Experiencing The Thrill Of Offline Poker

In this modern era, the vast majority of poker players play online, but the majority of these online players will never have played poker offline in the real world in poker clubs and casinos. These people are seriously missing out on the thrill of offline poker.


Sure it's not as fast-moving as online poker with less hands being played and players being given plenty of time to make decisions, but offline poker has a lot to offer any player.


For starters, it's obviously a lot easier to read other players bluffs because you can actually see who you're up against and study their behaviour and subconscious movements. In online games all you can do is watch the betting patterns of players, but offline you can study players' behaviour and even talk to your opponents, and try to glean information or tells out of them.


It's also a more sociable experience because you can chat to other players at the table and pass the time between hands, whereas if you're playing online you're probably stuck in your bedroom all on your own.


Also, the thrill of winning offline tournaments is much greater than winning online. I've won a couple of online tournaments over the years, but it's my offline tournament wins that have given me the most satisfaction simply because the eyes of the casino are on you when you reach the final table, and winning in front of a crowd is a great feeling. If you win an online tournament, however, you're just a random username, and no-one knows who you are.


Once you experience the whole atmosphere of offline games in poker clubs and casinos, you will begin to wonder why you've never played live poker before. Even little things like playing with real chips, and verbally announcing 'I'm all-in' can be exciting when you first start playing live games, so if you haven't yet started playing in offline games, I highly recommend you do so as it will bring an added dimension to your enjoyment of playing poker.

James Woolley is a regular poker player and the author of a poker blog which is a complete guide to internet poker, and contains the very latest holdem poker tips to help you become a better poker player.