Why is it so difficult to play poker online

Fosterbio

Fosterbio

Rock Star
Bronze Level
Joined
Jul 21, 2015
Total posts
344
Awards
3
MD
Chips
592
I mostly play online; offline play is a bit unusual. You can play anytime, and you don't even need to be dressed up.)))))
 
Iryna Stryzheuskaya

Iryna Stryzheuskaya

Legend
Loyaler
Joined
Feb 13, 2016
Total posts
3,213
Awards
10
BY
Chips
439
Maybe you need more time to get used to it.
 
kmiarka

kmiarka

Enthusiast
Silver Level
Joined
Sep 11, 2025
Total posts
39
GB
Chips
126
You face people at all levels now, comparing with your local/rw fellows.

There is no real rule for that mate, some people having exactly opposite - struggling to play in rl comparing with peace and stress less games in front of screen ;)

If things arent going well as planned, just slow down ;) They will with time!
 
DarkSage

DarkSage

Rock Star
Platinum Level
Joined
Sep 2, 2025
Total posts
141
BR
Chips
122
Variance is a bi...ch
Variance is a ....MYTH.

One that corrupt people uses very often to justify their rigged systems.
online poker is miles and miles and miles away from real poker. MILES.

There's absolutely NO randomness in online games. None. Zero.

Don't believe any of the "player level" bullshit people try to sell you, online poker is 100% rigged.
Its pure bullshit, garbage, slot machine, fraud, carefully called as "variance". kkkk

That's how they react to any CRYSTAL CLEAR rigged experience. They say: "Its variance" kkkkkkk That's all.
The rest is dog shit wrapped in cat shit.
 
F

farahonloveshad

Enthusiast
Silver Level
Joined
Oct 23, 2025
Total posts
29
EC
Chips
63
One always returns to where one was happy; you must have the ability to look at people and see their soul.
 
KeyPatience

KeyPatience

Rock Star
Platinum Level
Joined
Jul 16, 2025
Total posts
170
IN
Chips
187
I started playing poker in person, now that I started playing online poker, I think it's more difficult than face-to-face poker, I don't know why, but I was doing much better in person
Because while playing online, many people tend to multitask and play more casually! Lack of discipline hurts when you’re behind a screen!
 
cassimiro

cassimiro

Rising Star
Bronze Level
Joined
Feb 28, 2025
Total posts
20
BR
Chips
60
I started playing poker in person, now that I started playing online poker, I think it's more difficult than face-to-face poker, I don't know why, but I was doing much better in person
This is probably due to variance. My impression of online poker is that players play far more hands than in live poker, and this happens much more frequently in tournaments or cash games with low buy-ins.
 
tuitui

tuitui

Rock Star
Platinum Level
Joined
Nov 8, 2025
Total posts
103
FI
Chips
110
The enormous amount of hands is what makes it different! In live play the pace is slower, giving the player time to think about their moves and calm down between hands. Psychological load is greater online. Bad beats come faster and more often, and the game does not offer natural breaks in the same way as in live play. This increases the risk of tilt and can further make decision-making difficult.
 
N

NENMEMBA

Enthusiast
Silver Level
Joined
Oct 24, 2025
Total posts
66
DE
Chips
79
it is hard? maybe because people playing on a mobile phone and don't play as much attention.
 
C

Cooking

Legend
Loyaler
Joined
May 19, 2011
Total posts
3,079
Awards
2
Chips
839
Because it's more difficult to read other players when you online. Also, we are usually playing more than one table at the same time, so, it's even more difficult.
 
R.Holynskyi

R.Holynskyi

Visionary
Platinum Level
Joined
Jul 18, 2023
Total posts
999
Awards
1
UA
Chips
532
I started playing poker in person, now that I started playing online poker, I think it's more difficult than face-to-face poker, I don't know why, but I was doing much better in person
Of course, live play and online play are very different. But online play is not more difficult, it's just a different type of game and you just need time to get used to it.
 
Szimba1989

Szimba1989

Rising Star
Bronze Level
Joined
Sep 18, 2024
Total posts
7
HU
Chips
106
In online poker you do not see the reaction of people, and of course some program decides what the hands are.
 
Szimba1989

Szimba1989

Rising Star
Bronze Level
Joined
Sep 18, 2024
Total posts
7
HU
Chips
106
Because you don't see people's reactions.And it all works with an algorithm
 
Alpha737

Alpha737

Enthusiast
Bronze Level
Joined
Jan 3, 2026
Total posts
33
IN
Chips
23
I felt the same when I moved online. Live poker is more about physical tells, table flow, and patience, while online poker is faster, more technical, and filled with players using solid fundamentals. The lack of live reads and the higher hand volume make mistakes add up quickly online. It’s a different skill set—once I adjusted by slowing down, studying more, and focusing on fundamentals, my results started to improve.
 
flabilim

flabilim

Rock Star
Platinum Level
Joined
Mar 29, 2023
Total posts
298
Awards
1
BR
Chips
519
CI believe it's a matter of habit, however, online distraction is greater, so players tend to play multiple tables to avoid this.
 
H

hooram95

Rising Star
Bronze Level
Joined
Dec 21, 2025
Total posts
3
PK
Chips
37
That’s a really common experience. Online poker moves faster, players see way more hands, and you lose all the physical tells you rely on in live games. It’s less about reading people and more about math, discipline, and volume, which takes time to adjust to.
 
TheNoobX

TheNoobX

Rising Star
Bronze Level
Joined
Jan 1, 2026
Total posts
3
DE
Chips
39
You need to learn a bit, and then it becomes easier.
I started on pokerstars playing fixed-field tournaments, for example with 45 or 90 players.
Now I play MTTs on GGPoker with 1,000 to 3,000 players, and it’s really difficult.
 
hardongear

hardongear

Legend
Platinum Level
Joined
Nov 20, 2022
Total posts
1,190
CA
Chips
877
Simply comes down to you can't see people's emotions and reactions when it comes to playing online poker. If you could online poker would be as easy as live poker.

Cheers!!!
 
SpanRmonka

SpanRmonka

Legend
Loyaler
Joined
May 3, 2020
Total posts
3,491
Awards
7
GB
Chips
997
If you're playing tournaments, you are likely playing against 500-1000 players, maybe live you play against 50/100. This makes online 10 times harder to win or FT. Players playing live are a much poorer standard than online, especially at the lowest stakes.
 
dreamer13

dreamer13

Legend
Loyaler
Joined
Mar 18, 2022
Total posts
5,004
Awards
2
LV
Chips
1,407
Online poker is possibly the most challenging game you will ever play.Online poker isn't about reading tilts or making great moves; it's about mastering boredom and exercising rigorous self-control. Think poker is just about luck or outplaying the fish? The real challenge is surviving the endless grind of repetition. You'll fold 20 times in a row. You'll miss bluffs. You'll get bluffed.
 
W

wushibala

Rock Star
Platinum Level
Joined
Jun 23, 2025
Total posts
296
UA
Chips
270
Your opinion about online poker is probably based on the more aggressive behavior of players. But if you play a bit more, you’ll get used to it and it won’t seem that way anymore. And of course, in online poker you need to make decisions faster.
 
nelomec

nelomec

Visionary
Bronze Level
Joined
Apr 15, 2021
Total posts
527
Awards
1
BR
Chips
385
I started playing poker in person, now that I started playing online poker, I think it's more difficult than face-to-face poker, I don't know why, but I was doing much better in person
The change takes time to adjust to; online poker is indeed more difficult because the number of players is greater, the variance is more noticeable, and you're dealing with all types of players.
 
G

gloria_marga

Rock Star
Bronze Level
Joined
Jan 11, 2025
Total posts
194
AR
Chips
266
In my experience, online tournaments force you to play a lot more hands, for some reason I'm not aware of; playing online increases the likelihood of a bad bet.
 
Top