trends
THE POKER TRADE
Essential Tips for Online Poker COVID-19 has shuttered the casinos, so here’s what amateurs need to know to play online with the pros. By Jonathan Little
T
he COVID-19 virus has wreaked havoc not only on the economy in general but also on the live poker arena. Essentially, all casinos have closed, forcing poker players to play online instead. Anyone new to online poker will find that it somewhat similar to live poker but should note a few major differences. In a casino or home game, players can see their opponents. That enables astute readers of people to adjust their strategy to take advantage of the mistakes opponents are making. For example, a specific opponent might sit up a bit more when he has a strong hand and slouch with a weak hand. When his posture improves, fold decently strong but non-premium hands. When the slouch returns, bluff him out of the pot. Online, players can’t see opponents. Some strong live players fail online because their best skill (reading their opponents’ mannerisms) has been taken away. But instead of relying on physical tells, players should instead learn a fundamentally sound strategy and adjust it only if opponents make mistakes they can capitalize on. Declining win rate In live poker, a potential win rate can be quite high, perhaps 30 big blinds per 100 hands in cash games filled with recreational players. With $1/$2 no-limit, that works out to about a $20 per hour win rate. Online though, players are generally stronger at the same buy-in, resulting in much lower win rates. At $1/$2 online, the best players in the world win about $8 per 100 hands, which is about 40% as much as live players. That may not sound too bad because more hands are played per hour online, but consider the fate of those who aren’t the best players in the world. If they win at $10 per hour live, they may win only $2 per
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luckbox | june 2020
2006-trends-poker.indd 42
5/21/20 12:14 PM
