Fjuanl is spot on about the reads. Online poker forces you to read solely based upon the betting patterns of your ops. You may find that this can actually enhance your game live, perhaps, though I wouldn't know since I've never played live. I found that I learned a lot about reading by playing SNGs online since you're forced to play on reads then. Also the setup is unlike the ring games where the player turnover is high as you play.

As for encountering the same ops again, your best bet is to stay away from the huge rooms like Party or Stars, and move to a smaller one. I found that on some other rooms that I would see the regulars all the time when I played. I found that I could make notes from reads on players effectively when I two tabled, but not more than that. Some people can read while quadtabling, but that's getting up there.