PokerSoup Forums > General > Rules for live play please....

Rules for live play please....

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1. • Posted by Krishna 2008-03-12 03:59:17
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   • Can someone give a few tips for live play?
     Playing at Berts was friendly but I am starting to play in a casino where I need to be on top of these.

     Copied from other thread.....

     1. "Never muck your hand until you win the pot"

     Is opening your cards face up when some one bets folding?

2. • Posted by Jason M 2008-03-12 05:14:34
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   • Some casinos allow you to show your cards before you make a decision no matter what. Some only allow that if you are the only player left to act and your action does not require a response from somebody else (i.e. your opponent has put you all in). And some casinos consider opening your hand without making a calling motion or saying call a fold.

     If that is something you like to do, I would just ask the dealer if you may show your hand.

3. • Posted by Jason M 2008-03-12 05:17:11
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   • Protect your cards with a chip or something.

4. • Posted by Jason M 2008-03-12 05:23:03
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   • If you are in the blinds and it's folded around to the small blind, you may be assumed or asked to "chop" the pot. This means the players in the blinds get their money back and the hand is skipped. It is generally considered the "nice thing to do". You don't end up playing a pot that is going to have a large portion raked or tipped away, the dealer doesn't have to deal for an almost surely low tip, and the other players don't have to wait to get their action fix.

     I always chop and accept chops, regardless of my hand. I usually chop or ask for a chop from the small blnid before I look. One time my opponent chose not to chop with me, I had AA, and he took a big pot off me with his straight beating my trips. How cool is that?

5. • Posted by Graham 2008-03-12 07:40:45
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   • Yeah, I always chop from either blind. I also usually show my cards just for fun and something to talk about, but I agree to the chop without looking. It doesn't come up that often, really.

     Another thing to remember is that it takes two hole cards to make a hand, regardless of how many you use. Say the board shows you need to show your and to drag that pot. You might be a little ashamed, but if you muck that deuce, the dealer can push the pot the other way...

     Something else with respect to mucking. Don't get too flamboyant when you go to reveal your cards. If you try to throw them in your opponent's face with the assumption that they'll land face up in some sort of dramatic display, you better be prepared for the consequences if they don't. Cards can bounce into the muck face down or bounce off the table and ricochet off your opponent's grandmother's wheelchair causing it to lurch uncontrollably before coming to rest in the cocktail waitress's cleavage. Dramatic, yes, but not only will you lose the pot, you'll be looking for a hole to hide in, the AARP will demand an apology and you'll really never get that waitress's phone number no matter how big you'd been tipping her. Someone wise once said, "Act like you've done it before." Beyond that it's common courtesy, we're all the same in the end...

6. • Posted by Krishna 2008-03-12 17:24:12
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   • Thanks for the tips.

     I did not know "showing one card might mean fold in some places".
     I guess it is better to ask the dealer when in doubt.
     I agree protecting cards is important. I need to acquire small card protector.

7. • Posted by Jason M 2008-03-12 18:37:24
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   • No prob, there are probably many more tips that we missed. I have mixed feelings about card protectors. I prefer to just go with a chip from my stack. I could see where it might be fun to have one, and it might even make your opponent think you are a regular "fun" player. Who knows... I go with "less is more".

8. • Posted by uzjedi 2008-03-13 03:42:19
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   • I used to think sunglasses and card protectors were lame in cash games...but then I thought of using Yoda to sit on my cards because he can use the Force...some think this is cheating, but I think it's just a natural talent. ;)

     Anyways, I've never played in a room where turning your cards up was folding. Even if the pot is multi-way I don't think your hand is declared dead. I could be wrong, but I've seen it done before. It's just VERY bad etiquette AFAIK. But turning one or both cards face up when it's heads up is totally fine and something I've done myself and seen quite often. This is especially common on the river. Tournaments can be different, however. In some tournaments they won't let you show just one card (you have to show both...which is totally lame), and if the pot is multi-way then an exposed hand is usually dead.

     Another thing about casino play. The rake and tips have a HUGE, HUGE, did I mention HUGE impact on your hourly rate. Don't feel obligated to tip every single pot you scoop. If you tip every time you raise preflop and take the blinds and that one limper, then you will be hard pressed to show much of a profit at lower to mid stakes. I usually don't tip on small pots unless I've won a few in a row. Then I will tip based on those accumulated winnings. I also rarely tip more than $1 unless the pot is fairly big. You might be worried about looking greedy, but they honestly don't expect anything from the small pots. And you will still be tipping frequently enough.

     Also, the house always wins, even in poker. Take note of the rake structure and whether or not there is a jackpot drop. Tables usually have the structure displayed on the table next to the dealer. If you are playing in a 2/5 NL game that takes 10% up to $40 and drops $1 from the small blind for the jackpot preflop every single hand, then you are getting totally raped by the house (South Point, ugh). In theory the jackpot should even out for everyone. And if they have a ton of different smaller high hand jackpots for four of a kind or better, that's not so bad even though it's really just adding more variance to the game. But if it's one massive purse that only hits twice a year when quad Jacks lose to something better, then you are not likely to even come close to playing enough hands of poker to see the distribution even out. MGM, for example, doesn't rake the 4th dollar in 2/5 NL until the pot reaches $160. That's really good. If they uncapped the 2/5 game or ran 5/10 more often then I would play there instead of places like the Wynn.

     Don't be afraid to call the floor over if you feel you've been treated unfairly by a dealer's ruling. I've hardly ever done this, but things happen.

     Edit: If a player is taking forever to make a decision it's ok to call "time" on him. A floor person will come to the table and activate a stop watch. The player then has 60 seconds to act. You don't have to be in the hand ATM to call time. But make sure you aren't totally rude. Give him a few minutes before resorting to the calling of time.

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