The world of poker has evolved tremendously over the years, especially as technology turned the game from a rare delicacy to a highly accessible experience.
Both live poker and Everygame mobile games have a lot to offer to players, so you can have an enjoyable poker session whether you visit a brick-and-mortar venue or use your smartphone to log into your account. When deciding where and how to place your bets, it is important to answer one burning question: Where do you need more skill?
This question is especially important if you are a beginner poker player and you are at a basic skill level. Where should you play poker? Let's find out!
Understanding Live Poker
One of the most significant aspects of live poker is the social interaction it provides. Players can read their opponents' body language, facial expressions, and betting patterns. This interaction adds an additional layer of strategy that requires a keen observation skill.
Skill Set Required
- Reading Opponents: Success in live poker heavily relies on your ability to read tells and understand your opponents' behaviors. Watching their every move, analyzing it in real-time, and figuring out how to adjust your strategy accordingly can help you perfect your poker strategy.
- Psychological Play: Bluffing and outsmarting opponents often hinge on your ability to maintain a calm demeanor and project confidence. In essence, live poker is half about the game itself and half about the show you put up.
- Patience and Discipline: Live games tend to be slower, requiring players to be patient and disciplined in their decision-making. Some players take their time in making decisions to psyche you out and make you drive you to make irrational decisions, and it is important you don't let that bother you.
The Allure of Mobile Poker
Mobile poker has transformed the way players engage with the game. With the ability to play anywhere and anytime, the convenience factor is undeniable. However, this format also comes with its unique challenges.
Skill Set Required
- Quick Decision Making: Mobile poker often accelerates the pace of the game, as you play way more hands than you would have at a live poker game. Therefore, playing poker online requires the ability to think on your feet in order to make smart decisions.
- Reading the Table: Since you can't see who you're playing against, you can't rely on your ability to read body language to figure out what kind of hand your opponent has. Instead, in order to get in your opponent's head, you need to take notes on everyone's betting habits, when they fold, and when they call. Also, you must have a solid understanding of ranges so you can try to predict what kind of hand your opponent has at all times.
- A cool approach to the game: At the online and mobile poker table, you are bound to meet a more varied selection of players: from inexperienced hotheads to honest sharks. To deal with both types of players, you should try to keep your cool at all times and not allow them to rattle you. As long as you make rational decisions at the table without allowing your emotions to cloud your judgment, you will be able to play to the best of your abilities.
The Verdict: Online Poker requires More Skill
While playing live poker is not easy, the skill set required to succeed while playing online or mobile poker is more extensive. First of all, the sheer volume of hands you play online requires more focus and knowledge. In addition to that, every player has access to different tracking tools, which means your opponents can analyze your moves with more efficiency, dialing up the competition.
Lastly, playing mobile poker means you will encounter a larger pool of players with a wider range of skill levels, meaning you will have to adjust your strategy more than once as you place your bet.
Overall, it seems as if online poker requires more skill than live games. If you love to challenge yourself, then playing mobile poker is perfect for you!