I'm relatively new to poker, and I've been playing online, reading and studying strategy, and learning from my friend (a guy) who is a winning online and live player. We're planning to go to S. Florida in a month or so and play live 1/2 NL games at a few of the casinos down there. This will be my first time playing live, so I'm just curious as to what I should expect being a noob and a woman I also just joined the forum, and I'm looking forward to learning even more about strategy on here.

All the guys at the table will love having you there and help you learn the etiquette. The best advice I can give you is to say what you want to do before you put any chips over the betting line, then you won't accidentally raise or call when you want to raise (it happens!). Also, make sure to pay attention to when it's your turn. You don't want to act before it is your turn, nor do you want to hold up the game by being slow.

I find that the men at the table are extra nice to the women (in general). I love playing live and hope you have fun too!

Let us know how it went!

I'll defer to the strat forums for that issue...strategy in and of itself knows no gender or sex.

As far as being new to live while sporting two X chromosomes, the sad reality in this day and age is that you will find many who take you for granted for no other reason than you will likely be the only woman at the table. This is not always a bad thing though since it CAN be used to your advantage.

The main thing being new, though, that comes into play (IMO) is again not specific to gender or sex. I have seen (and was also one of those people) who let the eyes or the jitters get the best of me sometimes, although some did not know whether it was a bluff I was attempting or whether I held a monster hand. My first live experience was something like seven years ago, and there are still things I do (or don't do) that suggest I am new to the game. I don't do chip tricks. I don't even always stack my chips in stacks of 20, no matter what color they are. But to an observant player (yeah, some of those will be at even a low-stakes table), the fact the dealer knows me by name even after an absence of a few months can kill whatever image might otherwise have been given off by a touristy newbie female appearance.

Take some cues from the table though...don't be afraid to talk and engage others in conversation. Nobody wants to be 'that' person who is a killjoy. I've even been able to hone the basic mom-type conversation into three-barrel bluffs that work...sometimes- after all, a woman who can talk about day-to-day things back home while shoving chips into the middle is often viewed by the casual low-stakes player as someone who MUST be strong. As much as I hate stereotypes, some of them can be effective.

Above all else, it's your first time live...have fun. Everything else will come to you. And if you don't like the vibe at the table, don't be afraid to ask the floor for a table change when a seat comes available.

When I first played live, I found it easier to verbally declare my actions.

If you scroll down to the "Common Rules" section, you'll find a pretty good list: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_cardroom_rules

Have fun, and best of luck to you!

Thank you all for the excellent tips/advice... I'll have my friend with me who has a lot of experience, which should make things a bit less nerve-wracking

Oh, and in regards to verbally declaring... if I raise, do I need to state the amount I'm raising, or will just saying "Raise" suffice? I know it's best to state my action first and then get my chips so it doesn't look like I'm string-betting.

GL and enjoy playing live...keyword: ENJOY

It would be smart to get in habit of just announcing raise before pushing any chips forward and putting them in with one forward motion. Also, make sure you are raising to a correct amount before putting chips in

As far as nerves go, as said before, just have fun. If you are not doing it day to day as far as playing, then as long as you have 15-20 buy-ins to play and playing particularly ABC poker you should be fine and I am sure your friend (a guy) will be more than enough to keep you level headed...just focus on the best plays and having fun and the results will come in due time

Yes, I'm feeling much better about it now... I am a worrier, so once I finally go play and see I'll be fine, I'll relax a bit more

About raising the correct amount - I know the standard is typically 3-4bb pre-flop (and 1bb extra for each person in hand before me) and 2/3 pot post-flop, but I've heard that in live play at least in the 1/2 NL games, no one raises for less than $10, and usually it's more like $15-20. Is this accurate?

I needed a couple of beers the first time I played live... I played a tournament though. Now I love playing live and I feel very comfortable most of the time. I'd say chat, have fun and pay attention Good luck!

Always ask yourself this question:

What would Vanessa Selbst do?

Let me know when you're in South Florida, i'm a local here. ill be able to point you in the right direction or meet up if you want

It took me a while to figure out that I need to take breaks. I think more clearly when I'm away from the table. Hope you really do enjoy the live play.

Much depends on where you are playing...I have seen $1/2 games where people folded to $6 and I have seen other games where it was standard to see seven to the flop on a $12 raise. And that is before the table adopted the straddle...which just changed how much everyone was going to be in for pre (I've seen seven and eight to a flop at $25 in New Orleans). Those can be fun games, but you have to buckle in because they DO get wild.

That being said, nobody says you HAVE to go along for those rides...you'll figure out the table dynamic quick enough which then lets you get a feel for the ranges people are either raising with in EP or calling with all the way around. At those stakes, you will have a ton of people over-valuing any ace and definitely over-valuing face cards, especially if they think their top pair with no kicker is actually good on the flop.

Also remember that some may simply start doing that when you sit down to gauge YOUR style and willingness to gamble it up...

sadly, some of her plays are now expected from the women at the table...it's that catch-22 of her success.

I just started playing live myself. My SO stays with me for a bit, then moves on to find a table for himself.

I have a great deal of learning and studying to do, but I'm having fun and actually winning a few times

I just wanted to say good luck.

While not gender specific, I suggest spending some time in the live low stakes no limit forum. It is one thing to read and get instructed. The next step is to take what you know and start applying it to real situations by responding to threads. The best way to do it is to not read any responses but answer it on your own. You will get better faster. You be able to review more tough decisions in a hour than you can with weeks of play.

This is an excellent suggestion, thank you!

I've actually been reading some of the threads, and it does really make me think about what I'd do in those situations.

I probably would say that I read and re-read the LLSNL forum every day and usually for like two hours, and rarely ever post a comment, but sometimes post my hands...great information there for sure

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