1 Live Poker Game Tip?

Hi I'm so-so at online poker but worse in live games. I'm a "rock" then - very conservative. I'm going to Vegas again next week. What's one of your best pointers for live ring games?

WATCH FOR TELLS! Tells will get you more money in the long run then cards....

No. Don't worry about tells, especially if you are new to the game.

Position and players are all you need to be a decent live game player. Consider position when considering calling any hand. Weaker hands become much more profitable when played in late position. Play looser against tight players and tighter against loose players. Play the game straight up (don't slow play) and you should do fine.

Don't look at your cards until it's your turn to act.

And watch the other players when they look at theirs AND when the flop comes down.

this^ a lot of sharks notice small things like this and will know automatically if you look at your card sright away that you are a newb. I als like said, just play a tight positioned game. Tip the dealer when you win, and just be nice to others when talked too.

Why don't you look at your cards until it is your turn to act?

You want to gather as much info as possible by watching others and how they're reacting to their cards i.e. Are they perking up or does it seem like their hand is just mediocre?

Not even a little? Why not?

i would actually advise you not to ever be the first one to limp..

look at your opponents when the flop is being dealt, especially in position, if you havent looked at the board when your opponent is to act he cant have a read on you, except for your preflop action

Play acouple hands early and cheaply to establish that you are willing to play. then go into your tight player shell.

Watch out for little old ladies.

Thank you all!

Other tips are welcome!

What's wrong with a little slow play?

Slow play when you know you have the nuts.. you don't want to end up slow playing and getting caught on the river in a live cash game.. when they push you all in on river, your world will be rocked hard.. Even though they may be a river rat the river is still part of the game. Its tough to be on top and then have to question yourself when you get moved in on.

When the dealer exposes the cards on the flop do not watch the cards as they are exposed. Instead, watch people's reactions to these cards as they are turned over.

If they instantly glance at their chips (or your chips) the flop was probably good to them and they plan on betting. If they keep staring at the flop then the flop probably didn't help them. They're staring at the flop to either appear strong or to figure out if they have any weird outs.

This happens instantly, so if you're watching the cards you will miss this valuable tell.

Do NOT call big bets with just 1 pair

Sorry to ask a question in a question thread, but when you try to watch players react to their cards or the community cards, do you try to watch everyone? Or just watch one or two players that you want to concentrate on?

At the table never concentrate on indivual players, it can get personal, and lead you into traps, you can only play your hand, not others, watch for tells yes, but players lead you in with that, also when possible, note what players call with pre-flop.

Another reason, you don't want to possibly give a subtle tell that you have a good starting hand. You'll notice some newer players will look at the first card dealt to them before the second one is even on it's way. Easily you could pick up some paint as the first card and then see if they either paired the first card with the second or got something good to go along with it. If you don't know what you have yet, you won't give anything away.

Read this thread:

Playing live: what you need to know

very ke. thin g to remember. well said

Play during "drinking hours".

A good thread to ask this question:

I look at my cards right away, mostly because I need the time to think.

What I have been doing is practicing doing the exact same thing every time. I look at my cards for the same amount of time, then I look at a spot on the table right in front of me for the same amount of time and then I protect my cards. I do this the same for every hand, and I protect them even if I know I will fold.

It sounds like looking at my cards right away might be a mistake, and I should take the time I need to think when the action comes to me?

What are you thinking about when you look at your cards? Do you base your action on the cards you have or based on the action from the players before you?

The thing about look at your cards when you first get them vs when its your turn to act is: They cards are not going to change. However you miss out on information and tells your opponent may have if you're busy looking down at your cards. Sometimes they're very quick and you have to catch it quickly. An example is my frind has a habit of clenching his jaw when he has a big hand. Its very fast and hardly noticeable at times, but its a small tell that I would easily miss if I'm looking down instead of at my opponents.

Point taken.

I assume I'm generally correct in basing my action on both my two cards and the action before me and of course my position. I understand you are saying that I may be missing information offered by previous players if I'm concentrating on my cards.

I'm probably still dealing with the moisture behind my ears, in that I'm a little apprehensive about taking too much time when it comes to me, hence I'm trying to stay ahead by working on my decision early.

Now, when I say 'working on my decision early' I fully understand that my final decision can't be made until I know what ALL the action has been before me. Checking my cards early is just more 'comfortable' at this point.

Might have to work on that. Thanks philthy.

myself, i try to look the same whether im in the hand or not. blank stare lookin more or less straight ahead. im not a sunglasses or hat guy, so i go with some variation of the chris ferguson or phil helmuth cover your mouth and neck deal. hide your heartrate and your face. but really i think it helps just to act exactly the same every time whether your involved in the hand or not. imo, it makes it a bit harder to get a read on you.

I laugh when people try to look stone-faced and so serious at the table. They just look really silly. Its just so tiring IMO. I always lean back and relax and have fun, like a watered-down version of Phil Laak. Its also a lot easier to maintain a laid back personality because anything you do can be seen as the norm.

Its more fun, too.

basically....play off other player's behavior. Also dont be afraid to be social. It allows you to pass the time if your getting bad cards and allows you to get in the heads of your opponents. Mind you, dont be to chatty and stay focused on your cards.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Irexes
Don't look at your cards until it's your turn to act.


Well this is basically how I played and I made an average of $100/day on 1/2NL. Not a bad start IMO. However I didn't pick up any tells by watching others when they looked at their cards. I hope to get better at that.

As always, patience was the key.

But Tight. Dont play your Ace Rags or T 4 unless you are BB or SB and nobody raised before you. Play only Premium hands. Suited connectors are ok if it wasnt raised too much. Dont Slow play. If you flop a monster (ie Set; 2pr; Str8) and someone raises you after the flop, re-raise them at least 3x what they bet. (if you only have 4x what they have bet, you may consider going all in) There is no shame in going out when you have an already made hand and they hit their draw. Dont Chase. If someone bets pot size bet and you have a belly buster str8 draw... give it up. Flush draw?? only chase if they dont bet much (ie 1 - 2x the bb) and you have the nut draw. You will have to get good hands to win... just dont donk off your chips chasing or bluffing.

I always think twice, before wacking it all in pre-flop, most so called poker players haven't got a clue, they just wack it in with anything, and you just get screwed on the river, there called river RATS, I even just flat call AA, if they force you in OK, but just try to see the flop, as cheap as possible. dont't forget, you're beat, by any two pair, trips, etc, if you're confident, just check, raise to any bet, if you still think, you have it on the river get the chips in, but never be afraid to fold, big pairs, etc, also people always talking about tells, some players always giving out false tells, I can even make my hands shake, also if I see someone, who is really fussy with there chips, like fiddling, tidying, all the time, I just keep mine in a big mess, and it is possible, to distroy, there concentration, it works sometimes. some may think that I am unethical, I really don't, I think anything goes at the Poker table, tournements are great fun, but a bit of a lottery, for me the only way to get consistent money at poker, is playing fixed limit.

^ this is very important. Don't wanna miss happy hour.

Also, play very conservative until you get a stack. You'll garner respect. That, combined with a pretty good stack will go a long way towards you controlling the table.

If you get active before you stack up. You face the problem of chipping off your stack. Pretty common mistake for new live players. Wait for the monsters till you stack up. Also, sit down with the maximum buy in.

There are guys out there who will put you all in just to test your mettle. So, wait till you have the ammo (or a monster) to battle the LAG's.

Tells are not something that are available to you right now. To learn about tells takes a lot of hands under your belt. But not just hands. Hands where you're studying of tells is more important than the money. Cuz you'll loose a few duckets learning about them.

Like anything else in poker (life), it's the mistakes we learn from. Little by little we chip of the barnacles. And our MISTAKES seem to be the flashlight.


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Observe three or four hands when you sit down. Watch the hands and the eyes and look for betting patterns. Then play tight and let people bet into you.