Cash Game Advise for First Time Playing 1/2 NLHE in a Casino (2 Viewers)

[Rhodeman77]

I dream of playing at at a table like that.

Come to Cleveland, the PLO game is like that every day!

 

[saleen121212]

Come to Cleveland, the PLO game is like that every day!

Now I know how you make so much money lol!

 

[JustinInMN]

Trips is when you have one, and the board shows two. A minor thing, for sure, but it was one of the first things I learned on PCF.

Some books use these definitions, but I have heard both used interchangeably. If you bring this up in live game you are basically advertising you are well read.

 

[saleen121212]

Some drunk guy once asked if a set is trips all of the same suit. We all stared at him until he figured out each card only has 1 of each suit

 

[74suited]

Edit - also occasionally mumble "I don't know why you thought you were good there" as you stack chips. The other players LOVE that one.

I like to stay completely silent and avoid any conversation at the table until I win my first hand, then blurt out "SHIP IT!" as I'm scooping the pot, that really gets their attention

I very much enjoy tilting the regs - that college kid who thinks he's a grinder, the drunk business owner, or the crazy Russian who thinks he's a poker god. It might be more fun than actually playing cards.

We must play at the same card rooms! Seriously, how funny that it's always the same characters.

 

[Taghkanic]

1. I wouldn't really worry that you're going to find yourself in a sea of sharks at 1/2. Occasionally you'll encounter a sharp player, but that will be obvious and you can mostly just avoid getting into big hands with them if you don't feel confident against them.

2. You're going to find way more passive, limpy opponents. Half of these will play fit-or-fold: Limp in with any ace, pair or Broadway combination, or worse (“they were suited”) and only continue on favorable boards. The other half will be stations who will continue if they hit any piece of the board, or else have a hand they’re incapable of folding no matter how scary the flop/turn/river. Your job is to identify who is who.

3. To that end, I'd strongly recommend folding everything but ultra-premium hands for at least your first 2-3 orbits. Just settle in and watch. At 1/2 this will cost you less than $10.

4. I generally agree with those who recommended only playing with a full buy-in plus two more in your pocket. You don't want to play money-scared. You also want to have enough chips in front of you for a big double-up if the opportunity arises. And you don't want to have so few that an aggro player can constantly threaten your stack with a relatively small bet/raise.

5. *But* if you really want to play poker, and only have $300, try to think about the best way to get the most time out of this money. Some options below... There are others of course:

* Option A: As suggested above, buy in for $200. If you fall below $160 or so, top back off to $200 with the $100 in your pocket. You'll probably need to either get dealt a monster early or play very tight to make this last. But it has the virtue of playing 100 blinds deep at pretty much all times, and should allow you to stretch your $300 farther.

* Option B: Divide it into two $150 buy-ins. Don't top off at all on the first buy-in; either stick with it (and hopefully grow a stack), or play it all the way down. Then buy in again for the same amount.

* Option C: Be the pesky short-stacker at the table. I don't know what the min buy-in at your casino is, but if you can buy in at $60 then you could conceivably take five preflop all-in shots. Just sit and wait for a good shoving hand and situation. But this would be my least preferable option unless you have studied push/fold poker and are confident in that game. It probably won't work out, but if you can double or triple up on a couple of these, it might allow you to play longer.

6. Before settling on any option for using your $300, take a close look at stack sizes at your table when you arrive. If you’ve got a table with a bunch of tight players with short stacks, and can cover pretty 75% of the table with just $150, then you can more easily get away with buying in light IMHO.

Good luck and remember to have fun!

 

[saleen121212]

1. I wouldn't really worry that you're going to find yourself in a sea of sharks at 1/2. Occasionally you'll encounter a sharp player, but that will be obvious and you can mostly just avoid getting into big hands with them if you don't feel confident against them.

2. You're going to find way more passive, limpy opponents. Half of these will play fit-or-fold: Limp in with any ace, pair or Broadway combination, or worse (“they were suited”) and only continue on favorable boards. The other half will be stations who will continue if they hit any piece of the board, or else have a hand they’re incapable of folding no matter how scary the flop/turn/river. Your job is to identify who is who.

3. To that end, I'd strongly recommend folding everything but ultra-premium hands for at least your first 2-3 orbits. Just settle in and watch. At 1/2 this will cost you less than $10.

4. I generally agree with those who recommended only playing with a full buy-in plus two more in your pocket. You don't want to play money-scared. You also want to have enough chips in front of you for a big double-up if the opportunity arises. And you don't want to have so few that an aggro player can constantly threaten your stack with a relatively small bet/raise.

5. *But* if you really want to play poker, and only have $300, try to think about the best way to get the most time out of this money. Some options below... There are others of course:

* Option A: As suggested above, buy in for $200. If you fall below $160 or so, top back off to $200 with the $100 in your pocket. You'll probably need to either get dealt a monster early or play very tight to make this last. But it has the virtue of playing 100 blinds deep at pretty much all times, and should allow you to stretch your $300 farther.

* Option B: Divide it into two $150 buy-ins. Don't top off at all on the first buy-in; either stick with it (and hopefully grow a stack), or play it all the way down. Then buy in again for the same amount.

* Option C: Be the pesky short-stacker at the table. I don't know what the min buy-in at your casino is, but if you can buy in at $60 then you could conceivably take five preflop all-in shots. Just sit and wait for a good shoving hand and situation. But this would be my least preferable option unless you have studied push/fold poker and are confident in that game. It probably won't work out, but if you can double or triple up on a couple of these, it might allow you to play longer.

6. Before settling on any option for using your $300, take a close look at stack sizes at your table when you arrive. If you’ve got a table with a bunch of tight players with short stacks, and can cover pretty 75% of the table with just $150, then you can more easily get away with buying in light IMHO.

Good luck and remember to have fun!

Good advice. Super late, but good none the less

 

[Taghkanic]

I’d just add that as the saying goes, no plan survives contact with the enemy... You could choose the $200-and-top-off-with-the-other-$100 plan; then in the first orbit wake up with pocket aces that get cracked by kings. Shit happens—as I’m sure you already know, the game has enough variance built in to keep even bad players coming back. Good luck out there.

 

[Taghkanic]

P.S. Sorry, I missed that you had already attended. But anyway this thread may help others in the future so I’ll leave those up.

 

[clapton77]

I drank like 46 red bulls that night and have never really been the same.

Earlier caffeine warning making more sense.

 

[CantSpellPoker]

I’m looking to play live at a casino for the first time very soon as well (Sands Bethlehem in PA if anyone is a regular there). Some good advice here.

Part of me really wants to play like Paul Newman in “The Sting.”

“Sorry I’m late guys, I was taking a crap.”
“Tough luck, but that’s what you get for playing with your head up your ass. Couple more like that and we can all go to bed early!”

 

[Lemonzest]

Most substantial advice has evidently been given, but I guess that someone in your shoes (I might get in these shoes soon too) should take advantage of their inevitable "harmless noob" table image- just don't try to produce another (fake / wannabe) image.
Poker is a game of deception (among other things) and "harmless - supposedly clueless- noobs" can occasionally be pretty harmful if underestimated (that's what you want).

I wonder (this is indeed a question to experienced players) if, with the image of a noobish rock-solid player, you could steal some pots pre-flop or on dry flops with thin air, in very late position (cut off or button), if there are just limpers (even if too many of them?)

IMO most people just play their cards at 1/2.

In long sessions image can matter but it is minor. Just my 2c.