Rick
11-08-2004, 04:49 PM
With the advance of poker into the spotlight and the phenominal growth of the game, more and more people are playing.
That's great.
They read volumes of books and strategy articles to improve their game.
That's great.
But they have no clue how to act when playing in a live game.
That's not so great.
So I will be listing some of the simple do's and don'ts fror playing a live game. This 'should' cover commercial games and games at a casino and nit just hime games.
It is not always obvious, except to dealers, game hosts and those playing for years, hence this post :)
You can read this post but not reply to it or add to it. If you want or think something should be added, PM me.
1- ALWAYS call or email a host of a new game you are considering BEFORE the game starts.
And I am not talking 10 minutes.
Call or email several days ahead of time. Many games are full and/or have a regular player base and may not have room for a particular night for a new player.
NEVER just show up.
This will allow you and the game host to find out about each other to see if you 'fit' the game type. If you are a 1/2 player, you probably wont have much fun at a 24/40 game so contact them ahead of time and get the game info.
2- DON'T SPLASH THE POT. I don't care what Teddy did, it is considered bad form and really not to good for you. Place your bet in front of you. You are really not helping at all by tossing the chips into the pot. First off there may be an issue with turn, bet size etc and there will be no way to know just how much you tossed. Also some people may actually toss a 'light bet' into the pot so you will never notice they are short changing the pot.
It's hard to tell if that was 9 or 10 whites they tossed into the pile without stopping the game and counting it all.
3- DON'T ACT OUT OF TURN. Seems simple but you will be surprised how many people act ahead of turn. Either they lost track or the cards are just that bad. Trying to muck your hand from the button when the BB is betting is a tell ya know ;)
4- KNOW THE BET SIZE. Another simple one but if you don't know, ask. I have NEVER met anyone at a home game, who wasn't tilting, that would not bend over backwards to help a new player. Odds are, new players will lose when they start so you really want to make them comfortable :twisted:
5- DON'T DISCUSS A LIVE HAND. You and I both know you can calculate the 'outs' to the 5^ of the SQ RT of Pi without using your fingers, so keep it to yourself. You are not doing anyone a favor by pointing out the board has 4 to a flush, 1 off a royal, a steel wheel etc. It is every players responsibility to watch the cards and know the possible hands.
It is NOT your job to point it out to them.
6- SMOKING. Believe it or not there are still a few people who play poker who DON'T smoke. :D So make sure you know before you go whether it is allowed or they have some dark, dank, musty hellhole to send the outcasts. If you can't go 4-5 hours without, don't go at all.
7- IN YOUR FACE. It is really not very nice to jump up and down, dance around the room and get in the face of a player who just lost a big pot to your brilliant 8-3 offsuit play. I don't care if Josh does it, it is not polite, and do it to the wrong person and the pot may not cover the reconstructive surgery you will need on your now east pointing probiscus. 8)
8- DON'T MAKE CHANGE. So the person before you only has $1000 chips and needs to make a $500 bet. Don't you do it. Touching other peoples chips is a no no under ANY circumstances and the dealer will take exception to it. Let the dealer do their job and manage the game. Be a goody goody someplace else.
9- TIP THE DEALER. Believe it or not, dealing is work. It doesn't matter if the host is dealing or they are providing a dedicated dealer, you tip the dealer. You lost? So what, they still dealt. Maybe you just played bad. Tip the dealer. How much? That is a great debate I wont cover here. I have been involved in several discussions and opinions vary widely. Some tip $1 every pot they drag, some $2 and others a % of the pot. No matter what you do it will be appreciated so tip the dealer. Clear :)
10 - Respect the host, his home and his property. The host is inviting people over to his home to give them another place to play. The Host does not have to extend the invitation...and if you disrespect his/her, his home or his property, you may not get invited back...or worse yet, he may just discontinue having games at his home. Show the host the respect that he/she deserves and you will continue to be welcome.
I am sure I will add more later but this is a pretty good start and if you follow these rules, you will stand a better chance of being asked back to a good game then being asked to see who is at the door and being locked out ;)
More suggestions:
String bets are no-no's. If you intend to raise say so, then get your chips together and then push them out in one motion
Bring small bills when appropriate... if the buy-in is $5 don't show up with just $20's because making change can be a pain when everyone does the same thing
Some hosts will provide snacks, but if you want to eat/drink something... bring it with you
Most hosts will have house rules/tournament info posted somewhere or otherwise available, take the time to review their rules so you know what you are getting into
Take whatever time you need to think when it's your turn, but don't hollywood every hand
That's great.
They read volumes of books and strategy articles to improve their game.
That's great.
But they have no clue how to act when playing in a live game.
That's not so great.
So I will be listing some of the simple do's and don'ts fror playing a live game. This 'should' cover commercial games and games at a casino and nit just hime games.
It is not always obvious, except to dealers, game hosts and those playing for years, hence this post :)
You can read this post but not reply to it or add to it. If you want or think something should be added, PM me.
1- ALWAYS call or email a host of a new game you are considering BEFORE the game starts.
And I am not talking 10 minutes.
Call or email several days ahead of time. Many games are full and/or have a regular player base and may not have room for a particular night for a new player.
NEVER just show up.
This will allow you and the game host to find out about each other to see if you 'fit' the game type. If you are a 1/2 player, you probably wont have much fun at a 24/40 game so contact them ahead of time and get the game info.
2- DON'T SPLASH THE POT. I don't care what Teddy did, it is considered bad form and really not to good for you. Place your bet in front of you. You are really not helping at all by tossing the chips into the pot. First off there may be an issue with turn, bet size etc and there will be no way to know just how much you tossed. Also some people may actually toss a 'light bet' into the pot so you will never notice they are short changing the pot.
It's hard to tell if that was 9 or 10 whites they tossed into the pile without stopping the game and counting it all.
3- DON'T ACT OUT OF TURN. Seems simple but you will be surprised how many people act ahead of turn. Either they lost track or the cards are just that bad. Trying to muck your hand from the button when the BB is betting is a tell ya know ;)
4- KNOW THE BET SIZE. Another simple one but if you don't know, ask. I have NEVER met anyone at a home game, who wasn't tilting, that would not bend over backwards to help a new player. Odds are, new players will lose when they start so you really want to make them comfortable :twisted:
5- DON'T DISCUSS A LIVE HAND. You and I both know you can calculate the 'outs' to the 5^ of the SQ RT of Pi without using your fingers, so keep it to yourself. You are not doing anyone a favor by pointing out the board has 4 to a flush, 1 off a royal, a steel wheel etc. It is every players responsibility to watch the cards and know the possible hands.
It is NOT your job to point it out to them.
6- SMOKING. Believe it or not there are still a few people who play poker who DON'T smoke. :D So make sure you know before you go whether it is allowed or they have some dark, dank, musty hellhole to send the outcasts. If you can't go 4-5 hours without, don't go at all.
7- IN YOUR FACE. It is really not very nice to jump up and down, dance around the room and get in the face of a player who just lost a big pot to your brilliant 8-3 offsuit play. I don't care if Josh does it, it is not polite, and do it to the wrong person and the pot may not cover the reconstructive surgery you will need on your now east pointing probiscus. 8)
8- DON'T MAKE CHANGE. So the person before you only has $1000 chips and needs to make a $500 bet. Don't you do it. Touching other peoples chips is a no no under ANY circumstances and the dealer will take exception to it. Let the dealer do their job and manage the game. Be a goody goody someplace else.
9- TIP THE DEALER. Believe it or not, dealing is work. It doesn't matter if the host is dealing or they are providing a dedicated dealer, you tip the dealer. You lost? So what, they still dealt. Maybe you just played bad. Tip the dealer. How much? That is a great debate I wont cover here. I have been involved in several discussions and opinions vary widely. Some tip $1 every pot they drag, some $2 and others a % of the pot. No matter what you do it will be appreciated so tip the dealer. Clear :)
10 - Respect the host, his home and his property. The host is inviting people over to his home to give them another place to play. The Host does not have to extend the invitation...and if you disrespect his/her, his home or his property, you may not get invited back...or worse yet, he may just discontinue having games at his home. Show the host the respect that he/she deserves and you will continue to be welcome.
I am sure I will add more later but this is a pretty good start and if you follow these rules, you will stand a better chance of being asked back to a good game then being asked to see who is at the door and being locked out ;)
More suggestions:
String bets are no-no's. If you intend to raise say so, then get your chips together and then push them out in one motion
Bring small bills when appropriate... if the buy-in is $5 don't show up with just $20's because making change can be a pain when everyone does the same thing
Some hosts will provide snacks, but if you want to eat/drink something... bring it with you
Most hosts will have house rules/tournament info posted somewhere or otherwise available, take the time to review their rules so you know what you are getting into
Take whatever time you need to think when it's your turn, but don't hollywood every hand