A newcomer to the live scene started a very popular thread on the r/Poker Reddit. With low-stakes casino games coming up soon, they wanted some pointers.
What’s something you wish you knew your first time playing in a casino?
"Taking a trip to the closest casino with a poker room this weekend, they have 1/3NL and 2/5NL hold’em. I’ve played a couple of home games and a couple hundred hours of play money online (real money is banned where I live). What’s a piece of advice you wish someone had told you before your first time playing live with strangers?"
Of course, the responses were a mix of helpful advice and humor. We tried to select the best ones:
– "That you should call ahead and get on the waitlist unless you want to sit at the bar watching SportsCenter for over an hour."
Forgetting to call ahead could easily derail your evening. If nobody is leaving and new tables can't/won't open, you're left waiting indefinitely. However, this could be an opportunity for a meal or free coffee.
– "One chip rule; if you throw in only one chip its a call no matter the size of the chip. Announce everything, Raises, calls, etc.
Don't muck your cards if someone says "You're good" until AFTER they muck and the chips are being pushed too you."
Amateurs who are on the wrong sides of these rules learn quickly. Throwing in a $100 chip isn't an automatic raise, even if the last bet was only $5. Verbally announcing a raise, combined with the dealer's eye contact, is the only way to raise here.
As for mucking early – this Reddit user said it well. Until their cards are in the muck and chips are coming your way, the hand is not complete. If you make the mistake of mucking first, you've technically folded before them, and may lose the chips. Online players never have to think about this.
– "If your opponent shows their hand, and you have them beat, you can’t just show the card that beats them, you have to show both to win. Rookie mistake, I know. I lost a $200 pot by not showing both cards, dealer interpretted it as a fold.
Opponent spilt the pot out of sympathy."
Usually, they won't split the pot, so this one's important. Keep things very simple for your first sessions and showdown with both cards for safety.
– "Almost everyone at the table is miserable, bored, and has an aggressively/arrogant personality.
The first time I played poker at a casino this was the most shocking thing to me. Getting needled for this or that, people bitching and starting arguments about stuff, critiquing stuff about your play (especially if they lost).
It’s a casino I knew they weren’t going to be happy, but like 9/10 people are genuinely awful to be around."
This one is highly debatable. Some users mentioned wearing headphones just to block out the "nonsense," while others had no issues with the casino crowd. Every establishment will have a unique atmosphere and range of patrons.
– "The chick sitting at the bar was just working and didn’t really like me."
A lot to interpret here, but hopefully this user wasn't trying to pick up the bartender.
– "I was scared haha I didnt know about "etiquette" because I only played online. But good thing the table was friendly and they didnt get mad when I did a silly wrong call and explain chips rules... They also gladly took all my chips. What nice people."
Unlike in Blackjack, where you might ruin someone's strategy, poker players are relaxed with beginners. Dealers will also correct you and point out certain things. That being said, nobody likes a player who tanks too much.
– "It is very easy to miss the flow of play your first time in a casino so try to pay attention to the person on your right and act after them. Casino games move much faster than home games. Don't be afraid to ask the dealer if action is on you."
When you first sit down, you should have a chance to watch the game for a few hands. Get familiar with a few things, like the typical open raises at the table, and get ready to slide into the rotation. There's no need to focus on the player to your right – you need to be aware of everything.
– "Dont lick the chips."
"Then why do they make them look so tasty?" another user asked. It's a good idea to wash your hands after a game of poker, especially if someone was eating potato chips at your table. The good thing is that players usually value the cleanliness of the table and respect the poker equipment. Usually.
![Numbered Poker Chips, Poker Chips with Denominations [ Free Design]](https://www.mandychips.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/numbered-poker-chips-10.jpg)
– "Preflop sizing is completely different live so you have to adjust accordingly.
Online, the average preflop raise size is around 2-3 BB.
In live poker, it’s more around 5-8BB. Also, the amount of limping is insane and kind of difficult to navigate at first but it’s very easily punished with aggression with strong hands."
At the live low stakes, you'll definitely see limps-galore. Of course, this totally depends on how many recreationals and regulars are in the seats.
Next, a full crash course was posted, with some absolute gems that every player should know.
- Big chips up front.
- Be aware of betting lines.
- No ridiculous 45 second decisions over $10 preflop.
- Pay attention to the action, act in a timely manner – yes, take time for real decisions if needed but we can tell when you're hollywooding for no reason. Yes, it's sad you have to fold 10 7 off in the small blind, no it shouldn't take any time to do that.
- Familiarize yourself with the "one chip call" rule.
- Don't call bets with small chips if you have larger ones that will do the job (ie calling $11 with eleven $1 chips when two $5s and a $1 exist).
- In that same vein^ just bet $10 or $15 instead of $12 or $13, speeds up the game and is more dealer friendly.
- Don't talk about a hand in play, for that matter don't talk about hands after the play if you weren't in em.
- Similar to that , don't tell people what you personally think about how they played their hand.
- Ensure all action is complete before tabling your hand but also, if it's your turn to show first, just table and stop hesitating when you're gonna have to show a bluff.
- Nobody cares what you folded, keep it to yourself
- Anything that may invite confusion or make things take longer than they need to, be aware of.
- As mentioned elsewhere, casinos are often the most miserable places to play poker. You'll find the worst etiquette and attitudes. Don't pick up those bad habits.
Big chips up front, acting promptly, and avoiding table talk are a few highlights. This post clearly comes from a seasoned casino reg.
– "You probably need to go to the cage to get your initial buy-in of chips. You could potentially out yourself as a newcomer if you whip out cash and lay it on the table when you first sit down."
While this user is correct, arriving without chips is not the only way newcomers are outed. Anyone with hundreds of hours will spot you right away, whether it's your chip handling or some other tell-tale sign. As another reader wrote later, "Don't act cool and try to pretend it isn't your first time."
– "Bets and raises from opponents live will feel more intimidating than they do online, don’t let this affect your game.
Also don’t be afraid to leave in the negative if things aren’t going your way, one of my main problems was feeling the need to punt off my remaining stack whenever a session wasn’t going well."
Going from digital bets to real chips always feels strange. You can hold the money in your hands for once and this makes wins or losses feel more tangible. Regulars won't be feeling this, giving them the advantage of being more comfortable.
– "Angle shooting from other players is going to happen, and unscrupulous players will target you if they can tell you’re new. ALWAYS ask the dealer for confirmation of bets and what not if there’s the slightest bit of ambiguity."
Angle shooting ranges from obvious to subtle. You're far more likely to see players making "implications", like stacking chips to intimidate or handling their cards loosely to appear weak. Truly cunning and manipulative angle shooting is rarer and quite frowned upon.
– "No clue if this is the same at all casinos, I’ve only played 2 tournaments. 1 I was next to the dealer and apparently if another player folds and their cards touch yours, you’re out of the hand. Be sure to keep your cards close!"
Each casino will have different rules, but always be protective of your cards. There's no need to jam them into under the leather rail, but having a chip on top is a good idea. Your cards should be just beside your chip stack, out of the way. Many players choose card protectors to ensure more safety (like our custom protector).
– "If you just peek at your cards, the top of a 4 can look like the top of an A. (I had A4)"
Sadly, yes. Live poker players have plenty of moments where they look down, get excited, and then realize their is actually a .
– "I played live for the first time at WSOP earlier this year. Wish somebody had told me-
- Relax. Don’t be scared. It’s okay to not know everything. Ask questions, people are friendly and they were in your shoes once.
- Online players are far better than live ones.
- But you might have to focus more during live poker. In online poker, you can see positions, stack size, etc etc. Same does not go for live."
Choosing the WSOP as your inaugural session is... brave. In general, online players may be better than live players, but this isn't 100% guaranteed at all.
– "That I couldn't have my team on the rail running sims on their laptops. 😐"
Apparently, only the World Series of Poker allows this. In your local casino, you would probably be asked to stop immediately.
