First time fears in a brick&mortor Casino

Ok so I have never played in a b&m Casino , always online but sorta worried about what mistakes beginners make (not talking about tells) ex: someone makes a raise and you want to reraise and call and you don't put enough chips into the pot(hey! It's all automatic online) or does the dealer help with the counting ?

What other mistakes are common?

I wouldn't worry too much about it. If you do mess up somehow, that's what the dealer is there for, and you messing up will do your table image more good than harm.

Basic advice:

- Don't string bet (i.e. say "I call... and raise" or throw however many chips you need to call in the pot before putting in a raise without specifically saying "raise" first)

- Always protect your hand. Use a chip or a card protector seeing as you probably don't want your hands covering them.

- Organise your chips however you feel comfortable with them as long as it's easy for everyone else at the table to see roughly how much you have (i.e don't hide a $1k chip behind a wall of $10s or something ).

- If you need a chip count or any similar help, ask for it. There's no shame in asking and nobody will think any the less of you for it (and even if they did, people thinking less of you is good for table image).

- Wait until it's your turn to act before looking at your holecards (there are lots of reasons for this - so you don't give tells away before you act, so you can keep an eye on other players etc etc). Try to avoid having to re-check your cards by remembering exactly what they are (so you don't have to check whether your QQ has a spade when an all-spade flop comes for example, as many people do).

- Most importantly, have fun! Don't be too concerned with winning money or not looking like an idiot - it's your first time and poker is as they say a long-run game.

+1 - Basic advice is good advice.

Have fun!

You're in luck! An incredibly attractive dealer made a thread on this very topic a little while back:

http://www.cardschat.com/f57/playing...d-know-114205/

Dont drink too much. One pint or two mite loosen ya up but gettin p!ssed and play poker is...well it's fun but not good for making money lol.

Thats a good start above LOL. The first time i played in a Casino it took me a hr or so to get the chip amounts correct. The dealer helped me before i put my chips in i asked what amount i was callin or raising with. Depending on wether you are playing atourny or just a 5-9 person table usually the dealer will count the pot if you ask. If you put your chips in and then you say no i didnt mean to call or raise that much then its to late you are commited because your chips are in the pot already. Another mistake i have seen people make is turning there cards over quickly like as soon as they get 1 turn it over before waiting to get the other card or cards depending what variation of poker game you are playing. To me that shows they are anxious and somewhat in exprienced at playing live.

Just be calm, these are the same guys you take money from online. I was so nervous when I played for the first time this summer, but once I started winning pots, the nerves disappeared.

On a side note, as an 18 year old kid taking money from these 30-40 year old guys talking about their jobs and shit, it made me feel really good haha.

Actually, for the most part it's not - your average live player is much, much worse than an online player at the same stakes. Expect $1-$2 live to play like $10NL or worse online

Gamble1996, OzExorcist's thread provides excellent guidelines. In addition, I would recommend:

o When mucking, slide your cards towards the dealer (vs tossing) to avoid the flashing/flipping of cards which may impact how the remainder of the hand gets played out (plus it's more considerate towards the dealer to not have cards tossed @ them).

o When betting/calling/raising, push the chips towards the center of the table, some tables have an oval boundary line as a reference, that way the dealer doesn't have to stretch to gather the chips.

Some b&ms do not allow cell phone use, check the rule board for this & perhaps other guidelines for that particular room.

Have a GREAT time!

I find this to be true as well, especially in tournament play. I think you'll be shocked at just how bad most of them play (ie. limp EP w Q4s and flatcall a 4-bet preflop... also alot of limping & minbetting & minraising).

I think the toughest part won't be if you're putting enough chips out on a bet/raise but instead 'keeping track of the amount that's in the pot at all times' can be a bit tricky at first.

Don't be nervous... instead confidentally take it down. I'm betting you'll come away from it (on the drive home) thinking, "damn.. I played way too tight vs. those donkeys"... you'll be shocked by the hands they show down).

Sun glasses are pretty key... Hide your eye's a lot can be told from eye moments and what your pupils are doing (Dunno if you playing big tournament)... I learnt this very quickly... From watching other player's watching me and me watching them!!

If you have a dealer you got nothing to worry about... I did a lot of self dealing tournaments because so many people where turning up. There can get very heat when you have a newbie playing some how it annoyed some people but i always give them a hand... We all had to start somewhere!

But just enjoy it... At the end of the day its a bit of fun

If you cash take it as a add extra!

Don't act out of turn.

Tip the dealer on each hand you win.

I recommend tipping the dealer at least once every half hour or when you win a big hand, but not on EVERY hand you win. I'm not tipping the dealer when I've just stolen someone's blinds. That just doesn't make sense.

Listen to what OZ says...great post

Find out if the Casino takes their cut from each hand via a rake or if they take via a table charge every 1/2 hour or so.

You will normally register with the front desk of the poker room before you can play.find out what the maximum buy in for the table is and of course you normally buy your chips from the teller cage.

each casino is different and once you have sat down watched or played a few hands nerves will go away



good luck and have fun

It's normal to be nervous the first few times you play live in a b&m. Read through link posted above - lots of great info. I also do suggest drinking a shot or two (max) when you first get there to help calm your nerves, but no more after that! Best of luck to you!

I have an odd question about turn/river bets in NLHE.

In limit, I know that the minimum turn bet has to be 2x of the big blind (minimum bet). Does that hold true for NLHE (tournaments)?

Reason I ask is at a bar game the other day, one of the "pseudo-wannabe-pros" corrected a friend of mine when she attempted to min-bet open on the turn.

Honestly, every time I go to a new casino, I use the "i'm new and ignorant" card. It is great for your image during the first couple of hours. Don't be intimidated by being new to a BnM, find a way to ease your nerves and use it to your advantage. Your BR will thank me for it!

Absolutely not. The minimum opening bet on any round in NLHE is the size of the big blind.

From Robert's Rules (emphasis added):

2. The minimum bet size is the amount of the minimum bring-in, unless the player is going all-in. The minimum bring-in is the size of the big blind unless the structure of the game is preset by the house to some other amount (such as double the big blind). The minimum bet remains the same amount on all betting rounds.

Unless this is house rules I've NEVER heard of such a thing in my life...

No...You can min bet and min raise in NLHE tournaments at any time.

This is true - the problem was people were claiming the size of the minimum bet changed on the turn so that 2BB was the new minimum.

That's true for limit games, where the betting changes to increments of 2BB for the turn and the river, and FWIW I've come across a few players who've learned to play in limit games and though the rule applied to NL as well. Doesn't make them any less wrong, but you can see how it happens.

I had similar fears but I made my first visit on Friday after my Xmas night out (around 3am) and was very drunk....

I bought in for the min £40 with blinds at £1 / £2 (thats pounds not dollars).

It took a fair while to catch a hand but I took down 2 pots in a row and finished up with £56...then went outside and staggered into a taxi home.

The end.

Live is filled with many assholes and morons(at least the local ones near my apartment). Sorry for my language but during middle of this year, I had confrontations and verbal fights over idiots who think they know everything and criticize my play. Online, if you don't like someone writing all sorts of noise in the chatbox, you just mute them and move on. In live, you gotta take your chips and leave if you can't stand being with them.

Live is easier too. Btw. My highest stake when I go to casinos is $5/$10 and even there, there are morons who call all-in bet of 300 blinds with Ace 5 as well as donkeys who do not know how to fold top pair(when I recall a bad beat from an idiot who sucked out with a running flush against my set)

I'm going to Vegas this winter. I hope there are less morons and assholes compared to southern California casinos.

If you're a winning player online, you'll definitely not have any problem with live. I'm a break-even player online who solely profits from rakeback/bonuses/freerolls. If you don't live in Southern California, you don't have to worry about jerks.
Good Luck

A lot of good advice, I am also going to check out the link. I remember the one tourney player on tv that had to keep getting corrected during play. Mostly about how much to bet, he wasn't putting enough in. The other players didn't seem to mind.
I also have a lot of very experienced players ask for chip counts on other players who went all in. It looked to me when a lot of chips are in play, you don't want to make a huge mistake, so I would ask.

There are people who visit here/Vegas from throughout the world...they try to play like they see on tv w/o realizing what is shown on tv is just a snapshot of what occurs throughout an entire game/session; these players will play ATC & bet/call to the river (hoping to hit their miracle cards), the BEST way to take advantage of this is to adj play accordingly (or ask the floor to move to another table if you consider the play too wild).

One night we were @ a table with some visitors from Germany, they argued with the dealer about running it twice...but they saw it on High Stakes Poker so they knew it was allowed, uh, no.

The top 3 favorite places to play are the Venetian, the Wynn, & the Bellagio otherwise you may be better off playing @ Red Rock if you wish to play the locals.

I'm ok with donkeys who call with any two cards to see the flop to make some miraculous flop. I'm used to it. I have special strategy for those type of people. Not only are there those type of players in vegas, there are those types of players online. There are many of those social workers who come to casino to play for entertainment. I'm just hoping there aren't morons or assholes who criticize my play, rant, etc. I'm fed up and sick and tired of those b.s. I used to go to Hollywood Park Casino, Hawaiian Gardens, Bicycle casino. I can't stand it. Not only are those cardrooms horrible, there are too many LA-stuckups who think they know everything and criticize.

TY. I'll most likely be sleeping at Planet Hollywood. My roommate's friend is a blackjack player who plays $25 minimum tables and also has VIP benefits for being a frequent gambler at that casino. Thank you for recommending me good casinos to play in. Because I was definitely not planning to play at Planet Hollywood. I wanted to play at Bellagio or Rio. I'll keep Bellagio, Wynn, Venetian, and Red Rock in mind. How's Caesar's Palace?

pokerlovesme, I knew the LA players were agressive but I thought it was limited to the actual card playing...no reason to be ranted @ or criticized. Before Vegas, we lived in San Diego & played @ the Indian casinos there; players are much more laid back (as most San Diegans tend to be anyway) so our SoCal experiences were much different than yours.

I was re-reading a poker book earlier & the author suggested a really good comeback to the table coaches (y'know the ranters & ravers) --> ask where to pick up their book...I don't think I have the cajones to try that in a b&m but I may type it in the chat the next time I get called a donk & told how I should play.

I haven't stayed @ Planet Hollywood but if the hotel is anything like their timeshare towers then you will have some very nice digs...enjoy your stay! If you're into clubbing, I would not suggest any of the clubs @ PH right now, one of them got in trouble with Metro (LVPD) so a close watch is being kept on them for now. PH does have a really good strip location, you'll be across the street from the Bellagio & the new MGM CityCenter; Caesars Palace is right next door to the Bellagio.

I haven't been to the Caesars Palace poker room so I'm unable to provide a recommendation. The Rio is a bit loud for me, they must have their slot machines turned up on high or something & the ding, ding, ding echoes throughout the place. We primarily play @ the Wynn, although my excursions have decreased since I've been playing NLH online lately (in b&ms I play Limit). The poker room employees @ the Wynn are top notch (as are all the employees who work there)!

Sorry for the thread takeover Gamble1996...