Going to be going to my first live poker tournament/casino in general at the HPT championship in michigan at the soaring eagle on november 20th, I have zero live experience as the tournament is on the date I turn 18 (at the risk of underage ban from forums). Could anyone give me some tips on how I should act, what I should generally do my first time out on the live felt? Could someone possibly direct me to a post which could help me? Kind of nervous due to it being my first time playing live/ever stepping foot in a casino, I don't want to make a complete ass out of my self at the table or off in the casino.

I know the question is kind of broad but looking for any advice!

Relax, be polite, ask questions, don't pretend to be experienced, enjoy it.
There are lots of threads on this, search them out.

Thanks, I'll search some more I did a quick search and couldn't really find much what in the direction of what I'm asking (granted I didn't search too hard, only the first page or so)

A bit cash game oriented but a lot of good stuff.

http://archives1.twoplustwo.com/show...44&an=0&page=0

Everyone has stepped in a casino for the first time.Everyone has played a live hand for the first time.Just be yourself and by the third or fourth time playing you'll feel comfortable.I word of advice on casino edicate, call every casino employee mam or sir, don't be that ******* who abuses the dealer cuz he sucks.Just act like you're conducting buisness and be professional.Good Luck

Wow how did I miss that, thanks a ton looks great reading it fully now

Welcome and good luck, OP. This question is asked a lot, so I've compiled some more links for you. Feel free to bump any of those threads if you have more specific questions (or start a new one).

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/27...before-721463/

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/27...casino-825468/

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/27...advice-750211/

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/27...onuses-730476/

Quick background information. I'm 18 (legal age to gamble in the UK) and have played poker for some time now. However I have only ever played online (and home games) but never in a casino. I want to swap a lot of my online poker over to live as I think it may benefit me and I will be a stronger player for doing so. However as daft as it sounds I'm a little nervous about playing live for the first time. I watch a lot of poker on tele and read a lot on here so I feel I know a certain amount of do's and do not's at a live table however was just hoping people could give me some solid advice on what not to do and what to do, certain things I should be aware of and just anything you feel I would need / benefit to know

In the Forum FAQ sticky thread at the top you will find links to more information on this exact topic than you will want to read.

Cheers mate, didn't think to look there. I'm a little new to this haha.

Please, whatever you do, don't emulate the pros on TV in how you play (i.e. don't hollywood and take forever to act all the time).

make sure you verbalize all bets prior to moving chips, just to be on the safe side, until you are familiar with string bets and forward motion. Also do not give away any tells, such as you are on the button with kings, and you are preparing your chips to raise while it's still on UTG. Also never believe someone at the poker table, such as when they raise and you are tanking and they say "I'm sure I have you smoked". They lie a lot. And do not wear sunglasses.

Forget everything you've seen on movies and TV about how to play live poker. Here is my top ten list in no particular order.

#1) I'll show a bluff so I will get called later.
Don't show your awesome bluffs. Please just don't do it, it hurts you way more than it helps you

#2) I'll intentionally try to get someone mad so they call me later
Don't do this, it is really bad for the game. Contrary to popular belief, you make more money when the table is having a good time and has good energy

#3) Don't give poker lessons!
When someone makes a mistake, for the love of god, don't correct them and give poker lessons at the table. You will undoubtedly see someone doing this, don't be that guy. ANd when someone sucks out on you, just say "nice hand" and show some class, don't berate the fish for making mistakes.

#4) Don't wear sunglasses + hoodie + beats by Dre headphones
Seriously, don't do it. Pay attention to the game, sit back, relax, observe the flow of information, and if you feel comfortable enough talk to the rec-fish when you are NOT in a hand

#5) Don't level yourself, what you see is exactly what you are seeing.
What you see is what you get. Yes, your villains are ******ed. Yes, he really did just make that horrific call. No, there is no 4th level meta-game setup going on... When you see some rec-fish check back top two pair on a safe board, later, don't level yourself that that same rec-fish is now check/raise bluffing you on the river. What you see is what you get.

#6) Don't talk about how you play online...
This is like giving poker lessons at the table. Makes fish uncomfortable

#7) Beware of older veteran angleshooting douchebags
A decent percentage of 50+ yr-old players will do some angleshooting like purposefully "almost" betting out of turn so they can elicit a check, making a big show for grabbing for chips out of turn so they can freeze you from betting and elicit a check, prematurely showing their cards on the river to keep you from betting when they know it's not their action. Using any excuse to say that you checked when you didn't...

#8) Be consistent in your actions.
WHen you check, make your check obvious and not some finger twitch. WHen you bet, push your chips clearly forward. Strive to make sure all your actions are precise and obvious.

#9) When in doubt, just ask the dealer
If you are unclear about the rules or action pending just ask the dealer, no shame in asking

#10) Don't worry about giving off tells
The truth is, live players all think they can soul read when in reality they are going to do whatever it is that they are going to do no matter what you do. They like to try to justify it by saying, "I was looking at the way you were breathing" but the reality is they had a hand they weren't going to fold and are just looking for a way to make themselves look like an awesome poker superstar soul reader... It's all BS, seriously, when they are right, they claim "I knew it" when they are wrong they say, "Nice hand..." So don't feel you are giving something away by being nervous or breathing hard or your hand is shaking. Seriously, your villains aren't good enough to exploit it and are going to do what they are going to do anyways regardless of what you do...

that is my top ten list

good luck

BONUS #11) Don't let your bias about what you would do influence how you profile your villains.
Just because you wouldn't call pot sized bets chasing a gut shot doesn't mean your passive awful stationy villain wouldn't. Just because you would never check/raise a dry board when you have a set doesn't mean they won't. Try to eliminate your own bias about what you would do when you are observing and profiling your villains.

#5 above is gospel.

My default response to someone playing live for the first time is to get used to the flow and protocol with a low-risk dip of the toes into the water.

Play 2/4 limit for a few hours or enter a low buy-in tournament. Your goal is not to make money but to get used to live play.

Do this for checks as well. Accompany your declaration with a consistent motion if you want, and maybe when you are a known regular, you might go with the motion alone. If you develope a consistent and obvious checking style, angle-shooters won't be able to say "but he checked!"

Watch what the quiet old guys are doing as far as handling cards and chips. They've been doing this a long time and just want a hassle free night of poker.

When you notice someone who likes to keep his hands on his cards, or his hands on the table when he doesn't have cards, notice how action tends to either skip him when he's in a hand, or slow down around him when he's not. Don't be that guy.

Squared up with a chip in front of your stack. If you absolutely must keep your hands involved, then a few fingers on the side towards you. No Negreanu cage. Hands off the felt when you're not in a hand. Don't click the "fold to any bet" button. Wait your turn.

To look at your cards, put the SHORT side towards you so the pips are on the left. Create a cave with your left hand over half the cards, keeping the other end of the cards visible. Gently roll them up with your right hand. This offers the best protection. Move your head side to side and you'll see. The long-side "squeeze" not only damages cards, it's more difficult to do without exposing to your neighbor.

Good luck and have fun!

this might be a little advanced but if you have a marginal raising hand in middle position, take a peak to the players on your left. They often give off tells on whether they are positioning their cards to fold, or did they put the chip protector on top of the cards and are looking down at their chips getting raising chips together. But be careful because sometimes if they are pretending to watch tv then when the action is on him he goes crazy betting and raising, this is a monster (the "I'm not interested in this hand" reverse-tell).

If someone asks you how much you would call on a river bet don't tell them probably 80 dollars. (only if you are in mandalay poker room does this apply though)

If someone asks you anything while in a hand, just don't answer.

Don't try to talk and give reverse tells, just put up a cordial wall of silence and ignore their questions.

Also, here are some canned responses I've developed over the years.

When someone asks if you would check it down if they call, respond with "Sorry, I always play my hand" or "I can't check this hand down..."

WHen someone asks you will you show if they muck, respond with, "Sorry, I never show..."

If someone asks what you had, respond with , "I had a good hand..."

If they ask you a few hands later, respond with, "Sorry I don't remember..."

If someone sucks out on you horribly, respond with either silence or "Nice hand sir..."

If the person who sucked out on you tries to defend themselves, help them by saying, "No worries, this is poker, you gotta do what you gotta do. Sometimes you just have to go with your gut, nice hand..." and be sincere because we WANT fish to play badly so encourage their bad play.

As soon as you get your cards, look at them right away; a lot of people wait until the action is on them to look(for reasons that are unimportant at the moment). If you look at your cards right away, it should give you enough time to look at your cards properly(as Phap was explaining) and that might eliviate some of your nervousness, because, whenever the action gets to you, all eyes will be on you, so if you can look at the cards before it's your turn, you'll have less eyes on you. Plus, it allows you a few more seconds to make your decision.

And, when you get your cards, after you look at them, it's a good idea to always place a chip on top of them(even if you plan on folding), then when it's your turn to act, if you plan to fold, you just slide the chip off and muck your cards. The reason for always placing the chip on top, is to assure you that you aren't prematurely(even unintentionally) folding out of turn. A lot of players will pick up their cards long before the action is even on them and just by the way they're holding their cards, you can see that they're going to fold! And that's poor etiquette because it can effect the action that is behind them, so you don't want to do that. plus, if you are planning on seeing a flop, you never wanna tip anyone off to that prior to it being your turn, so, the chip on the cards just helps you to stay less sloppy and more consistent overall.

I would recommend that you voice your actions. If you want to bet $50, just say "fifty" and then you can cut out your chips and place them in the pot. By verbalizing your bets, you won't run the risk of a string bet. If you go all in, then say "I'm all in"; trying to push all those stacks in front of you will be difficult to do in one motion so just announce that you're all in and take it from there.

Don't comment on how/why you played your hand the way you did.

Don't comment on how/why anyone else plays their hands.

Its ok to be friendly, but keep poker out of it. Especially strategy.

Don't forget to tip the dealer.

Have fun. You have to have fun.

I've never played live poker and want to give it a shot. I've only played online.

My question is, every time I walk past live games it seems like everyone knows what they're doing. As an online player, as you all know, everything is done by easy clicks rather than physically counting out chips.

So, a few questions:

-Besides tells, any big difference between going live?
-where do you get your chips when playing live? at check-in or at table?
-Any other tips for anyone going live?

Well appreciated, hope to go into a game this week!

Observe a table for a few minutes to get the hang of live poker (not the table you want to play at though, no need to advertise your inexperience)

You can get chips from the cashier's window, or just sit down and put your money in front of you, and a chip runner will get you chips.

Be very aware of what you do or say. When action to you, any hand gestures can be interpreted as a check, though technically, only tapping the felt is supposed to be. If you are prone to talking when working things out, avoid actions words like 'call', 'fold', 'check', 'all-in', and 'raise'.

Don't talk about hands while they are still happening. Do not talk about what you held ('Oh man, I had T9' after the flop is TT9), or react to the board in a way that indicates you would have connected with it, when you are not in the hand.

Pay attention, even when you aren't in a hand. The live game is slower, but there is more information out there.

Have fun. Players tend to be looser when they are having fun, and you don't want bad players to have a bad time and leave.

If you are playing a low blind game like $1-$2, do not get frustrated at some of the illogical play or passive calling you see there. It can be maddening when they suck out, but it can be very profitable as well.

Be aware of your appearance. If you are young and show up in the standard internet pro uniform (hoodie, mirrored sunglasses, oversized headphones), the table will play you based on your image. this isn't necessarily bad, but you need to be aware of how you look, act, and what you say provides information to your opponents.

Keep track of the pot, either by sight reading the chips in there, or by remembering the size of the previous bets and # of callers.

Always protect your hand. Put a chip or card protector on your cards when they aren't in your hand, table your hand by placing them face up in front of you(not in the center of the table), and keep protecting your hand until the pot is being shoved to you, even if you think the other player has folded.

Don't act out of turn. Best to verbalize your action. Make sure you understand the one chip rule.

If you have a concern or a question on a dealer's action, do not wait. once the next hand has started being dealt, nothing can be changed on the previous hand.

Most places want you to get your first BI from the cage and then you can reload at the table (sometimes).

Great comments above ...

Don't be afraid to ask questions between hands. If you don't want to look too fishy (or maybe you do want to look fishy) get up and ask the floor instead of the dealer so the table doesn't pick up on your 'newbie' role at the table. Agree though, if you are in a hand don't be afraid to stop the hand and clarify something that doesn't seem right to you. But if you see it when out of hand, don't get into the middle of it, ask afterwards.

After an hour or so you will be fine ... find out before you sit down ...

1) What is considered a raise .. 51% or full?
2) Do they run boards twice/three times if players agree?
3) Can you straddle ... and for how much and where ..
4) Can you buy the button if you miss a blind?
5) What is the BI range for these stakes or can you 'match the stack'?
6) How can you (or can't you) handle your phone at the table?
7) If you need to stand up, how long do you get to return ... 3 orbits/30 minutes

The hardest thing for you will be how 'slow' the pace is .. no timers, no clicking. Stick to your game, you should be fine. GL

"so the table doesn't pick up on your 'newbie' role at the table"

Why?

Probably better to say, 'Be aware that asking questions at the table will tell other players you are new to live poker, so play back at them accordingly'.

It can be very profitable if other players treat you like a newbie when you really are a decent player, but you need to be aware of your image.