If you enjoy gambling, chances are you enjoy both offline and online experiences in casinos. Many of us have enjoyed a variety of experiences like a crowded craps table in a Las Vegas casino or a quiet evening of playing roulette online at your home. If your experience is primarily in one setting versus the other, it’s a good idea to venture out and explore other ways to enjoy your gambling hobby.
In our experience, both forms of gambling can be very enjoyable. And you can have success in both settings as well, provided you know what you’re doing and have some level of discipline.
Also, it’s helpful to develop experience in both settings to improve your game and understand your play. The experiences can be totally different, and your reactions as a better can vary dramatically. Your emotions will be tested in both environments and it’s a good idea to build self-awareness in both settings.
Differences in casino games offline and online
There are obvious differences between being in a casino and playing casino games online. Depending on the game you’re playing, other players are one of the most important differences. Consider how other players can impact your play in games like poker, blackjack, craps and roulette.
In poker, the online game is primarily about the facts and the odds. You can really learn to play a tight, disciplined game in that setting where you spend the time you need to consider odds.
When you’re playing in person, however, the behaviour and body language of other players becomes critical. As does your own body language. To be successful, you’re truly playing against other people as opposed to graphics on the screen.
This involves a completely different group of skills, so with poker it’s critical to get experience in both settings.
With blackjack, you’re only playing against the dealer, but the behavior of other players can impact your game. It’s easy to get emotional and let the behavior of other players affect how you play. That said, in person you can take into account what the decks look like if you know how to track cards, and how you think other people at the table will react. The setting isn’t as important as it is with poker, but there are factors that can affect how you do.
With craps and roulette, other players really don’t affect you at all, other than on a purely emotional level. For example, it’s a lot easier to put money on the “Don’t Pass” line when you’re playing online, as opposed to going against a crowded table in a casino. You have to realize that with craps you’re there as much for the experience of playing with a group, and the fun you’ll have when everyone wins.
With roulette, it’s much less of a group thing whether you’re playing roulette online or in a crowded casino, so it may be the game with the fewest differences between offline and online experiences.
Enjoying the distractions versus eliminating them
Part of the fun of gambling in a casino is the overall experience and all the moving parts. Just think about other players at the table, the waitress coming by to ask you for drinks, joking around with your friends, noticing the pretty blonde at the next table, and considering when to tip the dealer. These are just a view of the elements that make a night at the casino a fun experience with many layers.
And, of course, this is going to affect your play. Can you stay focused? Will the distractions lead to mistakes? Will you be thinking about ways to blow your winnings on a fun evening as opposed to focusing on keeping your play consistent?
The key question to ask is whether you’re playing for fun, or are you only concerned with winning. For example, in Las Vegas, I might take riskier bets knowing that if I win big I’ll have a wad of cash to help me enjoy the town at night. Meanwhile, if I’m at home, I’m just looking to see my stash steadily grow.
Be honest with yourself about what you’re doing, and then develop the discipline to play correctly given the risk parameters you’ve defined for yourself. If you’re there to have a wild night, know that your risk profile and style of play will be affected.
Fun versus obsessive attention to detail
Ultimately, by getting experience in both environments, you’ll better understand the difference between the fun you have gambling and the attention to detail and obsessive discipline needed to win consistently. The more experiences you have, the more you can be consciously aware of when you’re letting your interest in having fun affect how you play.
Yet that experience matters only if you’re paying attention to your own emotions, behaviour and decision-making.
Some players never learn. They develop bad habits both online and offline that limit their effectiveness as a player and never develop the self-awareness needed to become a better player.
So don’t be that person. Go for more experiences with offline and online casinos but do it in a way where you’re paying attention and learning from those experiences.
Good luck and enjoy!
Tags: casino games, online gambling, roulette
