Hello all! I'll try to keep this brief, but... hell, not quite that good at bluffing, you'll scroll down and see this isn't brief.

I have done online games pre-Black Friday, home games, and then semi-regular games at the Indian Casino. I also played Bovada/Ignition. That's the past decade, on-again/off-again. I have repeatedly managed to turn a profit on each. I started the original online with winnings from a freeroll turned into a micro-stakes bankroll for SNGs. Indian casino I started with $200 and ended after 6 months around $1,750. That was averaging about one night a week at the tables. That was about 2-3 years ago.

Why am I asking if I should go live or not?

Playing online helped me get use to the math and basic patience (read: throwing away the junk cards). I later went to the casino and realized a few things. 1.) My TAG style was better at 9-handed than 6-handed, with the loose players that are "suckers" and toss their money around. They like to push their stacks in, and start to think that works when people fold. Then my set-mine/pocket pair manages to hit them hard.

2.) I didn't often realize at online tables something I picked up at live tables. I would spot whether the table is "good" or not. Online with the shuffling players, I couldn't tell. But in person, I was more aware of whether there were raises before the flop, large bets after the flop, and so on. After 10 hands, I knew whether someone was likely to raise me before the flop, and if I hit a drawing hand if someone would bet beyond my pot-odds. Online, I was aware of this by the math, but not in-turn to whether the table was draw-safe or not.

3.) I learned to spot who to avoid and who to trap. I was sitting there, and my (now ex-) girlfriend texts me, asking how it was going. I knew who was tough, and who I would make my money from. Online, I never quite identified them that way unless I was in a STT.

Why am I asking if I should go online or not?

Given above, here's the reasons as I see it...

Go back to live...
1.) It worked for you. You pulled on average $70 per night. Averaged $15 per hour, and at the low of the year, averaged $8 per hour right before quitting after a hard streak.

Why not go back to live...
1.) Would be Saturdays instead of Friday nights, and Saturdays were the slower nights with less suckers who were easy to beat.
2.) My schedule is less flexible than before, and so making it every single week is less likely.
3.) Moved twice since then. Drive to and from is about 15-20 minutes longer each way.
4.) As I was seen more, some players started to smarten up. I also improved, but seemed to be hitting an area where it was harder and harder to see how I could play better. Focus was on mental game and spotting tells, rather than hand-play. I posted my hands online less often for 2+2 advice.

Why should I go online...
1.) Better hardware. Rather than on the laptop as I have been, it would be on a desktop with the full screen. I would approach this with tracker software, Harrington on Online Cash Games, HUD, and regular postings in 2+2.
2.) It worked. Smaller stakes, but it worked with Bovada/Ignition. I could handle 2- or 3-tables at a time with a grind session. I started to become more picky when I realized which tables were more profitable, and around that time I switched to live play.
3.) Easier on the relationship by not giving up Saturday nights.

Why should I not go online...
1.) How much am I spending on software that I am not 100% sure will improve my play?
2.) I'd be moving away from Bovada/Ignition, and unsure which site to then use.
3.) You tell me?
4.) Smaller stakes. I never won as much online in multiple small sessions as I did live in longer session.

Originally posted this on "beginner's questions" but I wanted to ask it here, but for a different reason. Does it sound like I would be good by leaving Bovada/Ignition and investing in a HUD and tracker program to help my game? Or should I focus on a "if it isn't broke, don't fix it" and stick with live games? If the first, I am fairly clueless (other than using Google) on which site/software I should use.

Which is where it belongs.

That reason doesn't appear to change BQ being the best place to ask the questions.

If you have questions specific to Ignition, there's a thread in Internet Poker specific to the site - but it's more for site-specific questions. If you're looking for "where should I play" advice, this is still the best place.

Fair enough. I'm trying to ask "should I buy software" and "where should I start looking for said sites/software." I'm trying to get some direction.

trial PT4 for free, see how you like it, i've just started, seems very good so far. i've been advised not to use just the HUD but to take notes (which is what i would have done anyway) - but HUDs are very good indicators of ranges etc

Your post is way too long, annoying, and most of what you note is unhelpful.

Play online while you study so you can improve quickly. Read some good poker books, put in a lot of hands, use the free trials of HEM and PT4 and review your hands to improve.

Once you've improved and have a good grasp on strategy, start mixing in some live play.

I moved to Bengaluru/ Bangalore India.

The reason I moved was because in USA the live games have become very saturated with regs.

Here in Bengaluru my one buy-in is abut 40$ I spend 500USD from renting to food to entertainment.

I will win 1k to 2k USD

games are soft. any questions shoot!