Quote:
Originally Posted by TheBoom
Hey all,
So I'm writing a TV pilot that centers around the poker boom. I used to play online and watch all the shows and stuff, but I never really got that much experience playing live. I do plan to go play live at a nearby casino eventually to do research, but right now I'm just writing a rough draft of the scene before I risk any money.
I was wondering if you could help me out with a certain scenario I'm trying to write: one of my main characters -- who's an 18 year old online poker star that just arrived in Vegas -- sits down at poker table in a casino for the first time (he uses a fake ID, it's 2003).
1) What is something a brand new player might do while sitting down at the table or just after they sat down at the table that would let everyone know that they never played live before?
2) In his first hand, one of the scummy veterans at the table takes advantage of his inexperience and tricks him into doing something that an experienced player would never do. It has to be something where another player at the table can step in and warn him not to do it (this player is a character that will eventually become his friend). I remember seeing something a long time ago about being tricked into showing cards at showdown in some scenario? Can't remember exactly.
Appreciate any advice that can be given!
These may be too subtle for a TV show, but here are the ways I know a player has not played live very often (or ever)
1. The way they stack their chips (dirty stacks, big chips hidden or on the bottom, uneven stack size)
2. Fumbling with chips when placing bets
3. General nervousness
4. Not understanding basic procedural rules (oversize chip rule, string betting, not acting out of turn, minimum raise size)
5. Not understanding what constitutes a bet in that riim (betting line, forward motion, or dropped chips)
6. Breaches of etiquette like Slowrolling, excessive tanking or hollywooding
7. Talking about the cards you folded while action is still pending
8. Very stiff and uncomfortable body language
9. Not being able to find the table number
As far as your second scenerio, there are only a few things that a third player can call out without violating OPTAH
1. Clarifying whether action has occurred. For example, a player who knows the house rules acts as if they are placing a large bet, but falls short of committing the action (in a room with a betting line, they push chips forward, but not crossing the line, or in a room where chips dropped are the bet, they place a stack over the felt, but keep them off the felt). Another player could possibly ask 'Is that a bet?'
2. Clarifying the bet amount-for example, if the hero is wearing headphones, and villain declares '$10' and then tosses out $60 in chips, the third party might get away with making sure that the hero knows the size of the bet
3. If it is a tournament, he could offer him a bad chop value (though an online pro would probably not be fooled by this)
4. Here is a very easy one-The villain could try getting the hero drunk.