1 Live Poker Game Tip?

[TheNoob]

What are you thinking about when you look at your cards? Do you base your action on the cards you have or based on the action from the players before you?

The thing about look at your cards when you first get them vs when its your turn to act is: They cards are not going to change. However you miss out on information and tells your opponent may have if you're busy looking down at your cards. Sometimes they're very quick and you have to catch it quickly. An example is my frind has a habit of clenching his jaw when he has a big hand. Its very fast and hardly noticeable at times, but its a small tell that I would easily miss if I'm looking down instead of at my opponents.

Point taken.

I assume I'm generally correct in basing my action on both my two cards and the action before me and of course my position. I understand you are saying that I may be missing information offered by previous players if I'm concentrating on my cards.

I'm probably still dealing with the moisture behind my ears, in that I'm a little apprehensive about taking too much time when it comes to me, hence I'm trying to stay ahead by working on my decision early.

Now, when I say 'working on my decision early' I fully understand that my final decision can't be made until I know what ALL the action has been before me. Checking my cards early is just more 'comfortable' at this point.

Might have to work on that. Thanks philthy.

 

[ythelongface]

myself, i try to look the same whether im in the hand or not. blank stare lookin more or less straight ahead. im not a sunglasses or hat guy, so i go with some variation of the chris ferguson or phil helmuth cover your mouth and neck deal. hide your heartrate and your face. but really i think it helps just to act exactly the same every time whether your involved in the hand or not. imo, it makes it a bit harder to get a read on you.

 

[ph_il]

I laugh when people try to look stone-faced and so serious at the table. They just look really silly. Its just so tiring IMO. I always lean back and relax and have fun, like a watered-down version of Phil Laak. Its also a lot easier to maintain a laid back personality because anything you do can be seen as the norm.

Its more fun, too.

 

[kschuster]

basically....play off other player's behavior. Also dont be afraid to be social. It allows you to pass the time if your getting bad cards and allows you to get in the heads of your opponents. Mind you, dont be to chatty and stay focused on your cards.

 

[TexGuy]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Irexes
Don't look at your cards until it's your turn to act.

this^ a lot of sharks notice small things like this and will know automatically if you look at your card sright away that you are a newb. I als like said, just play a tight positioned game. Tip the dealer when you win, and just be nice to others when talked too.

Well this is basically how I played and I made an average of $100/day on 1/2NL. Not a bad start IMO. However I didn't pick up any tells by watching others when they looked at their cards. I hope to get better at that.

As always, patience was the key.

 

[mogadown]

Be Agressive

But Tight. Dont play your Ace Rags or T 4 unless you are BB or SB and nobody raised before you. Play only Premium hands. Suited connectors are ok if it wasnt raised too much. Dont Slow play. If you flop a monster (ie Set; 2pr; Str8) and someone raises you after the flop, re-raise them at least 3x what they bet. (if you only have 4x what they have bet, you may consider going all in) There is no shame in going out when you have an already made hand and they hit their draw. Dont Chase. If someone bets pot size bet and you have a belly buster str8 draw... give it up. Flush draw?? only chase if they dont bet much (ie 1 - 2x the bb) and you have the nut draw. You will have to get good hands to win... just dont donk off your chips chasing or bluffing.

 

[dah]

Thanks for that.

I always think twice, before wacking it all in pre-flop, most so called poker players haven't got a clue, they just wack it in with anything, and you just get screwed on the river, there called river RATS, I even just flat call AA, if they force you in OK, but just try to see the flop, as cheap as possible. dont't forget, you're beat, by any two pair, trips, etc, if you're confident, just check, raise to any bet, if you still think, you have it on the river get the chips in, but never be afraid to fold, big pairs, etc, also people always talking about tells, some players always giving out false tells, I can even make my hands shake, also if I see someone, who is really fussy with there chips, like fiddling, tidying, all the time, I just keep mine in a big mess, and it is possible, to distroy, there concentration, it works sometimes. some may think that I am unethical, I really don't, I think anything goes at the Poker table, tournements are great fun, but a bit of a lottery, for me the only way to get consistent money at poker, is playing fixed limit.

 

[CAPT. ZIGZAG]

Play during "drinking hours".

^ this is very important. Don't wanna miss happy hour.

Also, play very conservative until you get a stack. You'll garner respect. That, combined with a pretty good stack will go a long way towards you controlling the table.

If you get active before you stack up. You face the problem of chipping off your stack. Pretty common mistake for new live players. Wait for the monsters till you stack up. Also, sit down with the maximum buy in.

There are guys out there who will put you all in just to test your mettle. So, wait till you have the ammo (or a monster) to battle the LAG's.

Tells are not something that are available to you right now. To learn about tells takes a lot of hands under your belt. But not just hands. Hands where you're studying of tells is more important than the money. Cuz you'll loose a few duckets learning about them.

Like anything else in poker (life), it's the mistakes we learn from. Little by little we chip of the barnacles. And our MISTAKES seem to be the flashlight.


---

 

[Flushbuster]

Observe three or four hands when you sit down. Watch the hands and the eyes and look for betting patterns. Then play tight and let people bet into you.