Title says it all! How far do you think you can take your game in 2016, without playing online?
How far do you want to take it, and what are you willing to do to achieve that? These are the questions you need to ask yourself. What do you think players did
before there was on-line Poker?
We all know its advantageous because of the large sample size of hands you can see in a short period of time, but is it NECESSARY to play online to perfect your game?
Makes no difference. I've seen regs on-line and live who haven't learned one GD'ed thing in months, or even
years of play. I keep seeing posts about this site pays quicker than that site, but for the vast majority of players, it'll never be a problem because they're always depositing, never withdrawing.
The pro's and the live grinders in America are testament in my eyes that you infact don't need to play online poker in order to show consistent and profitable results as well as large wins for life changing money.
You don't, however, there is one thing on-line can do for you. It makes you really
observe your opponents. How to get a line on their play by what they are doing, both in the pots you're playing and those you sit out. This'll pay dividends when playing live. There are also fewer distractions, like those TV's playing the Big Game, etc.
However when you watch the WSOP and the EPT, you can see clear differences in play styles in countries where people do play online in comparison to those who dont.
Thoughts?
You have to adjust to how the opposition plays regardless. On-line is convenient since you don't have to go to the cardroom: it comes to you. It can help you stay sharp between live sessions. Of course, it cuts both ways. Become overly dependent on HUDs and stats, and you're completely lost in a live game. After Black Friday, the local venue was full of these young hot shots. They haven't been around in years now, having either gotten broke, or discouraged.
Other adjustments you'll have to make is keep track of what's in the pot. There is no oh so convenient pot counter at a live table. You will need to make your own "HUD" by keeping notes on the regs you'll encounter. You can either do this discretely during restroom breaks, or at the table. The advantage of doing that is it can be a bit intimidating if they see you taking notes.
If you want to use on-line to sharpen live skills, then don't multi-table. Some in-line grinders will open a bazillion tables and nit it up. These players become very exploitable. If you're playing 24 tables at once, how much time do you suppose they spend analyzing your bet or raise? Maybe a couple of seconds: they can be bluffed.
Good old fashioned observation still pays off while on-line. One reg used to pay off like an ATM -- a real mega-fish. Lately, his game has been improving. He still open limps too much, but nowhere with the frequency of a couple of months ago. He's still FoF-ie, but not as much these days, and his biggest leak is over playing TPTK/big overpairs without regard to SPR. I expect he'll improve in this area as well as he got stacked twice by the same opponent overplaying overpairs in high SPR pots.
Another thinking reg seems to be letting a wife/girlfriend/SO play his account. Within a few hands, I can tell who's who.
Another two would be decent players, but they are the epitome of FoF: I
bluff them every chance I get even if I have absolutely nothing.
These are the kinds of things you can learn only through paying attention, observing, and taking notes. A HUD can only tell you how a player played in the past, not how he's playing
right now, and that's what you need to know.