Home Game Advice

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Got invited to play in a home game.
1/2 NLHE
Original buy in is $60, with rebuys anywhere from $40-$100
I have very little experience playing poker away from the computer.
Advice?
 
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doomasiggy

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Just have fun. Home games are more about drinking and talking shit with your friends than actually making money.
 
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Usually it is but with these people I think its kinda serious. I think they run a 10 hour session Friday night and Saturday night with a lot of money ending up on the table. Top guys usually making over $600 a night
 
JDAWG5

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Got invited to play in a home game.
1/2 NLHE
Original buy in is $60, with rebuys anywhere from $40-$100
I have very little experience playing poker away from the computer.
Advice?

I may be misunderstanding this but it seems like they are short-stacking.

With 1/2 Blinds you should be buying in for $200 for 100 BBs. Do you have to buy in for $60, or are you allowed to buy in for more?

If you are allowed to buy in for more, I would buy in for $200.

Not that "I" would be able to afford anything close to this at all lol, just a hypothetical.
 
thesoxwin

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Ask if they are going to rake the pots. If they are , stay away.
 
MediaBLITZ

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I may be misunderstanding this but it seems like they are short-stacking.

With 1/2 Blinds you should be buying in for $200 for 100 BBs. Do you have to buy in for $60, or are you allowed to buy in for more?

If you are allowed to buy in for more, I would buy in for $200.

Not that "I" would be able to afford anything close to this at all lol, just a hypothetical.

Absolutely - first thing I thought of.


Take your freaking time - this ain't no turbo. Use that time to think through the action - EVERY HAND.
Home games are notorious for everyone wanting to trap - don't get sucked in. On the other hand, no one wants to get trapped so feel free to bet out and they won't see it coming!
Who is consuming the most alcohol? Makes you bold and impairs judgement.
As with any game, start ranging right away.
So I guess you are new to these guys too? What kind of image are you going to want to give off?
Personally I would lay back the first 30 minutes or so to get some reads before I start mixing it up (unless I have a monster).
PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT THEY DO ON THE FLOPS - not just starting hands. Look for those guys that fold the flop a lot - that tells you a bunch.
 
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Starting with $60 is a must, after that your next buy in is whatever you want it to be I believe.

And only know a little bit about one of the guys, the rest I know nothing about. Laying back til I have things figured out seems good to me. Then blow their minds with my online obtained skills. lol
 
long_bong

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Got invited to play in a home game.
1/2 NLHE
Original buy in is $60, with rebuys anywhere from $40-$100
I have very little experience playing poker away from the computer.
Advice?

You should clean up if none of them play online seriously.

Any home game I go to, i just play cautious limit type poker in a nL game, then just push allin alot with two pair and sets and nut hands, new players always think your bluffing ;) You will figure out the best way to approach the homegame withing 30-45 mins. Just play A game should clean up nicely!
 
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You should clean up if none of them play online seriously.

new players always think your bluffing ;) You will figure out the best way to approach the homegame withing 30-45 mins. Just play A game should clean up nicely!

It's crazy but true - their two biggest fears are they will either get bluffed or trapped. Yet play straight poker and raise with your monsters, exercise pot control on others and they are more than happy to go along with you to show down.
 
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Been wondering one more thing, how should my bet sizing be in different situations?
Smaller bets to keep in worse hands or get aggressive to keep them out?
When I make my hand whats my sizing in relationship to the pot?
 
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Been wondering one more thing, how should my bet sizing be in different situations?
Smaller bets to keep in worse hands or get aggressive to keep them out?
When I make my hand whats my sizing in relationship to the pot?

You are going to have to observe what they are doing to get a clear answer to that one. I know one home game I have been a part of, aggression is not a deterrent to them getting involved. So my adjustment is to be even more aggressive when I have a hand as opposed to trapping.

Your bet sizing on a made hand is again going to have to be determined by your observations. Maybe they play poker like roulette and are willing to stack off with TPTK to your set. Maybe a pot sized bet scares them off (doubtful in a home game - too afraid of a bluff) - the key is observe and adjust.

I think you will find it will end up being ABC poker (for you) - play tight and bet the hell out of your good hands.

Now are you pretty well versed playing short handed? I am guessing this will be more like a 6-max than FR. Does your game adjust for that?
 
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I am better at FR but understand the changes that need to be made at 6 max. I think its two tables of 8. Depending on how many show up.
 
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I am better at FR but understand the changes that need to be mad at 6 max. I think its two tables of 8. Depending on how many show up.

Just to clarify - cash or tourney?
 
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Cash. Just a lot of people that go to play.
 
thebigdawg

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I may be misunderstanding this but it seems like they are short-stacking.

With 1/2 Blinds you should be buying in for $200 for 100 BBs. Do you have to buy in for $60, or are you allowed to buy in for more?

If you are allowed to buy in for more, I would buy in for $200.

Not that "I" would be able to afford anything close to this at all lol, just a hypothetical.

From my experiences most home cash games people are short-stack.

There going to be house rules more than likely that don't make sense to you but thats at every home game I play at. You should be able pick out who the fish are and who the real players are after 20 hands or so. I play in a game that is dealers choice, when I found that out I thought I never come back..but the little bit I knew about Omaha and Stud was more than just about anybody at the table did.
 
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Here's the thing you have over the guys who don't play online -
Experience - you see a helluva lot more of hands in your sessions online.
Calculation - you are probably used to making quick calculations online.
Statistics - assuming you use a HUD, you have an understanding of stat data.

What you need -
Slow it down - take advantage of extra time to double check your calculations and board reading.
Emotional Disconnect - online you can scream, yell, be disgusted. That gives away everything live.
Brain Drawers - a HUD in your brain. Scale back to manageable data like "he's a 40/10/7" (you hope!).

There will usually be one or two guys that are the alpha dogs. You decide - avoid or confront. You slap an alpha around a little bit and guess what that makes you?

Be nice to the host - if you want to be invited back.

Bring something to the party - alcohol, dip, something - if you want to be invited back.

Be friendly, introduce yourself and connect with other guys - if you want to be invited back.
 
rodgbaby

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Ask if they are going to rake the pots. If they are , stay away.


Your kidding right. The two home games i play at they rake. Im fine with this it is a 1/2 game and come in for 5. Both guys have NFL sunday ticket and we watch the games as well and MLB ticket. On top of that we get ribs wings something good to eat and anything to drink we want. I dont mean just grandpas stuff lol but redbulls, soda, water lol. The rake always caps at 5 bucks a pot and i have made friends with one of them and if his dealer cant make it i deal and take home 20 percent plus tips for the night. Raking is not bad in a home game your host is trying to provide a good atmosphere and make a lil coin too nothing wrong with that.
 
MediaBLITZ

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Your kidding right. The two home games i play at they rake. Im fine with this it is a 1/2 game and come in for 5. Both guys have NFL sunday ticket and we watch the games as well and MLB ticket. On top of that we get ribs wings something good to eat and anything to drink we want. I dont mean just grandpas stuff lol but redbulls, soda, water lol. The rake always caps at 5 bucks a pot and i have made friends with one of them and if his dealer cant make it i deal and take home 20 percent plus tips for the night. Raking is not bad in a home game your host is trying to provide a good atmosphere and make a lil coin too nothing wrong with that.

But it is ILLEGAL in many locations. Hell some places it's even illegal to even have the game without a rake.
 
rodgbaby

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[quoteBut it is ILLEGAL in many locations. Hell some places it's even illegal to even have the game without a rake.][/quote]


UMMMM online poker ILLEGAL. Hosting a game at all with money involved even a friendly 5 dollar freeze out without a permit from the state illegal. so why stay away from a game cause they rake????? At least that way i know its a legit game and everyone knows what the hell is going on.
 
MediaBLITZ

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[quoteBut it is ILLEGAL in many locations. Hell some places it's even illegal to even have the game without a rake.]


UMMMM online poker ILLEGAL. Hosting a game at all with money involved even a friendly 5 dollar freeze out without a permit from the state illegal. so why stay away from a game cause they rake????? At least that way i know its a legit game and everyone knows what the hell is going on.[/QUOTE]

Okay let me be clear - I am not saying this in a moral sense and there is of course no judgement on my part. I grew up with my dad hosting poker parties and ended up a regular part of them. I am saying it as way for someone to possibly avoid a lot of grief. Everyone has to make their own decisions.

BUT - having a rake in a home game crosses some very serious felony lines. It now crosses over to racketeering and the Rico act comes into play. They can send you away for years for that. While local authorities will probably tolerate a friendly home game (no rake), a felony bust can be quite a feather in their cap.

And heaven forbid should a local casino hear about it. They will gladly notify the authorities if potential customers are going elsewhere for action.
 
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kmixer

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Rake should never be collected at a home game. The home games I have played in have a buy-in plus some extra money to cover the food and drinks. Might not sem like much of a difference but when it comes to the law I am pretty sure Rake is pretty severe.

Avoid!
 
rodgbaby

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you all could be right but where i played was an army town and the MP's were worried about other things. Hell we had a cop that played the one game that did get busted was busted for drugs. Im just saying i think rake isnt such a big deal.
 
thebigdawg

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There use to be a tournament I played in that was a $50 BI with re-buys, and the guy house that we played in took $5 for rake out of everybodys BI and used it for his BI. He always made hot dogs for everybody and gave out free pop, so usually made your $5 back with that.
 
thesoxwin

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Your kidding right. The two home games i play at they rake. Im fine with this it is a 1/2 game and come in for 5. Both guys have NFL sunday ticket and we watch the games as well and MLB ticket. On top of that we get ribs wings something good to eat and anything to drink we want. I dont mean just grandpas stuff lol but redbulls, soda, water lol. The rake always caps at 5 bucks a pot and i have made friends with one of them and if his dealer cant make it i deal and take home 20 percent plus tips for the night. Raking is not bad in a home game your host is trying to provide a good atmosphere and make a lil coin too nothing wrong with that.
$5 a pot...how many pots an hour and how many hours are you playing? Do the math, you'll be amazed at how much they rake. The pat answer to me was, " the only one to lose is the winner of the pot" That is how they justify it. I have also played in home games, that required a kick-in for the food. 15 guys $5 per person or even $10, but some were raking "up to $5" a pot and raking $1000 to $1200 per 8 or 9 hours....That is ridiculous. Then, then game I used to go to....well lets just say that the guy running it wasn't all that legit, the reason I stopped going. Well, one night four guys come in with semi automatics, get everyone on the ground and steal everything, from everyone. This is after I stopped going, so I cant say I saw it coming, but after it happened, I wasn't surprised. So, No I'm not kidding.:)
 
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