Tips for First Time Playing Live Poker MTT

Andyreas

Andyreas

Moderator
Moderator
Joined
May 25, 2022
Total posts
12,021
Awards
8
DE
Chips
1,109
I have never played a live poker tournament, so I need advice!

What tips would you give an online poker player who will be playing their first ever live tournament?

d48b575c2fd02fd8ed61b36a92ab9575.jpg


Let me know. Appreciate your input. :)
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Suns of Beaches

Suns of Beaches

Ripley rips it in on Replay
Platinum Level
Joined
Oct 26, 2019
Total posts
3,714
Awards
2
Chips
1,000
Hi Andreas

Just take it easy everything will be a lot more slow in a live Casino. There will be a lot more multiway Pots and in general people will play a lot worse than online.

All the best. Sunz.
 
IADaveMark

IADaveMark

Rock Star
Silver Level
Joined
May 2, 2022
Total posts
399
US
Chips
178
Just confirming that it will be a tournament? Those are completely different animals than cash games.
 
SL-247

SL-247

Visionary
Platinum Level
Joined
Oct 5, 2022
Total posts
894
Awards
2
UA
Chips
440
I have never played a live poker tournament, so I need advice!

What tips would you give an online poker player who will be playing their first ever live tournament?

d48b575c2fd02fd8ed61b36a92ab9575.jpg


Let me know. Appreciate your input. :)
There is no need to wear glasses and hide your face under a scarf and hood, but just play your game. And look your opponent eye to eye.
 
Goggelheimer

Goggelheimer

Visionary
Platinum Level
Joined
Feb 14, 2023
Total posts
917
Awards
3
Chips
327
There are many sections about live game tells. Read them firmly. Try to avoid the simple things. But I think train your game with a webcam, this gives you an overview how you react on the cards, and how this could be exploited in a live game.
So don't look to your chips or the villains chips if you have a monster hand.
Don't fall into “Negreanu” pitfalls of nice and friendly talk, it's a great psychological trick, that many long time players (live pros) have trained over years.
 
Last edited:
Mart1194

Mart1194

Legend
Platinum Level
Joined
Nov 4, 2022
Total posts
1,613
Awards
3
BR
Chips
377
That's cool, Andy. I played it a few times live.
I think the live one is very interesting, the emotions are more intense, a thousand.

So that can get in the way, especially when you get a good 2 cards lol. Be careful not to show that.

The famous Pokerface must be maintained, both with AA and with any other 2 cards.
Blinds generally increase with longer time, so it takes longer.

In the end, have fun.
 
Mauricio Perrotta

Mauricio Perrotta

Legend
Loyaler
Joined
May 18, 2015
Total posts
2,925
Awards
2
AR
Chips
412
I can only wish you luck. I've never played a live poker tournament.
 
Marcwantstowin

Marcwantstowin

Member of the T.S.T
Moderator
Joined
Feb 23, 2013
Total posts
21,445
Awards
18
GB
Chips
151
I have only played live 3 times. Hopefully, you'll get a good run at it and remember that as has been said, you will find quite a few players who play worse than they do online.

I even managed to win a pot with 44 on my second tourney, and the hand went down to the river where I hit my FH and the oppo had a flush. Just proving to me 44 is always the nutz :ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:

Don't over-think it, try and relax and enjoy yourself. Last tip, when you look down there no button to press to bet 2.2X so math always helps.

Good luck !!
 
pentazepam

pentazepam

Legend
Loyaler
Joined
Oct 31, 2008
Total posts
2,494
Awards
4
SE
Chips
1,100
Some online players play in their underwear, piss in a bottle and scream and yell out loud when they get outdrawn. Try to avoid this when playing live.

Seriously: reading tells and hiding your own tells are the the biggest things you should work on to get an edge beyond just normal MTT strategy.

If you aren't a natural at reading players and picking up patterns this skill takes time to get good at. So keep calm and study people's behaviors.

And no headphones - picking up verbal tells even when you're not in a hand is important.
 
riff_raff312

riff_raff312

Legend
Loyaler
Joined
Mar 24, 2020
Total posts
9,706
Awards
8
CA
Chips
1,149
Well for me when i was in my first live MTT it was a little too distracting try to watch every thing going on at the table and around me so my advice would be just pay attention to your cards and play your game,stay calm try not to let too many people know it's your first time. Oh and have some fun enjoy it.
 
RhinoRyan89

RhinoRyan89

Legend
Platinum Level
Joined
Oct 15, 2020
Total posts
1,388
Awards
2
GB
Chips
349
wear a covid mask like Ike you will be popular lol.

Wear a hoddie that covers you neck dont want them to see your carotid artery pumping in big spots.
 
zorro222_zorro222

zorro222_zorro222

Legend
Platinum Level
Joined
Dec 26, 2019
Total posts
3,759
Awards
10
CA
Chips
681
I would say one of the biggest differences would be how many hands you see per hour playing live instead of online. When you play online (especially if you multi-table), you play many more hands than playing live and a lot of people have a hard adjusting to the pace of live poker. Sometimes you won't even see a flop for a long time and might find yourself involved in a pot out of sheer boredom.
Another obvious one is the live tells that people have, just make sure you pay attention to the way they act when betting and/or the way they look at their cards. Also, make sure you bring a card protector too, it rarely happens but dealers are human and make mistakes sometimes.

Best of luck Andy and TID !!
 
najisami

najisami

Legend
Loyaler
Joined
Aug 11, 2014
Total posts
4,918
Awards
8
MA
Chips
1,373
Hello Andy,
Though you will be playing poker, it'll seem that you're playing some other game.
First of all, don't do it if you don't have A LOT of patience. The pace is so much slower than what you are used to (online). In order not to get bored, use the time to observe each and every player very carefully, follow their plays all the way to showdown to get a feel of their tendencies. Don't look at your cards till it's your turn, don't look at the flop when the dealer is putting it out there, instead, look at the players who have to act first and how they react to it (The flop won't go anywhere anyway).
Body language plays a more important role in live games, but it would take a whole "article" to go even through the most common "poker tells" here. Thankfully, there are a lot of available videos about that on YouTube.
One rule of thumb : In general, people would act strong when weak and vice versa (Reverse psychology applies, beware of the pros).

A few very important tips :

-- Be in a good physical and mental state.
-- No headphones. Pay attention and listen to all the conversations at the table (Valuable info).
-- As a live game newbie, do not socialize, keep the talking to a strict minimum.
-- Try to keep the same posture at all times (You can get up and stretch from time to time).
-- When in a hand and make a bet, do not answer any questions from your opponents, pick a spot on the table and look at it till after they act.
-- Memorize your hole cards, don't go back to look at them again.
-- No matter what your 2 cards are, take the same amount of time before acting whether you're folding or playing them.

There are other technics proper to live games, but it's no need to make this post any longer or boring. I think the above is plenty to start with and experience will do the rest. I hope this will be somewhat helpful. Best of luck...

PS : Beautiful room there. Is that a private club ?
 
Last edited:
YLAN

YLAN

Sida Nga Taraki
Platinum Level
Joined
Jan 21, 2023
Total posts
2,264
Awards
5
Chips
1,125
Howdy bud! My advise is to clearly declare your intention to the dealer before moving your chips! I still do it just to make sure there is no doubt on my action. There are live rules that could cause confusion if your move is not clear with the dealer. If you drop a chip during your action then that's a call, if you have chips across the line then its a bet, if you string bet then not all your chips will be counted, etc.
 
Last edited:
Gallarado777

Gallarado777

Legend
Bronze Level
Joined
Jun 19, 2022
Total posts
5,547
Awards
3
KZ
Chips
295
I was told so many tips that weren't useful even in live poker, you just need to play a regular game and the main thing is not to worry. Although new players who have just come to play live poker will be immediately noticed by experienced players who play live poker regularly, but you should still try not to give a reason to play and it is advisable to be patient more than in online poker the game will be very slow and you don't have to make a quick decision, think even if you throw your cards
 
Andyreas

Andyreas

Moderator
Moderator
Joined
May 25, 2022
Total posts
12,021
Awards
8
DE
Chips
1,109
Just confirming that it will be a tournament? Those are completely different animals than cash games.
Yes, looking for tips for a live tournament indeed. Added it to the title to avoid confusion. 👍

Thanks to all for your comments and tips so far, very helpful. 🤗
 
TheKAAHK

TheKAAHK

Bubble Punter
Loyaler
Joined
Feb 2, 2009
Total posts
5,473
Awards
8
CA
Chips
1,056
Don't be so worried about tells. Seriously, most people aren't looking for them and even if they were, they aren't good enough at interpreting them for that to be an issue. It's ok to have a neck vein throb and a shaky hand when in a big pot, it's a big pot. All that matters is your decision making.

Really pay attention to stack sizes and chip values. It's very easy to misread your opponents stack size while a hand is going on. Take your time with this.

Speaking of taking time, don't waste time. You're going to see far less hands per level compared to online, so act quick I'm easy decisions. Don't hollywood just because people are looking at you. Use time when in spots that warrant it.

Online it's easy to just fire up another game if you bust, not so in a live setting. Identify the players who are scared money and act accordingly.

Verbalize your intention when it comes to betting or raising, especially if this game does not have a dealer.
 
ADRI7HO

ADRI7HO

On the road...
Bronze Level
Joined
May 6, 2020
Total posts
7,296
Awards
9
Chips
509
Before the first live tournament, it is worth reading books that deal with body language, there are also books on poker and psychology. I think this should be basic because there is much more information live than online and it is important to learn to read it.
It is also worth paying attention that your own body language does not betray the quality of your own hands.
 
Nafor

Nafor

Legend
Loyaler
Joined
Dec 31, 2019
Total posts
2,015
Awards
1
FI
Chips
1,627
1. Just don't. What is there to gain except misery and pain :eek:
2. Stay off the booz. Although it might help you to forget the misery :sleep:
3. People smell. Put Vicks or some other strong odor on your upper lip under your nose, like coroners do when they investigate decaying corpses :poop:
 
lauestla

lauestla

Legend
Platinum Level
Joined
Feb 6, 2021
Total posts
1,505
Awards
4
Chips
586
First I would say : Enjoy the moment and have fun !
And then : Don't pay attention to trash talking or dirty smells from some of your opponents :LOL:
Stay focus on your game, don't shove too early... except if it's a rebuy tourney of course.
And pray Lady Variance !!!
 
SpanRmonka

SpanRmonka

Legend
Loyaler
Joined
May 3, 2020
Total posts
2,760
Awards
6
GB
Chips
606
As some people have said, although you will se less hands per hour, the amount of action will be very high, especially in the cheaper early levels. Don't get drawn in and think therefore you should play more hands, but be prepared to go for it when you do get a hand, and potentially raise bigger than normal.

Most other players won't spot how tight you are being anyway, and won't see many of your tells. So concentrate on the other players rather than worrying about yourself.

Finally, a nice tip to help you not look like a total newbie is that if there is an ante in play, this will usually be equal to 1 BB, and will be paid by the BB too. so post your BB and an extra one further towards the dealer.

Where is it you are playing and what tournament?

Oh I almost forgot, just enjoy it.....I find live way more exciting than online, so don't worry if you get shaky when you get AA, or knock your chips over or whatever reaction you have, players won't necessarily interpret this anyway!!
 
hilary antonik filho

hilary antonik filho

Legend
Platinum Level
Joined
Jan 8, 2022
Total posts
4,054
Awards
4
BR
Chips
954
Whenever I'm in a poker house, I like to observe the largest number of tables (I don't stand still watching, I try to move between the tables calmly and slowly, then I go up to the mesanine, I analyze the players), I never look for the reserved ones, because the values are high, when choosing the table I always put the highest value chips in front, I don't talk, I don't comment on my discarded cards, I always try to observe the reactions of each one when receiving the cards or betting, I don't raise the cards to I look or turn to discard, I don't complain about discarded letters or make any comment, I don't usually eat or drink anything, well in fact, each person has their own way of acting or being, you will have it too, good luck
 
Reload

Reload

Legend
Platinum Level
Joined
Sep 11, 2015
Total posts
1,065
Awards
9
Chips
177
I would recommend that you pay really attention what the dealer says, when are really your blind plays, and have some patience, because the rest, honestly, is almost the same thing.
If someone tries to bull you saying something, never answer, block it and just play.
 
Organize a Home Poker Game Poker Tips
Top