Online Pokers effect on Big Tourneys
This was published 01-06-2009Every year Bluff Magazine puts out a list of top “amateur” players to watch. It’s a great list with some fantastic talent, but that’s not really what this post is about. What i noticed about the list is the fact that it’s all WSOP Rookies, or to put it another way, they’re all 21. Young players with very little live experience is becoming the new norm for WSOP final tables. They are starting when they’re 18, honing and really translating their online skills to live games.
Starting Young
Players who start playing online at 18 years old are able to make the mistakes all newbies make, but do it in a way that is very minimal risk to them. By the time they’re 21 and able to play in major live tourneys in the states, they have had 3 years to correct those mistakes and are already well past the nerves of most first time players.
The other advantage to playing online early is all of the tournament entry’s possible to be won. A lot of these players are able to not only win entry into tourneys in the Caribbean or Monte Carlo (or Canada), but they’re able to cash. These tournaments have as wide a variance as any tourney in the states, and gives these players a real look at what live poker is all about (not to mention some nice paydays).
Translating their Skills to a live Game
I don’t care what anyone says, online poker and live poker are 2 different monsters. Translating your skills from sitting in front of a computer to sitting across from someone at a major tourney is a huge challenge. Even the most veteran online player has bad habits that need correcting and new skills that need to be learned before becoming a really successful live player. But i think this discussion is something for a different post.
Overall i think that starting young, online is the way to go. It really gives you the ability to, at 21 years old, walk in and sit across the table from any of the big names, and realize that everyone is playing the same game…and you know it as well as they do.
“I’m just preparing for the live poker grind. Six weeks of live poker is a shit ton, so I think getting in the right mindset and trying not to burnout,” – Harder
