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What should I expect the first time I play poker in a casino or card room?

What is expectation when I play poker in a casino or card room?

Explain What should I expect the first time I play poker in a casino or card room?

Dec 26th, 2007 02:36
David Sill, John Mathu, Paoelin Meol, http://www.marchmadnessUSA.com http://www.NCAASportsBlog.com http://www.onlinepokerreviewdirectory.com

Many people are intimidated on their first visit to a public cardroom.
Knowing what to expect and some simple rules of etiquette will help the
first-time visitor relax and have a good time.
Any cardroom with more than a few tables will have a sign-up desk or
board for the various games being played. Usually someone will be
standing here to take your name if a seat is not immediately available.
This person can explain what games are offered, the betting limits,
special house rules and so on. This is the moment of your first
decision: which game and for what stakes?
Choosing a game is fairly easy; you already know which game is most
familiar to you. You may be surprised to find that your favorite home
games are not spread in public cardrooms. Most will offer one or more of
Texas Hold'em, Seven-Card Stud, and Omaha Hold'em (usually hi/lo split,
8-or-better for low). Sometimes you will find California Lowball (5-card
draw for low), Seven-Card Stud hi/lo, or Hold'em variations like
Pineapple. You will rarely find High Draw (5-card draw for hi), and will
never find home game pot-builders like Anaconda, Follow-the-Queen, 7-27
or Guts. Except for the joker in draw poker, cardrooms never use wild cards.
Choosing a betting limit is a bit harder. It is best to start playing at
a limit so small that the money is not important to you. After all, with
all the excitement of your first time playing poker there is no need to
be worried about losing the nest egg to a table full of sharks. Betting
limits are typically expressed as $1-$5 or $3-$6, and may be
"spread-limit" or "structured-limit". A spread-limit means one can bet
or raise any amount between the two numbers (although a raise must be at
least as much as a previous bet or raise). For example, in $1-$5
spread-limit, if one person bets $2 the next person is free to call the
$2 or raise $2, $3, $4, or $5, but cannot raise just $1. On the next
round, everything is reset and the first bettor may bet anything from $1
to $5. In structured-limit like $3-$6 (usually recognizable by a factor
of two between betting limits), all betting and raising on early rounds
is in units of $3, and on later rounds is in units of $6. One only has a
choice of *whether* to bet or raise; the amount is fixed by the limit.
One usually doesn't have a choice between spread and structured betting
at a given limit. Keep in mind that it is quite easy to win or lose 20
"big bets" (the large number in the limit) in an hour of play. Also,
since your mind will be occupied with the mechanics of the game while
the regular players consider strategy, you are more likely to lose than
win. In other words: choose a low limit.
If the game you want is full, your name will go on a list and the person
running the list will call you when a seat opens up. Depending on the
cardroom, you may have trouble hearing your name called and they may be
quick to pass you over, so be alert. Once a seat is available, the list
person will vaguely direct you toward it, or toward a floorman who will
show you where to sit.
Now is the time for you to take out your money and for the other players
to look you over. A good choice for this "buy-in" is ten to twenty big
bets, but you must buy-in for at least the posted table minimum, usually
about five big bets. Most public poker games are played "table-stakes",
which means that you can't reach into your pocket for more money during
the play of a hand. It also means that you can't be forced out of a pot
because of insufficient funds. If you run out of money during a hand you
are still in the pot (the dealer will say you are "all-in"), but further
betting is "on the side" for an additional pot you cannot win. Between
hands, you are free to buy as many chips as you want, but are not
allowed to take any chips off the table unless you are leaving. This
final rule gives opponents a chance to win back what they have lost to
you. If you bust out, you may buy back in for at least the table minimum
or leave.
Once you have told the dealer how much money you are playing, the dealer
may sell you chips right away or call over a chip runner to do so. You
may want to tell the dealer that you are a first-time player. This is a
signal to the dealer to give a little explanation when it is your turn
to act, and to the other players to extend you a bit of courtesy when
you slow down the game. Everyone will figure it out in a few minutes
anyway, so don't be bashful. You may even ask to sit out a few hands
just to see how it all works.
There are three ways that pots are seeded with money at the beginning of
the hand. The most familiar to the home player is the "ante", where each
player tosses a small amount into the pot for the right to be dealt a
hand. The second way, often used in conjunction with an ante, is the
"forced bring-in". For example, in seven-card stud, after everyone antes
and is dealt the first three cards, the player with the lowest upcard
may be forced to bet to get things started. The third way, often used in
games without upcards like Hold'em or Omaha, is a "forced blind bet".
This is similar to the bring-in, but is always made by the person
immediately after the player with the "button". The "button" is a
plastic disk that moves around the table and indicates which player is
acting as dealer for the hand (of course, the house dealer does the
actual dealing of cards, but does not play). A second or even third
blind may follow the first, usually of increasing size. Whichever seed
method is used, note that this initial pot, small as it is, is the only
reason to play at all.
If the game has blinds, the dealer may now ask you if you want to
"post". This means, "do you want to pay extra to see a hand now, in bad
position, and then pay the blinds, or are you willing to sit and watch
for a few minutes?" Answer "no, I'll wait" and watch the game until the
dealer tells you it's time to begin, usually after the blinds pass you.
Finally, it is your turn to get cards and play. Your first impression
will probably be how fast the game seems to move. If you are playing
stud, several upcards may be "mucked" (folded into the discards) before
you even see them; if you are playing hold'em, it may be your turn to
act before you have looked at your cards. After a few hands you should
settle into the rhythm and be able to keep up. If you ever get confused,
just ask the dealer what is going on.
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