Live play don'ts

If you have never played in a casino and are planning to do so, here are some things you should know not to do while playing. There are other things that can be listed but these can make you unpopular with the other players or the floor personnel. These apply to both cash games as well as tournaments.

1. Don't make your own change - If the bet is $7 and you don't have any $1 chips and throw out two $5 chips don't take change from your neighbor the dealer will give you your change once all the betting is done. Now before the hand is dealt you can ask your neighbor to give you some $1 chips for a $5 chip. This rule is mainly so the dealer can keep track of who owes or paid what, if you make change and the dealer doesn't know you made change it slows the game up.

2. Don't talk about the hand - It may sound like no big deal but saying things like "wow 6 8 would be nice right now" on a 4 5 7 board or "who has a Ace" on a 8 8 8 8 K board could cost someone money. Believe it or not there are some people who play poker that sometimes don't see what the winning hand is. On the first example a player may not realise the straight is there until someone says something, and now that player could play more cautiously now knowing a straight is possible. In the second example a player may not think about a Ace being the deciding factor in who wins the hand they may just think it's a split pot due to the 4 of a kind. Believe me I have seen both happen.

3. Don't show emotion if you would have hit the flop - lets say you folded Q 5 and the flop is 555, yes I know it sucks that you folded the winning hand but you don't want the players in the hand to know that, because if a player sees you react then taht gives them information they didn't have before and that is knowing their opponant doesn't have the last 5 in the deck. Another example would be you fold 4 9 preflop and flop is 4 2 9 and then another 9 on the turn and you sit back in your chair and growl softly, this could take away from a player trying to represent a 9, because now the other player knows the chances of that player having a 9 are very slim since hes sure you folded a 9 by your reaction.

4. Act out of turn - There are a couple examples to this. First most places verbal declarations are binding, meaning if you say raise out of turn as long as the action does not change before it gets to you you will have to raise, this can cost you money in two different ways. Lets say you have the stone nuts and say raise out of turn a player before you may have been raising but since you acted out of turn they decide to fold or just call and now you lose money when they don't raise into you. On the other hand if you say raise out of turn and a player was gonna raise and they have the best hand they just call the bet to them and now your forced to raise when it comes back to them they reraise you and got more money than they probably would have had they raised not knowing you were gonna raise. Another reason is it gives unecessary info to players before you. Wait til its on you to fold even if a player says raise. If the player before you says raise and you fold right away this could change his raise knowing he has one less player to worry about, and it's not fair to other players, wait til they put out their raise then once its on you fold.

5. Don't look at cards til its your turn - Yea this doesn't seem like that big of a deal but it shows weak players, It was said during a WSoP on ESPN during one of "the nuts" segments they were talking about spotting the sucker at the table and a couple pros said to look for the player that looks at their cards right away. You can give information to other players that they may not have if you wait til your turn. Example you look at your cards before its on you and another player picks up something on you letting them know your gonna just call or raise, we ll now they may fold knowing your gonna raise costing you a few chips or they may just call with a monster knowing you are gonna raise for them then they reraise and get more of your chips.


Now your reasy to play in a casino live. And remember to look for these things the other players do to give you information and help in making better decisions.

6. Don't string bet - Never count out a call and then a raise. Never reach for more chips after you have placed a stack on the table. When betting, always think first of your action, count out the total amount of chips you want to bet, and then place your bet.

7. Verbalize your action with only one word - Never be ambiguous about your action. If you feel you must say something, only the words "call" and "raise" should be used prior to you placing your chips over the line. And then, the only reason to say anything at all is to get a read on the other player. For example, if you verbalize a raise, but haven't put any chips out yet - you might be able to get a read on the other player's reaction and may want to size the raise accordingly (unless you are playing limit).

Thanks for these. I am about to get my feet wet in live play. I have never played serious games live. I am going to enter a couple of tournaments in Casinos this summer. I have been in a casino maybe 2x tops, and never played in one. I live in Munich, and they have sponsored touneys where you win bikes or vouchers to Media outlets and stuff like that. It is illegal to have money tournaments outside of casinos here, so you have to play for vouchers or prizes, but you can sell em. I am gonna do a few of these first to get the feel. I have been told that there are some really decent players mixed in with the clueless. But there are a number of casinos around, and it is my goal to start playing. Does anyone here have experience in German casinos, or know where I can find info out?

I know nothing. From dress code to tipping.

8. Don't take the cards off the table
9. Don't "throw" chips in the pot, they can roll off the table, instead just drop them

*For the "Don't make your own change" rule, one is allowed to make change out of the chips that are already in the pot, correct?

No that is the dealers job, players should not be touching the pot on the table.

I don't agree with #5. You can even use this reverse if you are a good player to make yourself look amateur. Small sample size, but I remember Ivey looking at his cards 1 by 1 as they were being dealt to him at last year's ME final table quite a few times.

I'll add #10 Don't berate the donkey/fish at the table for bad play, even if he sucks out on you. (I will admit I have been guilty of this a few times just because I like to talk at the table, but it would be wise to be friendly to the fish) After all you want them to stay so you can make easy $$$ off of them.

11. Don't forget to tip the dealer when you win a pot in a cash game. In a tourney if you cash, 5% of your winnings is a standard tip to the dealers' pool.

I can only partially agree with #5. You definitely want to try and watch the other players as they look at their cards but if you wait until it's your turn then usually every eye is on you. Also if you can be ready to act when your turn arrives and can help move the game along quickly you help the table see more H/p/hr.

I believe it's more important to watch the players as the flop hits than their hole cards.

Good tips guys thanks, i turn 21 in a few months and will be heading down to AC for sure...Couple questions...

Ill most likely be going with a few buddies, i dont think its smart but, im sure one or two will want to sit at the same table as i do, is it best each sits at his own table?

Cashing out-Hopefully if i win ill have to cash out, say i fold pre flop and im ready to cash out, do i just pick up my chips and head away? or do i have to do somehting with the dealer first?

How much is a good amount to tip the dealer?

You can sit at the same table but make sure you don't soft play each other or do anything else that could be construed as collusion. My vote would be to sit at separate tables to avoid such temptations on your first time out.

You can start racking up after you fold but it is polite to wait until the current hand is over. Then before the next hand is dealt announce that you are leaving. I always thank the dealer and tell the other players I enjoyed playing with them but that's not neccessary.

Depends on the level you are playing and the size of the pot. At the lower levels a dollar chip is usually fine...for a monster pot you might want to throw the dealer a couple or even a 5 buck chip.

Just pick them up and leave.


Glad see I wasn't the only one with a problem with #5.

so it ain't weird i was thinking about 5, because i am planning to go to the casino for the first time and i want to look really weak first few hands, maybe even get myself some pink glasses, act like i don't know when my turn is, shove preflop with a decent hand if i pick up one first few hands.

Excellent post, GB! Lots of great points!

Everything that GB mentioned is important.. but this is what would especially give you the leg up in the tournament. You know you folded the nuts.. now you can watch how the others play, knowing that they don't have that 5. Will they bluff? Do they have a pair, thinking their full house is good? And how aggressively do they play their bluff or full house? What similiarities do you notice between how they play with their bluff and how they played in other hands when they won the hand... what differences did you see in the plays? There is a lot of information that you can get out of a hand like this.

Something I'm going to add:

Watch each player's reactions to each hand. In live poker, I find it more crucial to play the player more than the cards. I plan on going more into detail into this in a few weeks.

Great stuff, always good to have a reminder. I really hope I can do some live play this summer, but being 19 my options are limited.

It seems a few people disagree with #5 I can agree partly with some, however if you have never played live its hard to remember each time to act the same as not to give away tells on yourself. Even if you are purposely trying to feign weakness or a weak player image you could give away information unnecessarily. unconscious actions happen and you may not realize your doing it but others will pick up on it and it could end up getting you trapped in a hand.

DON"T SNEEZE INTO YOUR HAND!!!!! If you sneeze use your sleeve. This is one of the most disgusting things to me. Nothing worse than seeing a guy blow a loogie or pick his nose and then get the same card he just handled on the next hand.

I have to chime in with 100% support for #5. I feel that you give off more tells if you look at your cards in advance than when it's your turn. Also, as Grossberger said, that's what the pros do and there's a lot right about projecting a professional image at the table. In addition, if you look at your hand right away you tend to think more about what you're going to do than checking out others' responses to their hands.

That said, Wolfpack's point is a good one--switch it up every once in a while like Ivey does.

Gotta agree with this.

When I first started playing, I use to look at each card as they came to me. I missed some key information doing that.. not paying attention to the other people's reactions or habits when they look at their cards.

Of course, though, if you wait til it's your turn to look at your cards.. then more people will be focused on you.. but this is where discipline comes in, and not showing a reaction at all.

Verbalizing is your best bet, doing so before you touch your chips. On the other hand, if you're new to live play, adrenaline will get a hold of you, which may cause shaking. Shaking will be heard in your voice, so I would try to minimize being verbal when you have a good hand.

However, if you don't verbalize your action, do not cross the line with more chips than you plan on using. If you're calling, just grab the amount of chips you're calling with and place them. If you cross the line with more than you plan to place, it will be considered a raise and any chips over the line are considered in play, even if you're still holding them.

Hope this makes sense, I'm not the best at describing things.

Also, if you go to showdown, don't slow roll. If you know or even think you won, show your cards right away. Nobody likes thinking they win when in fact you just felt like taking your time to show the nuts.

If you're not sure if you won or not, show your cards anyway.. I've thrown away the best hand at least once cause I misheard the dealer, or didn't see the hand on the board.

Another important thing to know, when going to showdown is, if you bet, and someone calls you, you have to show first. Sometimes the caller knows he won and is far from hesitant to flip over his cards. But it's not the norm.

As for number 5. I agree with not looking at your cards till it is your turn. If for no other reason to look professional. Looking at your cards when it is your turn to act makes you consciencly study your cards at the correct moment. To look at your cards early can make one make decisions prematurely. observe others carefully before your turn and don't be distracted by remembering your cards ahead of time.

By looking more prfessional it can cause other players to respect your play. It makes one appear as though they know what they are doing and can help prevent bad suckouts by other players who percieve you as a fish or a donk. appear professional and others will treat you in a professional manner.

Jay - I haven't played in a casino yet but know a few guys who go to Kufstein every second weekend (about an hours drive from Munich).

One of these days I'll be ready to play a live tourney aswell ~ if we find anything suitable.

To the OP: Thanks Grossberger for posting it - I knew about these things but it's good to have those points together.

Number 5 is overused, especially for beginners. Think about it, your in the blinds 5 limps into you, and with the full table watching your reactions you pick up aces. Cue hand shakaments It also annoys the hell out of me, when everyone is waiting for their turn, then taking 15 extra seconds each to get their cards off the felt and decide their action. Its much better just to get into the habit of doing the exact same thing regardless of your hand strength.

Angle shooting : Has to be on my pet gripes on a live table. I cannot tell how many times I've seen a button raiser/c-better check out of turn on the turn card to encourage a bet from the OOP player when he is sitting on the nuts. Players calling unfair string bets on others, I've even seen players muck their hands into someone else's in an effort to get their hands folded after losing a pot to them.

Protect your hand : I know its obvious, but dealers and players make mistakes. (some not so mistakes) But place a chip/card protector on top of your hand, I use neither but when I'm in a pot I always keep my index finger on top of my cards.

Is it the WSOP final table : No ? Then why on earth are you wearing a pokerstars shirt, full tilt baseball cap and sunglasses ?

Good post. I enjoyed reading it. Lots of good advice in here. Keep these coming.

One of my own:

* Don't turn over just one card when all cards are dealt and you're suppose to show what you have. Even if you made your hand with one card (straight, flush, whatever) You'll never know what the other opponent is holding, and at least at the casinos I play, they treat the other card as a dead card.

i always look at my hand before i act

if u dnt i think it gives off way more emotion than looking as soon as u get ur hand + it gives me more time to think about wat im gona do, instead of wasting everyones time.

i h8 people who take ages in tournaments, it just means less hands whilst the blinds are getting bigger, rather than if u just play and know what ur gona do . oddly it always seems to be the big stax tht take the piss.

If you got to pass gas-keep it quit


To quote TENBOB-#5 is overused. +1

Nice post.

#10) Don't talk strategy or comment on others' mistakes at the table - even if you know what you are talking about. You'll just scare the fish and you also look like a complete tool bag.

Well this is a given as you have to show both cads to win any portion of the pot, if you were to show the ace of clubs on a 4 club non paired board and muck the other card your entire hand would be considered dead.


As for #5 again I would rather give the image as a strong player than afish because acting like a fish could cost you with people trying to trap you with crappy hands and catching. I mean the difference could be showing that your a strong player gets you 1 maybe 2 callers when you raise wioth Aces b=acting like a fish could get you 5-6 callers when you raise with aces the difference, lets say you raise with Aces and have a weak image and get 5 callers with any 2 cards you are now only have a 35% advantage whereas if you show a strong image and raise and get 1 caller you have a 80% advantage.

Plus think of it this way if you look at your cards before its your turn now your thinking in your head what your gonna do with that hand and may miss a tell on another player. This has happened to me many times I'll be watching how the other players act when they look at their cards and pick up on things, I've seen players almost muck then look at their position and raise. I've seen players look at their cards and then readjust their seat which usually means they are strong.

Some of my own to add, Do's and Don'ts

-Don't be a table pro. I hate playing live games and there is somewhere there to throw out statistics, odds, numbers, etc. They're also the ones who tend to berate another player's mistakes.

-Wearing a No Limit Texas Hold 'Em shirt with a skull in a cowboy hat, smoking a cigar and holding A8 suited in it's bony hands with your wrap-around rayban sunglasses and your death stare doesn't make you a good/look like a good player. You just look like a douche...and you probably play like one, too.

-While your goal is to take money from other players, it doesn't hurt to be friendly. I like to have a friendly, talkative, just-here-to-have-fun image while keeping my goals in mind. If you're the table jerk, you're going to have a lot of people gunning for you. Also, by talking to other people about general stuff, you can get an idea if they're playing for fun or if they take the game a bit more seriously.

-Bring gum. This is one of my favorite tricks. Having something to share with the table is a very nice gesture when trying to promote a nice, friendly image. After, I've established a friendly image, I like to pull out a pack of gum (preferably one that last a long time) take one, and then offer it to the table. If I'm lucky, I'll get quite a few people accepting because who doesn't like gum?

Chewing gum is natural, just like breathing. You just do it automatically when if pop it in your mouth and you'll continue chewing as long as it remains in your mouth. When it comes to poker, if a player is bluffing, they usually tend to try and not do anything that'll get them noticed. And the things we do subconsciously, we become a bit more conscious about. For example: breathing. We don't think about inhaling and exhaling, we just do it...but if we're trying to bluff at a big pot, we might become fully aware of our breathing pattern and might think..."let me hold my breath so they won't notice I'm breathing hard."

...The same with gum. A player who is comfortable with chew with ease and probably not pay a lot of attention to it. But if they're bluffing at a pot, they might notice that their chewing could bring attention to themselves and will stop. This a good tell to look for when you're playing. Most people chew gum at the same constant pace. If they suddenly stop chewing, it's possible they're bluffing at a hand and don't want to draw attention to themselves. If they start chewing deliberately slower than normal, it could be because they have a very strong hand and they're trying to tone down the excitement they feel.

Aside from all these great suggestions I would add......

Be courteous and act towards the other players how you would want them to act towards you

I talked to Martin campbell (directore of casino royal) he said he would love to put your gum idea in his movie lol...

well i dont like #7 I have only played live once but I never spoke a word the whole time I was at the table. I didnt want the tone of my voice giving anything away. Of course if your not verbalizing you need to understand how to bet. not string betting and such. I always made sure i had the exact amount stacked to the side of my stack before moving anything foward.

also I asked before hand about calling without exact change and the dealer told me that if i wanted to limp for 2 dollars but only had a 5 to just put the 5 in without saying raise and its assumed a call and he would refund the change. The situation never came up but i guess if I wanted to raise to 5 I would have had to say something I always just raised to 6 lol...

Sounds good!

...unless you're tricking me.

I should have said "If you have to say something".... in #7.

Adding T-Shirt to Craigslist any giving away my sun glasses.

Very good tip with the gum. Also just the jesture of asking will show a relaxed demeanor with some natural mannerism, once deviated from can produce a tell.

Like to always talk to people before the tournament starts an just observre them before they put there get there "game face on."