A Newbie Guide to B&M Small Stakes No Limit Cash Games

[DeuceKicker]

A few quick points.

When raising, don't say, "I call and raise to X." That's something you only used to see in the old Bret Maverick movies, but I've heard people say that three times in the past couple of months. If you want to raise, "Raise" should probably be the first word out of your mouth.

When putting your name on the board, it's perfectly acceptable to put yourself on more than one list at a time. (My first time playing I didn't think you were allowed to bogart the 1-2, 2-4 and 3-6 lists at the same time)

Ask if there's a Bad Beat Jackpot for your game, and if so, what qualifies. Realize that other players will adjust their play wildly if they think they have a "jackpot hand."

Be consistent about chopping. If it folds around to the blinds, you don't get to chop when you have 72 and raise when you have AA. You don't get to chop from the BB against the SB who is a horrible player, and not chop when you're SB against the BB who is tough. It's OK to say, "I don't chop if it gets to five-handed, but I'll chop six-handed or more." Just be consistent. Not much pisses off B&M regulars more than some young punk coming in and selectively chopping against them and their friends.

The first and foremost rule should be Never, ever, ever, never berate another player. It doesn't matter if he caught three two-outers against you in a row. If you can't muster up an almost-genuine-sounding, "Nice hand," just don't say anything.

[DrMega]

Nice work! Good advice and entertaining to boot. I wish I'd had this to read before my first B&M misadventures.

[Rottersod]

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Ask if there's a Bad Beat Jackpot for your game, and if so, what qualifies. Realize that other players will adjust their play wildly if they think they have a "jackpot hand."

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I agree with this and whenever I go to a cardroom I always ask since they vary so much even in the same city. There's nothing worse then getting involved in a hand and then having to ask.

Also, OP, at least in LA BBJ pay around 25% to the hand winner so the guy in your (very funny) story would have walked way with some significant cash.

[ChromePony]

Hey all, thanks for the positive feedback, it's much appreciated.

Heh, I realized that normally our 'down on his luck hero' would have normally taken a good 25% chunk of the BBJ, but that doesn't really fit the story. Too bad for him.

That said, our group went to the casino this Friday night. Overall they did well. A few large winners, a few small losers, so the group was significantly up overall. The trip also gave me a chance to see what important things I had forgot to mention in the original post. A few things come to mind.

<ul type="square">[*]If you're used to online play, live play is going to seem very slow. If it's your first time in a casino, things will be scary and exciting when you're in a hand, but be prepared for a long wait when you're not in a hand. Live play can run less than half the speed of online. This is where I take advantage of the extra time and try to be talkative. It helps get through those long periods between hands, and it helps your image too!
[*]I find casino play much more passive in general. This is extremely pronounced on the turn and river. It is not uncommon for people to check behind or call behind on the river with very strong hands. Thus, if you get raised by a tighter player on the turn or river, you need to seriously consider folding.
[*]As an online player, you may be used to semi-bluffing and playing your draws aggressively. This is pointless at a casino because you have so little folding equity. You don't need to raise your draws in position unless you think you have positive pot equity. But, because of the before-mentioned passivity on the turn and river, it is very easy to get a free river card, even out of position! You can bet the flop into people and then check the turn when called. Often it will be checked around for you.
[*]Also relating to the passivity issue, check/raising is very rare. Passive players don't check/raise and good players can't check/raise because passive players don't bet.
[*]A little image goes a long way. It's ok to start out a little overaggressive. If you mess around a bit early, a lot of people will start thinking of you as 'that crazy guy' at the other end of the table. Tighten up after your first few orbits and the image will stay.
[*]Don't be disappointed with a -1/2 buyin day. It's possible to sit for several hours and simply not have any opportunities due to the slow nature of the game.
[*]Because you often will only have a handful of opportunities over the course of the night, you have to take advantage of them. Unfortunately, if you suffer a bad beat during one of them, it can pretty much cripple your chances of having a solid night. You have to accept that.
[*]Don't come to the casino with any monetary goal in mind. Some of my friends came hoping they could double up. When you start thinking about the magnitude of your success, your decision making process fixates on the wrong priorities. Come to play, have fun, and make good decisions.
[*]I have two preferred methods for stacking chips. If you're new and find yourself thinking about ups and downs too much, immediately stack your chips in 7 or 9 uneven stacks. This keeps you from knowing exactly how much is in front of you and will let you focus on the game as you won't be able to monitor your financial progress as much. The downside of this method is that sometimes you need to know exactly how much you have, and sometimes it helps to have prestacked piles so you can just move one or two of them in quickly without having to count them out. Keep even piles of 10 or 20 chips only if you're able to ignore your wins and losses over the course of the night.[/list]Ok, a few more. Hope they help again. Feel free to keep adding your own too. Thanks.

[Moozh]

Bah, that was me above, brother's account.

[FISHOUTTAWATER]

Great post, I hope all the kiddies who come to the club their first time read it, it would help the game move alot faster and make their experience more enjoyable

[1C5]

After winning a hand, it is customary to tip the dealer $1. Do this after the dealer has given you the pot, usually when he takes your cards. The dealer should verbally thank you, and will tap the chip on the table to signify to the floor that the chip was given to the dealer as a tip. You do not need to tip the dealer for very small pots, such as when you raise and win the blinds. It is not uncommon for people to tip more than $1 when they win larger pots. You are under no obligation to do so, $1 is easily sufficient for any sized pot. Tip more if you feel like it, you'll make a new friend for sure.



Is this true? Most of the regs tipped like $1 every pot but many others tipped $3-$5 or more on bigger pots.

[AKQJ10]

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Is this true? Most of the regs tipped like $1 every pot but many others tipped $3-$5 or more on bigger pots.

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Conspicuous consumption. You have no need to follow suit, unless you want to be known as "that guy who tips $5 on every $80 pot".

[realjaydub]

Cool post.

[jjshabado]

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[*]A little image goes a long way. It's ok to start out a little overaggressive. If you mess around a bit early, a lot of people will start thinking of you as 'that crazy guy' at the other end of the table. Tighten up after your first few orbits and the image will stay.

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I don't think I agree with this. I think you generally want to be seen as tight. You've basically got two types of players at the table (this is clearly a generalization):

1. Loose, [censored], oblivious players
2. Thinking opponents. These might be good or bad, but generally tighter than the players above. Often the players that pay attention are actually weak-tight (they know playing 'loose' is bad and pride themselves on making good folds).

So your image is meaningless against 1. They don't pay attention, and play mostly their cards. You could fold for 2 hours and they'll still call your big bet. Against these players, playing more aggressively then you think is best is just a waste of money. They'll pay you off all night long regardless of how you've been playing.

Against the number two type you probably want to be seen as tight. It lets you more easily isolate the really weak and profitable players. Also if you find yourself only against the weak-tight players you can steal pretty easily if you've built up a nice tight image.