Moving from online to live play

[kayakjam]

I want to, but it seems so strange and scary. There's these people looking at your every move and expression, READING YOU! And how can you concentrate with all of their movements and sounds which could mean anything, probably something BAD FOR YOU! And they probably play totally differently than online players, so I will be totally confused and they will eat me up LIKE A GUPPY! And I'll spend all my time counting chips to try to figure out how many each player has and how much is in the pot because it won't be immediately and comfortably posted and I won't have time to think about my hand or their hand and how much I should bet and I WILL SURELY BE DESTROYED!

[villaridge]

ROFL. Say, I haven't played live yet either. But let me know when you do. Sure would love to sit down at the same table as you.

[jeffsbabe]

Actually, playing live is a lot of fun. I thought I would really be intimidated by live players, but everyone was really nice. The thing to remember is don't take more to the table than you're willing to lose. Play a low limit game. No limit is very scary. I just sat there an acted like I knew what I was doing. Just like on line, the cards are fickle. Some days you won't get a hand worth playing. You'll see bad beats, too. I don't worry so much about others reading me. You will get to know the others somewhat after a few hands. Take advantage of the aggressive players by only playing premium hands and laying low, just calling their bet. You'll win a big pot. Don't be afraid to try it. It's lots of fun.

[scrawnybob]

hi

I would say dont stress - just enjoy it

obviously dont play in over your head or with scared money - but dont stress

half the players you will meet will be no more experienced than you (or if they are dont assume they are any better as a result), they might look the part or give it all that but remember by definition most players live and online are breakeven at best or losing players

dont worry about the chips etc - it comes in time and really who cares if you dont do chip twirls and chip tricks

it's not a competition on who can look the most like a poker player - its a competition of who can play the best poker

forget the tells etc - if your not sure how to spot them let the bets and bet sizes be your tells - they are IMHO pretty consistent live and online - if you decide its all about some bloke picking his nose over his 1/3rd bet into the pot, you'll be ignoring something you can read (bet sizes etc) and imagining you have seen a tell

also - the dealer is there to help the game run smoothly and correctly - he / she is your friend (dont obviously ask every 10 seconds) but if your not sure about something ask the dealer

personally the biggest problem I have is being able to hear what is going on, might just be me as I pick up on background noise alot and cant tune it out very well ... so bear that in mind ...

you will need to follow the action alot more and observe the bets (online is easy the numbers are there)

you will find people act out of turn and all sorts of errors ... then you realise you are NOT the newbie / mug at the table ... you just havent spent hours learning to do a chip shuffle (who cares - it would be nice to be able to but it makes no difference)

Also if you can - play as many home games as you can ... this is a zero stress live game so it will help to relax you alot

good luck at the tables
cheers scrawnybob

[devious1]

well i have played live poker and think live is alot better, there is more of an atmosphere in live games, knowone really calls that much with shit hands in live poker. i will be playing a freezeout tourny live tonight at my local casino, its a £40 freezeout, no add on or rebuys, you just get 5000 chips to start with when you lose them you get another 5000 but after that its game over very good tournys.

[turkeystudd]

I enjoy playing live, as well. I was nervous the first time but after a few minutes I realised that everyone was very nice. The dealer is mostly always nice and helpful. Remember to tip the dealer if you win a pot. I play low limit-limit games. No limit is just way to scarry for me. I have to go a pretty long way to play since there are no casinos near me so I don't get to play live as much as I would like.

So, get in there and get your feet wet. You have a great time. It's not a scarry as you think it will be.

[ROYALKNIGHT]

Playing live is alot more profitable than online. You wont get suck bad bad calls or suckouts as much live than you will online.

[Arjonius]

My live play experience is pretty limited, but here are a couple of things you may want to keep in mind since they aren't problematic online.

Don't string bet. It won't be allowed. String betting is when you make a bet in more than one action. For instance, if you intend to raise but only put out the call amount before you put out the raise, it won't be allowed, The simplest solution is to announce your action before making it; e.g. "raise to 200".

Don't talk about your cards or show them until the hand is over. This applies whether you're in it or not.

Don't grab chips or count out your bet before it's your turn to act.

[Metalwarrior]

Playing live is much better than playing online.
First start playing with some friends, then later on play with people you don't know.
When you play online you don't get all the feeling of it. But when you play live it's really different.
It's true poker.