All you should know before playing your first live session

sebastianrm

sebastianrm

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Hello, everyone!

I've been playing online poker for a few months now and this week I'll be going to the casino to play a live session for the first time.

I have never been in a real poker room before and I don't really know how things work there (all I know is what I've watched on TV on big casinos and the experiences I've heard from high stakes players on YouTube and stuff like that, and I'm just gonna be in a very small and humble place) so I wanted to ask you what things you consider a beginner needs to know before heading to the casino and what things shoud he ask and how to ask, etc., or anything you wish someone had told you before you started playing live so you wouldn't feel like a fool for not knowing things that are obvious to most of the people who plays or works there.

I'm talking mostly about things that are not game related, like how to ask something to the dealer and stuff like that, but any tip that you can give me will be very appreciated!

I thank you in advance! :D
 
Iggykiddo

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Theres a couple of good youtube videos about what to think about before going your first live. I suggest you watch a few vids and you'll be fine.
 
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c0rnBr34d

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https://www.cardschat.com/poker-strategy.php

You will love the above thread.
My personal advice for you is to talk less, listen and observe.
This is a great link. I wish I would have had something like this when I started playing live.

I would also just add that no matter how much you read and study ahead there will inevitably be things that are new. Some promotion, or having a player card, or comps, or a unique straddle or bomb pot or something. As an experienced player I still refresh myself on the room promotions when I play different rules. For example some rooms you have to play both hole cards to win a high hand and there must be a certain number of big blinds in the pot to qualify, other rooms you can play the board and there is no pot requirement. I would encourage you to ask the dealer without hesitation about any of these things. The best players at the table will be able to tell you're new to live poker (or at least to this room) anyways, so you may as well get your questions answered as quickly as possible so you can get them out of the way and focus on poker. The weaker players may also think that your inexperience means you don't know the game, which is good for you as they may give you extra action and make mistakes against you. I wouldn't even let them know you play online. Let them think you're a fish, they will figure out you know what you're doing after you win a few pots.
 
xxxSSSxxx

xxxSSSxxx

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just act natural. We are all people, and mind your game.
 
pcgnome

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See if the poker room has a website. You can check to see if there are any special promotions there.
 
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c0rnBr34d

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See if the poker room has a website. You can check to see if there are any special promotions there.
Or just download the phone App "BravoPokerLive". You can see how many of each game is running in advance and what the wait lists are. In many rooms you can also then call ahead to get on the list so that when you arrive you can be seated more quickly.

Good luck, let us know how it went.
 
quartz

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I would say definitely pay attention to your body language and keep your timing relatively consistent but I'd say you can play rather straight forward against a regular 1/2 population (assuming that's what you're about to play) where it may be a trappy limp fest where you can get value from strong holdings and not necessarily be put to the test constantly.
 
rj_montana

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Shut up and pay attention to the action when you're not involved in the hand. At the typical $1/2 you will see a LOT of limping and higher raise sizes on average.

The best tip I can give is to pick the right time of the day. You want to be in the game at 5:00pm on a Friday or Saturday night. If you go during the middle of the day on a weekday there is likely to be only a single table open infested with sober regs. That is not the table you want to play.

Also, if you call ahead to reserve a seat you can skip the waitlist when you do arrive.
 
pokergopher

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Hello, everyone!

I've been playing online poker for a few months now and this week I'll be going to the casino to play a live session for the first time.

I have never been in a real poker room before and I don't really know how things work there (all I know is what I've watched on TV on big casinos and the experiences I've heard from high stakes players on YouTube and stuff like that, and I'm just gonna be in a very small and humble place) so I wanted to ask you what things you consider a beginner needs to know before heading to the casino and what things shoud he ask and how to ask, etc., or anything you wish someone had told you before you started playing live so you wouldn't feel like a fool for not knowing things that are obvious to most of the people who plays or works there.

I'm talking mostly about things that are not game related, like how to ask something to the dealer and stuff like that, but any tip that you can give me will be very appreciated!

I thank you in advance! :D



I suggest Daniel Neagreanu Masterclass. Google it you will find it easily, and it costs about $99
 
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c0rnBr34d

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I suggest Daniel Neagreanu Masterclass. Google it you will find it easily, and it costs about $99
Did you take this class? I was skeptical. What's your poker background and if you took the class how do you think it effected your game?
 
pokergopher

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Did you take this class? I was skeptical. What's your poker background and if you took the class how do you think it effected your game?

I did take the class. I found the section positioning and bet sizing were the most helpful to my game. I've become more aggressive in my play when in position, and my bet sizing now is more consistent across my ranges.
 
Ranish625

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Hello, everyone!

I've been playing online poker for a few months now and this week I'll be going to the casino to play a live session for the first time.

I have never been in a real poker room before and I don't really know how things work there (all I know is what I've watched on TV on big casinos and the experiences I've heard from high stakes players on YouTube and stuff like that, and I'm just gonna be in a very small and humble place) so I wanted to ask you what things you consider a beginner needs to know before heading to the casino and what things shoud he ask and how to ask, etc., or anything you wish someone had told you before you started playing live so you wouldn't feel like a fool for not knowing things that are obvious to most of the people who plays or works there.

I'm talking mostly about things that are not game related, like how to ask something to the dealer and stuff like that, but any tip that you can give me will be very appreciated!

I thank you in advance! :D


Well, at least you should know the rules of poker, and the rest will come with experience
 
SPANKYSN

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CriesuaID

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My personal tip is, get ready to spend a good time doing nothing. Normally you will not play most hands and in a live poker game the rounds are usually longer than online.
 
Vilgeoforc

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I think you need to play at the lowest rates in order to feel self-confidence. In case of failure, the losses will be minimal.
 
mkdrummey

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A few years ago I qualified through party poker for a live game at DTD. It was the first time I had played live and I found the whole experience frightening. It was obviously clear for the rest of the table that I was a novice and I didn't last long. I then qualified again a few weeks later and had similar experience. Just the experience of being sat at a table with other players affected my judgement. I did enjoy the experience though. I can imagine it would have been worse if I had any money invested in the game.

How do you approach live games where it is obvious the other players have experience? In my case the first tell was probably my actions just with the chips. The biggest tell was when I called out of turn, at which point the player next to me announce loudly that it wasn't a problem and "all beginners make mistakes"
 
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