right, Georgia Ave? [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]). Beware of the string-bet: if someone says "I call...and raise" or if they bet then reach back for their raise money, that's illegal. A good dealer or an attentive opponent can call the string, and the raise is declared null. Don't let this happen to you, from either side.

9. Watch your mouth. Unlike online, people can hear you talk. Also, bad behavior is MUCH less tolerated live than online. Don't complain, don't be a sourpuss, and don't be an a-hole. Also, a friendly atmosphere can be very financially lucrative: feel free to chat up your neighbors, comment on hands (afterward only!), discuss the real world, and generally chatter as though you were having a good time. On a related note, while being drunk at the table is -EV, LOOKING drunk at a table can be +EV. Final note: if you can't pull off talking and playing at the same time, don't talk. You're better off being friendly and chatty, but if you can't manage that, you'd prefer being quiet and playing well to chatting and playing badly.

10. Remember your poker ettiquette. Don't slowroll, ESPECIALLY with a big winner. If it's time for a showdown, show your damned cards if you're first to act. Otherwise, ask your opponent to show. You can always request to see an opponent's cards, but it's considered rude; don't do this much unless ABSOLUTELY necessary. TIP THE DEALER. Usually $1 or $2 per winning hand is considered adequate, but never stiff the dealer. If you think you may have forgotten, ask the dealer if you tipped -- they will almost always be honest with you, and thank you for making sure. Tip the waitresses, too -- again, $1 per drink is usually sufficient. Keep your racks off the table -- it can nullify a jackpot, and people get very snippy about it. Post your blinds in turn without being told. If you want to move the button to help the dealer, be sure to tell the dealer you moved the button. If you smoke, make sure you don't blow smoke in anybody's face. If you're sitting next to the dealer, ask the dealer's permission before you light up. Never request a deck change unless the cards are actually bent or somehow faulty. NEVER BLAME THE DEALER FOR YOUR BAD LUCK.

I look forward to hearing other people's thoughts.