First Time In A Casino?

I'm looking for some tips to play at a casino, i've been playing on play money sites, like pokerstars and Fulltilt, even some zynga from facebook. I do very well on those sites, but I know they aren't being serious on them since they can go reload whenever they please.

I'm just wondering if I should go ahead and take a trip to my nearest casino a weekend and play 1/2 NLHE. None of my friends play poker. nor do anyone I know. How much should I bring? I'm playing on going to Winstar if that helps at all.

I have a good understanding of Pot odds, Implied Odds, Reverse Implied Odds, currently studying Fold equity. I'm also working on the importance of position and what hands are effected by it. etc, etc.

Any tips would be great for a first time live player. Thank you.

play very tight

The first time at a casino can be a little overwhelming, so like duggs said, play tight in the beginning. When you start going with the flow then you can play however you want. I'd also suggest not playing higher than 1/2 you first time there. Playing live is fun and in my opinion ALOT easier than online poker.

also dont talk any strat, be nice to people, and if unsure about any etiquette issues just ask the dealer before hand.

I haven't played at a casino, but I've played live poker with a group from work.

Preflop, don't look at your cards until it is your turn to act. If you don't wait, you'll be busy looking at your own cards instead of watching the other players as they look at their cards. You can get information from watching them.

If you aren't aware of the casino's rules for how you place bets and chips, look it up. You can't string bet, and I'm pretty sure your verbal words are binding. But if you intend to call and put out too many chips, it may have to be considered a raise.

Keep your cards on the table (don't hold them in your hands and then sit back). If your cards are in play, put a chip or some sort of physical marker on them so that the dealer doesn't mistake them for mucked cards.

Breathe deep. Have fun!

And try not to act like it is your first time playing live, even though it is. If other players see that they will try to intimidate you and may not respect your bluffs, raises...etc

otari said:

And try not to act like it is your first time playing live, even though it is. If other players see that they will try to intimidate you and may not respect your bluffs, raises...etc

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I don't know, I think this could be a plus. If you know how to play solid ABC, others thinking you have no clue could be to your advantage.

1) Bring $200-$400 in cash to play 1/2 NLHE. The casino's ATM will charge a lot in fees, and you'll want to be able to rebuy if you bust.
2) You have to say the word "raise" whenever you want to raise. If you just throw money in when there's a bet in front of you, its a call.
3) Don't flip your cards over until the dealer tells you to showdown.
4) Pay attention, don't keep people waiting til its your turn to act.
5) Play your game, because its still the same game. Don't adjust too much. And don't assume people are better just because you can see their faces. The guy limping every hand really is terrible. But keep the poker ABC to start off until you get comfortable.
6) Tip the dealer $1 for every hand you win, unless you just win the blinds.

yeah my advice is that most of the live players at the casino won't be nearly as skilled as online players, don't assume that their weak plays are always a trap...sometimes in live casinos you will run into really bad players that are just having fun gambling, but keep in mind that there will probably be a few regs at the table so just pay attention to their play and you will be able to sort out the other players relatively easily.

Also, don't go during the week because that most of the players will be grinders. The weekend, however, is when all of the 9 to 5 average joe's come out to play, and the perfect time to makes some $$$

SwoleRake said:

I'm looking for some tips to play at a casino, i've been playing on play money sites, like Pokerstars and Fulltilt, even some zynga from facebook. I do very well on those sites, but I know they aren't being serious on them since they can go reload whenever they please.

I'm just wondering if I should go ahead and take a trip to my nearest casino a weekend and play 1/2 NLHE. None of my friends play poker. nor do anyone I know. How much should I bring? I'm playing on going to Winstar if that helps at all.

I have a good understanding of Pot Odds, Implied Odds, Reverse Implied Odds, currently studying Fold Equity. I'm also working on the importance of position and what hands are effected by it. etc, etc.

Any tips would be great for a first time live player. Thank you.

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Hi there. I thought I would offer my two cents. Generally, there are tons of bad players in these 1/2 games. Assume that 70% of your table will be bad players.

This just my opinion, based on my experience. I have been playing live for years.

These players will often be super aggressive. Don't bring more than you can afford to lose. I would buy in with the max, and if you can't afford that, don't go. That being said, don't play scared.

All the poker books and info in the world is nothing in comparison to good old fashioned experience. With experience, you have simply been in so many different situations, you will know what to do in various situations.

Play tight. Be smart. Always try to put your opponent on hand ranges. Play tight for the first hour, and watch your opponents carefully for signs of their behavior in different situations. Figure out who the donkeys and strong players are as soon as possible.

And finally, watch your opponents faces when the flop hits. It may not give you any clues, but many times it can give you valuable information. And don't check your hole cards post-flop. Make sure you remember the ranks and suits before the flop comes.

This entire post is my opinion, and nothing more. Take it or leave it. I am not claiming to be an expert. I am merely offering my advice, based on my experience.

thanks beanface this was actually helpful for me being a new player in the live spectrum it really is a whole new ballgame and i often lose all my money real quick at times because i think everyones bluffing when really if i waited they are actually a tight player for example. so slow playing is definitely crucial at the start

c9h13no3 said:

1) Bring $200-$400 in cash to play 1/2 NLHE. The casino's ATM will charge a lot in fees, and you'll want to be able to rebuy if you bust.
2) You have to say the word "raise" whenever you want to raise. If you just throw money in when there's a bet in front of you, its a call.
3) Don't flip your cards over until the dealer tells you to showdown.
4) Pay attention, don't keep people waiting til its your turn to act.
5) Play your game, because its still the same game. Don't adjust too much. And don't assume people are better just because you can see their faces. The guy limping every hand really is terrible. But keep the poker ABC to start off until you get comfortable.
6) Tip the dealer $1 for every hand you win, unless you just win the blinds.

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This is actually a perfect primer...

I would tip a little more, but that's me. Also, watch the other players as they look at their cards for the first time. Same with the flop, etc. Watch them. Your cards aren't going to change, or go away. This is where you get a lot of reads

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ndirish620 said:

thanks beanface this was actually helpful for me being a new player in the live spectrum it really is a whole new ballgame and i often lose all my money real quick at times because i think everyones bluffing when really if i waited they are actually a tight player for example. so slow playing is definitely crucial at the start

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I am happy that I was able to help you out. Good to hear.

As for thinking that everyone bluffs all the time:

Once in a while, I make a really good call. I just sometimes see right through the opponent's BS. Here is one way to help you determine what your opponent may be holding...

Ask yourself - What are they (the opponent) trying to get me to do here? On a paired board for example - if your opponent had trips, or a boat, why on earth would he want you to fold? Unless of course he opponent holds trips and there is a flush draw on board.
Edit: Vice-versa - don't allow yourself to be trapped by a smooth calling opponent. And don't bluff too often. It is difficult to pull off (experience really matters here).

Consider the texture of the board, try to determine what your opponent wants you to do, and DISAPPOINT them. However, don't start shipping your chips away trying to make sick calls. Once in a while you may find yourself in a hand where you think the dude is trying to punk you.

Bluffing does not happen all that frequently, but it is nice to be able to see right through it and win the pot. Seeing things for what they really are can not be learned in a book. It comes from seeing hundreds of thousands of hands. Experience is what contributes to gut instinct (that, and intelligence). The more hands you play, the more situations you will witness. The more situations you witness, the more prepared you are to make good decisions down the road.

This is all just my opinion. Please take it with a grain of salt. I only offer my advice in the hopes that you will benefit from it.

I wrote this ages ago but pretty much all of it will still apply, if you're interested:

https://www.cardschat.com/forum/general-poker-13/playing-live-what-you-need-know-114205/

c9h13no3 said:

1) Bring $200-$400 in cash to play 1/2 NLHE. The casino's ATM will charge a lot in fees, and you'll want to be able to rebuy if you bust.

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I see a lot of people, including the write up on this forum, saying things like this.
Based on the CC page on this, if you don't have the table max to play with, you shouldn't play.

I'm going to disagree with this kind of stuff. I'll use the casino I play at as an example. 1/2NL is min $60 & max $300 buy-in. So if Bob only has, or is willing to lose, $100 he shouldn't go play some poker?!

NeverEnough said:

I see a lot of people, including the write up on this forum, saying things like this.
Based on the CC page on this, if you don't have the table max to play with, you shouldn't play.

I'm going to disagree with this kind of stuff. I'll use the casino I play at as an example. 1/2NL is min $60 & max $300 buy-in. So if Bob only has, or is willing to lose, $100 he shouldn't go play some poker?!

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If Bob only has $100 that he's willing to lose then he's got to be prepared for it to be a very short trip to the casino. I've had 1/2NL sessions where I've bought in for $100 (the table maximum - The Star in Sydney has a horrible poker room FWIW), lost it on the first hand, rebought for another $100, lost that two hands later and been done and dusted in under 10 minutes. If I only had the first bullet I would've only played one hand.

Keep in mind too that live games typically play bigger than online games. It's perfectly normal in a live 1/2 game for the standard open raise to be $8-10 and for that raise to get a heap of callers. In a game like that, $100 is an even shorter buyin than it is online.

If it's a good game (ie: there are lots of bad players) and you get unlucky and lose your first buyin, you're doing yourself a disservice by not having the funds available to rebuy and keep playing. And if there are lots of bad players, then ideally you want to buying in for the maximum so you can win the maximum from the bad players.

So given all that yeah, I'd say that if Bob only has $100, then Bob probably shouldn't be going to play some poker - at least not in a casino 1/2 game. Maybe play a tournament or something.

NeverEnough said:

I see a lot of people, including the write up on this forum, saying things like this.
Based on the CC page on this, if you don't have the table max to play with, you shouldn't play.

I'm going to disagree with this kind of stuff. I'll use the casino I play at as an example. 1/2NL is min $60 & max $300 buy-in. So if Bob only has, or is willing to lose, $100 he shouldn't go play some poker?!

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If Bob is playing poker for fun then $60 is fine. If hes playing for profit and isnt some short stack guru then 100BB is the way to go.

live vs online

live vs online
The great advantage live can be that reads on someone you can look at should be a bit easier but can still sometimes be fooling, so be careful there. lying opponets lurk on either( live vs.online )alot. good thing you at least have basics so you wont be like a total newbie.they say when a person is lying a white line comes across the bottom lip for women its hard to catch because of the lipstick but just a little info i found helpful someone who is over betting are stealing those chips but everyone has thier style so its a chance you take playing.I like catching the stealing donkers early but sometimes its to our benifit to just at fold.just take what you know have a great time im sure you will go back its much better playing live.i would take at least 250.

OzExorcist said:

If Bob only has $100 that he's willing to lose then he's got to be prepared for it to be a very short trip to the casino. I've had 1/2NL sessions where I've bought in for $100 (the table maximum - The Star in Sydney has a horrible poker room FWIW), lost it on the first hand, rebought for another $100, lost that two hands later and been done and dusted in under 10 minutes. If I only had the first bullet I would've only played one hand.

Keep in mind too that live games typically play bigger than online games. It's perfectly normal in a live 1/2 game for the standard open raise to be $8-10 and for that raise to get a heap of callers. In a game like that, $100 is an even shorter buyin than it is online.

If it's a good game (ie: there are lots of bad players) and you get unlucky and lose your first buyin, you're doing yourself a disservice by not having the funds available to rebuy and keep playing. And if there are lots of bad players, then ideally you want to buying in for the maximum so you can win the maximum from the bad players.

So given all that yeah, I'd say that if Bob only has $100, then Bob probably shouldn't be going to play some poker - at least not in a casino 1/2 game. Maybe play a tournament or something.

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Sure, anyone can lose it all on the first hand, but unless you have a monster, why would you have your whole wad in there on the 1st hand?!
One could take the other swide of your coin and $100 could last all night if Bob isn't a terrible player.
I play MTTs so I havent checked the cash tables where I play yet, but if it is anything like the MTTs there will be a loty of limpers & very bad players. Shouldn't be hard to last more than one hand. :eating:

NeverEnough said:

Sure, anyone can lose it all on the first hand, but unless you have a monster, why would you have your whole wad in there on the 1st hand?!
One could take the other swide of your coin and $100 could last all night if Bob isn't a terrible player.
I play MTTs so I havent checked the cash tables where I play yet, but if it is anything like the MTTs there will be a loty of limpers & very bad players. Shouldn't be hard to last more than one hand. :eating:

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Since you haven't checked the cash games, you might not know that $100 could easily be spent in one hand. And since the dude isn't that experienced, he probably is going to lose quickly.

I really believe you need to buy in with the max. You are at a severe disadvantage buying in with less. Not to mention that if you do hit a monster, you can't win as much since you don't have as much.

Just my $0.02

NeverEnough said:

Sure, anyone can lose it all on the first hand, but unless you have a monster, why would you have your whole wad in there on the 1st hand?!
One could take the other swide of your coin and $100 could last all night if Bob isn't a terrible player.
I play MTTs so I havent checked the cash tables where I play yet, but if it is anything like the MTTs there will be a loty of limpers & very bad players. Shouldn't be hard to last more than one hand. :eating:

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Erm... you didn't read what I wrote, did you?

Standard open raises in live 1/2 games are quite often in the $8-$10 range, and even then it's common for them to get multiple callers. If the pot frequently grows to around the $40 mark preflop on just an ordinary hand, then the $90 or so Bob has left behind (assuming he had the full $100 still - which he probably won't if he's already played a round or two) is starting to look pretty short. Any betting action on the flop and if he wants to continue, he'll basically be all in.

That's ignoring the major flaw in your argument though. Sure, Bob could nit up, fold everything but premium hands and make $100 last for a few hours. But lasting for a few hours isn't the point of poker - the point of poker is winning money. In the average 1/2 game where the average villain probably can't get away from middle pair (let alone top pair) you make most of your money by winning big pots against players who don't know how to fold. If you only allow yourself $100 to play with when you could have bought in for more, you're limiting the amount you can win, and effectively costing yourself money, before you've even started.

OzExorcist said:

Erm...

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OzExorcist said:

Sure, Bob could nit up, fold everything but premium hands and make $100 last for a few hours. But lasting for a few hours isn't the point of poker - the point of poker is winning money.

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So now he can't win $ doing what I said? I get your point, but there is another viable side to your coin. Not just the max buy-in or don't try.

NeverEnough said:

So now he can't win $ doing what I said? I get your point, but there is another viable side to your coin. Not just the max buy-in or don't try.

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we might win, buts its like limping every button blind, it might make some money sometimes, but it certainly isnt optimal