First live tourney

I'm going to Myrtle beach S.C. next week and am playing in a live tourney on a gambling boat. The thing is--I don't have any live experience. I have been playing online for over 2 years now and do quite well. I just don't know what to expect--what kind of players I'll be up against, etc. The buy-in is $120.
Please--any advice for a good amateur player that could help me out????

Well since i'm not sure of the blind structure i can say loosin up your selection of hands while the blinds are low so and try to build up your chips quick. then once blinds become higher tighten up and play the premium. Since this is your first LIVE tourney i wouldn't recommend playing the same game as you do online because live is a whole different ballgame. Hope this helps somewhat. GOOD LUCK

I played live before I came to online poker, but I am no expert. I can tell a few things.

1. Do not let players intimidate you. If you become "afraid" of them, they will take advantage.

2. Play smart poker. Don't let the excitement of a live game drive you to make a bad bet or a bad call.

3. Watch the other players. You may be able to pick up some basic tells. If a player acts nervously, note that. Also pay attention to how they bet and what cards they bet with. How they lay down their chips. What they do after looking at their whole cards. Anything and everything that you can pick up can be helpful.

4. Be yourself. Have fun!

Good luck, I hope you do well.

Thanks Hotmilk8! I'll keep that in mind.

How's your tournament play online? Mine wasn't very good when I was in my first tourney.. and when I first started playing live in general..it was nerve racking. It's a lot easier pushing a button than throwing in chips..not that throwing in chips is hard..but actually being in person, and being studied. My hands shake when I get a good hand live, even tho I've been there quite a few times.

I guess my tips would be:

1. Play tight and patient..it's not a cash game, if you bust, unless it's a rebuy, you're gone.

2. If you get a big hand, like pocket aces, kings, or whatever...and feel your heart racing.. take a deep breath, and try to calm yourself. Try to do it unnoticed, as it could be a tell..as could the shaky hands.

3. Wear sunglasses, and/or a hat. Some people may question this, cause it's not like the WSOP or anything. But to you it might as well be, since it's your first live tourney. Also, eyes give away a LOT when you're new to playing live. So sunglasses, or if no sunglasses, a baseball cap so you can hide your eyes.

4. Try to read up on Tells so you know what to look for, and what to avoid doing.

5. Relax and have fun. That's what poker should be all about.

Thanks dude! Great advice!

Thanks dew! You hit the nail on the head as far as my concerns go. Lol
Wifey says she is going to give me a zanax before we go--LOL!!!

First of all good luck and have fun. Aside from this, I have noticed that in live play most players aren't quite as loose as many are online. Make sure you pay attention to the whole table, acting in turn and so on, some regulars may pick up on this if you fail to do so and could try to prey on you realizing you are new to live play. Watch for any betting lines there may be also as I have seen players go all in unintentionally on more than one occasion when they merely meant to peel of a few chips from the bottom of their stack. Any tells you may be able to pick up on will be of great help so be sure to pay attention to the action even if you aren't in the hand. Just sit back, stick to top starting hands and play your game, you should do just fine.

Oh, I forgot.

#6: Take some extra cash, the main reason is you can't tip the dealers with tournament chips, as they hold no real value. It's always nice to tip the dealer for a good (or bad) hand, since they basically live on their tips. Also, not sure if there will be cash games there, or if you feel comfortable playing them.

But when you bust, and hopefully don't tilt, I think it's nice to go play for actual money for a bit.

Edit: Burtonboy made a good point. When you're betting, for one, chips have to go over the line. ..and a lot of times if you take extra chips over the line, they'll make you keep them there. One thing you MUST remember. Verbal is binding in live games. Say what you're doing before you do it (not necessary for folding.) If you say call, before you do so, no matter how many extra chips cross the line, you've announced your call. Same goes for raising. Say what you're raising to before you cross the line.

Very good tips Dewmz, i was going to also say wear sunglasses and/or a hat but thought that i might get flamed for saying that lol... another thing is its natural for you to shake when involved in a big hand but try to limit it pay attention not only to others but also yourself. Someone pulled me to the side and told me that he picked up a tell on me and i didnt' even realize i was doing it but when i would have a really good hand or be involved in a pot with the best hand i would play with my cards by putting one on top of the other rapidly. so i stopped playing with chips and cards unless i'm out of a the hand. REMEMBER POSITION IS KEY!!!! especially in tourneys because many people do not look at the game as they paid money with the chips not being a cash game so they will try and bully a nervous wreck so just remember position. GOOD LUCK AGAIN

I cut and pasted this from the thread below, because I say much the same thing every time this comes up

But here's my quick guide to the mechanics and etiquite of live play:

- Don't string bet. String betting is when you put your chips out in more than one motion without a verbal announcement. It happens most often when someone goes all in: they'll get two handfulls of chips, move them forward, then go back to move the rest. At which point the dealer will stop them, say "I'm sorry sir, that's a string bet" and only allow the first two handfulls of chips to stand as the bet.

The reason for this rule? In theory, if you were allowed to keep adding chips to the pot you could watch an opponent and just keep adding until you get a tell on them.

- Always act in turn. Online, you don't have a choice. Live, you'll become very unpopular very quickly if you keep folding or betting when it's not your turn.

- Verbalise your actions: say 'call' or 'raise' and then state the amount before you move your chips. There's some specific interpretations of actions made without verbal announcements that can count against you - for example, if you throw in one oversized chip meaning to raise a player's bet (say, they've bet $25 and you throw in a $100 chip) it'll be counted as a call unless you've said "raise" first.

You don't have to verbalise your action, but it can help to avoid mistakes until you get the hang of the conventions. For example, if you say "Raise, $150" and then accidentally throw out $250 in chips, the $150 bet will stand and you'll take the extra $100 back. If you'd said nothing, the $250 would have to stay out there.

- Protect your hand (ie: put a chip or something on top of it if you're staying in the hand), especially if you're sitting directly to the left or right of the dealer. This is to ensure that your hand doesn't get mucked by accident if someone folds their cards and they land in the vicinity of yours (happens more often than you'd think playing live).

- Never muck your winning hand: just table it, and let the dealer take it away. If your hand goes into the muck while someone else still has theirs in front of them, your hand is dead and they win the pot - regardless of who had the better hand.

- Master the art of paying your blinds without being asked.

- Move away from the table to use your cell phone.

Have fun and good luck!

Thanks all! I'm glad to know this is common in newbies--lol
I'm nervous, excited as hell, but im ready!

Before I say what I wanted to say to the quote.. let me say this. The showdown is slightly different than playing online. The bettor must show the hand first, and callers turn over afterwards. Now on to what I was going to say..

What I quoted reminded me of something also..and it may just be me.. but if I'm in the showdown.. I show right away if I think I have the winning hand (which I'll bring up something else in a minute.) ..if I just have a decent hand, that could possibly win, then I'll let the bettor show first. Either way, I ALWAYS show my hand at showdown, unless I know for sure I lost (and always double check). That way, in case you may have missed something..you still have a chance for the dealer to catch it.

I do so because I've folded a flush (which would've won) and folded trips when I thought I heard the dealer say the other guy had a boat.

..and what I was gonna mention, is do NOT slow roll. If you KNOW you have the winning hand, whether you're the caller, or the bettor, show it immediately at showdown. Don't let the other guy think he won knowing you did.

I'm pretty sure online works the same way - the bettor's hand is revealed first (at least, I think it works that way on Full Tilt), but you can always go back to the hand history window to see what the opponent had.

Anywho, it's a pretty good basic rule: live, always turn your hand up at showdown, unless you've got a very good reason not to. Even then, be aware that if the hand reached showdown, the other players can request to see your cards.

And yeah, don't slowroll. It's douchey to the max

The way I've always noticed it, is going from the left of the button around the table..but you're probably right.

If its the same casino boat that my brother went on, be prepared to be playing with some drunks. This means very LAG people playing ATC. Watch out for the BB and SB specials, brosef told me that almost every single blind was the winner of a hand. And don't let the buy-in intimidate you, there won't be many entrants, 100 max. This is just the casino's way of earning money from the entry fees, and also the tips for the dealers from the 1st and 2nd place winners. Its in good taste to tip well if you've just won. Unlike cash tables where a dealer gets a tip every hand dealt by the hands' winner.

Oh and btw, its spelled xanax, and stay away from the booze if thats your plan. Because you won't be playing cards for too long.

Blackout + Sea Sickness = not a fun vacation (plus you'd be down at least $120)

One more thing, the cruise is only 4 hours or so. So I'm pretty sure the blinds go up rather quick.

I wouldn't reccomend the xanax at all..forget about your nerves..as mentioned, it's normal. You want to be clear headed tho, or you'll just be playing tired. Which I'm sure you know you don't wanna do..

yeah demwz is right, no xanies. I have a prescription (touchy subject) and never played well online when under the influence. or was it the herb? i forget. lol.

Leaving for the beach tomorrow. Will play in the tourny on Friday. Post the results here when i get back if anyone is interested. Wish me luck.