First live game in years

Tomorrow I will be playing in my first live game in two and a half years. It will be small stakes, a $5 tournament with about 12 people. I am really looking forward to live competition, as I seem to fare better against live people than online. I feel blind online since there are no tells, just betting patterns and such. I will let you all know how I fare.

Yes, I have definitely found live poker to be easier than online poker. Good luck!

Where in Cleveland is the game, I'm from there and just would like to know, is this a home thing or a put together event?

Good luck, I kinda miss playing live games. In college we even had a few hundred people plus live tourneys that were a blast. Live play brings a much different atmosphere than staring at a computer, just not the same.

I love live poker.I love online.However live poker suits me better.It very easy to read people on live poker if you are able to read people like I can online by their betting patterns.I have made alot live the only down fall to live to online is it more expensive and take gas money to get there.

ZackK19 said:

The only downfall to online is it is more expensive and takea gas money to get there.

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Plus playing online you do far more hands in the amount of time, especially if you multi-table.

I've never played live as yet, but look forward to one day doing so. Think I might find the pace a bit frustrating, though.

Good luck in your game.

I play in a home game pretty much every weekend, and I agree, live is far better than online games.

One of the things that sucks about live is listening to the idiots around you. If you're at the casino bring an Ipod to save you from hearing the general bs of the morons there. The pace is frustrating as well but there are also more distractions(ipod, shuffling chips, hot waitreses, etc).

I hope you enjoy the game. There is no doubt that live games are more meaningful. Players actions, mannerisms etc tell you a lot that you just cannot pick up on when playing on line. Good luck.

RichKo said:

Where in Cleveland is the game, I'm from there and just would like to know, is this a home thing or a put together event?

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The game is just a home game. I have never had a home game before, just played at others. I wanted to see how this one went before opening it up to more people.

Update:

Did not go so well for me. Started out a total donkfest, with everybody calling everything. I decided I was going to become hyper-aggressive when I got quality hands. It worked good for a while, and I built up a good stack.

The hand before first break, I am dealt AJ suited. Blinds are 50/100, so I raise to 500. It needed to be big because of the table. 5 callers!!! Flop comes J,10,7. The pot is huge, so I push all-in. 2 callers. One has QJ, one had a gutshot straight draw with a Q. Great shape, right? Not when one of the two remaining queens comes out on the turn. I am left with less than a blind. Ugh.

UF_Gators2007 said:

One of the things that sucks about live is listening to the idiots around you. If you're at the casino bring an Ipod to save you from hearing the general bs of the morons there. The pace is frustrating as well but there are also more distractions(ipod, shuffling chips, hot waitreses, etc).

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Guess that's why there is something for everyone. There's money to made playing poker, but playing live if you frequent a live venue you have friends to be made as well, not just 'morons'.

Juniorsdaddy said:

Update:

Did not go so well for me. Started out a total donkfest, with everybody calling everything. I decided I was going to become hyper-aggressive when I got quality hands. It worked good for a while, and I built up a good stack.

The hand before first break, I am dealt AJ suited. Blinds are 50/100, so I raise to 500. It needed to be big because of the table. 5 callers!!! Flop comes J,10,7. The pot is huge, so I push all-in. 2 callers. One has QJ, one had a gutshot straight draw with a Q. Great shape, right? Not when one of the two remaining queens comes out on the turn. I am left with less than a blind. Ugh.

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Sorry it didn't go that well. Could have been the $5 buy-in. As a rule even live, the lower the buy-in, the looser the play.

GoodLuck to you and as for me i have never tried to play a live poker game though i have watched a game once at a casino.

I love like poker bcos it takes longer by the blinds or ppl makin descisions. I do love online poker but its BAM BAM BAM quick thinking n quick blinds.

Hate it when u only get a minute time bank to make a huge descision for ur tourneys life!

I wanted to post an update on this thread.

Since the first game didn't go so well, I decided to have another game, which was last night. We changed the style of the game a little bit, having a cash game instead of the tournament. I didn't fare well again, but I came to a realization.

I have been overlooking a big part of the game of poker for years: the comradery that the game creates. I was always so busy strategizing and calculating odds and such, that I never took time just to chat while playing. It made an enormous difference in enjoying the game, even when the cards were not cooperating.

So, the next time I take a bad beat, I will simply smile and ask how their kids are doing. Hope every one else can do the same.

Perfect example of why I prefer live poker happened a little while ago. Sat down and started talking to the guy next to me, and after a while he told me that the guy down the other end was a donkey and would call almost anything with any kind of draw. Got in a hand with the guy and called him to the river with AK, never hit anything, and he folded his cards as soon as I called his river bet. Always nice to get that kind of info, tougher to draw that kind of stuff out online.

Absolutely agree with the update too. Half the fun of the home game is just a reason to get together with your friends and BS for a few hours. if the stakes are low nobody loses that much money and everybody has fun.

Juniorsdaddy said:

I have been overlooking a big part of the game of poker for years: the comradery that the game creates. I was always so busy strategizing and calculating odds and such, that I never took time just to chat while playing. It made an enormous difference in enjoying the game, even when the cards were not cooperating.

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I hope that this was a serious comment. When I am playing poker tournaments at the casino, I tend to put the players into different categories. One of those categories are people that are usually in their early twenties, have a deadly serious look on their face, never smile or chat to anyone, often wear hoodies and sunglasses. Personally I feel that they are missing out on a lot of the fun of live poker, but each to their own I suppose...

NoWuckingFurries said:

I hope that this was a serious comment. When I am playing poker tournaments at the casino, I tend to put the players into different categories. One of those categories are people that are usually in their early twenties, have a deadly serious look on their face, never smile or chat to anyone, often wear hoodies and sunglasses. Personally I feel that they are missing out on a lot of the fun of live poker, but each to their own I suppose...

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It is absolutely serious. For a long time I tried unsuccessfully to be like one of those people. I have had some life changing events recently, and it has led me to see a lot of things differently. I have learned that I can still make some cash and make some friends along the way.

NoWuckingFurries said:

I hope that this was a serious comment. When I am playing poker tournaments at the casino, I tend to put the players into different categories. One of those categories are people that are usually in their early twenties, have a deadly serious look on their face, never smile or chat to anyone, often wear hoodies and sunglasses. Personally I feel that they are missing out on a lot of the fun of live poker, but each to their own I suppose...

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roflmao ... every once in a while we have 1 or 2 or those who show up at our casino MTT's. The obvious onliner who has likely watched WAY too many WPT shows ... They seldom seem to return, and if they do, it is without the 'hoodies and sunglasses'. ...

Having a very large core of regulars, the pressure is relentless. So are the inferred jokes ...

I love live poker ... and hope it never changes !!!