Coke vs. Pepsi. Mac vs. PC. Stones vs. Beatles. All great rivalries. And, in the world of poker, you can add the ‘online poker vs. live poker’ debate. And this one is every bit as heated as the classics.
It really wasn’t that long ago that the only way you could play poker was at a table with cards and chips. And the classic image of a poker room was a dingy, smoke filled lair inhabited by shady characters named after cities, places where you were just as likely to have your legs broken as go home a winner. And, for better or for worse, this image wasn’t that far from the truth. Even into the 1970’s, poker rooms such as the famous Binion’s in Las Vegas (original home of the World Series of Poker) were ugly, smoky rooms with bad lighting, a far cry from the beautiful luxury rooms you see now at Wynn, Bellagio, and the Venetian.
The reason for those low budget rooms was simple: low budgets. There weren’t enough players to warrant the big casinos spending money on a fancy poker salon. So your choice was simple: play at home, or play in a seedy card joint.
And then, something remarkable happened: on January 1, 1998, a company called Planet Poker offered the very first online poker play for real money. And that opened the door to the biggest explosion in the history of gambling.
Players couldn’t sign up fast enough. Online poker grew at exponential rates. And then, in 2003, an accountant named Chris Moneymaker won the World Series of Poker. And how did he get the ten thousand dollar buy-in? He qualified online. For thirty eight bucks. All of a sudden, the worlds collided. Players who previously had only played in the basement on Friday night with their buddies suddenly signed up for online accounts so that they could play in the WSOP. And online players who had never played live started heading for casinos to practice so that THEY could play in the WSOP.
Before you could say ‘Phil Hellmuth Jr’, nine thousand players were playing in the Main Event of the WSOP. For a twelve million dollar first prize (enter Jamie Gold). But along the way, an interesting thing happened: players began to be classed as ‘live’ or ‘online’ poker players.
And, whether true or false, each type of player was lumped into a style based on their preferred method of gaming. Live players were steadier, less aggressive players who made plays based on ‘reads’ of other players betting patterns and physical tells.
Online players were hyper-aggressive youngsters who fired away at every pot without regard to what their opponents might have.
Are these stereotypes accurate? Perhaps at one point. But not so much anymore. Now, in order to be a good poker player, you have to be well rounded, and most skilled players play BOTH types of poker well.
Online players watch enough poker on TV and put in enough time playing live to understand the nuances of live poker. And, because of the MASSIVE number of hands online players can see (online players average twice as many hands per hour as live tables, and often play many tables at once: therefore, a young internet pro like Tom ‘durr’ Dwan has likely played more hands in four years than Doyle Brunson has in seventy years), online pros have an excellent grasp of the math and odds of the game.
Meanwhile, live players have moved onto the internet. Why? Because they can play a lot more in a shorter period of time. Players like David Benyamine and Gus Hansen, who used to spend years grinding out the biggest cash games in the casinos, can now make MILLIONS in a single month online.
So, what’s better? Well, it’s really up to you as a player. But remember this: if you want to be the next Chris Moneymaker, eventually you’re going to have to sit down at a table with nine other players and beat them. Besides, it’s FAR more fun to turn over those pocket aces when you can see your opponent’s face....
Chris Tessaro is the host of The Hardcore Poker Show on Sirius Channel 98, Tuesday nights at 7 PM. You can follow him on Twitter @ChrisTessaro