Whether you’ve been honing your skills with online poker or enjoying friendly games at land-based establishments, you know that poker tournaments offer the chance to take your game to the next level.
During normal poker cash games, players remain at a single table for a session, there are minimum and maximum buy-ins, the blinds remain the same, and players can cash out at any time. In poker tournaments, players change tables as the field thins, the buy-in is fixed (with the exception of reentries or rebuys and add-ons), and players all receive the same number of chips to start play. The blinds increase at regular intervals, and the game ends for players who lose their chips. This makes this type of event far more competitive, with players being paid their winnings according to where they finish in the tournament rankings.
Just like with normal poker games, there are a number of different types of poker tournaments, all of which can be played either online or at land-based events, allowing players to enjoy tournaments in two very different settings. So, what are the key differences between online and offline tournaments? Take a look.
Online Poker Tournaments
Online tournaments happen far more regularly than offline events and tend to have smaller fields with smaller prize pools. This makes them ideal for players wanting to practice their competitive skills. Additionally, online casinos that hold tournaments often offer the opportunity to engage in exciting tournament formats like progressive knockout poker, where you can apply unique strategies to thrive in the competition. Borgata Online offers a range of daily, weekly and seasonal online poker tournaments.
Read on to learn the pros and cons of playing in poker tournaments online.
Pro: Accessibility and Convenience
Online poker tournaments offer players the chance to take part in tournaments regularly from wherever they are. This affords players the chance to hone their competitive skills without having to travel to large events, and they can play on a computer or mobile device. These games are also of shorter duration than live tournaments, allowing players to get frequent experience without it taking up too much time, and because they’re smaller, the buy-ins are far more affordable.
Pro: Familiar Environment
Players who play predominantly online will find online poker tournaments far less stressful than land-based tournaments. There is less noise, fewer distractions, and less pressure than in-person events, making these especially helpful to newer players still developing their skills. Add to that the ability to play at any time of the day or night, all from the comforts of home, and online poker becomes ideal for many people.
Pro: May Act as a Gateway
While some in-person tournaments are open to anyone who can afford the buy-in, others are reserved only for those with an invitation or the means to play at high stakes. Certain online tournaments called satellites afford players the chance to gain access to these land-based tournaments, and prize packages sometimes even cover travel expenses and accommodations.
Con: Limited Time
The average live Texas Hold’em poker hand takes around two minutes to play out, which is halved in online games. While this is often considered a positive, it does restrict the amount of time available to recognize opponents’ betting patterns and hand ranges. In live tournaments, you also get to know people, making them easier to read over time.
Con: Less Social
Online poker games are undoubtedly less social than in-person games, which can be seen as either a disadvantage or an advantage, depending on your focus. This certainly removes the inherent excitement in large tournaments, though it may also offer a more focused environment for those looking to practice their competitive skills more regularly.
Con: Requires a Higher Skill Level
Whether you’re looking for poker tournament guides for beginners, strategy tips, or how-to guides, the digital age has opened the doors to a wide range of resources and training materials that can help poker players improve their skills. However, despite how beginner-friendly online poker can be, in an online multi-table tournament setting, you will need a solid understanding of the fundamentals of the game if you hope to be successful. Making mathematically calculated decisions based on as many optimal calls as possible is one of the most important factors for success in online MTTs. While this is also the case with live tournaments, the hand equity calculations for live games don’t need to be as exact as with online poker because physical tells narrow down potential hand ranges.
Land-Based Poker Tournaments
Generally, land-based tournaments are much larger and more prestigious. This is where you’ll find many of the poker pros, as the prizes are significantly larger. The World Series of Poker (WSOP) and World Poker Tour (WPT) are some of the most famous and largest live tournaments, with signature tournaments often awarding tens of millions of dollars and creating millionaires of the top finishers.n.
Here are the pros and cons of playing poker tournaments based at land-based casinos.
Pro: Social Atmosphere
Much of what makes poker, and especially competitive poker, so engaging is the social aspect of the game. During live tournaments, players get to meet new people both before the event and as they move to different tables as eliminations occur and the player pool shrinks. This gives players the chance to connect with like-minded poker fans and even meet possible backers or tournament travel companions. In-person events also make it possible for attendees to enjoy casino amenities on the side, making for a more memorable experience.
Pro: Offers More Tells
While poker tells may not be as obvious or dramatic as they’re portrayed in films, a good player can certainly learn to read other players based on their mannerisms and table talk. These subtle cues allow players to gain information from opponents that can help their game by making more educated decisions. This aspect of the game is much more difficult to decipher in online play.
Pro: Larger Prizes and More Prestige
Because in-person events are generally larger, their prize pools are too. As such, these events are best suited to competitive and professional players, though many newer and recreational players garner great experience in large live events.
Pro: Less Aggressive
Live poker tournaments tend to be more passive. A lot of players agree that, in live poker, the focus is more on slowly winning chips from each player as opposed to the all-out chip battles that you may see in online games. Doing well in live tournaments comes with its own set of tricks that are different from online MTTs. In live games, for example, players may call with good hands, like top pairs, to set traps and play various strategies. This means that, in the context of tournaments, you can often expect players to call or limp even when the odds aren’t necessarily in favor of that decision.
Con: Travel Time and Expenses
Poker tournaments are often held in popular gambling cities like Las Vegas or Atlantic City, making them far less convenient than online events. Of course, treating a tournament as a mini trip has its perks, but for players looking to advance their skills, travel and hotel costs, time off work, and other expenses certainly add up. While this may be worth it for professional players, more casual players are more likely to consider such events as special occasions.
Con: Requires Different Strategies
If you’ve been predominantly playing poker online, in-person tournaments can be a very different experience. Not only do you have to incorporate body language and other tells into your strategy, you’ll also be placed in a far busier environment, which could affect some players’ state of mind and concentration.
Con: Casino Poker Is Played at a Much Slower Pace
When you’re playing poker offline, the speed and pacing are a lot slower than when you play poker online. The digital nature of online tournaments enables faster gameplay because of factors like automated card shuffling and dealing, which allow for more hands to be played in a shorter period of time. With live poker tournaments, however, the physical aspects like shuffling and dealing can slow down the pace of play. That said, this could also be seen as a benefit because slower play can lead to a more methodical and deliberate poker game.
Preparing for a Poker Tournament
Though online and offline poker tournaments have a few key differences, both serve an important purpose for poker players, and serious players will find value in both. As mentioned, online tournaments serve as a highly convenient and accessible platform for developing skills, while in-person tournaments can be reserved for more serious games. Players find what works best for them over time.
Play Poker Online at Borgata Online
Borgata Online hosts a variety of poker games online, from live poker online to Sit and Go Tournaments. Whether you’re into Texas Hold’em, Omaha variations, or Spins and FastForward, you’ll find over 70 tournaments daily when you register.