Posts Tagged ‘poker room’
It is always easier to learn something new if you have someone you can ask for advice or someone to share ideas with. I sought out my friend and co-worker Jack when I made the decision to learn how to play casino poker. Jack is an excellent Seven-Card Stud player, who has over six years experience playing winning poker. I asked him some questions about playing in the casino and poker in general. I told him I had decided to learn how to play Texas Hold'em. He said that he had just started learning the game himself. He wanted to expand his horizons and have another game to play when the waiting list for stud got too long. The timing was perfect, as now we both would have someone to discuss the game and strategies with.
I attribute part of my early success with the game to the discussions that we had. I learned that some of the situations I encountered at the table were not unique, as Jack had similar experiences as he was learning the game. This is one of the advantages to having someone you can talk with honestly about the game.
In the poker room you will meet many different people. If possible you should try to strike up a friendship with other players. Since you already have something in common, it will probably not be too difficult. Some will only be looking out for themselves and will be trying to get an angle on any player they may eventually be playing against. However, many of them are nice people who you will become friendly with if you become a regular at your local cardroom. If you can cultivate a friendship with someone you trust and can share ideas with you, you will both benefit. Some friendships will develop under strange circumstances.
During my first tournament win at Foxwoods, the match was down to me and three other players. The gentleman I knocked out in fourth position before winning the match was a player named John. He was a true gentleman and was the first to congratulate me after the match was over. We began talking and I explained that I had been learning to play the game and writing about my experiences for my About.com Web site over the last few months. I gave him my card and he e-mailed me the next day to compliment me on my poker articles.
We met at the tournament the next week and, after it was over, John and his son, Dan, and I held an extensive conversation about Texas Hold'em. It was easy to tell that we were both serious about improving our games. We started sharing strategies and had discussions about the game via e-mail. A few months later at the WPO held at Foxwoods, John introduced me to a few of his friends, one of whom is a professional poker player.
Over the next year I met several more players as John had started a little e-mail group. We participate almost daily in discussions about the game through e-mails and ICQ chat. We all became close friends even though some of us did not meet face to face until months after our group had formed. None of us were hesitant about sharing our strategies with each other and we all benefited from our combined knowledge.
Networking is a word that is sometimes used for developing professional contacts that can be beneficial to all parties involved. When you try to establish friendships in the cardroom, you are in essence "networking." In the poker world, the biggest network of players is the Rec. Gambling Poker Newsgroup on the Internet. Thousands of players share ideas daily via e-mail and network amongst themselves. In a way, our little group could be considered a smaller private network of dedicated poker players. That's the way it started but it soon became a group of trusted friends who have all helped each other to improve.
It just goes to show you how friendships can develop under strange circumstances. John was a gracious loser and our conversation when he congratulated me after the tournament turned into a winning situation for both of us. Don't hesitate to talk with other
players or congratulate a winner. You may just make a friend or two who can help you improve your game.
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Tags: casino poker, learning the game, poker, poker room, stud player, winning poker
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After entering the low-limit tournament it was time to put it all together. I was ready to play my first live game in the cardroom.
I chose to play my first session at the Mohegan Sun in Connecticut. It is a little smaller and more intimate than the larger Foxwoods where I had played in the tournament. I had previously done a little railbirding there and liked the cardroom.
The Mohegan Sun has a sign up desk. When you enter the poker room you must sign in and tell the host what game you are interested in playing. If there is an immediate opening, you will be seated immediately. If the table is full, they will take your initials and call you when there is an opening. They don't have a board for the names. I chose the $3 / $6 Hold'em game and was told there was an opening. Before sitting down I purchased my chips at the counter to take to the table with me.
The minimum buy-in for the $3/$6 game is $30.This is not very many chips if the betting gets aggressive. The last thing I wanted to do was be short of chips when I had a good hand. I chose to buy-in for $100 which is about 15 times the largest bet.
At the Mohegan Sun, when you first sit down at the table, you must post a bet equal to the big blind if you wish to play immediately. If not, you wait until it is your turn to be the big blind and enter the game then. I chose not to enter right away. By waiting it gave me a few hands to watch the other players and see how they were playing. Had I not gotten a seat right away, I would have watched the action from the rail while I was on the waiting list.
Once in the game, I was cautious to observe proper table etiquette and was careful not to make any of the common beginner mistakes that would give me away as a novice. I had decided on my game plan before I ever sat down at the table. I would play a tight game using mostly the early position starting hands that could be played from any position. I chose to limit my first session to an hour and a half to make sure I practiced discipline and maintained my concentration.
As I sat down at the table and waited for my turn to be the big blind I watched the other players. After participating in the tournament I felt comfortable enough with the table protocol and was not intimidated by the other players. The first 20 minutes at the table all I did was fold hand after hand. In between I just kept my eyes open and my mouth shut. Finally, I was rewarded with a suited Ace-Queen. I bet and was called by three other players. The flop was A-7-4 and I bet and was called again. The turn brought a King and I had one player call me all the way to the river. He turned his cards showing a King in the hole giving me my first win with a pair of Aces. I have to admit to a little adrenaline rush as I scooped my first pot. I was feeling pretty good but, a few hands later, my over-exuberance cost me some money as I chased everyone out of a pot early.
I had K-Q suited and the flop was K-Q-Q. I was second to act with a full house and instead of slow playing by calling the bet that was made before me, I raised immediately. This caused everyone, except the original bettor, to fold. He checked on the turn and then folded when I bet. If I had not been so impatient, and just called, I probably could have kept a couple players in the hand and collected a little more on the end.
I played a tight game and won a couple more pots during the game. I was ahead when I made my second and more costly mistake. I was the big blind with J-8. There were five callers. The flop was J-8-7 all different suits. This is known as a "rainbow." I had two pair and bet. I was called around and the turn brought a 9. I bet and all the players folded except one who raised me. I was only looking at my two pair and called the raise without hesitation. The river was a 3 and I checked. He bet and I called again. I was not paying as much attention to the board as I should have. He turned over his Q-T suit-
ed giving him a straight and leaving me wondering why I did not notice the straight possibility especially when I was raised on the turn. It was my mistake and put a little dent in my stack of chips.
After a few more hands my hour and a half was up. I collected my chips and headed for the cage. I cashed out with a $10 profit. I was a winner in my first game. I also learned a couple lessons that would stick with me.
What I discovered during my first game was that most of the players in a low-limit game are just average people. In fact, after watching some of the starting hands that were played, I would guess that a couple of them had never read a book or magazine article about Hold'em. I honestly felt that the training I had done up to this first match had proven to be a great asset for me. It was time well spent as I now felt comfortable with my play, and knew I had the ability to be competitive. I also knew that I had much more to learn but this would come in time. This first game showed me that if you can apply the discipline to wait for the proper starting hands, you will have a solid foundation to help you succeed at this game.
As I drove home from the casino I spent some time reflecting on the game and evaluating my play. I was looking forward to my next session. I was also looking forward to my next low-limit tournament.
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Tags: poker, poker room, proper table etiquette, tight game