ImNotSpecial gives a nice tip list.

**bluemageftw** · 01-30-2011

this is from ImNotSpecial for me to review before my first real casino table game. hope it helps others as well as long as you are not at my table

tip 1. be patient and aware, wait for it to come round to you, as you can be kicked out the casino for acting out of turn (as its something to do with intimidating the person who was to act before you-blablabla casino rules)...

tip 2. When the dealer is dealing the cards...
DO NOT LOOK AT YOURS... untill it is your turn to act pre flop...
Look at the players that are being dealt their cards...
EXAMPLE:
You are in BB (dont look at cards untill its on you)... you notice that SB looks at his cards the exact moment he is dealt them.... HE IS A FISH...
the good players will wait untill it is their turn...(youll notice this on tv a lot)
the reason behind this is... when you are BB you have the advantage that, when a player looks at his cards, he gives off tells... very suttle tells. such as a sigh etc...
So if you look at your cards before its your turn to act, your missing out on all the information these players are spewing whilst looking at their cards...

Tip 3...
lets say for example you are in a hand and the dealer is just about to deal the FLOP...
DO NOT DO NOT DO NOT... do not look at the flop, look at the player/s who are in the hand with you... they will be looking at the flop, you want to again look for tells such as, wheather they liked/disliked that flop.

Tip 4.
Always bet the same amount pre flop...
where as playing a $5 game and you can open raise (1st to raise) to 3xBB $0.15 or 4/5xbb...
in a cash game people generaly open less... approximately 2.5x BB...
so if your playing NL100 ($100 game) i would recommend $3 open raise...
and if your playing NL200. i would recomend a $5 (2.5x) raise...
Like i said.. always bet the same amount.. for instance if you raise to $5 pre flop and for the next 20 hands that you play you raise to $5... when you raise to $8 (its screaming i have AA KK)
so if you consistantly raise the same amount, you dont give any tells...

Tip 5.
When players usualy act weak - they have a strong hand
vice versa
When they act strong -their bluffing...
THIS IS NOT ALWAYS TRUE...

Tip 6.
Before you sit down...
watch for a while, take a look and see who is playing tight/playing loose/ who has won a lot/who is losing a lot..
generaly you want to play with the losers... as a winning player plays much better than a losing player...
and a loose player plays too many hands and gets into trouble...

Tip 7.
when you sit down, dont get involved in too many hands straight away, remember you are their all day. you dont want to go bust in 10 minutes. it will just put you off forever...

tip 8.
if you lose $40 in one hand, dont think oh shit i need to play hands fast to get that money back...
just take your time and get it back slowly... dont let fear of going bust cloud your judgement...

tip9...
your cards. DO NOT SHOW YOUR CARDS EVER....
if you show your cards, your giving away huge amounts of information to the other players who will exploit your tendancies etc...
If it goes to showdown and you think your beat, let the other player show his cards, if he has beat you. JUST MUCK YOUR CARDS.. dont show them, you dont have to give information away...

tip 10.
rule - if you show one player what you have, you have to show all players
(show1 show them all rule)

tip 11.
dont be intimidated...
if they can see you are scared, they will exploit that..

tip 12 VERY IMPORTANT...
when you bet out an amount...
for example, you have $200 chips. each chip is $1 and you bet $10 of those...
dont just put them on the table 1 at a time... this is string betting...
put them on at the same time,,, and better yet.
when you go to bet, say the amount you are betting...( keep your tone of voice always the same)

tip 13 VERY IMPORTANT
never ever say what cards you folded out loud untill the hand is over..
its against the rules in poker, its collusion.

tip 14. very important.
if you hit your hand on the table whilst playing, youve just checked...
once you put money the table, youve bet that amount.
if you say call. you have to/can only call.
if you said raise, just must raise.. etc etc

tip 15. VERY VERY IMPORTANT
Always watch the other player you are in a hand with, it intimidates them and you get so much information from them

dont be looking away etc. always watch. but never talk.

Thank You ImNotSpecial

**KnightofNarg** · 01-30-2011

Imnotspecial is pretty standup kind of guy.

**ImNotSpecial** · 01-31-2011

Originally Posted by KnightofNarg

Imnotspecial is pretty standup kind of guy.

what does this mean?

and lol oh no... these are just basics IMO btw...

**KnightofNarg** · 01-31-2011

Maybe, but a lot of new casual players are often in need of basic tips

**Gorgeous** · 01-31-2011

Tip 2.5.
While looking at a player when they dealer is spreading the flop, if the first thing he looks at after the flop is his stack of chips, he's probably strong.

Tip 5.
I don't agree with telling this to weak players. It's in every book that has ever been written about poker, but I think it's misleading. These days, people have such diverse playing styles that for a player to have a strong hand and act strong with it isn't very uncommon at all.

Tip 16.
When you're raising, make sure that you put the whole amount desired out onto the table in one motion. Adding chips once you have already put chips out on the table is known as a string bet, and is against the rules.

**ImNotSpecial** · 01-31-2011

Originally Posted by Gorgeous

Tip 2.5.
While looking at a player when they dealer is spreading the flop, if the first thing he looks at after the flop is his stack of chips, he's probably strong.

Tip 5.
I don't agree with telling this to weak players. It's in every book that has ever been written about poker, but I think it's misleading. These days, people have such diverse playing styles that for a player to have a strong hand and act strong with it isn't very uncommon at all.

Tip 16.
When you're raising, make sure that you put the whole amount desired out onto the table in one motion. Adding chips once you have already put chips out on the table is known as a string bet, and is against the rules.

....
2.5 yes this would usualy be correct... unless a player is knowledgable enough to know you would spot this and therefore use it as a bluf ( i do this sometimes to the ones that know whats going on )... doesnt mean im a smarty pants though... just means im exploiting them using fake tells...

Tip 5... i allready said that lol

tip 16.. i allready said that lol

tip 17. dont play with me as ill know what your doing xD

**Marm** · 01-31-2011

From: Playing live

What I wrote a few years ago about your first time at a table Live.

You already know how to play, so don't worry about that. And don't worry about the rules. 3/6 live plays very very similar to .25/.50 online, so don't worry at all about the skill level.

First you need to control yourself. Don't worry about the other players at the table just yet, for now they don't exist. Just worry about yourself and your game. Work on controlling your emotions, just stay cool and calm. Make sure you keep your cards protected, your chips neatly stacked. MAke sure you know the bet sizes and what chips are what. Know how to handle your chips so you don't look like a total noob as you throw them across the table or fumble them all over the floor. Pay attention to the action, know what the bet is coming to you and when. It's ok to look at your cards as soon you get them, make sure you know exactly what you have, but Do Not touch your chips until it is your turn to act. Holding chips in your hand is a huge tell, its gives away info to players to your right.

Just play your normal game. You know the game, play it. There's a reason these guys are playing this level too. They aren't anything special, in fact, you are probably the best player there. You don't need to resort to fancy plays to get their respect. In fact, who cares about their respect, you just want their money. Play hard and solid. If you get a bad run, it will be boring as hell, since live is much slower than online, but just fold fold fold. You get a hand, raise it up. Don't play soft because you want others to like you. If you beat somebody you like out of a monster pot, don't play them soft, buy them a beer later. Let them pay for that beer now.

Once you feel comfortable in your own skin at the table, then start opening your field of view to the other players. Lightly watch the whole table at first, looking for obvious tells, like holding onto a stack of chips while waiting for their turn, but mainly pay attention to two players. One is the guy immediately to your right, he affects you the most, and the guy straight across from you. Learn from this guy, because you can see him the clearest. You start picking up basic stuff just by watching one guy in particular. Once you feel comfortable watching those two and playing your game, slowly start adding others to watch. Eventually you can quickly view the whole table and see whos interested and whos not. Don't worry about trying to be a Mike McD and reading a whole table cold, just pick up some body language if they are happy or not.

As per etiquitte at this particular card room, I can't help you, never been there. But the dealer can. As soon as you sit down, tip the dealer a buck, and tell him this is your first time playing live, and would appreciate any help he could give you. This will make your day so much smoother, and any issues you have, the staff will be much more patient with you. A side effect of this will be some of the 'sharks' of the table will hear this and try to run over the new 'fish'. Let them try, as I said before, you are probably the best player at the table.

Just sit down, stay calm, relax, and the most important thing is, HAVE FUN.

**bluemageftw** · 02-01-2011

thanks marm. i read your post in its entirety and its got some great tips in it. easy to read and easy to understand. its nice when 'pokergods' are willing to spill a little advice... so my hats off to ya buddy thanks.

**ImNotSpecial** · 02-01-2011

Marm has a role to play 3/6... but isnt 3/6 limit holdem smaller stack than 3/6 NL ?

**ImNotSpecial** · 02-01-2011

roll*

PokerForums.org

Welcome to PokerForums.org

Thread: ImNotSpecial gives a nice tip list.

LinkBack

Thread Tools

Display