Online poker has become so big in the last five years, that there's a whole breed of very capable poker players who have never played a real-life game away from their computer. These people have no idea just how exciting offline poker can be.

There are two main reasons why online poker is so much more popular than offline poker - convenience and speed. It is obviously more convenient to just switch on your computer and start playing whenever you feel like it, and you can also get through a lot more hands online due to computerised dealers and less thinking time being permitted.

However, there are several reasons why offline poker can be just as exciting as online poker, if not more so.

Firstly, in the real world you can actually socialize with other players. Poker can become a social event, and more of an enjoyable experience than playing on your computer which can be quite a lonely existence. The chat facility just doesn't compare to actually talking to other players at the table in live games.

Another benefit is that actually being able to see your opponents makes it much easier to identify how strong or weak an opponents hand is, and whether they are bluffing or not. This is because you can get valuable information from subconscious tells that other players make. In the online world, of course, you cannot see who you're up against and can only look at the betting patterns and frequency of the other players to be able to identify bluffs and make informed decisions.

Also another thing that offline poker has going for it, particularly in poker clubs or casinos, is the atmosphere and the sense of occasion when you are involved in a tournament. This is especially true when you reach the final table of a tournament when the eyes of the casino are on you, and if you can actually win then it's an amazing feeling winning in front of so many people.

This just doesn't happen in online poker where if you happen to win a tournament, you get a great feeling winning the prize, but it's largely an anonymous win as no-one knows who you are, and to them you're just another random username.

Finally, it's the little things that you notice when you first start playing live games away from your computer. Things like handling real chips, verbally announcing your decisions, and dramatically announcing 'I'm all-in' as you stand up to await your fate, all add to the enjoyment of playing offline poker.

So if you're one of the many online players who have yet to experience the excitement of live games, I can strongly recommend you leave the comfort of your computer and give offline poker a chance as it can be even more exciting than online poker.

About the Author

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.