A B&M Rookie\'s Advice
I've been playing in a B&M about three months so as a neebie I may be able to give you info B&M neebies need that the veterans have forgot.
1. Go to the brush to get your name on the list for the game of your choice. When you get to a table, place your cash on the table and the dealer will call for a chip runner.
2. My card room has a forward moving button rule and when you first sit down they deal you in EVEN though you have not posted any blinds. Take 5 minutes to learn the cardroom rules.
3. Be aware there are rules that can get you DQ'd from a pot even though you have the best hand. Such as don't flip your cards up when there 3 or more players in a hand, don't give your winning cards to the dealer until he pushes you the chips, etc... When in doubt ask the dealer about a possible rule infraction.
4. On breaks, the dealer and the eye-in-the-sky will watch your chips for you. On a dinner break, check with the dealer how much time you have before they come and take your seat away from you.
5. For 1/2 NLHE, there are several adjustments to be made. *Depending on the skill level of your table, your raises should be 4x(high skill) to 8x(low skill). When dealt AA/KK in the BB, I will raise 10x-12x and often get callers.
*Players with top pair tend NOT to bet big enough to chase out people chasing draws.
*Beware the betting line. Count your chips FIRST then slide them accross the line in neat stacks. Grabbing a handfull of chips and crossing the line may result in the dealer forcing you to LEAVE all your chips in the middle.
*If raising, either move your chips to the middle IN ONE MOTION or say the magic word 'raise'. Saying 'raise' allows you two motions. One to move your call in the middle and the second motion to move your raise to the middle. Otherwise they will call a string bet on you.
*Look to your left for players getting ready to muck their hands. That A9o which would normally go into the muck can be a rasing hand if the lp players are getting ready to fold. On that note, it is often a good idea not to look at your cards until its your action unless you know how not to give off tells.
*Bluffs and semibluffs lose a lot of their power in these games. It is usually better to smooth call a player X unless you know they are good enough to make a laydown. Playing ABC boring poker is usually best with a few FPS raises to keep others from pegging you as a rock...
*ALWAYS chop when heads-up (sb v bb) even if you have AA/KK. The etiquette is you always chop or you never chop. If a player refuses to chop, they are probably a slot player who decided to play some poker to pass the time. Chopping makes the game go faster and besides only the house wins in HU play. If you don't chop, other players willl get irritated at you for slowing the game down.
*You will find a lot of silly players that will see a river on a QQxxx boards not believing you have a queen. You will see players chasing draws on paired-boards and bad 2-flush boards.
*When you find a player that is 'kicker dumb', do NOT miss a value bet AK(AxTxx)A5. Punish them! When they draw out, shut your mouth...
*Tips are typically $1 per pot. For me, on nothing pots I don't tip but if I double up I will tip $5.
*You will be aamzed at the number of people who will chase INSD. Loose players look for a reason to call. Make them pay and be ready to fold to their monster bets when they hit.
*Sterotype people when you have not had much time to observe them. I find Asians to be VERY tight or VERY loose. Blacks can be good players but many can be calling stations that don't want to be 'pushed around' at the table. A person that buys in at the absolute minimum usually is a bad player. A player that wears sunglasses is usually not that good. Old men at the table can be uber-rocks to call stations to tough players. Just watch them before getting too involved with them. With the uber rock old men, I will fold KK to their pre-flop re-raises. As with all stereotypes there are lots of exceptions but without additional information I find it +EV to do this.
*Other players will play AA/KK in very strange ways. A mini-re-raise should set off the alarm bells. In this situation it is no set/no bet for me. I've seen players with AA on the button let 4 players limp in and just call the blinds. It is not until the flop or turn that they make their move. So don't get stacked with your QQ when these guys smooth call your raise.
6. If you don't like your table you can ask the brush for a table move. Don't move to another table without getting permission first.
7. If the card room has player's cards, then get one. it will keep track of your comps. In my card room, you can ask the floormen to give you a comp meal if you are a regular.
8. When someone spikes a 3 outer on you at the river, SHUT YOUR MOUTH or say 'nice hand'. Do not make them feel bad. They will either leave or start playing better. Both are bad for you.
9. Seat slection is important. When you have a choice, keeping big stacks to your right is best. My favorite seats are 456 and 19. I like these seats because it is easier to see the cards. Seat 1 is on the dealers LEFT and the seats go clockwise from there. Sitting on seats 1 and 9 do have the disadvantage of not being able see the player blocked by the dealer.
10. In a 1/2 game if you don't have change and put a $5 chip accross the the line it is ASSUMED to be a call unless you say 'raise' or 'five straight'. The dealer will make change for you. I like to have about 20+ dollar chips because dealers may screw-up and forget to give you change.
11. Turn you cell phone off. If you can't, realize that the dealer can kill your hand if you take a call in the middle of the hand. Again this depends on the card room rules.
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