Need Some Opinions - Live Vs. Online

Hi - I've been an online Holdem player mostly and have played live at a casino a couple times. I never played long enough at the casinos to form an opinion. My question is:

Can anyone post some observations about players, the game, betting, etc. contrasting Live tourney play to Online tourney play? I'm curious to know if players play differently from your personal experiences.

TIA

Online players in my opinion are much looser than at the casino. It doesn't seem to bother most players to lose money if its not in their hands.
Casino players are much tighter. They play that way because they have chips in hand. And the competition at the casino is better because most of them play there all the time. there isn't a table you goto where someone is going all in on every hand, or a tournament where half the people go all in on the first hand.
I do enjoy going to the casino more than playing online, just for the chatting and person to person interaction.
It also depends on where you play. Vegas is going to be totally different than Arizona, or California with Indian casinos.

I'm not a poker pro, I'm not even a poker novice. Somewhere below that, but just from my playing experience.

Beau

Hi Beau - First of all what a cutie you have pictured there.

And thanks for the observation. Are you saying that you feel many LIVE players go all in? If so, I'd agree. The tourney I played - that's exactly what they all did. Then they'd re-buy. One guy re-bought 4 times in less than 20 minutes.

I'm no pro either but am learning everyday -- hope to play sometime at the Fort!

As you know Michele, I don't like online play much. As a mater of fact, I haven't played online in a little over two years. I found some cash games here locally and got hooked. Now I play almost entirely in cardrooms in and around the North Florida area. I frequently cross state lines into Georgia from my home state to Florida to find games. I am not sure what exactly made me fall in love with the cardroom atmosphere and the live game, but I did.
I would rather be in a smoky, dim, cardroom than just about anywhere on earth. I have about 7 or 8 regular games I go to, some as close as 15 minutes from home, some as far away as a couple of hours. I also host card games at my house and am in the process of building a detatched cardroom behind my house so that I can have long tournaments or games that go until they are over or people are broke. As it stands now, my home games usually don't last more than 5 or 6 hours because I have a wife and 2 boys and the games can be loud etc.

As far as your experience with the "all-in" kamakazi's that you played with in the tournament, I'm not sure what phenonenon you were experiencing. If I had to guess I would say because it was a tournament and the structure allowed for re-buys, you saw a lot of big manuvering early on from people trying to build a huge chip lead before the rebuy period ended. In my experience, live players are actually less crazy and loose than their online counterparts.

For me, there is nothing like playing live, against all different kinds of players, in different towns, for different stakes. I would do it 7 days a week if I could, I never tire of it.

I was at a tournament at Fort McDowell Casino once, and the Guy next to me must have Re-bought 5or6 times in the first hour and never made it to the first hour Add on.
It was insane, he just went all in on every re-buy.
Some people make no "cents"...

Beau

is it easy to make the switch from online to live? there is a casino less than 30mins from here that has tables starting at $1-$2 limit...

Like anything it takes getting used to. I would reccomend playing some home games for a while if you have no real table experience so you can make sure you aren't full of tells. That's probably the biggest concern I would have, making sure I wasn't giving anything away. I think online play makes you complacent in a way when it comes to table discipline.

Completely agree with Diablo, get some home game experience before you hit the casino.
Unless you have the money to burn playing cash games, cause it will take some time to stop the nervous ticks of online play.
the first time I played a Tourney at a B&M casino It was all i could do to not pump my fist when I knocked someone out, or got a big pot.
At the casinos around me they have some cheap buy in tourney's for new players to practice at. Good, even great players play at these tourney's but its only 15 dollars for 600 in tourney chips, and you can see quite a few hands.

Hi - Thanks for the insight. I have not played any ring games at live casinos mainly because they are limit games and I think they are boring. So I go for the tournaments. What I don't like is that if you play for 1 - 3 hours prior at a ring game, you get extra free chips for the tournament. So you are at a disadvantage when you start. Also, Beau is right, you get these guys coming in who you know are seasoned players at the casino with stacks of chips.

Beau - I think we might have been at the same tourney table with the re-buys. But probably all the tables were like that. I was the only female at my table and the guys went after me. I think they were intimidated or didn't like the idea I was even there. The table I was at - someone every hand called all-in. It was really pathetic, even worse than online play.

Diablo - I don't really fit into the mold of most casino players. Many of the guys I see playing need a shave, change of clothes, shower or worse!!! LOL And then I'm squished between two big guys and can't even see the flop. The last guy to sit down was a huge fella and we all had to move our chairs around so he could sit in the middle. Arrogant guy. It wasn't pretty. Maybe I should stick to online.

OKAY, I will try another touney at my local casino. The 4th of July they are having a lot going on. Might be fun to go.

Haha, well I'm on the flipside of that coin. Shaved, except for a long goatee, showered, and well dressed. I am a big guy though 6'3, 265 lbs., so I feel your pain on that one. I try to take up as little space as possible, but at my size that's difficult. I guess it helps that I'm shaven and showered though. Good luck in the upcomming tourney.

Hi Diablo - You are welcome at my table any time! A guy smelling fresh and clean is always nice! LOL no matter what size he is.

Well I'm no fat slob by any means, but I am a big guy. I played football for years through high-school/college and I kept working out to keep from ballooning up like so many do when the game is over. And I may just take you up on that table offer if I'm ever in your neck of the woods. LOL.

6'-3"? 265lbs? Yikes! What have I gotten myself into? If I had known you were that big I would have chosen my words more carefully. Thank god you don't know where I live.

If it makes you feel any better (or worse) I'm a private investigator. I find people for a living. But don't worry, I'm not gonna look for you....unless you beat me out of all that money. Hahaha.

i realize you guys are all from the states, but does anyone from canada know the legal age for casinos?
i was sure it was 19 but heard 18 aswell
just wondering

Hi Diablo - YES! If you are ever in the Phoenix area - let me know. Maybe we can play a table together or a tourney. I'm not as good as you for sure, but it would be fun.

When you said you were an investigator - The Dog came to mind. LOL