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Playing NL Live vs Online- Additional Thoughts
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Monday, May 19, 2008
By Chris Grove
PartTime Poker
1) When games do have a capped buyin, it's usually lower than you'd expect. For example, I was out in Vegas a few weeks ago and played no limit holdem at the Mirage. The game had 2 and 5 blinds and a max buyin of $300 - about $200 less than I'm used to if I play the game online. When they did offer 5-10, the max buyin was $500 - half of what I'm used to. This change can seriously impact your game in subtle yet important ways - for example, make sure you adjust to the preflop implied odds shift this difference presents. If the capped buyin limit bothers you, just ask other players or dealers where a no max buyin game can be found, or just start calling around [the Mirage is actually great for that - they have phones scattered around the room; pick up the phone, dial O and the operator will connect you to any hotel in Vegas].
2) Player turnover is a lot lower in a live game. Online, people pop in and out of a game, but live players tend to stick around longer. Two impacts: first, you get know opponents better and they get know you better. Second, winners tend to stick around, so you're often walking into a table where the average stack may be 2-3 times the buyin, which also may cramp your usual style.
3) Watch your string bets, rookie. I see this happen at least once an hour when I play live - players say nothing, put some chips out in front of them and then reach back for more - a violation commonly referred to as a string bet because of the multiple trips back to the stack. The dealer informs them that only the original chips play. In a live limit game, this mistake might cost you a bet or two; in a NL game it can cost you significantly more. Just announce your intentions - say "raise" and the amount and you can go back to your stack as often as you like. If you do say an amount, remember that there is a distinction between raising to an amount and raising an additional amount. For instance, if someone bets $30 and you say "raise to $100″, you're actually only raising $70. If you want to raise $100 more, just say "$100 more" or "make it $130″. If you're the kind of person who simply has to stack up chips and play with them a bit before you raise, say "raise" and then start making your stacks behind your cards.
4) You have tells, and so do other people.
5) While this last piece of advice has been repeated over and over again, pots in NL can be so big that it's worth repeating again. Protect your cards at showdown. Don't throw your cards out to the middle of the table - place them in front of you with a chip or something on top. If your opponent says they have a certain hand, check their cards to see if they actually have it before you muck yours. Showdown is not the automated, infallible process you've become accustomed to online - dealers and other players make mistakes all the time [and some players will try to 'angle shoot' you out of a win if they think they can get you to muck]. Remember, when your cards hit the muck, they are dead, and no amount of whining or complaining is going to bring them back. Never release your cards until the pot is being pushed your way or you've seen someone else show a winning hand.
