Quote:
Originally Posted by XChrisCubeX
Hey guys,
I just played some Live MTT´s, but cash games until yet just online.
This summer I want to play some cash games in LV and have some very stupid questions...
Goal: Playing 1/2 Cash Game for some hours. Want to play with 100BB
#1
At first I go to the cashier and by my chips. Maybe 200BB, so 400$.
My question:
Do I have to say "how" I want this 400$?
So "100x 2$ and 100x 1$ and some 5$ and 10$ chips?
Or can I say "400$ for 1/2 Poker" and then I get a mix of all chips?
#2
Then I go to the floor man or so and ask for a open seat?
Or is it also possible, just go to a open seat and sitting down?
(maybe difficult in LV during the WSOP )
#3
Then I have to tell the dealer "how much" of my money I want to take to the table?
The other 200$ I put under my chair or so?
#4
Maybe I lost some Pots and Iam under 90BB and I want to rebuy.
Just put some more money at the table or I have to announced this to the dealer?
#5
Tip just 1% or more?
Just big pots?
#6
If I want to go to the restroom or so.
Just saying "Iam sitting out" or just go?
#7
If I want to go home or change the table.
Just saying "Iam out. Good luck"?
Thx for help,
Christian
1) If you don't say anything they will assume you're a 1/2 NL player and will give you red (five dollar) chips. One stack of reds (20 chips) is a hundo. If I were you I'd give her 400 and say "Two red two green" and get two stacks of red (200 bucks, so your initial 100BB) and eight 25 dollar green chips that I would just put in my pocket and use to top up my stack if I fall too far below 200. You can't take chips off the table after you put them down (unless you're cashing out, and in some weird games like short deck) but you can always top up. Just so you know most 1/2 games in Vegas have a max buyin of 300 dollars (150BB) instead of 200, but the usual open bet at these tables is also usually 10-12 dollars instead of 6 like it is online, so it makes sense. If you run out of chips you give money to the dealer and he'll call for someone to bring you chips for the money, but it's polite (and in some places required) to bring your first buyin with you.
2) In some casinos sometimes you can just go sit where you want. This is very unusual in Vegas though, especially during the series. You go to the desk near the entrance to the room and say "put me on the list for 1/2" and they'll either say OK and ask for your initials (which they'll call out later over the audio system) or they'll say "Table 12" and point you in that direction. The tables will have little signs near the dealer with the table number on them. If it's busy and they say you can sit at any 1/2 table with an open seat what you do it go walk to a seat that looks good (they'll point you toward the 1/2 tables which are usually together in one area, or else give you the numbers for which ones have open seats) and put your players card there or some other small personal object or a chip and say "lock that up for me" and then go get chips or do whatever else you need to do before sitting down (sometimes the dealer will just say "How much do you want" and then you give him cash instead and he calls a chip runner).
3) Sit down and put your two red stacks in front of you. I like to keep my chips to the right of my hands so I can keep the cards right in front of me (this sometimes annoys the guy on my right), most players just put them dead center in front of them. You'll start getting hands right away usually, sometimes the dealer will ask you if you want to "buy the button or wait a hand" if you've sat in the small blind. Sometimes you'll have to wait for the blind to come to you before you get your first hand. Depends on the place. The dealer will also ask you for your comp card. These cards are free and are used to track how many hours you play, most rooms put one or two dollars an hour onto the card and you can use this money in on-site restaurants and for other purposes later. You have to get one of these at the comp card desk before hand, if you don't have one they won't track your hours.
4) If you fall 25 below your initial buyin pull a green chip out of your pocket and put it on your stack. If you fall ten below wait to do this until you're at least 25 under. Some rooms don't care if your buyin goes a little over the max, but most places won't allow it (because there's usually an old man there that complains if they do).
5) Different people tip different ways. At a 1/2 table you tip a dollar if you win a pot that has had at least some decent postflop action. So say if the pot you win is less than 40 bucks you don't really have to tip. If its between 40 and 300 tip a dollar. If it's over 300 you can tip two to five dollars depending on how happy you are to have won it. Many players will also tip more if they got lucky (you have QQ vs AA but hit a lucky Q) or if they like the dealer (they're fast, friendly, let you take a mistake back before, etc). Some regs, even the Americans, don't tip, but until you're familiar with tipping culture in the US don't go that route. If you have a big cashout you can also tip the lady that gives you money for your chips if you want, I usually tip if I ask for a seat change button, or ask the floor for something unusual. Tip 20% to the guy who brings you food if you have food brought to the table (common in some rooms), if you get a drink give the waitress a dollar tip for it no matter what it is (even a bottle of water) and if you order drinks for other people it's a dollar per drink not a dollar per order. If the waitress comes and you don't have a dollar chip (they take chips of course and it's okay to take money off your stack to pay them for food or drinks that are not comped, it's an exception to the "no taking money off" rule) just ask a neighbor for one and pay him back when you get one.
6) Just leave your chips there and go. If the blinds go past you while you're gone there'll be a little button sitting there when you get back meaning you missed your blinds and you'll then be given the option to pay 3 dollars (it goes in the middle as dead money) or wait until the blinds come back to you. If you're going a short ways away from the table (say to smoke) and you think you'll be back quickly but are worried the dealer will think you won't say "deal me in" and he'll put a hand down where your chips are even though you aren't there -- of course it's a bit rude to do this if you don't plan to actually be there to play the hand.
7) If you don't want to play any more just say "deal me out" or "I'm out." Then you just pick up your chips and go to the cage. If there isn't a rack around (the plastic tray used to carry chips) maybe you stand up and say "deal me out" and then go find one and come back to pick up your chips. If you say deal me out and get cards (dealers go on autopilot sometimes) just fold the hand when it's your turn. If you won and you have say 356 bucks it's normal to toss the the spare dollar or two as a tip to the dealer (to make it 355 so you only have red chips).
Three other things new live players should know:
A) If the blinds are coming and you only have 5 dollar chips just put one out. You don't have to say anything, the dealer knows what you mean and will give you change when he's sorted out his other dealing business.
B) Throwing a single chip into the pot is just a call. If someone bets eight dollars and you want to raise to 25 and just throw one green chip out that's a call, not a raise, even if you have eight dollars exactly in your other hand. If you're obviously new sometimes the dealer will ask what you meant to do and let you fix it but usually they don't let you fix it because it opens up a chance of someone else complaining. If you want to raise you either say the raise amount before putting any chips in (so say "25" then toss in the one green chip) or toss in multiple chips (if you're worried your voice will crack you can toss in one green for 25 and one white for 1 at the same time and the bet is then 26 dollars without you saying anything, multiple chips make it not just a call). Along the same lines try to make your bets and raises in one motion. Set up the bet amount behind the line on the table near your chips in a little pile, then pick up the whole pile at once and put it in (or push it if it's a lot). If you don't say anything, put 50 dollars in, then reach back and try to get the other 50 to make it 100 they won't let you (unless you said "100" before you put any chips in).
C) It's way easier for other people to see your cards than you think. Look on Youtube for some advice about how to look at your cards (search for "how to check hole cards" -- I strongly prefer holding them horizontally in my left hand and peeking at the front right corner while cupping my right hand over the lifted corner, not on the felt, over the corner). On the flip side of this, if someone next to you keeps letting you see their cards (usually it's an old man who has trouble seeing, or a drunk, or both) it's polite to tell them "I saw your cards" if you can do so without causing them problems for that hand (so usually you see them, you fold because you have a bad hand, then after they are done playing that hand you tell them -- if you both end up in the hand together you have to make a judgement call as to when/if to tell them that you saw their hand). It's their job to protect them yes, but it's bad manners to keep looking at their cards all night and if another player sees you doing that they might say something not very nice about it. Additionally, either hold your cards in your hand until you don't want them any more or put a chip on top of them -- dealers are trying to go fast and will sometimes scrape unprotected cards into the muck on accident or because they thought you didn't want to play them.
Last edited by Sheep-Goats; 05-14-2019 at 05:19 AM.