THE PLAYER IN SEAT 4..

I’m often asked if Poker players prefer live poker in a casino, or poker room or do they prefer playing online? I prefer in person because I enjoy the social aspect of the game. I have played both and been successful in both as a low limit recreational player. I really wanted to research this more so using different resources this is an article I was able to provide.

Online poker vs. live poker is a debate that divides the poker world. Online play offers convenience, faster action, and opportunities to improve through volume, while live poker delivers the casino atmosphere, social interaction, and the chance to read physical tells. But what do the numbers actually say about which format players prefer? Two published surveys offer useful insight—and the results suggest that many poker players don’t want to choose just one.

In PokerOrg’s 2024 State of Poker survey, more than 1,300 U.S. poker players were asked about their playing preferences. An impressive 90% said they enjoyed both live and online poker. Just 6% preferred sticking exclusively to live poker, while 4% played online only. However, when respondents were forced to choose between the two formats, the results split approximately 50/50. The takeaway? Neither format clearly dominated among respondents who had to pick a favorite. Read the PokerOrg survey.

A second data point comes from Lucid Poker’s 2026 Global Player Survey, which collected 1,487 responses from players across 16 countries. The results showed that 52.5% played both live and online, 30.1% played live only, and 17.4% played online only. These figures suggest that playing both formats is common among the surveyed players. However, there’s an important distinction: this survey measured which formats respondents played, not which one they preferred. It was also a self-selected survey rather than a random sample, so its results shouldn’t be treated as representative of every poker player worldwide. Read the 2026 survey and methodology.

How do you prefer to play? I would love to find out in the comments.

If you enjoyed this article please like, comment, share, and, subscribe, please click on our sponsored links to help keep our articles free. Thank you for reading and I’ll see you at the tables!