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Hey guys, I’m a new poker player trying to learn the ropes, been playing some $30 buy-in cash games with my friends for the past half a year or so, but we play for fun and it’s not that serious.
Some of my friends and I want to go to a casino nearby over spring break and try our luck there, but none of us have ever been. Since we’ve never bought in for over $100 on a game between ourselves, is it wise for us to go play 1/3 no-limit with strangers? If not, is there anything we should do beforehand to prepare for it, and what should our mentality be going in to a casino game?
I think you should try out the tournaments, if they have them at your casino at first. That should get your feet wet with live poker.
1/3 or 1/2 games are generally soft, and good starting grounds. Just be mentally prepared to pay “tuition” as you learn how to play live games, where some people can take it too seriously. Good luck out there
You gotta start somewhere.
Chances are there will be more raising in a casino game than what you are used to at your home games, so be ready for that.
Min-buying is fine, you’ll play better if you are comfortable with the amount of money you are buying in for.
When buying chips, get whatever chips most players at the table use. What I mean is don’t buy-in for all $1 chips when most players get $5 chips (most of these games use mostly $5 chips, and the dealer can make change for the $7 bets or other odd amounts). When players buy-in for only small chips it’s pretty obvious they are new players (and experienced players usually buy-in for the higher denomination chips ($25s or $100s) at the bigger games). So just get the chips that are common for the table. Best option is just to give your cash to the chip runner and they’ll bring the most common chips.
Good luck and have fun. Honestly, you gotta start somewhere, and you gotta play the small stakes before you’ll feel comfortable in bigger games.
I actually recommend playing 2-4 or 3-6 limit holdem as your first live casino experience.
My very first live poker experience (besides games with friends with whatever spare change we had in out pockets) was a 2-3 game. It was incredibly nerve wracking, especially when I dusted off $200 in about 20 minutes.
Limit has different strategies in terms of pre-flop and raising since you can’t just bet however much you want. However, it also keeps your losses to a minimum since even if you take a bad beat the amount of money you lose is capped.
If you are truly set on No Limit Holdem then a medium buy in tournament ($80-$150) is fine but I find that most places just turn into shove fests after about 2-3 hours.
I also like the idea of playing limit for your first time. No limit is a very complex game and it’s easy to make a big mistake that could potentially send you home early (this happened my first time playing NL at a casino). Limit is less complicated with the betting amounts already set for you. You can sit down, most likely play longer, and have a better overall first experience. Good luck to you man!
I couldn’t agree with Owen more… even for a tall lanky guy. I often see new players joining a 1-2 game with $80. Its very hard to be a factor buying in short unless you are an experienced player. Essentially its hard for you to call a decent raise because you will be committing a significant amount of your chips. If you miss, you’re going to be very short. And when you get it in with a short stack, expect to get called. Callers risk is limited given your short stack and will be nearly impossible to push anyone off a draw.
If you watch Brad’s videos, you know his style is to call with a lot of hands with showdown equity. So many times he’s calling with weak hands that can improve greatly. However, he has the bankroll if he doesn’t connect… he just reloads. If you are a bankroll of $100… I’m not sure I would recommend sitting unless you are very comfortable with your game.
The question to you is whether the $100 is worth that education. Good lucky… let us know how it goesHi guys, thanks for the all the replies, this is some really great advice!
With regards to your comments, I think the dilemma I’m facing is that I want more experience playing poker, but I’m also scared of losing too much/getting hard stuck or just getting addicted to gambling in general. On a similar note, I’m scared of buying in with a big stack because I don’t want to get coolered and lose more than I’m willing to, but at the same time I don’t want to min-buy because I’ll get pressured/I’ll lose out if I get lucky and flop the nuts or something.
On the idea about limit hold-em, I’ve always played no-limit with friends, I’ve only seen people play no-limit on Youtube/Twitch, so I don’t have any experience with limit hold-em. Are there any useful guides for total beginners to limit online? Some general advice on the transition from no-limit to limit would also be useful. Thanks for all your help!
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