I play mostly limit, so some of my responses may be geared toward that game.
Many places you play will have a different set of bonus awards. Some have bad beat jackpots. Some have high hand awards. Some have cracked Aces or even Cracked kings. Some have so many hours for a free tournament.
At Flamingo last year I was in a $2000 tournament with just 4 hours of play. We split at two tables and everyone got a black chip.
Because in limit you are trying to overcome the rake, you need to never miss a high hand or other bonus payout.
Ask about these bonus awards, so you know before you play. The most common one to miss is cracked Aces, where you are beat and just toss in your cards rather than show that you are beat with pocket Aces, and so you lose $100 from the house.
This bonus in limit even changes how people bet. Pocket Aces won't raise preflop to push out anyone since the award might be more than the pot and will require a minimum in the pot to be awarded.
In no limit I make certain every new player knows about Cracked Aces. If the bonus is $100 and they follow you to the river and you bet $50, they will call just to get the bonus. I have had guys fold the Aces rather than call my river bet, show them, and then they learn they just lost $50. And I lost $50 too.
Unless you have some complicated comp formula combining slot play and poker play, always swipe your card.
At any Harrah's now Caesar's place they will track you and you can get free rooms for the next trip. You can play at O'Shea's and still get a choice of free rooms at Harrah's. I did that. Next trip I have two free nights and one at $30 just due to poker play. And a look at the credits I have right now tells me that I have $15 to put toward the last night so it will end up being free as well.
Some places you have to be certain to swipe out when you leave or you get nothing. Even the dollar an hour comps add up over time.
Don't talk about possible hands unless you hold cards and then watch what you say. Don't read the board. Don't say, "Wow, someone could have a straight flush."
Don't act out of turn.
Don't be afraid to ask if you are unclear what a player did. Don't shout to the player. Ask the dealer. It is the dealer who has to know what is what and will make any calles in a decision. The player needs to make certain the dealer knows when there is a raise. Say you are in a limit $2 round and someone ahead of you pushes out a red chip and mumbles. Ask if that is a raise before you act.
"Did he raise or just call?"
Watch string bets. Say what you are doing before you do it. "Raise, fold, call" are great words. Raise is the most important of the three. If you say, "raise" in limit it is clear how many chips you are putting in the pot. If you say "raise" in no limit then you must announce how many chips are going to be bet or move them all at once. A great habit is to set up your bets and then move them in one motion.
Use a card protector. Some players will by accident or on purpose toss cards on your cards. If they are covered, then the dealer can sort it out. If not, you lose your hand. This is especially important when sitting either side of the dealer. S/he may pick up your hand easily by accident if it is unprotected.
Protect your hand. Develop a way to look at your cards that blocks your neighbor from getting even a glance at the suit. This is one of the biggest differences between on line and live poker. So many times players reveal their cards because they look too often and don't cup their hands over the cards. You can't pull the cards back from the table so you need a way to look. Watch the other players.
When you win a pot, turn your two cards over and make sure the dealer understands you are the winner. I usually put one finger on each card until the losing hands are mucked by the dealer. If the dealer tries to take them before taking other hands, I say, "I have the straight flush" and push down on the cars, holding them in place for a reread.
Otherwise your winning hand can be misread by even the best of dealers, swiped up quickly, and then, oh, well... the best you can do is protest a bit and see if the buy collecting the chips will split the pot.
You can change seats usually fairly easily. You ask the dealer and most places they give you a button that says seat change. You may want to do that for some strategic reason, like getting to the left of the wild raiser. In limit don't play immediately right of a habitual straddle player. Basically, this will kill your bid blind. You will never see a free flop.
You can change tables some places as long as they can keep them fairly even.
You can request to play with a buddy and some places will try to make that happen. Let folks know what you want.
If you have a problem, don't argue a lot. Ask the dealer. If you don't like the dealer answer, ask that the floor be called. Again, just present your case or questions calmly and whether you get the ruling or not, say thank you. Don't tell the dealer or the floor how the rules ought to be. But don't be afraid to ask for clarification. At worst, you then know what not to do next time.
If you play limit and like kill pots, great. You may find them in some casinos.
Make certain you know in a kill pot who acts last. Patterns change. And if you don't like kill pots and are playing in a no kill game and you are the only one who does not want to change. Tell that to the dealer. Yes, you will be unpopular, but in most cases the game can't change to a kill game unless everyone wants a kill pot. consider your bankroll, not just peer pressure.
When you are on a seating list waiting for a game you can often watch the game you hope to join. Sometimes the dealer does not communicate an empty seat to the floor. You can do that. Just walk back to where you signed in and let them know there is an empty seat on table number XX. If you are next in line, this can save a ten minute wait.
You can call ahead to get on seating lists at some casinos. You might like carrying a list of poker room numbers and calling to ask what is being spread and if they can put you on the list.
Watch for free food. They might bring in cookies at the Imperial Palace but they might not tell you, and you can have one while you wait for a seat too. You should never, ever be shy about cookies
Many places you play will have a different set of bonus awards. Some have bad beat jackpots. Some have high hand awards. Some have cracked Aces or even Cracked kings. Some have so many hours for a free tournament.
At Flamingo last year I was in a $2000 tournament with just 4 hours of play. We split at two tables and everyone got a black chip.
Because in limit you are trying to overcome the rake, you need to never miss a high hand or other bonus payout.
Ask about these bonus awards, so you know before you play. The most common one to miss is cracked Aces, where you are beat and just toss in your cards rather than show that you are beat with pocket Aces, and so you lose $100 from the house.
This bonus in limit even changes how people bet. Pocket Aces won't raise preflop to push out anyone since the award might be more than the pot and will require a minimum in the pot to be awarded.
In no limit I make certain every new player knows about Cracked Aces. If the bonus is $100 and they follow you to the river and you bet $50, they will call just to get the bonus. I have had guys fold the Aces rather than call my river bet, show them, and then they learn they just lost $50. And I lost $50 too.
Unless you have some complicated comp formula combining slot play and poker play, always swipe your card.
At any Harrah's now Caesar's place they will track you and you can get free rooms for the next trip. You can play at O'Shea's and still get a choice of free rooms at Harrah's. I did that. Next trip I have two free nights and one at $30 just due to poker play. And a look at the credits I have right now tells me that I have $15 to put toward the last night so it will end up being free as well.
Some places you have to be certain to swipe out when you leave or you get nothing. Even the dollar an hour comps add up over time.
Don't talk about possible hands unless you hold cards and then watch what you say. Don't read the board. Don't say, "Wow, someone could have a straight flush."
Don't act out of turn.
Don't be afraid to ask if you are unclear what a player did. Don't shout to the player. Ask the dealer. It is the dealer who has to know what is what and will make any calles in a decision. The player needs to make certain the dealer knows when there is a raise. Say you are in a limit $2 round and someone ahead of you pushes out a red chip and mumbles. Ask if that is a raise before you act.
"Did he raise or just call?"
Watch string bets. Say what you are doing before you do it. "Raise, fold, call" are great words. Raise is the most important of the three. If you say, "raise" in limit it is clear how many chips you are putting in the pot. If you say "raise" in no limit then you must announce how many chips are going to be bet or move them all at once. A great habit is to set up your bets and then move them in one motion.
Use a card protector. Some players will by accident or on purpose toss cards on your cards. If they are covered, then the dealer can sort it out. If not, you lose your hand. This is especially important when sitting either side of the dealer. S/he may pick up your hand easily by accident if it is unprotected.
Protect your hand. Develop a way to look at your cards that blocks your neighbor from getting even a glance at the suit. This is one of the biggest differences between on line and live poker. So many times players reveal their cards because they look too often and don't cup their hands over the cards. You can't pull the cards back from the table so you need a way to look. Watch the other players.
When you win a pot, turn your two cards over and make sure the dealer understands you are the winner. I usually put one finger on each card until the losing hands are mucked by the dealer. If the dealer tries to take them before taking other hands, I say, "I have the straight flush" and push down on the cars, holding them in place for a reread.
Otherwise your winning hand can be misread by even the best of dealers, swiped up quickly, and then, oh, well... the best you can do is protest a bit and see if the buy collecting the chips will split the pot.
You can change seats usually fairly easily. You ask the dealer and most places they give you a button that says seat change. You may want to do that for some strategic reason, like getting to the left of the wild raiser. In limit don't play immediately right of a habitual straddle player. Basically, this will kill your bid blind. You will never see a free flop.
You can change tables some places as long as they can keep them fairly even.
You can request to play with a buddy and some places will try to make that happen. Let folks know what you want.
If you have a problem, don't argue a lot. Ask the dealer. If you don't like the dealer answer, ask that the floor be called. Again, just present your case or questions calmly and whether you get the ruling or not, say thank you. Don't tell the dealer or the floor how the rules ought to be. But don't be afraid to ask for clarification. At worst, you then know what not to do next time.
If you play limit and like kill pots, great. You may find them in some casinos.
Make certain you know in a kill pot who acts last. Patterns change. And if you don't like kill pots and are playing in a no kill game and you are the only one who does not want to change. Tell that to the dealer. Yes, you will be unpopular, but in most cases the game can't change to a kill game unless everyone wants a kill pot. consider your bankroll, not just peer pressure.
When you are on a seating list waiting for a game you can often watch the game you hope to join. Sometimes the dealer does not communicate an empty seat to the floor. You can do that. Just walk back to where you signed in and let them know there is an empty seat on table number XX. If you are next in line, this can save a ten minute wait.
You can call ahead to get on seating lists at some casinos. You might like carrying a list of poker room numbers and calling to ask what is being spread and if they can put you on the list.
Watch for free food. They might bring in cookies at the Imperial Palace but they might not tell you, and you can have one while you wait for a seat too. You should never, ever be shy about cookies
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