1st Time Playing at Casino

Alright, so Im planning a trip to the casino near me sometime in the near future and it is the first time that I am playing poker at a casino (well, second really, but the first time I had no idea what I was doing). From what people tell me, the 1/2 NL tables there are very, very Loose passive most of the time, so if I play there I will have to really tighten up and not try anything fancy. They say its not uncommon to have 4 or 5 people to see a flop. I am limiting myself to 100 dollars and havent decided if I want to do one full buyin at the 1/2 tables or play a couple Sit N Go tournaments. Im used to playing online so I know im gonna have to be patient as hands take much longer live, but does anyone have any other advice for me? Is the play at 1/2 NL at a casino worse than online play at that level?

If you play aggressive, you should do well. That was my experience in Vegas anyway. Which casino are you hitting?

I have limited experience, but the couple 1/2 NL tables I played at all basically played just like the super micro limits online. Very loose and very passive.

"not uncommon to have 4 or 5 people see the flop" ? At the tables I played, it was unusual to see 2 people fold preflop, and usually one of them was me. There were countless hands that I was the only one that folded preflop.

Is the play worse than 1/2 online? YES

Advice? Don't drink any alcohol at all. None. Period.

If you play aggressive, you should do well. That was my experience in Vegas anyway. Which casino are you hitting?

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Im going to the Turning Stone. Its a casino in Upstate New York, Ive played blackjack and caribbean stud there b4, but never poker.

Advice? Don't drink any alcohol at all. None. Period.

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They dont serve alcohol there (in fact u only have to be 18 to get in) so that wont be a problem

im going there on sunday..see how i do..

Turning Stone has a lot of scrubs there. People chase all the way to river. Just play your hands and hope they hold because you will get paid off.

bw07507 said:

Im going to the Turning Stone. Its a casino in Upstate New York, Ive played blackjack and caribbean stud there b4, but never poker.



They dont serve alcohol there (in fact u only have to be 18 to get in) so that wont be a problem

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The 1/2 games at the stone are some of the softest games I have played. I prefer the 200 max tables b/c there is more money on the table, and the play is terrible. Like said above, just keep on putting your money in with made hands, b/c they chase like mofos there. Have fun and relax the first few orbits, get a feel for the room and the table, then go to town.

I play in AC all the time.....I definently think you should use the full 100 at a 1/2 table. You'll play to passive with any less.

A couple of things not totally related to how you play, but I noticed the following when I started playing live:

1) Remembering your cards and suits... Online, your cards are always facing you. Get used to looking at your cards and not needing to go back and look at them during a hand (at least that is the way I like to play). For example, you get 10 Hearts, J Diamonds... Flop comes... now, was that 10H, JD or was it 10D, JH??? At first you may not remember the suits; heck, at first you might forget even what the two cards were.

Some players feel it is easier to read other players that go back and look at their cards. Some feel that it means that they do not have a pair, but are determining if they have a flush draw or confirming connectors... I personally do not like to look at my cards again once the flop hits the table.

2) Size of Pot... Again, online the pot size is always displayed on the screen. I personally don't ever ask for the size of a pot. If you are into making pot sized bets with certain hands and calculating certain odds, then knowing the size of the pot at any time can be important. It takes a bit of time, but after awhile it gets easy to subconsciously track the action going into a pot.

Good luck - I'm sure you'll do fine... alot of new players are always trying 1/2 and many don't even have an online background.

playing tourneys at casinos are mostly crap shoots.... blinds double every 12 mins where i go.. sucks!