Preparing to Play Live Poker

[XYZ2123]

A good intro to live play for those of us who only play online. I don't plan on transitioning to live poker anytime soon so I didn't think much of this article would be relevant to me. Turns out I was wrong. Except for the advice regarding chip handling, all the other points also serve as a good reminder of things to keep in mind during online play:

1. Watch the tournament clock, i.e. pay attention to blind levels, field size, stack sizes.
2. Gather Intelligence, i.e. pay attention to other players and actions (even with a HUD), ditch your cell phone (or internet).
3. Avoid booze. Ditto for online play.
4. Start at lowest stakes, i.e. play within your bankroll.

 

[akmost]

Yeap very informative! So apparently you need to announce to the dealer if you want to raise and how much otherwise it is just a call.

I though a good piece of advice would be to have a good night sleep before a long MTT and a regular workout would also be fine because of the sedentary nature of the profession/hobby!

In MTTs especially in the later stages where the amount of the pots are larger how the players do know how much in the middle? Do they have to count it by themselves or they ask the dealer?This is an automated task in online poker because there are numbers and information everywhere! Anyone??

 

[vovqa93]

After read the article about live poker, first time it looks like it's very hard. I never played live, put imo it is easier then online, if you play alot and train your read/tells skills and your "image" at the table, hundred times more interesting then online that's for sure. Love the thing of psychology in poker.

 

[Spaceman]

I always wanted to play live poker. But all these rules and things you have to adapt to, makes playing live intimidating to me.

And the Oversize Chip Rule, which I heard it for the first time on this CC article, just complicate things more. So if I tossed one chip with the intention to raise, since I just called with this rule, am I going to take a refund? Cause Dakota's saying "you are stuck with big bet and hope nobody calls" make it more confusing.


If I am getting refund, then maybe this rule makes things easier, so sometimes when I want to call, but I'm unsure, I will just throw a chip and dont care if its higher value. Is having the dealer refund your chips, slowing the game and considered as bad poker etiquette or is it something usual?


Anyway, many things that are not automated, like knowing your stack size, or calculating opponent's, or having to do calculations everytime to see what is in the pot, makes live poker confusing for me. Wish there was a way to make such things easier. I guess I'll stick with playing online

 

[0546474]

Thank you !!! I think this is very useful information for those who are planning to play live poker for the first time!

 

[Amanda A]

Thanks for the article! I was a little hazy on some of the unclear betting stuff so it's great to clear that up before I join you all in Vegas. I also loved that the article mentioned the BPO. It's a great organization for people like me that don't live near a casino. I'll be playing in the BPO championships in Vegas in June.

 

[ivanobe]

Very useful


I made indeed some of the mistake i quickly learn



it is better to avoid this waste of time and money by reading these advises before

 

[Zorba]

Taking mental notes on the hands that people play and go to showdown are important to gauge the opponents range, I was recently in a game where 1 player was constantly limping in early position and after a few hands I noticed that they were playing hands like 10 3 os so I patiently waited for a big hand and sure enough they limped with rubbish to my KK and I got them to be all in by the river, they flipped over J4os and chased after hitting bottom pair of 4's on the flop.

 

[guicor30]

I really like online poker and I'm interested in playing live poker; In my city there are some casinos where you can play live poker.
Well, I read this article, because I did not know many things like the increases that if not announced can be considered a call, it is good to also know the alternatives to avoid falling into these errors.


Excellent guide thank you very much.

 

[Helloween]

How cool it sounds: I'm going to Vegas! ))) I hope I'll get a chance to go there, even if I'm not in the role of a participant in some poker tournament, although playing poker or blackjack will be mandatory if I get there. Thanks for the article, as always, everything is clear and will be available to the absolute newcomer.

 

[felipeanicio]

Thank you so much, this kind of stuff we did not find anywhere, I still do not feel free to live it, but it's already a starting point.

 

[cheeeer]

I didn't know the oversize chip rule. Still doesn't make sense: if you toss in a $10 chip and don't say anything - it's a call, but if you toss in two $5 chips and don't say anything - it's a raise. Isn't easier to ask player what he wants? Or how $10 chip can be equal to a call of $5? Or just to count chips and to decide it's a call or a raise. It's pure logic.

 

[No1eJoker]

I think everybody who is going to play some serious live tournament must know at least the basic tips(rules) of playing live poker, and have some previous experience at home ..I would like to have live tournaments with small limits in my encirclement, and that live poker is more popular

 

[Stacker]

See you all there. Hygiene some players Jesus man clean up

 

[whiskers77]

Somehow, I have a feeling of a deja-vu. Didn't we discuss this article already in one monthly challenge? Or did I just read it by curiosity recently?

Anyway I like this article and the tips in it. As I never played live so far, everything is fairly new to me. I imagine it very hard to think about all rules in live games.
I know it from home/family games. Everybody is usually asking: "Is it my turn?"

Especially, I could imagine me always forgetting the ante. In online poker it is something, that is just taken from you. But at live games I really imagine it to be hard to always think about posting blinds and especially the ante.


I wonder how the experienced players are dealing with this?

 

[RidersFan]

This is a great article for players just starting out in live poker, it covers the basics well. One thing I would add, that is a good habit, to pay attention to your chips is to always have a rough idea of how many chips you have and when you get a moment count down your stack so you have an exact count. It’s something that you take for granted online when constantly have an updated count.

 

[zam220]

I've never played live poker.This guide is great for those who want to try playing live poker.And I think it is important to avoid rudeness during games and not to drink a lot of alcohol and then all will be well.

 

[CRStals]

Anyone who has never played a tournament in a live casino before should do their homework first. Go and watch a different tournament, get a feel for the dealers and how they interact with the table. Understand any house rules before you sit down, and for sure understand the structure and the blinds. Bigger rooms have multiple tournaments going on at once - so if that's the case be sure you know which monitor belongs to your tournament!

At the casino, definitely keep the phone AWAY!! Those distracted or not fully paying attention to everything going on miss critical pieces of information that you can pick up on. Once at the table, make sure you scan and identify the LAG's to the TAG's to the fishies. Watch your opponents look at their cards and don't look at yours until you have to. Watching your cards you'll miss others giving out subtle pieces of information.

Above all, relax. Everyone can see what you're doing unlike online. Know this. Don't get tense when you go to raise - play it like any other tournament so you don't give out any tells by accident!

 

[gjwalk]

Some great tips here for playing live for the first time. There's a lot of rules that an online only player would not be aware of. The oversize betting rule and unclear bet has tripped up a lot of first timers. Reading these tips will save a lot of embarrassing inquiries to the pit boss.

 

[Dejange]

Very nice and useful tips for live poker, which I will use for sure when it comes to me to try the live game.Only obstacles to try it until now are the family duties, but entering the summer period I would have some free days and if they stick with some interesting live mtt at International Grand Hotel & Casino nearby - I would bring my CC protector for additional luck


Sad that there is not any more EPT event like some years ago, but they have other type of international events as it is popular destination for live poker!

 

[shanest]

Great tips that I will take on board. I am visiting Vegas in October this year for the 1st time and I will put these to use!

 

[iosif18]

g

Thanks for poker advice and tips.Live poker is more enjoyable than internet poker.You can see body reactions and behaviours that can provide information about other player.Also you can speak at live poker in order to influence players.Good luck.

 

[king11682]

Interesting tips for a player used to playing online poker and has never played live, such as chip management, time and other details that depend only on our attention, where you do not have the help provided by the live game

 

[king11682]

corrected

corrected

Interesting tips for a player used to playing online poker and has never played live, such as chip management, time and other details that depend only on our attention, where you do not have the help provided by the on line game

 

[M13A13]

In live poker, watch out for the cards you receive, minimize them and do not pay too much attention to the conversations on the table, because this may be a player's strategy to destabilize your game, causing you to lose your attention.
When you receive your letters and see with received, place your hands teaches them, covering the whole letter, because even if it is inveso, someone can use some special lens or special glasses that read through the inks.
Facial gestures show many things, much happiness can indicate falsehood and much sadness as well.
The books teach to bluff and never to be eaten by the Big Blind, but unfortunately the books teach more is to lose and to generate profits to the casino. This is just my opinion, someone may even be against it is natural not everyone is manipulated by the system, I have my convictions.