Everyone who's played games like Xbox LIVE Arcade’s Texas Hold'em knows how fun it can be to compete against fellow players over the Internet.  But there is definitely a big difference between the type of gameplay you’ll see featured in Xbox poker games and that of Texas Holdem online. 

For one thing, many of the people in Xbox games will play wilder - and by that, we mean worse - since they’re only using play money.  Online poker rooms, on the other hand, use real money so people are more conservative with their play. The players will however still play pretty passively after the flop, no matter their holdings. This means you should tighten up your range of starting hands, not bluff as much, and you'll have a much better shot at becoming profitable at the low stakes tables.

Another thing to be aware of is that XBLA poker doesn’t offer all of the different variations and poker games you’ll find online at many of the top poker sites.  This means you need to be a well-rounded player before making the switch from the Xbox 360 to online poker, or at least stick within your comfort zone and hone your skills at Holdem before switching games.